# US 2021/0243662 A1 · Switching method, network element, gateway, base station, framework, apparatus, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0243662 A1 - Document ID: US20210243662A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/098,463 - Filed: 2017-04-21 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-09 - Assignees: China Mobile Communication Co., Ltd Research Institute; China Mobile Communications Corporation - Applicants: China Mobile Communication Ltd., Research Institute; China Mobile Communications Corporation - Inventors: Tao SUN; Dan WANG; Lu LU - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243662A1 ## CPC - H04W 36/12: Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node - H04L 61/5007: Internet protocol [IP] addresses - H04L 61/5076: Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS - H04W 8/14: between corresponding nodes - H04W 48/17: {Selecting a data network PoA [Point of Attachment]} - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W 76/12: Setup of transport tunnels - H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements - H04W 8/08: Mobility data transfer - H04W 8/26: Network addressing or numbering for mobility support - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A gateway-switching method includes: a control plane network element receives a switch request message; when determining, according to the switch request message, whether gateway switching is desired by user equipment (UE), the control plane network element allocates to the UE a UE Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to a target distributed gateway; the control plane network element sends to the target distributed gateway the UE IP address; and the control plane network element sends to a target base station the UE IP address, wherein the UE IP address is used by the target base station for sending data to the UE. Also provided in the embodiments of the present invention are a communication apparatus and non-transitory computer storage medium. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gateway switching method, comprising: receiving, by a control plane network element, a switch request message; when determining based on the switch request message that User Equipment (UE) needs to perform gateway switching, assigning, by the control plane network element to the UE, a UE Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to a target distributed gateway; sending, by the control plane network element, the UE IP address to the target distributed gateway; and sending, by the control plane network element, the UE IP address to a target base station, wherein the UE IP address is further sent to the UE by the target base station. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: assigning, by the control plane network element, uplink tunnel information, wherein the uplink tunnel information comprises at least an uplink tunnel identifier; and sending, by the control plane network element, the uplink tunnel information to the target distributed gateway, wherein the uplink tunnel identifier is a communication identifier of an uplink tunnel established by the target distributed gateway. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: assigning, by the control plane network element, a user plane IP address to the target distributed gateway, wherein the uplink tunnel information further comprises the user plane IP address. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: receiving, by the control plane network element, an updated user plane IP address returned by the target distributed gateway. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the control plane network element, an uplink tunnel identifier returned by the target distributed gateway. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by the control plane network element, downlink tunnel information to the target base station, wherein the downlink tunnel information comprises at least a user plane IP address of the target distributed gateway and an uplink tunnel identifier, and the user plane IP address and the uplink tunnel identifier are used by the target base station to establish a correspondence between the user plane IP address, the uplink tunnel identifier, and a downlink tunnel identifier. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: assigning, by the control plane network element, the downlink tunnel identifier, wherein the downlink tunnel information further comprises the downlink tunnel identifier, and the downlink tunnel identifier is a communication identifier of a downlink tunnel established by the target base station. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, by the control plane network element, the downlink tunnel identifier returned by the target base station. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: sending, by the control plane network element, the downlink tunnel identifier and an IP address of the target base station to the target distributed gateway. ### Claim 10 A gateway switching method, comprising: receiving, by a distributed gateway, a User Equipment (UE) Internet Protocol (IP) address of UE, which is assigned by a control plane network element based on a switch request; establishing, by the distributed gateway, an uplink tunnel; and storing, by the distributed gateway, a correspondence between an uplink tunnel identifier and the UE IP address, wherein the uplink tunnel identifier is a communication identifier of the uplink tunnel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, by the distributed gateway, the uplink tunnel identifier sent from the control plane network element; or assigning, by the distributed gateway, the identifier to the uplink tunnel. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, by the distributed gateway, a user plane IP address assigned by the control plane network element; or self-assigning, by the distributed gateway, a user plane IP address. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: updating, by the distributed gateway, a user plane IP address when receiving the user plane IP address from the control plane network element; and sending, by the distributed gateway, updated information of the user plane IP address to the control plane network element. ### Claim 14 A gateway switching method, comprising: receiving, by a base station, downlink tunnel information sent from a control plane network element, wherein the downlink tunnel information comprises at least a User Equipment (UE) Internet Protocol (IP) address of UE, an uplink tunnel identifier, and a user plane IP address of a target distributed gateway that are assigned by the control plane network element; establishing, by the base station, a downlink tunnel; sending, by the base station, the UE IP address to the UE, and establishing a wireless connection with the UE; and establishing, by the base station, a correspondence between a downlink tunnel identifier, the uplink tunnel identifier, and the user plane IP address, wherein the downlink tunnel identifier is a communication identifier of the downlink tunnel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, by the base station, the downlink tunnel identifier assigned by the control plane network element; or self-assigning, by the base station, the downlink tunnel identifier. ### Claim at position 16 16-35. (canceled) ### Claim 36 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising: sending, by the control plane network element, the downlink tunnel identifier and an IP address of the target base station to the target distributed gateway. ### Claim 37 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising: sending, by the control plane network element, the downlink tunnel identifier and an IP address of the target base station to the target distributed gateway.