# US 2019/0174362 A1 · Inter-cell handover method and controller > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0174362 A1 - Document ID: US20190174362A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/271,884 - Filed: 2019-02-11 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-12 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yang YANG; Yinghao JIN; Wei TAN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174362A1 ## CPC - H04W 36/0016: {Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions} - H04W 36/0061: {of neighbour cell information} - H04W 36/0072: {of resource information of target access point} - H04W 36/00838: {Resource reservation for handover} - H04W 36/08: Reselecting an access point - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Embodiments can provide an inter-cell handover method and a controller to shorten a handover delay. For achieving such, a target cell can be determined by a first controller of a source cell. The first controller can send a pre-handover request to a second controller, which may be a controller of the target cell. The pre-handover request can be configured for instructing the second controller to allocate a first resource for a cell handover to a terminal device. The first controller can send a handover command to the terminal device when the first controller determines that the terminal device meets a handover condition. The handover command can be configured for instructing the terminal device to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell based on the first resource. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inter-cell handover method, wherein the method comprises: determining, by a first controller, a target cell, wherein the first controller is a controller of a source cell; sending, by the first controller, a pre-handover request to a second controller, wherein the second controller is a controller of the target cell, wherein the pre-handover request is configured for instructing the second controller to allocate, to a terminal device, a first resource required for a cell handover; and sending, by the first controller, a handover command to the terminal device when determining that the terminal device meets a handover condition, wherein the handover command is configured for instructing the terminal device to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell based on the first resource. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the first controller, the target cell comprises: sending, by the first controller, a measurement request message to a neighboring cell of the source cell, wherein the measurement request message carries first indication information, wherein the first indication information indicates a second resource that meets a quality of service requirement of the terminal device; receiving, by the first controller, at least one measurement report sent by at least one first cell, wherein the at least one measurement report is in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least one first cell, each measurement report comprises second indication information, the second indication information being configured for indicating a second resource that the corresponding first cell can provide for the terminal device, and the at least one first cell is some or all neighboring cells of the source cell; and determining, by the first controller, the target cell from the at least one first cell based on the second indication information in the at least one measurement report. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the neighboring cell of the source cell further comprises a second cell, the second cell being a cell that does not send a measurement report to the first controller when it is determined that the cell cannot provide the second resource required by the terminal device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein some of the at least one measurement report further comprise third indication information, wherein the third indication information indicates first cells corresponding to the some measurement reports cannot provide all second resources required by the terminal device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the some measurement reports further comprise fourth indication information, wherein the fourth indication information indicates at least one of the following information: congestion information, downspeeding information, optional feature information, or function information. ### Claim 6 An inter-cell handover method, comprising: receiving, by a second controller, a pre-handover request sent by a first controller, wherein the first controller is a controller of a source cell in which a terminal device is located, the second controller is a controller of a first cell, the first cell is a neighboring cell of the source cell, the pre-handover request is sent to the second controller after the first controller determines the first cell as a target cell; and allocating, by the second controller based on the pre-handover request, a first resource required for a cell handover to the terminal device, so that the first controller sends a handover command to the terminal device when determining that the terminal device meets a handover condition, to instruct the terminal device to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell based on the first resource. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein before receiving, by the second controller, the pre-handover request sent by a first controller, the method further comprises: receiving, by the second controller, a measurement request message sent by the first controller, wherein the measurement request message carries first indication information, and the first indication information indicating a second resource that meets a quality of service requirement of the terminal device; determining, by the second controller, a second resource that the first cell can provide for the terminal device; and sending, by the second controller, a measurement report to the first controller, wherein the measurement report comprises second indication information, the second indication information indicating the second resource that the first cell can provide for the terminal device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the measurement report further comprises third indication information, the third indication information indicating that the first cell cannot provide all second resources required by the terminal device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the measurement report further comprises fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicating at least one of the following information: congestion information, downspeeding information, optional feature information, or function information. ### Claim 10 A controller, comprising: a transceiver; a memory, configured to store an instruction; and a processor connected to both the transceiver and the memory, configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory, to perform the following when the instruction is executed: determining a target cell, wherein the controller is a controller of a source cell; and; wherein, the transceiver is configured to: send a pre-handover request to a second controller, wherein the pre-handover request is configured for instructing the second controller to allocate, to a terminal device, a first resource required for a cell handover; and when the processor determines that the terminal device meets a handover condition, send a handover command to the terminal device, wherein the handover command is used to instruct the terminal device to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell based on the first resource. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The controller according to claim 10, wherein the transceiver is configured to: send a measurement request message to a neighboring cell of the source cell, wherein the measurement request message carries first indication information, and the first indication information indicates a second resource that meets a quality of service requirement of the terminal device; and receive at least one measurement report sent by at least one first cell, wherein the at least one measurement report is in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least one first cell, each measurement report comprises second indication information, the second indication information indicates a second resource that the corresponding first cell can provide for the terminal device, and the at least one first cell is some or all neighboring cells of the source cell; and the processor is configured to: determine the target cell from the at least one first cell based on the second indication information in the at least one measurement report. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The controller according to claim 11, wherein the neighboring cell of the source cell further comprises a second cell, and the second cell is a cell that does not send a measurement report to the first controller when it is determined that the cell cannot provide the second resource required by the terminal device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The controller according to claim 11, wherein some of the at least one measurement report further comprise third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that first cells corresponding to the some measurement reports cannot provide all second resources required by the terminal device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The controller according to claim 13, wherein the some measurement reports further comprise fourth indication information, wherein the fourth indication information indicates at least one of the following information: congestion information, downspeeding information, optional feature information, and function information.