Cell handover method, apparatus, and communication device

Abstract

The application relates to the communication technical field, and discloses a cell switching method, device and communication equipment, wherein the cell switching method applied to a terminal comprises the following steps: receiving a first synchronization message from a source cell, the first synchronization message is used for triggering the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with a target cell; and sending a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message. The application can reduce the service data transmission interruption time in the cell switching process, effectively reduces uplink data loss, and effectively improves service continuity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a cell handover method, apparatus, and communication equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication, if a terminal moves, it will perform cell handover periodically. When the handover conditions are met, the system sends a handover command to trigger the terminal to switch to the target cell. However, as parameters such as distance and speed change, the uplink time-frequency parameters of the terminal in the source cell are no longer applicable in the target cell. The terminal needs to initiate a random access procedure to establish uplink synchronization with the target cell. After uplink synchronization is completed, the terminal sends a handover completion signaling to the target cell. Thus, the handover is completed.

[0003] However, random access latency can be long in some situations. For example, when the base station is a satellite, the long distance between the terminal and the base station can lead to longer random access latency. Similarly, when the terminal is moving at high speed, the communication link and signaling interaction become complex, resulting in greater latency. The time it takes for the terminal to establish uplink synchronization with the target cell through the random access process is longer than in low-speed scenarios. Because the terminal cannot continue sending uplink data on the service channel during random access, data loss may occur when random access latency is long, affecting service continuity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a cell handover method, apparatus and communication equipment to solve the problem of data loss during terminal cell handover.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a cell handover method applied to a terminal, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive a first synchronization message from the source cell, the first synchronization message being used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell;

[0007] Based on the first synchronization message, a first random access request message is sent to the target cell.

[0008] Secondly, the present invention provides a cell handover method applied to a first base station, the first base station corresponding to a target cell, the method comprising:

[0009] The source cell sends a first synchronization message to the terminal, which triggers the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell.

[0010] Receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

[0011] Thirdly, the present invention provides a cell handover method applied to a second base station, the second base station corresponding to a source cell, the method comprising:

[0012] A first synchronization message is sent to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell, and to enable the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0013] Fourthly, the present invention provides a cell handover device applied to a terminal, the device comprising:

[0014] The first receiving module is used to receive a first synchronization message from the source cell, the first synchronization message being used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell;

[0015] The first random access request message sending module is used to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0016] Fifthly, the present invention provides a cell handover device applied to a first base station, the first base station corresponding to a target cell, the device comprising:

[0017] The first sending module is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal through the source cell. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell.

[0018] The first random access request message receiving module is used to receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

[0019] Sixthly, the present invention provides a cell handover device applied to a second base station, the second base station corresponding to a source cell, the device comprising:

[0020] The second sending module is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell, and to enable the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0021] In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a communication device, comprising: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory and the processor are communicatively connected to each other, the memory stores computer instructions, and the processor executes the computer instructions to perform the cell handover method of the first aspect or any corresponding embodiment described above, or to perform the cell handover method of the second aspect or any corresponding embodiment described above, or to perform the cell handover method of the third aspect or any corresponding embodiment described above.

[0022] Eighthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, the computer instructions being configured to cause a computer to perform the cell handover method of the first aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof, or to perform the cell handover method of the second aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof, or to perform the cell handover method of the third aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof.

[0023] In a ninth aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product, including computer instructions, which are used to cause a computer to execute the cell handover method of the first aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof, or to execute the cell handover method of the second aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof, or to execute the cell handover method of the third aspect or any corresponding embodiment thereof.

[0024] The cell handover method, apparatus, and communication equipment provided in this invention can reduce the interruption time of service data transmission during cell handover, effectively reduce uplink data loss, and effectively improve service continuity. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments or related technologies of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a cell handover method applied to a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a cell handover method applied to a first base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a cell handover method applied to a second base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a terminal cell handover;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating another cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7This is a structural block diagram of a cell handover device applied to a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a structural block diagram of a cell handover device applied to a first base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 9 This is a structural block diagram of a cell handover device applied to a second base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a cell handover method embodiment is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of executable computer instructions. Furthermore, although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be executed in a different order than that shown here.

[0038] This embodiment provides a cell handover method that can be used in a terminal. Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0039] Step S101: Receive a first synchronization message from the source cell. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell. The target cell is a neighboring cell of the source cell.

[0040] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message can be generated by the target cell, the source cell, or the core network. When the first synchronization message is generated by the target cell, the target cell needs to send the generated first synchronization message to the source cell, and then the source cell sends it to the terminal. When the first synchronization message is generated by the core network, the core network needs to send the first synchronization message to the source cell, and then the source cell sends it to the terminal.

[0041] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

[0042] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message is a MACCE (Medium Access Control Element) message or an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message.

[0043] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

[0044] Specifically, the terminal identifier in the first synchronization message is the identifier carried by the terminal when reporting the measurement report. In this embodiment of the invention, the terminal carries its identifier when reporting the measurement report to the source cell. After receiving the measurement report reported by the terminal, the source cell makes a handover decision based on the measurement report. If the source cell decides to handover to the target cell, the source cell will send relevant information to the target cell to notify the target cell that the terminal is about to handover, so that the target cell can make handover preparations. For example, the source cell sends a handover request message to the target cell, which may include the terminal's identifier and the terminal's context information. In addition, if the source cell and the target cell belong to the same base station, or if the source cell and the target cell belong to different base stations but have a communication interface between them, then the information exchange between the source cell and the target cell (including the source cell sending relevant information to the target cell to notify the terminal of the upcoming handover) can bypass the core network, that is, the source cell communicates directly with the target cell. However, if the source cell and the target cell do not belong to the same base station, and there is no communication interface between the two different base stations to which the source cell and the target cell belong, then the information exchange between the source cell and the target cell (including the source cell sending relevant information to the target cell to notify the terminal that it is about to switch to the target cell) needs to go through the core network.

[0045] If the first synchronization message is generated by the source cell, the source cell can generate the first synchronization message after determining that the terminal is about to hand over to the target cell. If the first synchronization message is generated by the target cell, the target cell can generate the first synchronization message after receiving the relevant information (carrying the terminal's identifier) ​​sent by the source cell indicating that the terminal is about to hand over to the target cell. If the first synchronization message is generated by the core network, the core network can generate the first synchronization message after receiving the relevant information (carrying the terminal's identifier) ​​indicating that the terminal is about to hand over to the target cell. Here, the source cell and the target cell need to communicate through the core network, so the source cell can send only one piece of relevant information (carrying the terminal's identifier) ​​indicating that the terminal is about to hand over to the target cell. After receiving this information, the core network can know that the terminal is about to hand over to the target cell, and then generate the first synchronization message and forward the relevant information (carrying the terminal's identifier) ​​sent by the source cell to the target cell, or edit the information and then send it to the target cell, or generate a new message (carrying the terminal's identifier) ​​to notify the target cell.

[0046] When the first synchronization message is generated by the source cell or by the core network, the initial access information of the target cell can be determined based on relevant regulations, or it can be sent in advance by the target cell to the source cell and the core network. The initial access information may include the physical access channel information of the target cell, which is used by the terminal to send random access request messages. Specifically, the physical access channel information may include the time-frequency resource information of the physical access channel.

[0047] Specifically, the terminal reports a measurement report to the source cell. Based on the measurement report, the source cell makes a cell handover decision. When the handover to the target cell is decided, the source cell sends an uplink pre-synchronization command to the terminal. This uplink pre-synchronization command can be sent from the target cell to the source cell. For example, when the source cell decides that the terminal needs to handover to the target cell, it sends a handover instruction to the target cell. In response to the handover instruction, the target cell sends an uplink pre-synchronization command carrying the time-frequency resource information of the target cell's physical access channel to the source cell. Alternatively, the target cell can send its target time-frequency resource information of its physical access channel to the source cell in advance. When deciding to handover to the target cell, the source cell directly generates an uplink pre-synchronization command carrying the target time-frequency resource information and sends it to the terminal. The target cell can send the uplink pre-synchronization command or target time-frequency resource information to the source cell directly through the interface between the two, or it can be forwarded through the core network. In other words, if there is a communication interface between the base station corresponding to the target cell and the base station corresponding to the source cell, the target cell directly sends the uplink pre-synchronization command or target time-frequency resource information to the source cell. Otherwise, the target cell sends the uplink pre-synchronization command or target time-frequency resource information to the core network, which then forwards it to the source cell. The source cell does the same when sending a handover instruction to the target cell; if it can send it directly, it does so; otherwise, it sends it through the core network.

[0048] Step S102: Based on the first synchronization message, send a first random access request message to the target cell. Specifically, the first random access request message is a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) message.

[0049] In some specific implementations, before receiving the first synchronization message from the source cell, the process further includes:

[0050] Data transmission is performed through the source cell;

[0051] After receiving the first synchronization message from the source cell, and before sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes:

[0052] Pause data transmission through the source cell.

[0053] Specifically, sending data through the source cell means that the terminal sends data on the uplink service channel allocated by the source cell. This data can be various service data, including voice data. Based on the first synchronization message, a first random access request message is sent to the target cell. Specifically, this can be done by switching to the physical access channel of the target cell based on the time-frequency resource information of the aforementioned physical access channel and initiating a random access request to the target cell.

[0054] In addition, after sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes:

[0055] Data transmission resumes through the source cell. That is, it falls back to the uplink channel of the source cell and continues transmitting data.

[0056] The cell handover method provided in this invention can reduce the interruption time of service data transmission during cell handover, effectively reduce uplink data loss, and effectively improve service continuity.

[0057] Specifically, the cell handover method provided in this embodiment of the invention triggers the terminal to perform uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell through a first synchronization message, thereby shortening the handover time, which in turn shortens the terminal's access time.

[0058] The cell handover method provided in this embodiment enables the terminal to send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. The terminal automatically falls back to the source cell to continue sending uplink data, effectively reducing uplink data loss.

[0059] For example, after a voice call is established, the terminal in the voice call can send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. This avoids the problem that the terminal cannot continue to send uplink voice on the service channel while waiting for a random access response, which would result in uplink dropped voice and affect the continuity of voice services.

[0060] In some specific implementations, after sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes:

[0061] The first handover message is received through the source cell, and the first handover message includes second access information.

[0062] Specifically, the first handover message may be a handover execution signaling, which is generated by the target cell based on the random access request and sent to the source cell.

[0063] In some specific implementations, the second access information includes calibration access information. Specifically, the calibration access information includes the terminal's uplink time-frequency calibration parameters relative to the target cell, and the radio resource information corresponding to the service channel allocated to the terminal by the target cell. Therefore, after switching to the target cell, the terminal can continue to transmit data on the service channel allocated by the target cell.

[0064] Alternatively, the first handover message can also be generated by the core network. After receiving the random access request from the terminal, the target cell will first determine whether the terminal identifier carried in the random access request is the terminal that needs to be handed over previously notified by the source cell. If so, it can first calculate the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters of the terminal relative to the target cell, and allocate radio resources corresponding to the service channel for the terminal. Finally, it sends the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters and the allocated radio resources to the core network. Then, the core network generates the first handover message, which carries the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters and radio resources sent by the target cell, and sends them to the terminal through the source cell.

[0065] In some specific implementations, after receiving the first handover message through the source cell, the process further includes:

[0066] Based on the calibration access information, a handover completion message is sent to the target cell.

[0067] Specifically, the terminal triggers a handover to the target cell based on the handover execution signaling, and completes the handover based on the aforementioned uplink time-frequency calibration parameters, ultimately enabling the continued transmission of data on the service channel allocated to the target cell.

[0068] In some specific implementations, the calibration access information is generated by the target cell.

[0069] This embodiment provides a cell handover method applied to a first base station, which corresponds to a target cell. Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the cell handover method includes:

[0070] Step S201: Send a first synchronization message to the terminal through the source cell. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell.

[0071] Step S202: Receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

[0072] Specifically, the first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command. The first synchronization message is a MACCE (Medium Access Control Control Element) message or an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. The first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

[0073] In some specific implementations, after receiving the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes:

[0074] A first handover message is sent to the terminal through the source cell. The first handover message includes second access information. Specifically, the first handover message may be handover execution signaling, which may be generated based on the random access request and sent to the source cell.

[0075] In some specific implementations, the second access information includes calibration access information. Specifically, the calibration access information includes the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters of the terminal relative to the target cell, and the radio resource information corresponding to the service channel allocated to the terminal by the target cell.

[0076] In some specific implementations, after sending the first handover message to the terminal through the source cell, the method further includes:

[0077] The terminal receives a handover completion message, which is generated by the terminal after completing cell handover based on the calibration access information.

[0078] A specific implementation of the cell handover method provided in this invention is as follows:

[0079] First, the source cell sends an uplink pre-synchronization command to the terminal. This uplink pre-synchronization command carries the target time-frequency resource information of the target cell's physical access channel. The uplink pre-synchronization command is sent by the source cell after determining that a handover to the target cell is necessary based on a measurement report sent by the terminal. Specifically, the uplink pre-synchronization command can be generated by the source cell based on the target time-frequency resource information sent in advance by the target cell, or it can be generated and sent by the target cell to the source cell after the source cell sends a handover instruction to the target cell based on a handover decision.

[0080] Then, the receiving terminal sends a random access request on the physical access channel based on the target time-frequency resource information.

[0081] Then, a handover execution signaling is generated based on the random access request.

[0082] Specifically, the random access request sent by the terminal carries the terminal's identification information (UE_ID). After receiving the random access request, the first base station needs to determine the corresponding terminal based on the terminal's identification information carried in the random access request, and then generate the corresponding handover execution signaling for the terminal, including calculating the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters of the terminal relative to the target cell and adding the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters to the handover execution signaling.

[0083] Finally, the handover execution signaling is sent to the source cell, so that the source cell sends the handover execution signaling to the terminal. After initiating the random access request, the terminal falls back to the uplink service channel of the source cell to continue sending data. The terminal then hands over to the target cell based on the handover execution command.

[0084] The first base station can be a terrestrial base station or a satellite base station.

[0085] The cell handover method provided in this embodiment enables the terminal to send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. The terminal automatically falls back to the source cell to continue sending uplink data, effectively reducing uplink data loss.

[0086] For example, after a voice call is established, the terminal in the voice call can send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. This avoids the problem that the terminal cannot continue to send uplink voice on the service channel while waiting for a random access response, which would result in uplink dropped voice and affect the continuity of voice services.

[0087] This embodiment provides a cell handover method, which can be applied to a second base station, the second base station corresponding to the source cell. Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a cell handover method according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0088] Step S301: Send a first synchronization message to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell and cause the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0089] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

[0090] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message is a MACCE message or an RRC message.

[0091] In some specific implementations, the first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

[0092] In some specific implementations, before sending the first synchronization message to the terminal, the process further includes:

[0093] Receive data sent by the terminal.

[0094] After receiving the first synchronization message, the terminal needs to send a random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message. Therefore, the terminal will pause sending data to the source cell, so the source cell cannot receive the data sent by the terminal at this time. However, after sending the random access request message to the target cell, the terminal will resume sending data to the source cell. Therefore, after a certain interval, the source cell can receive the data sent by the terminal again.

[0095] In some specific implementations, after sending the first synchronization message to the terminal, the method further includes:

[0096] Receive a first handover message from the target cell, the first handover message including second access information;

[0097] The first switching message is sent to the terminal.

[0098] Specifically, the first handover message may be a handover execution signaling, which is generated by the target cell based on the random access request and sent to the source cell.

[0099] Specifically, the second access information includes calibration access information. Specifically, the calibration access information includes the terminal's uplink time-frequency calibration parameters relative to the target cell, and the radio resource information corresponding to the service channel allocated to the terminal by the target cell.

[0100] A specific implementation of the cell handover method provided in this invention is as follows:

[0101] Step 1: Receive data sent by the terminal;

[0102] Step two: An uplink pre-synchronization command is sent to the terminal, enabling the terminal to initiate a random access request to the target cell based on the target time-frequency resource information carried in the uplink pre-synchronization command; the target time-frequency resource information is the time-frequency resource information of the physical access channel of the target cell. Specifically, the second base station corresponding to the source cell sends a handover instruction to the target cell when it determines that the terminal meets the handover conditions for handover to the target cell; it receives the uplink pre-synchronization command sent by the target cell based on the handover instruction and forwards it to the terminal. If there is a communication interface between the target cell and the source cell, the target cell can directly send the uplink pre-synchronization command to the source cell; if there is no communication interface between the target cell and the source cell, the target cell can send the uplink pre-synchronization command to the source cell through the core network.

[0103] Step 3: Receive data sent by the terminal. After initiating the random access request, the terminal falls back to the uplink service channel of the source cell to continue sending data.

[0104] Step 4: Receive the handover execution signaling sent by the target cell, which is generated by the target cell based on the random access request.

[0105] Step 5: Send the handover execution signaling to the terminal so that the terminal can handover to the target cell based on the handover execution command.

[0106] The second base station can be a terrestrial base station or a satellite base station.

[0107] The cell handover method provided in this embodiment enables the terminal to send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. The terminal automatically falls back to the source cell to continue sending uplink data, effectively reducing uplink data loss.

[0108] For example, after a voice call is established, the terminal in the voice call can send a random access request to the target cell without waiting for a random access response. This avoids the problem that the terminal cannot continue to send uplink voice on the service channel while waiting for a random access response, which would result in uplink dropped voice and affect the continuity of voice services.

[0109] like Figure 4 As shown, when a terminal (User Equipment, UE, also known as a user terminal) moves from the coverage area of ​​cell A (source cell) to the coverage area of ​​cell B (target cell), if cell A and cell B can communicate directly, then... Figure 5 As shown, the process of a terminal handing over from cell A (source cell) to cell B (target cell) is as follows:

[0110] Step 1: After the terminal voice call is established, the voice is sent on the uplink service channel allocated in cell A.

[0111] Step 2: The source cell makes a handover decision based on the measurement report and other information reported by the terminal. If the handover conditions are met, proceed to Step 3; otherwise, continue with Step 1. This step belongs to the handover preparation phase. In addition, the handover preparation process also includes cell A sending a handover request message to cell B. This handover request message may include the terminal's identifier and context information.

[0112] Step 3: Cell B (i.e., base station 2) sends an uplink pre-synchronization command to the terminal through cell A. This command carries the terminal's identification information (UE_ID) in cell A and the time-frequency resource information of the physical access channel in cell B. Specifically, the uplink and downlink pre-synchronization command can be sent by cell B to cell A after receiving the handover request message sent by cell A.

[0113] Step 4: The terminal parses the time-frequency resource information of the physical access channel of cell B, pauses uplink voice transmission in cell A, switches to the physical access channel of cell B, and initiates a random access request. The random access request carries the terminal's identification information (UE_ID) in cell A.

[0114] Step 5: After the terminal sends a random access request, it does not need to wait for a random access response and directly falls back to the service channel allocated by cell A to continue sending uplink voice.

[0115] Step 6: Cell B receives the random access request and calculates the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters of the terminal relative to Cell B based on the terminal identification information (UE_ID) carried in the random access request. Additionally, Cell B needs to determine, based on the terminal identifier carried in the random access request, whether the terminal is one that was previously determined to hand over to Cell B and has already sent an uplink pre-synchronization command (i.e., the UE_ID decision process).

[0116] Step 7: Cell B sends a handover execution signaling to trigger the terminal to hand over to Cell B. This signaling carries the terminal's uplink time and frequency calibration parameters relative to Cell B, as well as the radio resources allocated in Cell B.

[0117] Step 8: The terminal uses the obtained uplink time-frequency calibration parameters to send a handover completion signaling on the radio resources allocated by cell B to indicate that the handover is complete.

[0118] Step 9: After the terminal handover is completed, continue to send uplink voice messages on the service channel allocated in cell B.

[0119] like Figure 4 As shown, when a terminal (User Equipment, also known as a user terminal) moves from the coverage area of ​​cell A (source cell) to the coverage area of ​​cell B (target cell), if communication between cell A and cell B requires traversing the core network, then... Figure 6 As shown, the process of a terminal handing over from cell A (source cell) to cell B (target cell) is as follows:

[0120] Step 1: After the terminal voice call is established, the voice is sent on the uplink service channel allocated in cell A.

[0121] Step 2: The source cell makes a handover decision based on the measurement report and other information reported by the terminal. If the handover conditions are met, proceed to step 3; otherwise, continue to step 1.

[0122] Step 3: Cell B sends an uplink pre-synchronization command to the terminal through Cell A. This command carries the terminal's identification information (UE_ID) in Cell A and the time-frequency resource information of Cell B's physical access channel. Specifically, Cell B first sends the uplink pre-synchronization command to the core network, which then forwards the uplink pre-synchronization command to Cell A, and finally sends it to the terminal.

[0123] Step 4: The terminal parses the time-frequency resource information of the physical access channel of cell B, pauses uplink voice transmission in cell A, switches to the physical access channel of cell B, and initiates a random access request. The random access request carries the terminal's identification information (UE_ID) in cell A.

[0124] Step 5: After the terminal sends a random access request, it does not need to wait for a random access response and directly falls back to the service channel allocated by cell A to continue sending uplink voice.

[0125] Step 6: Cell B (i.e., base station 2) receives the random access request and calculates the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters of the terminal relative to cell B based on the terminal identification information (UE_ID) carried in the random access request. Then, the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters are returned to the core network.

[0126] Step 7: The core network generates a handover execution signaling based on the uplink time-frequency calibration parameters sent by cell B, and sends the handover execution signaling to the terminal through cell A, triggering the terminal to hand over to cell B. This signaling carries the terminal's uplink time-frequency calibration parameters relative to cell B, as well as the radio resources allocated in cell B.

[0127] Step 8: The terminal uses the obtained uplink time-frequency calibration parameters to send a handover completion signaling on the radio resources allocated by cell B to indicate that the handover is complete.

[0128] Step 9: After the terminal handover is completed, continue to send uplink voice messages on the service channel allocated in cell B.

[0129] This embodiment also provides a cell handover apparatus for implementing the cell handover method embodiments and preferred embodiments applied to a terminal described above; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0130] This embodiment provides a cell handover device, applied to a terminal, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the cell handover device includes:

[0131] The first receiving module 701 is used to receive a first synchronization message from the source cell, the first synchronization message being used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell;

[0132] The first random access request message sending module 702 is used to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0133] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message is generated by the target cell, or by the source cell, or by the core network.

[0134] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

[0135] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message is a MACCE message or an RRC message.

[0136] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

[0137] In some optional implementations, the cell handover device further includes:

[0138] The data transmission module is configured to perform data transmission through the source cell before receiving a first synchronization message from the source cell; and to pause the data transmission through the source cell after receiving the first synchronization message from the source cell before sending a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0139] In some optional implementations, the data transmission module is further configured to resume data transmission through the source cell after sending a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0140] In some optional implementations, the first random access request message is a PRACH message.

[0141] In some optional implementations, the cell handover device further includes:

[0142] The first handover message receiving module is used to receive a first handover message through the source cell, wherein the first handover message includes second access information.

[0143] In some optional implementations, the second access information includes calibration access information.

[0144] In some optional implementations, the cell handover device further includes:

[0145] The handover completion message sending module is used to send a handover completion message to the target cell based on the calibration access information.

[0146] In some optional implementations, the calibration access information is generated by the target cell.

[0147] Further functional descriptions of the above modules are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0148] In this embodiment, the cell handover device is presented in the form of a functional unit. Here, a unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0149] This embodiment also provides a cell handover apparatus for implementing the cell handover method embodiments and preferred embodiments applied to the core network described above; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0150] This embodiment also provides a cell handover apparatus for implementing the cell handover method embodiments and preferred embodiments applied to the first base station described above; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0151] This embodiment provides a cell handover device applied to a first base station, which corresponds to a target cell, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the device includes:

[0152] The first sending module 801 is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal through the source cell. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell.

[0153] The first random access request message receiving module 802 is used to receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

[0154] In some optional implementations, the cell handover device further includes:

[0155] The first handover message sending module is used to send a first handover message to the terminal through the source cell, wherein the first handover message includes second access information.

[0156] In some optional implementations, the second access information includes calibration access information.

[0157] In some optional implementations, the cell handover device further includes:

[0158] The handover completion message receiving module is used to receive a handover completion message sent by the terminal. The handover completion message is generated by the terminal after completing cell handover based on the calibration access information.

[0159] Further functional descriptions of the above modules are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] In this embodiment, the cell handover device is presented in the form of a functional unit. Here, a unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0161] This embodiment also provides a cell handover apparatus for implementing the cell handover method embodiments and preferred embodiments applied to a second base station described above; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0162] This embodiment provides a cell handover device applied to a second base station, the second base station corresponding to the source cell, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the device includes:

[0163] The second sending module 901 is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell and to enable the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

[0164] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

[0165] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message is a MACCE message or an RRC message.

[0166] In some optional implementations, the first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

[0167] In some optional embodiments, the cell handover device further includes:

[0168] A data receiving module is used to receive data sent by the terminal.

[0169] In some optional embodiments, the cell handover device further includes:

[0170] The first handover message forwarding module is used to receive a first handover message from the target cell, the first handover message including second access information; and to send the first handover message to the terminal.

[0171] In some optional implementations, the second access information includes calibration access information.

[0172] Further functional descriptions of the above modules are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0173] In this embodiment, the cell handover device is presented in the form of a functional unit. Here, a unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0174] This invention also provides a communication device, which is a terminal and has the above-described features. Figure 7 The cell handover device shown.

[0175] This invention also provides a communication device, which is a base station device, having the above-described features. Figure 8 The cell handover device shown.

[0176] This invention also provides a communication device, which is a base station device, having the above-described features. Figure 9 The cell handover device shown.

[0177] Please see Figure 10 , Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 10As shown, the communication device includes one or more processors 10, a memory 20, and interfaces for connecting the components, including high-speed interfaces and low-speed interfaces. The components communicate with each other using different buses and can be mounted on a common motherboard or otherwise installed as needed. The processors can process instructions executed within the communication device, including instructions stored in or on memory to display graphical information of a GUI on an external input / output device (such as a display device coupled to the interface). In some alternative implementations, multiple processors and / or multiple buses can be used with multiple memories and multiple memory modules, if desired. Figure 10 Take a processor 10 as an example.

[0178] Processor 10 may be a central processing unit, a network processor, or a combination thereof. Processor 10 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The programmable logic device may be a complex programmable logic device (CAMP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general-purpose array logic (GDA), or any combination thereof.

[0179] The memory 20 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 10 to cause the at least one processor 10 to perform the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0180] The memory 20 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and applications required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the communication device. Furthermore, the memory 20 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state storage device. In some alternative embodiments, the memory 20 may optionally include memory remotely located relative to the processor 10, and these remote memories can be connected to the communication device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, corporate intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0181] The memory 20 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory; the memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard disk or solid-state drive; the memory 20 may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0182] The communication device also includes a transceiver 30 for communicating with other devices or communication networks.

[0183] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The methods described above according to embodiments of the invention can be implemented in hardware or firmware, or implemented as computer code that can be recorded on a storage medium, or implemented as computer code downloaded via a network and originally stored on a remote storage medium or a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and then stored on a local storage medium. Thus, the methods described herein can be processed by software stored on a storage medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory, random access memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid-state drive, etc.; further, the storage medium can also include combinations of the above types of memory. It is understood that computers, processors, microprocessor controllers, or programmable hardware include storage components capable of storing or receiving software or computer code, which, when accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, implements the methods shown in the above embodiments.

[0184] A portion of this invention can be applied as a computer program product, such as computer program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can invoke or provide the methods and / or technical solutions according to the invention through the operation of the computer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the forms in which computer program instructions exist in a computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to, source files, executable files, installation package files, etc. Correspondingly, the ways in which computer program instructions are executed by a computer include, but are not limited to: the computer directly executing the instructions, or the computer compiling the instructions and then executing the corresponding compiled program, or the computer reading and executing the instructions, or the computer reading and installing the instructions and then executing the corresponding installed program. Here, the computer-readable medium can be any available computer-readable storage medium or communication medium accessible to a computer.

[0185] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cell handover method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: Receive a first synchronization message from the source cell, the first synchronization message being used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell; Based on the first synchronization message, a first random access request message is sent to the target cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first synchronization message is generated by the target cell, or by the source cell, or by the core network.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The first synchronization message is a MACCE message or an RRC message.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that, The first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving the first synchronization message from the source cell, the method further includes: Data transmission is performed through the source cell; After receiving the first synchronization message from the source cell, and before sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes: Pause data transmission through the source cell.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that, After sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes: Data transmission is performed through the source cell.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first random access request message is a PRACH message.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, After sending the first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes: The first handover message is received through the source cell, and the first handover message includes second access information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second access information includes calibration access information.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, After receiving the first handover message through the source cell, the process further includes: Based on the calibration access information, a handover completion message is sent to the target cell.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The calibration access information is generated by the target cell.

13. A cell handover method, characterized in that, Applied to a first base station, which corresponds to a target cell, the method includes: The source cell sends a first synchronization message to the terminal, which triggers the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell. Receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, After receiving the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message, the method further includes: A first handover message is sent to the terminal through the source cell, and the first handover message includes second access information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second access information includes calibration access information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, After sending the first handover message to the terminal through the source cell, the method further includes: The terminal receives a handover completion message, which is generated by the terminal after completing cell handover based on the calibration access information.

17. A cell handover method, characterized in that, Applied to a second base station, which corresponds to the source cell, the method includes: A first synchronization message is sent to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell, and to enable the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first synchronization message includes an uplink pre-synchronization command.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The first synchronization message is either a MACCE message or an RRC message.

20. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The first synchronization message includes the identifier of the terminal and the initial access information of the target cell.

21. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, Before sending the first synchronization message to the terminal, the method further includes: Receive data sent by the terminal.

22. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, After sending the first synchronization message to the terminal, the process also includes: Receive a first handover message from the target cell, the first handover message including second access information; The first switching message is sent to the terminal.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The second access information includes calibration access information.

24. A cell handover device, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the device includes: The first receiving module is used to receive a first synchronization message from the source cell, the first synchronization message being used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell; The first random access request message sending module is used to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

25. A cell handover device, characterized in that, Applied to a first base station, which corresponds to a target cell, the device includes: The first sending module is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal through the source cell. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell. The first random access request message receiving module is used to receive the first random access request message sent by the terminal based on the first synchronization message.

26. A cell handover device, characterized in that, Applied to a second base station, the second base station corresponding to the source cell, the device includes: The second sending module is used to send a first synchronization message to the terminal. The first synchronization message is used to trigger the terminal to complete uplink pre-synchronization with the target cell, and to enable the terminal to send a first random access request message to the target cell based on the first synchronization message.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor are communicatively connected, the memory stores computer instructions, and the processor executes the cell handover method of any one of claims 1 to 23 by executing the computer instructions.

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