Network system switching method and apparatus, storage medium, and electronic apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a network system switching method and apparatus, a storage medium, and an electronic apparatus. The method comprises: receiving switching information sent by a mobility management entity (MME), wherein the switching information indicates that a network connection of a user equipment is to switch from a first network system to a second network system; on the basis of the switching information, receiving a voice session reconstruction request continuously sent by a session management function (SMF); and on the basis of the received voice session reconstruction request, sending a switching request to a serving gateway (SGW), such that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

Description

Network system switching processing method and device, storage medium, and electronic device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present disclosure is based on Chinese patent application CN202410019734.8 filed on January 5, 2024, entitled “Switching processing method and device, storage medium, and electronic device for network system”, and claims the priority of the patent application, and all the disclosed contents are incorporated into the present disclosure by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a switching processing method and device, a storage medium, and an electronic device for a network system. Background Art

[0004] At present, for handling voice call anomalies, the core network mainly notifies the forward network element to establish a dedicated voice bearer by retransmitting messages and making multiple attempts. However, this method has the following problems: if the forward network element encounters an anomaly when establishing a dedicated voice bearer, the SMF's repeated retries will lengthen the entire voice process and affect the user experience. The network elements in the first network system (for example, the SGW or PGW in the 4G network system) cannot receive the switching request from the forward network element, causing some network elements to remain in the second network system (for example, the 5G network system) and ultimately unable to establish a voice call. This kind of collaboration anomaly between network elements will cause the SMF to be in a state of repeatedly retrying to establish a voice session or waiting, and will not be able to actively detect anomalies, resulting in the inability to quickly restore the voice call. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a handover processing method and device, a storage medium, and an electronic device for a network system, so as to at least solve the problem in the related art that when a voice session is abnormally established, a voice session cannot be quickly restored.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a switching processing method for a network system is provided, which is applied to an authentication management function entity AMF, and includes: receiving switching information sent by a mobility management entity MME, the switching information indicating that the network connection of a user equipment will be switched from a first network system to a second network system; receiving a voice session reestablishment request continuously sent by a session management function SMF based on the switching information, wherein the voice session reestablishment request is a reestablishment request for the voice session request sent to the user equipment when the base station does not support establishing a voice session with the first network system; and sending a switching request to a service gateway SGW based on the received voice session reestablishment request, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a switching processing device for a network system is provided, comprising: a first receiving module for receiving switching information sent by a mobility management entity MME, wherein the switching information indicates that the network connection of a user equipment will be switched from a first network system to a second network system; a first sending module for receiving a voice session reestablishment request continuously sent by a session management function SMF based on the switching information, wherein the voice session reestablishment request is a reestablishment request for the voice session request sent to the user equipment when the base station does not support establishing a voice session with the first network system; and a second sending module for sending a switching request to a service gateway SGW based on the received voice session reestablishment request, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a first starting module, which is used for the above-mentioned SMF to start a first timer before receiving the voice session re-establishment request continuously sent by the SMF based on the above-mentioned switching information, when the above-mentioned SMF determines that the above-mentioned base station does not support the establishment of the voice session of the above-mentioned 5G network system; a third sending module, which is used for the above-mentioned SMF to continuously send the above-mentioned voice session re-establishment request to the above-mentioned AMF when the timing of the above-mentioned first timer is greater than the preset time.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a fourth sending module, configured to, after receiving the switching information sent by the MME, send the switching information to the SMF to instruct the SMF to send the voice session reestablishment request.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a fifth sending module, which is used to send a switching request to the service gateway SGW based on the received voice session reconstruction request, so that the above-mentioned SGW responds to the above-mentioned switching request and switches the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment from the above-mentioned first network system to the above-mentioned second network system. After that, the above-mentioned SGW sends the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request to the PGW; a sixth sending module, which is used for the above-mentioned PGW to send the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request to the above-mentioned base station when receiving the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the sixth sending module includes: a first mounting unit, configured for the PGW to mount the voice session request and delete the voice session request from the cache when detecting that the cache includes the voice session request that matches the voice session reestablishment request; a first generating unit, configured for the PGW to regenerate a target voice session request using the mounted voice session request and the voice session reestablishment request, and to cache the target voice session request; and a first sending unit, configured for the PGW to send the target voice session request to the base station to initiate reestablishment of the voice session request in the second network system.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the first sending unit includes: a first starting submodule, configured for the PGW to start a second timer; and a first sending submodule, configured for the PGW to send the target voice session request to the base station as triggered by the second timer.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, when the network connection of the user equipment is switched from the first network system to the second network system, and when the user equipment initiates a tracking area update (TAU), it is determined that the MME is in an abnormal state, wherein the MME being in the abnormal state includes that when the user equipment initiates the voice session request for the first time, the MME does not send the voice session request to the SGW.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a seventh sending module, which is used to send a switching request to the SGW when the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request is received, so that the above-mentioned SGW responds to the above-mentioned switching request and switches the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment from the above-mentioned first network system to the above-mentioned second network system. After that, the above-mentioned MME sends a switching response message to the above-mentioned AMF, wherein the above-mentioned switching response message is used to indicate that the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment has been switched to the above-mentioned second network system; a first releasing module, which is used for the above-mentioned AMF to release the above-mentioned first network system to which the above-mentioned user equipment is connected based on the above-mentioned switching response message.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the second sending module includes: a second sending unit configured to send the handover request to the SGW when the AMF receives the voice session reestablishment request more than a preset threshold, so that the SGW responds to the handover request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps of any of the above-mentioned method embodiments when executed.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any one of the above method embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a mobile terminal of a network system handover processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG2 is a flowchart of a handover processing method of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG3 is a network structure diagram of a non-roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG4 is a flow chart of a voice call falling back from a 5G network system to a 4G network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] 5 is a flowchart of triggering the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer after reestablishing a PDN from a 4G network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG6 is a network structure diagram of a roaming scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG7 is a flowchart of a voice call from a 5G network system falling back to a 4G network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] 8 is a flowchart of triggering the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer after reestablishing a PDN from 4G according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG9 is a structural block diagram of a handover processing device of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0027] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0028] The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal or a similar computing device. Taking running on a mobile terminal as an example, Figure 1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a mobile terminal of a switching processing method of a network system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the mobile terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in Figure 1) processors 102 (the processor 102 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 104 for storing data, wherein the above-mentioned mobile terminal may also include a transmission device 106 and an input and output device 108 for communication functions. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure shown in Figure 1 is only for illustration and does not limit the structure of the above-mentioned mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal may also include more or fewer components than those shown in Figure 1, or have a configuration different from that shown in Figure 1.

[0029] The memory 104 can be used to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as the computer program corresponding to the switching processing method of the network system in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer program stored in the memory 104, that is, implementing the above-mentioned method. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some instances, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely located relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories may be connected to the mobile terminal via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0030] The transmission device 106 is used to receive or send data via a network. A specific example of the aforementioned network may include a wireless network provided by the mobile terminal's communications provider. In one embodiment, the transmission device 106 includes a network interface controller (NIC), which can be connected to other network devices via a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In one embodiment, the transmission device 106 may be a radio frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0031] The network architecture between the various network elements in the method embodiment provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in Figure 2. The UE (User Equipment) is connected to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function, an authentication management function entity with access and mobility management functions), and the AMF passes the UE's location information to the MME (Mobility Management Entity, a key control node of the 3GPP protocol LTE access network). The MME establishes a connection with the SGW (Service Gateway) and the PGW (PDN Gateway), and then communicates with the AMF to obtain the UE's data transmission requirements. Next, the MME negotiates the data path with the SGW and PGW, and then reports the data path establishment status to the AMF. Finally, the AMF passes the data path information to the UE so that the UE can establish a connection with the SGW and PGW and start data transmission. Throughout the process, multiple interactions are carried out between the UE, AMF, SMF (Session Management Function), SGW, MME, and PGW to ensure smooth data transmission.

[0032] In one embodiment, the interaction process between the AMF, SMF, and SGW includes: UE initiates a connection request: The UE connects to the service provider's core network via a wireless network; AMF allocates a session ID: When the UE successfully connects to the core network, the AMF allocates a unique session ID and sends it to the SMF and SGW; SMF performs session management: After receiving the session ID, the SMF begins managing the UE's session, including allocating an IP address and performing flow control; SGW establishes a data transmission channel: After receiving the session ID, the SGW establishes a data transmission channel with the UE so that the UE can communicate with the Internet or other networks; data transmission and flow control: Once the data transmission channel is established, the UE can begin sending and receiving data. The SMF and SGW manage and control data traffic to ensure efficient utilization of network resources; session termination and resource release: When the UE disconnects or the session ends, the AMF, SMF, and SGW release the relevant session resources and perform necessary cleanup. In this interactive process, the AMF is responsible for core network function management, the SMF is responsible for session management, and the SGW is responsible for data transmission and flow control. The collaboration and interaction between them ensures that user equipment can smoothly access and use various core network functions and services.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a handover processing method for a network system is provided, which is applied to an authentication management function entity AMF. FIG3 is a flowchart of the handover processing method for a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the process includes the following steps:

[0034] Step S302: receiving handover information sent by a mobility management entity MME, where the handover information indicates that the network connection of the user equipment will be handed over from the first network system to the second network system;

[0035] In this embodiment, the MME typically sends handover information in an LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. For example, handover information is sent in the following scenarios: when a UE is handed over from one base station to another, the MME sends handover information to the new target base station; when a UE is handed over from an LTE network to another wireless network (such as 3G or 2G), the MME sends handover information to the target wireless network; and when a UE performs a cell handover within the same base station, the MME sends handover information to the target cell.

[0036] In this embodiment, the handover information includes, but is not limited to, the following: target base station information: including information such as the identifier, location, and coverage of the target base station; handover type: indicating whether the handover is based on wireless signal quality, load balancing, or other reasons; handover parameters: for example, handover thresholds, handover access conditions, etc.; handover command: an instruction instructing the AMF to execute the handover, including the time and method of handover to the target base station; handover result: including information feedback on handover success or failure. After receiving this handover information, the AMF can execute the handover action according to the instruction sent by the MME to implement handover between different network systems, thereby improving communication quality and user experience.

[0037] Step S304: receiving a voice session reestablishment request continuously sent by the session management function SMF based on the handover information, wherein the voice session reestablishment request is a voice session reestablishment request sent to the user equipment when the base station does not support establishing a voice session with the first network system;

[0038] Step S306: Based on the received voice session reestablishment request, a switching request is sent to the serving gateway SGW, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

[0039] This embodiment is applicable to scenarios where there is a need to quickly restore voice call services when an abnormality occurs in the collaboration between multiple network elements in a network system, for example, non-roaming and roaming scenarios in a communication system of a 5G network system.

[0040] In one embodiment, the second network system is a network system with inferior network quality compared to the first network system. For example, the second network system is a 3G network system and the first network system is a 4G network system; the second network system is a 4G network system and the first network system is a 5G network system; or the second network system is a 5G network system and the first network system is a 6G network system. When a user device initiates a voice session establishment request, the first network system is preferentially selected. If the first network system fails, the voice session is switched to the second network system. The 4G network system is the fourth generation of mobile communication technology, providing faster data transmission speeds and higher network capacity than the previous generation 3G network. It utilizes LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology, which can support more device connections and provide more stable network connections. The 5G network system is the fifth generation of mobile communication technology, a next-generation network system that is an upgrade and improvement of the current 4G LTE network. The 5G network system offers higher data transmission speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity, supporting more devices to connect simultaneously, providing users with a faster and more stable internet experience.

[0041] For example, in this embodiment, when a 5G device (e.g., UE) initiates or receives a voice call in 5G NR, if 5G NR does not support voice services, or all necessary voice functions have not been implemented in the phone and NG-RAN, or there is a temporary lack of voice resources in NG-RAN, the handover processing (e.g., EPS Fallback) process of this embodiment is triggered.

[0042] Through the above steps, if an exception occurs in the first network system during voice session establishment, the AMF can promptly receive handover information sent by the MME, receive voice session reestablishment requests continuously sent by the SMF based on the handover information, and send the handover request to the SGW. The SGW responds to the handover request and switches the user equipment's network connection from the first network system to the second network system. This allows for rapid handover to the second network system, which initiates voice session establishment, shortening the user's voice wait time and improving the success rate of voice calls. This solves the problem in related arts of being unable to quickly restore a voice session when an exception occurs, ensuring rapid restoration of the voice session when an exception occurs.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, before receiving the voice session reestablishment request continuously sent by the session management function (SMF) based on the handover information, the method further includes: the SMF starting a first timer when determining that the base station does not support establishing a voice session in the 5G network system; and the SMF continuously sending voice session reestablishment requests to the AMF when the timing of the first timer is greater than a preset time. The first timer is primarily used by the SMF to trigger voice dedicated bearer reestablishment, and the timing of the first timer can be flexibly set based on different application scenarios. In this embodiment, the SMF can initiate a voice session reestablishment request in a timely manner by starting the first timer.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, after receiving handover information sent by the Mobility Management Entity (MME), the method further includes: sending handover information to the SMF to instruct the SMF to send a voice session reestablishment request. In this embodiment, upon receiving the handover instruction from the AMF, the SMF can quickly trigger the process of reestablishing the voice dedicated bearer without waiting for the dedicated bearer establishment initiated by the PCF (Policy Control Function), thereby speeding up the voice dedicated bearer establishment process.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, based on the received voice session re-establishment request, a switching request is sent to the serving gateway SGW, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system. The above method further includes: the SGW sends the voice session re-establishment request to the packet data network gateway PGW; and upon receiving the voice session re-establishment request, the PGW sends the voice session request to the base station.

[0046] In this embodiment, upon receiving a voice session reestablishment request, the PGW sends a voice session request to the base station, including: upon detecting that a voice session request matching the voice session reestablishment request is included in the cache, the PGW mounts the voice session request and deletes the voice session request from the cache; the PGW regenerates a target voice session request using the mounted voice session request and the voice session reestablishment request, and caches the target voice session request; and the PGW sends the target voice session request to the base station to initiate reestablishment of the voice session request in the second network system. For example, if the PGW detects that a dedicated bearer for the voice session needs to be established when reestablishing a 4G voice session, the PGW can immediately initiate the establishment of the dedicated bearer for the voice session after the voice session is reestablished, without having to wait for the PCF to initiate the establishment of the dedicated bearer for the voice session.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the PGW sends a target voice session request to the base station, including: the PGW starting a second timer; and the PGW sending the target voice session request to the base station upon triggering the second timer. The duration of the second timer can be configured based on the application scenario. By triggering the second timer, the PGW can promptly initiate the voice session request, ensuring the reestablishment of the voice session.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, during a handover of a user equipment's network connection from a first network system to a second network system, and when the user equipment initiates a Tracking Area Update (TAU), the MME determines that it is in an abnormal state. The abnormal state of the MME includes the MME failing to send a voice session request to the SGW when the user equipment first initiates a voice session request. For example, due to an abnormality, the MME fails to initiate a voice session handover to the SGW, causing the user's 4G TAU to fail and requiring the user to re-initiate an Attach in the 4G network system. The MME sends a Create Session Request to the SGW to initiate the Attach process, and the SGW sends a Create Session Request to the PGW to initiate the Attach process.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, upon receiving a voice session reestablishment request, a handover request is sent to a serving gateway (SGW), so that the serving gateway (SGW) responds to the handover request and switches the user equipment's network connection from the first network system to the second network system. The method further includes: the MME sends a handover response message to the AMF, where the handover response message indicates that the user equipment's network connection has been switched to the second network system; and the AMF releases the first network system to which the user equipment is connected based on the handover response message. This embodiment promptly releases the first network system to which the user equipment is connected after the voice session is established, thereby saving network resources.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, based on a received voice session reestablishment request, a switching request is sent to a service gateway SGW, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system, including: when the number of times the AMF receives the voice session reestablishment request is greater than a preset threshold, the AMF sends a switching request to the SGW, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system. In this embodiment, the preset threshold can be flexibly set according to the application scenario, for example, 5 times, 10 times. By setting the number of voice session reestablishment requests, this embodiment can promptly switch to other network systems to reestablish the voice session when an abnormality occurs in the network system, thereby ensuring the establishment of the voice session.

[0051] The present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments:

[0052] This specific embodiment takes the scenario of switching to a 4G network system when an abnormality occurs in establishing a voice session in a 5G network system as an example to illustrate, including switching in non-roaming scenarios and switching in roaming scenarios, as follows:

[0053] In a non-roaming scenario, users use UE to make voice calls within the scope of their own operator's network. The voice call process includes: voice dialing, connection establishment, call connection, voice call, and voice call termination. In this process, each network element in the communication network will use various protocols to transmit voice signals and establish connections to ensure that both parties can make stable voice calls. The network architecture between various networks in a non-roaming scenario is shown in Figure 2. In this network architecture, the UE preferentially connects to the 5G network system for voice calls, but due to an abnormality in the 5G network system, the voice call cannot be responded to. To ensure the connection of the voice call, the voice call needs to fall back from the 5G network system to the 4G network system for voice call reconstruction. When falling back from the 5G network system to the 4G network system for voice calls, the interaction process between the various network elements is shown in Figure 4, including the following steps:

[0054] S401: The UE has completed going online and is in an online state. The UE initiates a voice session establishment request.

[0055] In step S402, the PCF receives a voice session establishment request and initiates a voice session establishment request to the base station. Since the base station does not support VoNR (Voice over New Radio, which is commonly known as 5G voice technology), it returns an EPS fallback (Evolved Packet System fallback, 5G voice service falls back to 4G) reason value to the SMF.

[0056] S403, SMF receives the EPS fallback reason value and starts a timer (first timer) to trigger voice session reestablishment.

[0057] S404: The UE initiates a TAU (Tracking Area Update) procedure.

[0058] S405: The eNB (Evolved Node B) receives the TAU request.

[0059] S406: The eNB sends a TAU request to the MME.

[0060] S407: The MME responds to the TAU request and sends a context request to the AMF.

[0061] S408: AMF responds to the context request.

[0062] S409: AMF performs identity authentication or security verification on the context request.

[0063] S410, the MME replies with a Context Ack (Acknowledge character) message to the access and AMF.

[0064] S411: The MME fails to initiate network switching to the SGW due to an abnormality, and the SMF timer times out, triggering a voice session reestablishment request.

[0065] S412, SMF notifies AMF to reestablish the voice session.

[0066] S413, AMF determines that it has received the voice session reconstruction instruction from MME, identifies it as the state of switching to the 4G network system, and replies to SMF on the voice session reconstruction, indicating that the forward network element is performing the network system switching.

[0067] S414, when the SMF timer times out, the voice session will be re-initiated to re-establish the session. The AMF system sets a threshold internally to detect whether the cumulative number of S413 (the number of voice session establishment requests received from SMF during the switching process) exceeds the set threshold.

[0068] S415: AMF detects that the abnormality reaches the set threshold, and AMF needs to construct a new message (Hand Over To EPS Immediately Request) to notify MME, so that MME immediately initiates the handover process for voice session reestablishment.

[0069] At step S416, the MME receives the handover request from the AMF. If the MME determines that it has retrieved the Retrieve message, it replies to the AMF with a Handover Response message, adding a new message (Handover to EPS Immediately Response). The MME then initiates a 4G network handover message to the SGW to ensure the handover process continues. Otherwise, the MME deems the 4G network system abnormal and quickly triggers the user to go back online.

[0070] S417: The MME initiates a voice session reestablishment request to the SGW.

[0071] S418: The SGW modifies the voice session reestablishment request and sends it to the PGW.

[0072] S419: The PGW responds to the voice session reestablishment request.

[0073] S420: The SGW sends a voice session reestablishment response to the MME, completing the 4G portion of the TAU process from the 5G network system to the 4G network system.

[0074] S421: After switching to the 4G network system, the PGW-C initiates the voice session reestablishment process.

[0075] In this embodiment, for MME anomalies, the abnormal process is restored through the SMF reconstruction mechanism, the AMF detection mechanism, and the collaboration between AMF, SMF, and MME, which can improve the user's voice call experience.

[0076] In a non-roaming scenario, after the TAU update fails for the user tracking area, the process of triggering the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer after reestablishing the PDN from the 4G network system is shown in Figure 5. The specific steps include:

[0077] S501: The UE has completed going online and is in an online state. The UE initiates a voice session establishment request.

[0078] S502: The PCF receives a voice session establishment request and initiates a voice session establishment request to the base station. Since the base station does not support VoNR, it returns an EPS fallback reason value to the SMF.

[0079] S503: The SMF receives the EPS fallback reason value and starts a timer to trigger the voice session reestablishment.

[0080] S504: The UE initiates a TAU triggering procedure.

[0081] S505: The eNB (Evolved Node B) receives a TAU request.

[0082] S506: The eNB sends a TAU request to the MME.

[0083] S507: The MME responds to the TAU request and sends a context request to the AMF.

[0084] S508: AMF responds to the context request.

[0085] S509: AMF performs identity authentication or security verification on the context request.

[0086] S510: The UE initiates a TAU procedure, and the MME responds with a context confirmation message to the AMF.

[0087] S511: The SMF timer times out, triggering the reestablishment of the voice session.

[0088] S512: The MME does not initiate a handover to the SGW due to an abnormality, and the user's 4G TAU fails. The user then re-initiates voice reconstruction on the 4G network.

[0089] In S513, the core network re-establishes the PDN, but an existing call on the PGW / SMF cannot be made.

[0090] S514: The MME sends a voice session reestablishment request to the SGW to initiate a voice session reestablishment process.

[0091] S515: The SGW sends a voice session reestablishment request to the PGW to initiate the voice session reestablishment process.

[0092] S516: PGW detects that the user is online repeatedly, and triggers the voice session to be released and re-established. Specifically, the internal deletion is sent first, and then the session online message is sent to PGW.

[0093] S517: The PGW receives the self-release message, detects that a dedicated bearer for a voice session has been established, and constructs and continues to cache a message for the PCF to reversely establish a dedicated bearer for a voice session.

[0094] In step S518, the PGW receives the voice session reestablishment message constructed by itself in step S516. After completing the voice session reestablishment, the PGW detects the existence of a cached message for establishing a reverse voice session bearer for the user, and starts a timer (the duration is configurable). After the voice session is reestablished, the PGW initiates the voice session bearer establishment again.

[0095] S519: The SGW sends a voice session reestablishment response to the PGW.

[0096] S520: The MME sends a voice session reestablishment response to the SGW.

[0097] S521: The SGW and MME complete the subsequent process of reestablishing the user PDN voice session.

[0098] S522: When the timer started in step S518 times out, the PGW pops up a cached message and triggers the voice session reestablishment again.

[0099] S523, completing the subsequent process of voice conversation reconstruction.

[0100] This embodiment addresses MME anomalies and TAU failures. The user reattaches to the 4G network system. When the 4G network system reestablishes the session, the cached voice dedicated bearer is identified and retained. This ensures that voice establishment is initiated immediately after the 4G network system is reestablished without waiting for another voice request from the PCF, thereby improving the user's voice call experience.

[0101] In a roaming scenario, a user uses a UE outside the range of their own operator's network to make a voice call. The voice call process includes: starting and entering the communication application, selecting the contact to be called, the UE automatically searches for the network signal in the current area and connects to the strongest signal tower, the call is connected, the voice call is made, and the voice call is ended. In this process, each network element in the communication network will use various protocols to transmit voice signals and establish connections to ensure that both parties can make stable voice calls. The network architecture between various networks in a roaming scenario is shown in Figure 6. In this network architecture, the UE preferentially connects to the 5G network system for voice calls, but due to an abnormality in the 5G network system, the voice call cannot be responded to. To ensure the connection of the voice call, the voice call needs to fall back from the 5G network system to the 4G network system for voice call reconstruction. When falling back from the 5G network system to the 4G network system for voice calls, the interaction process between the various network elements is shown in Figure 7, including the following steps:

[0102] S701: The UE has completed going online and is in an online state. The UE initiates a voice session establishment request.

[0103] S702: The PCF initiates a voice session establishment request. Since the base station does not support VoNR, it returns an EPS fallback reason value.

[0104] S703: The A / H-SMF receives the EPS fallback reason value and starts a timer (a first timer) to trigger the reestablishment of the voice session.

[0105] S704: The UE initiates a TAU triggering procedure.

[0106] S705, the eNB receives the TAU request process.

[0107] S706: The eNB sends a TAU request process to the MME.

[0108] S707: The MME responds to the TAU request process and sends a context request to the AMF.

[0109] S708: AMF responds to the context request.

[0110] S709: AMF performs identity authentication or security verification on the context request.

[0111] S710, the MME replies with a context confirmation message to the AMF.

[0112] S711: The MME fails to initiate network switching to the SGW due to an abnormality, and the SMF timer times out, triggering the reestablishment of the voice session.

[0113] S712, the A / H-SMF notifies the I / V-SMF (Intermediate or Visited SMF) to reestablish the voice session.

[0114] S713, I / V-SMF notifies AMF to reestablish the voice session.

[0115] S714, AMF determines that it has received the instruction from MME and identifies it as switching to 4G state, then returns ongoing to I / V-SMF, indicating that the forward network element is switching, and I / V-SMF notifies A / H-SMF that the user is switching.

[0116] S715: When the A / H-SMF timer times out, it will initiate voice session reestablishment again and notify the I / V-SMF to reestablish the voice session.

[0117] S716, I / V-SMF notifies AMF of voice session reconstruction. AMF system sets a threshold internally to detect whether the cumulative number of steps similar to S714-S715 above (the number of voice dedicated bearer establishment requests received from I / V-SMF during the switching process) exceeds the set threshold.

[0118] S717, AMF detects that the abnormality reaches the set threshold. In this embodiment, AMF constructs a new message (Hand Over To EPS Immediately Request) to notify MME, so that MME immediately initiates the handover process.

[0119] At step S718, the MME receives the handover request from the AMF. If the MME determines that it has received the Retrieve message, it replies to the AMF with a Handover Response message, adding a new message (Handover to EPS Immediately Response). The MME then initiates a 4G handover message to the SGW to ensure the handover process continues. Otherwise, the MME deems the network system abnormal and quickly triggers the user to go back online.

[0120] S719: The MME initiates a voice session reestablishment request to the SGW.

[0121] S720: The SGW modifies the voice session reestablishment request and initiates a voice session reestablishment request to the PGWC.

[0122] S721, PGWC returns a voice session modification and reestablishment response to SGW.

[0123] S722: The SGW returns a voice session reestablishment response to the MME, completing the 4G portion of the 5G to 4G TAU process.

[0124] S723: After switching to 4G, PGW-C initiates the voice session reestablishment process.

[0125] In this embodiment, for MME anomalies, the abnormal process is restored through the A / H-SMF reconstruction mechanism, the AMF detection mechanism, and the collaboration between AMF, I / V-SMF, A / H-SMF, and MME, which can improve the user's voice call experience.

[0126] In a roaming scenario, after a user's TAU fails, the process of triggering the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer after reestablishing the PDN from 4G is shown in Figure 8. The specific steps include:

[0127] S801: The UE has completed going online and is in an online state. The UE initiates a voice session establishment request.

[0128] In step S802, the PCF receives a voice session establishment request and initiates a voice dedicated bearer establishment request to the base station. Since the base station does not support VoNR, it returns an EPS fallback reason value.

[0129] S803, the SMF receives the EPS fallback reason value and starts a timer (a first timer) to trigger dedicated bearer reestablishment (ie, initiates a voice session reestablishment request).

[0130] S804: The UE triggers the TAU flow request process.

[0131] S805: The eNB receives the TAU request process.

[0132] S806: The eNB sends a TAU request process to the MME.

[0133] S807: The MME responds to the TAU request process and sends a context request to the AMF.

[0134] S808, AMF responds to the context request process.

[0135] S809: AMF performs identity authentication or security verification on the context request.

[0136] S810: The UE initiates a TAU procedure, and the MME responds with a context confirmation message to the AMF.

[0137] At step S811, the MME fails to initiate a handover to the SGW due to an abnormality, and the user's 4G TAU fails. The user then re-initiates the voice session reestablishment on 4G.

[0138] S812: The core network re-establishes the PDN, but an existing call on the PGW / SMF cannot be made.

[0139] S813: The MME sends a voice session reestablishment request to the SGW to initiate a voice session reestablishment process.

[0140] S814: The SGW sends a voice session reestablishment request to the PGW to initiate a voice session reestablishment process.

[0141] S815: PGW detects that the user is online repeatedly, and triggers the voice session to be released and re-established. Specifically, the internal deletion is sent first, and then the voice session online message is sent to the PGW itself.

[0142] S816: The PGW receives the voice session self-release message, detects that a voice session has been established, and constructs and continues to cache the PCF reverse voice session dedicated bearer establishment message.

[0143] S817, PGW receives the voice session reestablishment message constructed by itself in step S815, completes the voice session reestablishment, detects the existence of the user's reverse voice session dedicated bearer establishment cache message, starts a timer (the duration is configurable), and initiates the voice session dedicated bearer establishment again after the voice session is reestablished.

[0144] S818: PGWC returns a voice session reestablishment response to SGW.

[0145] S819: The SGW returns a voice session reestablishment response to the MME.

[0146] S820: The SGW and the MME complete the subsequent process of reestablishing the user PDN voice session.

[0147] S821: When the timer started in step S817 times out, the PGW pops up a cached message and triggers the voice session reestablishment again.

[0148] S822, completing the subsequent process of voice conversation reconstruction.

[0149] S823: Complete the I / V-SMF removal process.

[0150] In summary, this embodiment optimizes the EPS fallback exception process in the 4G network system and the 5G network system. When the collaboration between multiple network elements is abnormal, the switching process from the 5G network system to the 4G network system is triggered in time through the 5G side retransmission and detection mechanism, so that the user can continue to initiate the establishment of a dedicated voice bearer after switching to the 4G network system, thereby shortening the user's voice waiting time and the success rate of voice calls, and improving the user experience. At the same time, the abnormal optimization is performed from the 4G network system side. When the user's 4G TAU fails and re-attaches, the voice dedicated bearer to be established can be detected and the reconstruction can be triggered immediately after the Attach process, thereby improving the user experience.

[0151] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), including a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0152] In this embodiment, a switching processing device for a network system is also provided. The device is used to implement the above-mentioned embodiments and preferred embodiments. Details that have already been described will not be repeated here. As used below, the term "module" may refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation using hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0153] FIG9 is a structural block diagram of a handover processing device of a network system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG9 , the device includes:

[0154] The first receiving module 92 is configured to receive switching information sent by the mobility management entity MME, where the switching information indicates that the network connection of the user equipment will be switched from the first network system to the second network system; the first sending module 94 is configured to receive the voice session reestablishment request continuously sent by the session management function SMF based on the switching information, where the voice session reestablishment request is a reestablishment request for the voice session request sent to the user equipment when the base station does not support the establishment of a voice session with the first network system; the second sending module 96 is configured to send the switching request to the service gateway SGW based on the received voice session reestablishment request, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a first starting module, which is configured to start a first timer before the above-mentioned SMF receives the voice session reconstruction request continuously sent based on the above-mentioned switching information, when the above-mentioned SMF determines that the above-mentioned base station does not support the establishment of the voice session of the above-mentioned 5G network system; a third sending module, which is configured to trigger the above-mentioned SMF to continuously send the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request to the above-mentioned AMF when the timing of the above-mentioned first timer is greater than the preset time.

[0156] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a fourth sending module configured to send the switching information to the SMF after receiving the switching information sent by the MME, so as to instruct the SMF to send the voice session reestablishment request.

[0157] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a fifth sending module, which is configured to send a switching request to the service gateway SGW based on the received voice session reconstruction request, so that the above-mentioned SGW responds to the above-mentioned switching request and switches the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment from the above-mentioned first network system to the above-mentioned second network system. After that, the above-mentioned SGW sends the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request to the PGW; a sixth sending module, which is configured so that the above-mentioned PGW sends the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request to the above-mentioned base station when it receives the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request.

[0158] In an exemplary embodiment, the sixth sending module includes: a first mounting unit, configured to cause the PGW to mount the voice session request and delete the voice session request from the cache when detecting that the cache includes the voice session request that matches the voice session reestablishment request; a first generating unit, configured to cause the PGW to regenerate a target voice session request using the mounted voice session request and the voice session reestablishment request, and cache the target voice session request; and a first sending unit, configured to cause the PGW to send the target voice session request to the base station to initiate reestablishment of the voice session request in the second network system.

[0159] In an exemplary embodiment, the first sending unit includes: a first starting submodule, configured for the PGW to start a second timer; and a first sending submodule, configured for the PGW to send the target voice session request to the base station according to the triggering of the second timer.

[0160] In an exemplary embodiment, when the network connection of the user equipment is switched from the first network system to the second network system, and when the user equipment initiates a tracking area update (TAU), it is determined that the MME is in an abnormal state, wherein the MME being in the abnormal state includes that when the user equipment initiates the voice session request for the first time, the MME does not send the voice session request to the SGW.

[0161] In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned device also includes: a seventh sending module, which is configured to send a switching request to the SGW when the above-mentioned voice session reconstruction request is received, so that the above-mentioned SGW responds to the above-mentioned switching request and switches the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment from the above-mentioned first network system to the above-mentioned second network system. After that, the above-mentioned MME sends a switching response message to the above-mentioned AMF, wherein the above-mentioned switching response message is used to indicate that the network connection of the above-mentioned user equipment has been switched to the above-mentioned second network system; a first release module, which is configured so that the above-mentioned AMF releases the above-mentioned first network system to which the above-mentioned user equipment is connected based on the above-mentioned switching response message.

[0162] In an exemplary embodiment, the second sending module includes: a second sending unit, configured to send the switching request to the SGW when the number of times the AMF receives the voice session reestablishment request is greater than a preset threshold, so that the SGW responds to the switching request and switches the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

[0163] It should be noted that the above modules can be implemented through software or hardware. For the latter, it can be implemented in the following ways, but not limited to: the above modules are all located in the same processor; or the above modules are located in different processors in any combination.

[0164] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above method embodiments when run.

[0165] In an exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0166] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0167] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0168] For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0169] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0170] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A handover processing method for a network system, applied to an Authentication Management Function (AMF), includes: Receiving handover information sent by a Mobility Management Entity (MME), where the handover information indicates that the network connection of a User Equipment (UE) will be switched from a first network system to a second network system; Based on the handover information, continuously receiving a voice session reconstruction request sent by a Session Management Function (SMF), where the voice session reconstruction request is a reconstruction request for a voice session request sent to the UE when the base station does not support establishing a voice session with the first network system; Based on the received voice session reconstruction request, sending a handover request to a Serving Gateway (SGW) so that the SGW responds to the handover request and switches the network connection of the UE from the first network system to the second network system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Before continuously receiving the voice session reconstruction request sent by the SMF based on the handover information, the method further includes: The SMF starts a first timer when determining that the base station does not support establishing a voice session in a 5G network system; The SMF continuously sends the voice session reconstruction request to the AMF when triggered by the first timer timing exceeding a preset time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, After receiving the handover information sent by the MME, the method further includes: Sending the handover information to the SMF to indicate the SMF to send the voice session reconstruction request.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein After sending the handover request to the SGW based on the received voice session reconstruction request so that the SGW responds to the handover request and switches the network connection of the UE from the first network system to the second network system, the method further includes: The SGW sends the voice session reconstruction request to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW); The PGW sends the voice session request to the base station when receiving the voice session reconstruction request.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The PGW sending the voice session request to the base station when receiving the voice session reconstruction request includes: When the PGW detects that the cache includes the voice session request matching the voice session reconstruction request, the PGW mounts the voice session request and deletes the voice session request from the cache; The PGW regenerates a target voice session request using the mounted voice session request and the voice session reconstruction request and caches the target voice session request; The PGW sends the target voice session request to the base station to initiate the reconstruction of the voice session request in the second network system.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The PGW sending the target voice session request to the base station includes: The PGW starts a second timer; The PGW sends the target voice session request to the base station according to the trigger of the second timer.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, During the process of the network connection of the user equipment switching from the first network system to the second network system, and when the user equipment initiates a Tracking Area Update (TAU), it is determined that the Mobility Management Entity (MME) is in an abnormal state, where the MME being in the abnormal state includes that when the user equipment first initiates a voice session request, the MME does not send the voice session request to the Serving Gateway (SGW).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein In the case of receiving the voice session reconstruction request, after sending a handover request to the Serving Gateway (SGW) to cause the SGW to respond to the handover request and switch the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system, the method further includes: The MME sends a handover response message to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), where the handover response message is used to indicate that the network connection of the user equipment has been switched to the second network system; The AMF releases the first network system to which the user equipment is connected based on the handover response message.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sending a handover request to the Serving Gateway (SGW) based on the received voice session reconstruction request to cause the SGW to respond to the handover request and switch the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system includes: When the number of times the AMF receives the voice session reconstruction request is greater than a preset threshold, the AMF sends the handover request to the SGW to cause the SGW to respond to the handover request and switch the network connection of the user equipment from the first network system to the second network system.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program therein, wherein, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. An electronic device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, where when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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