WO2011044725A1

WO2011044725A1 - Network selection method, network device and network system

Info

Publication number: WO2011044725A1
Application number: PCT/CN2009/074427
Authority: WO
Inventors: 胡颖; 蔡慧; 王珊珊
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2009-10-14
Filing date: 2009-10-14
Publication date: 2011-04-21
Also published as: CN102549978B; CN102549978A

Abstract

A network selection method, network device and network system are provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The network selection method includes: receiving a request message which requests the switching of a packet data network (PDN) connection to a target network (202); determining information of service streams required to be switched to the target network according to the obtained network selection information (204).

Description

Network selection method, network device and network system

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a network selection method, a network device, and a network system.

Background technique

At present, some user equipments (UEs) can support multiple access technologies. For example, the UE can access the external network through the 3G network, or access the external network through the wireless local area network (WLAN). The external network is accessed through an access network, and the external network can also be accessed through multiple access networks.

The UE or the network side may select the service that the UE needs to perform according to the policy such as the quality of service (QoS) of the service currently required by the UE, the preference of the UE, the preference of the operator, the capability of the network element, or the load of the network. A suitable access network. For example, if the UE wants to browse the webpage through the WLAN, the WLAN is used for webpage browsing; or the network side decides to put the voice service of the UE in the 3G access network according to the policy, and the like.

In the prior art, if the UE moves from one access network coverage area to another coverage area of the access network, all services of the UE are switched to the target access network, for example, after the UE enters the WLAN coverage area. The IP voice VoIP phone and the mail download need to be performed. The UE establishes a data connection through the WLAN to carry out the service. When the UE leaves the WLAN coverage area and only after the 3G access, the UE initiates a data connection switch to maintain the service continuity. When the data connection is switched to the 3G network, the services currently being used by the UE, such as VoIP and mail download, are also switched to the 3G network.

However, in some cases (for example, when there is a difference in tariffs), the UE may be unwilling to use some kind of access network to perform certain services, and when only this type of access network exists, the UE may choose to suspend the type of service. For example, the UE surfs the Internet on the WLAN, and does not limit the traffic; in 3G, it is available for 30M monthly traffic of 5 yuan. When there is a WLAN network, the user starts to download the mail through the WLAN. When there is no WLAN network, users do not want to switch the download service to the 3G network, preferring to stop the download service. However, in the prior art, when the UE is handed over, the network side cannot determine which services need to be handed over to the target network, and which services need to be handed over to the target network.

Summary of the invention

In view of this, the embodiment of the present invention provides a network selection method, a network device, and a network system, so that when a UE performs handover, the network side can determine, according to the network selection information, a service that needs to be handed over to the target network.

A network selection method, including:

Receiving a request message for switching a packet data network connection to a target network;

The service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network is determined according to the obtained network selection information.

A network device, including:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a request message for requesting handover of the packet data network connection to the target network; and a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the obtained network selection information, service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network.

A user equipment, including:

a configuration unit, configured to configure network selection information;

And a sending unit, configured to send the configured network selection information to the network device, so that the network device determines, according to the network selection information, service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network.

A network selection system, including a data gateway and a policy decision entity, wherein

The policy decision entity is configured to receive a request message sent by the data gateway to switch a packet data network connection to a target network, determine service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network according to the obtained network selection information, and Determining that service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network is sent to the data gateway;

The data gateway is configured to receive, by the policy decision entity, the service flow information that is determined to be handed over to a target network, and switch the packet data network connection to a target network, where the packet data network connection includes a handover Traffic to the target network. DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a user equipment with multiple access capabilities accessing a network according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a first schematic diagram of a network selection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a second schematic diagram of a network selection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a third schematic diagram of a network selection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

6 is a schematic diagram of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network selection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The network selection method, the network device, and the network system provided by the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a UE with multiple access capabilities accessing a packet data network (PDN) through multiple access networks, and the UE can simultaneously access the access network 1. And accessing the network 2 to access the PDN network, wherein the UE can access the access network through the access node, and then access the packet data network through the data gateway. Further, in order to manage the QoS (QoS) management of the UE service and the charging of the UE, the network side may deploy a Policy and Charging Control (PCC) function in the PCC network. In the architecture, the policy decision entity PCRF makes a QoS decision on the service data of the UE, and sends the determined QoS rule to the data gateway, and the data gateway can control the service data of the UE according to the rule sent by the PCRF.

In the above network architecture, the access node may be a mobility management network element, and the mobility management network element may include: a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a GPRS Service Support Node (SGSN) Access Gateway (AG) or Serving Gateway (SGW); the data gateway can be a mobility anchor, including: Home Agent (HA), Local Mobility Anchor (LMA) )), packet data network gateway (PDN GW), gateway GPRS support node GGSN, and so on. Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for network selection, including:

202. Receive a request message for switching a packet data network PDN connection to a target network. When the user equipment moves from a coverage area of the first network to a coverage area of the second network, the user equipment may initiate a request to the network side, requesting that The PDN connection of the user equipment is switched to the target network.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the request message received by the data gateway to switch the PDN connection to the target network may be a connection establishment request message; or

The request message that the policy decision entity receives the request forwarded by the data gateway to switch the PDN connection to the target network may be a policy control update request message.

Optionally, if the network selection information is set on the user equipment, the request message for requesting to switch the PDN connection to the target network may include network selection information.

204. Determine, according to the obtained network selection information, service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network. The network selection information includes: a network selection policy corresponding to at least one of a user equipment and a service type, where the network selection policy may include manual network selection or automatic network selection, and available network types. The network selection policy corresponding to at least one of the user equipment and the service type includes: The first mode: the network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, including:

The network selection policy can be configured according to the user equipment identifier, for example: The available network types of the user equipment of the A type include: the WLAN network, the available network types of the user equipment of the B type include the E-UTRAN network, and the like; or the user of the C type is configured. The device is manually selected; the D-type user device is automatically selected. The user equipment may be classified based on the identification information of the user equipment, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) or an International Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (MSISDN), such as the MSISDN from 86135021000001 to 86135021000999. User equipment for type A, MSISDN from

The user equipment of the 86158021900001 to 86158021900999 is of the B type, and may also be based on the charging mode of the user equipment, for example, the prepaid user equipment is a C type, the postpaid user equipment is a D type, and the like; The second method: the network selection strategy corresponding to the service type, including:

The available network types of the first type of service may include the WLAN and the E-UTRAN network, the available network types of the second type of service include the WLAN network, the third type of service is the manual network selection, and the fourth type of service is the automatic network selection. The service type classification may be arbitrary, and the service based on the same or similar QoS may be a type, or the service having the same source IP address or destination IP address as a type or the like.

The third mode: the network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, including: The available network types of the first type of service that can set the type A user equipment include the WLAN and the E-UTRAN network, and the second type B user equipment. The available network types of the class service include the WLAN network, the third type of service of the C type user equipment is the manual network selection, and the fourth type of service of the D type user equipment is the automatic network selection.

It should be noted that if the available network type of the user equipment or a certain type of service includes the type of the target network that needs to be switched, it indicates that the user equipment or service can be switched to the target network, otherwise, the target network cannot be switched. If the user equipment or a certain type of service is automatically selected, the user equipment or service can be switched to the target network. If the network is manually selected, the user equipment or service cannot be switched to the target network.

If you cannot switch to the target network, you can choose to continue to reside on the current network or terminate. Determining the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network according to the obtained network selection information includes:

1. If the network selection information is configured in the first manner, it is determined that the user equipment that sends the request message is automatically selected or manually selected. If the network is manually selected, all service flows of the user equipment are not allowed to be switched. Go to the target network; or if it is automatic network selection, allow all service flows of the user equipment to be switched to the target network; or

Determining whether a network type available to the user equipment transmitting the request message includes a type of the target network, and if so, allowing all service flows of the user equipment to be switched to the target network; or if not, disabling the user equipment All business flows are switched to the target network.

2. If the network selection information is configured in the second way, it is determined that the PDN connection is progressing. Whether the service flow of the line is automatically selected or manually selected. If the network is automatically selected, the service flow is allowed to be switched to the target network. If the network is manually selected, the service flow is not allowed to be switched to the target network;

Determining whether the PDN connection is in progress. The available network type includes the target network. If included, the service flow is allowed to switch to the target network, or if not included, the service flow is not allowed to switch to the target network.

3. If the network selection information is configured in the third manner, it is determined whether the service flow that is being sent by the user equipment that sends the request message is automatically selected or manually selected. If the network is automatically selected, the user equipment is allowed to be selected. The service flow is switched to the target network, and if the network is manually selected, the service flow of the user equipment is not allowed to be switched to the target network; or

Determining whether the available network type of the service flow in progress of the user equipment that sends the request message includes the target network, and if so, allowing the service flow of the user equipment to switch to the target network, or if not, disabling the service of the user equipment The flow switches to the target network.

If you cannot switch to the target network, you can choose to continue to reside on the current network or terminate. Further, the data gateway may also interact with the policy control entity to update the policy control rules of the service of the user equipment that needs to be switched to the target network, including:

After the data gateway receives the handover request from the user equipment, if the data gateway has the policy control function, the data gateway interacts with the policy decision entity to update the policy control rule of the user equipment.

Further, the data gateway may forward the request message requesting to switch the PDN connection of the user equipment to the target network to the policy decision entity, and the policy decision entity determines whether to switch the current service of the user equipment to the target network according to the obtained network selection information. If it is determined that the service currently performed by the user equipment is switched to the target network, the policy decision entity updates the policy control rule of the service flow to the data gateway, where the service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network is included; if it is determined not to switch to The service flow of the target network, the policy control rule sent by the policy decision entity does not include the information of the service flow, or the policy control rule of the service flow is not updated, or the policy control rule of the service flow is deleted. The network selection information may be configured on at least one of a user equipment, a policy decision entity PCRF, an access network discovery and selection entity ANDSF, a subscription information base (SPR or HSS), an authentication server (AAA Server), an application server, and a data gateway. .

Further, after the data gateway determines the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network, the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network is switched to the target network through the packet data network connection; or

After the policy decision entity determines the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network, the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network is sent to the data gateway, and the data gateway needs to switch to the service network information of the target network to connect through the packet data network. Switch to the target network.

Further, one user equipment may have one or more PDN connections at the same time, and each PDN connection corresponds to one user equipment, and there may be zero, one or more service flows on each PDN connection. When the user equipment is switched, the PDN connection existing in the user equipment may be switched to the target network together. Further, for the service flow in a specific PDN connection, the PDN connection may be partially switched to the target network. All of them can be switched to the target network with the PDN connection, or all of them can be switched to the target network with the PDN connection, and the like.

The traffic that does not need to be switched to the target network can stay on the original network or terminate.

In the network selection method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when the user equipment is switched, the network side determines whether to switch the service flow of the user equipment to the target network according to the preset network selection information. Further, if the handover is allowed, the handover is required. The service flow is switched to the target network, which enables the user or the operator to control the service usage requirements of the network flexibly and conveniently. Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of the present invention provides a network selection method, including:

301. The UE accesses through the WLAN network. For example, the UE sends a data connection establishment request to the data gateway through the access point (original access point) of the WLAN network, and the data gateway returns a data connection establishment response message to the UE, where the UE and the data gateway The PDN connection between the two is established successfully.

302. The UE sends a service establishment request to the application server. If the UE needs to perform a music download service, the UE initiates a service establishment request to the application server to request to download music.

Optionally, if the network selection information is set on the UE, the network selection information may be included in the service establishment request.

303. The application server sends the service information to the policy decision entity, where the service information may include network selection information.

Further, the application server obtains network selection information, including:

The application server may obtain network selection information according to a pre-configuration, or obtain network selection information from the received service establishment request.

When the application server pre-configures the network selection information, the application server may obtain the network selection information according to at least one of the identifier and the service type of the user equipment, including:

1. Determine, according to the identifier of the UE, whether the UE is automatically selected or manually selected, and send the signal to the policy decision entity; or determine the type of the access network supported by the UE according to the identifier of the UE, and send the type of the access network to the policy decision entity.

2. Determine the network type available for the service requested by the UE according to the service type, and send it to the policy decision entity, such as whether the available network type of the current service of the UE is a WLAN network or an E-UTRAN network.

3. Determine the network type available for the service currently requested by the UE according to the identifier of the UE and the type of the requested service, and send the network type to the policy decision entity, such as whether the available network type of the current service of the UE is a WLAN network or an E-UTRAN network.

When the application server obtains the network selection information from the received service establishment request, the network selection information is the network selection information of the UE and/or the service.

304. The policy decision entity divides the service into service flows and determines policy control rules of the service flow, such as QoS of the service flow. The policy decision entity sends the policy control rule of the service flow to the data gateway. Optionally, the policy decision entity may also send the network selection information to the data gateway.

305. The data gateway establishes a bearer tunnel of the service flow according to the policy control rule. The bearing tunnel The data packet carrying the service performed by the UE.

Further, when the policy decision entity sends the network selection information to the data gateway, the data gateway receives and saves the network selection information.

So far, the establishment of the service requested by the UE and the establishment of the bearer between the UE and the data gateway are completed, and the UE can exchange data through the established bearer and the external network.

306. When the UE performs an alien network handover, the UE sends a connection establishment request to the data gateway through the access point of the target network.

If the UE moves, moves from the WLAN coverage area to the E-UTRAN coverage area, the WLAN signal of the UE is attenuated, the E-UTRAN signal is enhanced, and the UE sends a connection establishment request to the mobility management entity MME, MME through the target side network (E-UTRAN). The connection establishment request message is resent to the service gateway and the data gateway, and the data connection (PDN connection) is requested to be switched to the target side network.

Further, the handover request of the UE includes information about a target network to be handed over by the UE, and may also include network selection information set by the UE.

307. If the data gateway has a policy control function, the data gateway interacts with the policy decision entity to determine whether to switch the service connected by the PDN of the UE to the target network.

(1) If the data gateway obtains the network selection information, the data gateway determines, according to the obtained network selection information, whether to switch the service of the UE to the target network, or switch which services of the UE to the target network.

(2) If the data gateway does not obtain the network selection information, the data gateway interacts with the policy decision entity to forward the handover request of the UE to the policy decision entity, where the handover request may include information of the target network to be switched by the UE, and the policy The decision entity determines whether to switch the service of the UE to the target network or switch which services of the UE to the target network according to the obtained network selection information.

Each data connection of the UE, such as a PDN connection, may include zero, one, or multiple industries determining whether to switch the service flow of the UE to the target network, including at least: A. If the available network type of the UE includes the type of the target network, all service flows of the UE are allowed to be handed over to the target network along with the data connection, otherwise the service flow of the UE is stayed at the current network or terminated; or

If the UE is automatically selected, all service flows of the UE are allowed to be handed over to the target network along with the data connection; if the UE is manually selected, the service flow of the UE is stayed at the current network or terminated;

B. If the available network type of the service flow in the PDN connection includes the type of the target network, then the service flow is allowed to be switched to the target network, otherwise the service flow stays on the current network or terminates; or

If the service flow in the PDN connection is automatic network selection, the service flow is allowed to be switched to the target network; if the business flow in the PDN connection is manual network selection, the service flow is stopped on the current network or terminated;

C. If the available network type of the service flow that the UE is performing includes the type of the target network, the traffic of the UE is allowed to be switched to the target network, otherwise the service flow of the UE is stayed at the current network or terminated; or

If the service flow that is being performed by the UE is automatically selected, the service flow of the UE is allowed to be handed over to the target network along with the data connection; if the ongoing service flow of the UE is manually selected, the service of the UE is stopped. On the current network or terminated.

Further, the policy decision entity may send a policy control rule for the service flow of the UE to the target network, such as QoS, to the data gateway, and the data gateway updates the policy control rule of the UE.

If the data gateway does not have the policy control function, the data gateway does not interact with the policy decision entity. The data gateway can use the locally configured policy to perform QoS and/or charging control on the service flow, and directly determine whether the network selection information is obtained according to the obtained network. Allow the UE's service to switch to the target network.

308. The data gateway establishes a data connection in the target network, and sends a connection establishment response message to the UE by using the access point of the target network. The data gateway switches the PDN connection of the UE to the target network, and the PDN connection includes the above determined service flow to be switched to the target network. 309. The UE and the data gateway establish a bearer according to the updated policy control rule, and implement service data exchange by using the established bearer.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network selection information may also be configured on the data gateway, for example, the network selection information of the service type is configured on the data gateway in advance, or the network selection information of various types of services of the UEs is configured. The data gateway may also obtain the network selection information from other network elements, such as the data gateway from the policy decision entity PCRF, the access network discovery and selection entity ANDSF, the subscription information base (SPR or HSS), the authentication server (AAA Server), and the like. Get network selection information and more.

The network selection method provided by the embodiment of the present invention may determine, according to at least one of the UE identifier and the service type, and the network type of the target network, whether the current service of the UE can be switched to the target network, and the UE or the operator is implemented. The settings are used to determine the switching of the service flow, which satisfies the needs of the user in different scenarios. Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the present invention provides a network selection method, including:

401. The UE accesses through the WLAN network. For example, the UE sends a data connection setup request to the data gateway through the WLAN network, and the data gateway returns a data connection establishment response message to the UE, and the PDN connection between the UE and the data gateway is successfully established.

402. The UE starts a service, where the UE sends a resource allocation request message, and allocates a resource for the service. The resource allocation request message is sent to the data gateway by using the access node.

If the UE needs to perform a music download service, the UE sends a resource allocation request message to the data gateway through the access node.

Further, if the network selection information is set on the UE, the service establishment request sent by the UE may include the network selection information of the UE.

403. When the data gateway has the policy control function, interact with the policy decision entity to obtain a policy control rule, such as a QoS parameter. Further, the data gateway may further send the network selection information of the service to the policy decision entity.

If the data gateway does not have policy control, then the data gateway does not enter the policy decision entity. In the row interaction, the data gateway may also generate policy control rules, such as QoS parameters, according to the resource allocation request message of the UE.

Further, the network selection information may be set on the data gateway, or the network selection information may be set on the policy decision entity, and the data gateway may also interact with other network elements, such as HSS, ANDSF, AAA Server, etc., to obtain network selection information.

404. The data gateway establishes a bearer tunnel of the service flow according to the policy control rule. The bearer tunnel is used to carry data packets of services performed by the UE.

So far, the establishment of the service requested by the UE and the establishment of the bearer of the service between the UE and the data gateway are completed, and the UE can exchange data of the service through the established bearer and the external network.

405. When the UE performs an alien network handover, the UE sends a connection establishment request to the data gateway through the access node of the target network.

If the UE moves, moves from the WLAN coverage area to the E-UTRAN coverage area, the WLAN signal of the UE is attenuated, the E-UTRAN signal is enhanced, and the UE sends a connection establishment request to the mobility management entity MME, MME through the target side network (E-UTRAN). The setup request message is sent again to the serving gateway and the data gateway, requesting that the data connection (PDN connection) be switched to the target side network.

406. The data gateway interacts with the policy decision entity to determine whether to switch the service of the UE to the target network.

For the content that can be included in the network selection information, refer to the description in step 303. The process of determining, by the data gateway, whether to switch the service of the UE to the target network may refer to step 307.

It should be noted that if the data gateway does not have the policy control function, the data gateway does not interact with the policy decision entity, and the data gateway can use the locally configured policy to perform QoS and/or charging control on the service flow, directly according to the obtained The network selection information determines whether the service of the UE is allowed to be handed over to the target network.

407. The data gateway establishes a data connection on the target side network, and sends a connection establishment response message. The data gateway switches the PDN connection of the UE to the target network for transmission and reception, and the PDN connection includes the foregoing determined service flow to be switched to the target network. 408. The UE and the data gateway establish a bearer according to the updated policy control rule, and implement service data exchange by using the established bearer.

The network selection method provided by the embodiment of the present invention may determine, according to at least one of the identifier and the service type of the UE, and the network type of the target network, whether the current service of the UE can be switched to the target network, according to the UE or the carrier. The configuration is used to determine the switching of the service flow, which satisfies the needs of the user in different scenarios. The embodiment of the invention provides a network device, including:

The receiving unit 502 is configured to receive a request message for requesting to switch a packet data network connection of the user equipment to the target network;

The determining unit 504 is configured to determine, according to the acquired network selection information, service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network device is a data gateway, the method further includes: a switching unit, configured to switch the packet data network connection to the target network, where the packet data network connection includes the determining unit 504 The determined service flow that needs to be switched to the target network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network device is a policy decision entity, the method further includes: a sending unit, configured to send the determined service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network to the data gateway, so that the The data gateway switches the packet data network connection to the target network, and the packet data network connection includes the service flow that is sent by the sending unit and needs to be handed over to the target network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, including:

The network selection policy can be configured according to the user equipment identifier, for example: The available network types of the user equipment of the A type include: the WLAN network, the available network types of the user equipment of the B type include the E-UTRAN network, and the like; or the user of the C type is configured. The device is manually selected; the D-type user device is automatically selected. In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, including:

In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, including:

The available network types of the first type of service that can set the type A user equipment include the WLAN and the E-UTRAN network, and the available network types of the second type of service of the type B user equipment include the WLAN network, and the third type of service of the user equipment of the C type. It is a manual network selection, and the fourth type of service of the D type user equipment is automatic network selection and the like.

If you cannot switch to the target network, you can choose to continue to reside on the current network or terminate. In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, the determining unit 504 determines that the user equipment is automatically selected or manually selected, if the network is manually selected. , allowing the service flow of the user equipment to stay on the current network or terminating; or if the network is automatically selected, allowing the service flow of the user equipment to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes the network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, the determining unit 504 determines whether the network type that the user equipment can access includes the target network, and if so, allows Switching the service flow of the user equipment to the target network; or if not, allowing the service flow of the user equipment to stay on the current network or terminate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, the determining unit 504 determines that the service flow that the user equipment is performing is automatically selected by the network or manually. Selecting a network, if the network is manually selected, allowing the service flow to stay on the current network or terminating; or if the network is automatically selected, allowing the service flow to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, the determining unit 504 determines whether the available network type of the service flow that the user equipment is in progress includes the target network, and if so, allows the The traffic flow is switched to the target network, or if not included, the traffic is allowed to stay on the current network or terminated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, the determining unit 504 determines that the service flow that the packet data network connection is in progress is automatically selected or manually selected. The network, if manually selected, allows the service flow to stay on the current network or terminates; or if it is automatic network selection, allows the service flow to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, the determining unit 504 determines whether the available network type of the service flow that the packet data network connection is in progress includes the target network, and if so, allows the service flow Switch to the target network, or if not, allow the traffic to stay on the current network or terminate.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network device may be a data gateway, such as a packet data gateway PDN GW, or may be a policy decision entity, PCRF, or the like.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the network selection information includes setting a network selection policy according to the identifier of the user equipment, the network selection information may be configured in the user equipment, the policy decision entity PCRF, the access network discovery and selection entity ANDSF. , at least one of a subscription information base (SPR or HSS), an authentication server (AAA Server), an application server, and a data gateway; or When the network selection information includes setting a network selection policy according to the identifier of the user equipment and the service type, and/or setting the network selection policy according to the service type, the network selection information may be configured in the policy decision entity.

At least one of a PCRF, an access network discovery and selection entity ANDSF, a subscription information base (SPR or HSS), an authentication server (AAA Server), an application server, and a data gateway.

The network device provided by the embodiment of the present invention may determine, according to at least one of the identifier and the service type of the UE, and the network type of the target network, whether the current service of the UE can be switched to the target network, and the UE or the operator is implemented. The configuration is used to determine the switching of the service flow, which satisfies the requirements of the user in different scenarios. Referring to FIG. 6, an embodiment of the present invention provides a user equipment, including:

The configuration unit 602 is configured to configure network selection information.

The sending unit 604 is configured to send the configured network selection information to the network device, so that the network device determines, according to the network selection information, service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type; and at least one of the network selection policies corresponding to the user equipment and the service type.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection policy corresponding to the service type includes: an available network type that can set the first type of service includes a WLAN and an E-UTRAN network, and an available network type of the second type of service includes a WLAN network. The third type of service is manual network selection, and the fourth type of service is automatic network selection. The service type classification may be arbitrary, and the service based on the same or similar QoS may be a type, or the service having the same source IP address or destination IP address as a type or the like.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the network selection policy corresponding to the service type and the user equipment includes: an available network type of the first type of service that can set the type A user equipment, including a WLAN and an E-UTRAN network, and a class B user. The available network types of the second type of service of the device include a WLAN network, the third type of service of the C type user equipment is a manual network selection, and the fourth type of service of the D type user equipment is an automatic network selection. It should be noted that if the available network type of the user equipment or a certain type of service includes the type of the target network that needs to be switched, it indicates that the user equipment or service can be switched to the target network, otherwise, the target network cannot be switched. If the user equipment or a certain type of service is automatically selected, the user equipment or service can be switched to the target network. If the network is manually selected, the user equipment or service cannot be switched to the target network.

If you cannot switch to the target network, you can choose to continue to reside on the current network or terminate.

Network in the embodiment

The user equipment provided by the embodiment of the present invention may send the configured network selection information to the network device. When the user equipment is switched, the network device may determine, according to the network selection information, which services of the user equipment are switched to the target network, and implement the basis. The pre-configuration determines the service flow information that needs to be switched, and satisfies the differentiated requirements of the user equipment.

Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment of the present invention provides a network selection system, including a data gateway 702 and a policy decision entity 704, where

The policy decision entity 704 is configured to receive a request message sent by the data gateway 702 to switch the packet data network connection to the target network, determine service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network according to the obtained network selection information, and determine that the switch needs to be switched to The service flow information of the target network is sent to the data gateway 702;

The data gateway 702 is configured to receive the service flow information sent by the policy decision entity 704, determine the need to switch to the target network, and switch the packet data network connection to the target network, where the packet data network connection includes the service flow that needs to be handed over to the target network.

The network selection system provided by the embodiment of the present invention may determine whether the current service of the UE can be switched to the target network according to at least one of the identifier and the service type of the UE, and the network type of the target network, and implement the UE or the carrier according to the UE or the carrier. The configuration is used to determine the switching of the service flow, which satisfies the needs of the user in different scenarios. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of the above method embodiments are implemented. The foregoing program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes the steps of the foregoing method embodiment; and the foregoing storage medium includes: ROM, RAM, A variety of media that can store program code, such as a disk or an optical disk. The spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and the modifications of the invention

Claims

Claim

A network selection method, comprising:

2. The network selection method according to claim 1, further comprising:

The data gateway switches the packet data network connection to the target network, where the packet data network connection includes a service flow determined by the data gateway and needs to be handed over to the target network; or

The policy information entity sends the determined service flow information that needs to be handed over to the target network to the packet data gateway, so that the data gateway switches the packet data network connection to the target network, where the packet data network connection includes the sending The service flow sent by the unit needs to be switched to the target network.

The network selection method according to claim 1, further comprising:

The traffic that does not need to be switched to the target network stays on the current network or terminates.

The network selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that

The network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to at least one of a user equipment and a service type.

The network selection method according to claim 4, further comprising:

The network selection information is obtained from at least one network element of the user equipment, the policy decision entity, the home subscriber server, the application server, and the data gateway.

The network selection method according to claim 4, wherein the determining, according to the acquired network selection information, the service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network includes:

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, determining that the user equipment is automatically selected or manually selected, if the network is manually selected, allowing the service flow of the user equipment to stay in the current network. Or terminate; or if the network is automatically selected, the service flow of the user equipment is allowed to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes the network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, determining whether the network type that the user equipment can access includes the target network, and if so, allowing the industry of the user equipment The service flow is switched to the target network; or if not included, the service flow of the user equipment is allowed to stay on the current network or terminated.

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, determining that the service flow that the user equipment is performing is automatically selecting a network or manually selecting a network, and if manually selecting the network, allowing the service flow Stay in the current network or terminate; or if it is automatic network selection, allow the traffic to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, determining whether the available network type of the service flow that the user equipment is in progress includes the target network, and if included, allowing the service flow to switch to the target The network, or if not included, allows the traffic to stay on the current network or terminate.

The network selection method according to claim 4, wherein the determining, according to the acquired network selection information, service information that needs to be handed over to the target network includes:

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, determining that the service flow in the packet data network connection is automatically selected or manually selected, and if the network is manually selected, the service flow is allowed. Stay in the current network or terminate; or if it is automatic network selection, allow the traffic to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, determining whether the available network type of the service flow that the packet data network connection is in progress includes the target network, and if so, allowing the service flow to switch to the target network, Or if not included, the traffic is allowed to stay on the current network or terminate.

9. A network device, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to request a request message for switching the packet data network connection to the target network, and a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the acquired network selection information, service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network.

The network device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a switching unit, configured to switch the packet data network connection to a target network, where the packet data network connection includes the service flow that is determined by the determining unit and needs to be handed over to a target network; or

a sending unit, configured to send the determined service flow information that needs to be switched to the target network to the data gateway, so that the data gateway switches the packet data network connection to the target network, where the packet data network connection includes The service flow that is sent by the sending unit and needs to be switched to the target network.

11. The network device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, the determining unit determines that the user equipment is automatically selected or manually selected. If the network is manually selected, the service flow of the user equipment is allowed. Staying at the current network or terminating; or if it is automatic network selection, allowing the service flow of the user equipment to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes the network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment, the determining unit determines whether the network type that the user equipment can access includes the target network, and if so, allows the service flow of the user equipment to be switched to The target network; or if not included, allows the service flow of the user equipment to stay on the current network or terminate.

12. The network device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, the determining unit determines that the service flow that the user equipment is performing is an automatic network selection or a manual network selection, and if the network selection is manual, the network is allowed. The service flow stays at the current network or terminates; or if it is an automatic network selection, the service flow is allowed to be switched to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the user equipment and the service type, the determining unit determines whether the available network type of the service flow that the user equipment is in progress includes the target network, and if so, allows the service The flow switches to the target network, or if not, allows the traffic to stay on the current network or terminate.

13. The network device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, the determining unit determines The packet data network connection is performing an automatic network selection or a manual network selection. If the network is manually selected, the service flow is allowed to stay in the current network or terminated; or if the network is automatically selected, the network is allowed to be Switching the service flow to the target network; or

When the network selection information includes a network selection policy corresponding to the service type, the determining unit determines whether the available network type of the service flow that the packet data network connection is in progress includes the target network, and if so, allows the service flow to switch Go to the target network, or if not, allow the traffic to stay on the current network or terminate.

14. A user equipment, comprising:

a configuration unit, configured to configure network selection information;

15. A network selection system, comprising: a data gateway and a policy decision entity, wherein

The data gateway is configured to receive, by the policy decision entity, the service flow information that is determined to be handed over to a target network, and switch the packet data network connection to a target network, where the packet data network connection includes a handover Traffic to the target network.