Method, apparatus, and system for acquiring load information

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, an apparatus and a system for acquiring load information. In one method, a source access controller and a target access controller can interact through RAT handover related messages so that a source RAT system can acquire load information of a target RAT system when an inter-RAT PS handover is performed. This enables load balancing between different RAT systems so as to guarantee communications quality of the systems. In another method of the present invention, the source access controller and the target access controller interact through a RAN RIM based load information request message and an RIM based load information response message, so that the source RAT system can acquire load information of the target RAT system before an inter-RAT PS domain handover is performed. This enables load balancing between different RAT systems so as to guarantee the communications quality of the systems.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for acquiring load information, the method is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 sending, by a source eNB to which a source cell belongs, a handover request to an SGSN, so that a first relocation request message is sent from the SGSN to a target RNC to which a target cell belongs;   receiving, by the source eNB, a first relocation command message from the SGSN, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to an first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target RNC;   wherein the handover request message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the first relocation request acknowledge message carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a source RNC to target RNC transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a target RNC to source RNC transparent Container IE. 
     
     
         3 . A method for acquiring load information, the method is applicable to a PS domain handover from an UTRAN to an E-UTRAN, comprising:
 sending, by a source RNC to which a source cell belongs, a relocation required message to a SGSN, so that a first handover request message is sent from the SGSN to a target eNB to which a target cell belongs;   receiving, by the source RNC, a first relocation command message from the SGSN, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to the first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target eNB;   wherein the relocation required message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first handover request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the handover request acknowledge carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a source eNB to target eNB transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a target eNB to source eNB transparent container IE. 
     
     
         5 . A method for acquiring load information, the method is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 receiving, by a target RNC to which a source cell belongs, a first relocation request message, wherein the first relocation request is sent from a SGSN according to a handover request sent by a source eNB;   sending, by the target RNC, a relocation request acknowledge message to the SGSN, so that the SGSN returns a first relocation command message to the source eNB, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to an first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target RNC;   wherein the handover request message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the first relocation request acknowledge message carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a source RNC to target RNC transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a target RNC to source RNC transparent Container IE. 
     
     
         7 . A method for acquiring load information, the method is applicable to a PS domain handover from a UTRAN to an E-UTRAN, comprising:
 receiving, by a target eNB to which a target cell belongs, a first handover request message from a SGSN, wherein the first handover request message is sent from the SGSN according to a relocation required message sent by a source RNC;   sending, by the target eNB, a handover request acknowledge message to the SGSN, so that the SGSN returned a first relocation command message to the source RNC;   wherein the relocation required message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first handover request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the handover request acknowledge carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a source eNB to target eNB transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a target eNB to source eNB transparent container IE. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for acquiring load information, the apparatus which a source cell belongs, the apparatus is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 a transmitter, configured to send a handover request to an SGSN, so that a first relocation request message is sent from the SGSN to a target RNC to which a target cell belongs;   a receiver, configured to receive a first relocation command message from the SGSN, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to an first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target RNC;   wherein the handover request message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the first relocation request acknowledge message carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a source RNC to target RNC transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a target RNC to source RNC transparent Container IE. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for acquiring load information, the apparatus which a source cell belongs, the apparatus is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 a transmitter, configured to send a relocation required message to a SGSN, so that a first handover request message is sent from the SGSN to a target eNB to which a target cell belongs;   a receiver, configured to receive first relocation command message from the SGSN, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to the first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target eNB;   wherein the relocation required message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first handover request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the handover request acknowledge carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a source eNB to target eNB transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a target eNB to source eNB transparent container IE. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for acquiring load information, the apparatus which a source cell belongs, the apparatus is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 a receiver, configured to receive a first relocation request message, wherein the first relocation request is sent from a SGSN according to a handover request sent by a source eNB;   a transmitter, configured to send a relocation request acknowledge message to the SGSN, so that the SGSN returns a first relocation command message to the source eNB, wherein the first relocation command message is returned by the SGSN according to an first relocation request acknowledge message returned by the target RNC;   wherein the handover request message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the first relocation request acknowledge message carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a source RNC to target RNC transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE and/or a target RNC to source RNC transparent Container IE. 
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for acquiring load information, the apparatus which a target cell belongs, the apparatus is applicable to a PS domain handover from an E-UTRAN to a UTRAN, comprising:
 a receiver, configured to receive a first handover request message from a SGSN, wherein the first handover request message is sent from the SGSN according to a relocation required message sent by a source RNC;   a transmitter, configured to send a handover request acknowledge message to the SGSN, so that the SGSN returned a first relocation command message to the source RNC;   wherein the relocation required message carries a first transparent container IE that carries a source cell load information IE;   wherein the first handover request message carries the first transparent container IE;   wherein the handover request acknowledge carries a second transparent container IE that carries a target cell load information IE;   wherein the first relocation command message carries the second transparent container IE.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the first transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a source eNB to target eNB transparent container IE; and the second transparent container IE comprises an inter-system information transparent container IE or a target eNB to source eNB transparent container IE.