WO2014071798A1

WO2014071798A1 - Method for managing offload connection, radio-side network element and mobility management entity

Info

Publication number: WO2014071798A1
Application number: PCT/CN2013/085482
Authority: WO
Inventors: 周娜; 梁爽; 王静
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2012-11-12
Filing date: 2013-10-18
Publication date: 2014-05-15
Also published as: CN103813397B; CN103813397A

Abstract

A method for managing an offload connection, a radio-side network element and a mobility management entity. The method comprises: a mobility management entity receives a switch request sent by an initial radio-side network element, then determines that there is an offload connection which does not support mobility, and sends information about not supporting mobility to the initial radio-side network element offload connection; and the initial radio-side network element receives the offload connection information about not supporting mobility.

Description

Method for managing offload connection, wireless side network element and mobility management entity

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications, and in particular, to a method for managing a traffic distribution connection, a wireless side network element, and a mobility management entity.

Background technique

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) evolved Evolved Packet System (EPS) is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E- UTRAN), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW or PDN GW), Home Subscriber Server (Home Subscriber Server, abbreviated as HSS), 3GPP's Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) entity and others Support node composition. 1 is a schematic diagram of an EPS system architecture according to the related art, where the MME is responsible for control planes such as mobility management, processing of non-access stratum signaling, and management of user mobility management context; S-GW is connected to E-UTRAN Access gateway device, forwarding data between E-UTRAN and P-GW, and responsible for buffering paging waiting data; P-GW is EPS and Packet Data Network (PDN) network The border gateway is responsible for PDN access and forwarding data between EPS and PDN. Both S-GW and P-GW belong to the core network gateway.

The home base station is a small, low-power base station deployed in indoor places such as homes and offices. The main purpose is to provide users with higher service rates and lower the cost of using high-speed services, while making up for existing distributed Insufficient coverage of cellular wireless communication systems. The advantages of home base stations are affordability, convenience, low power output, and plug and play. In the home base station system, the home base station is a wireless side network element. The home base station can be directly connected to the core network. As shown in FIG. 1 , the home base station gateway can also access the core network, as shown in FIG. 2 , where the main functions of the home base station gateway are: Security, handling registration of home base stations, home The base station is used for operation and maintenance management, and the home base station is configured and controlled according to the operator's requirements, and the data of the core network and the home base station is exchanged.

In the home base station system, there is a concept of Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), which allows users to access one or more CSG cells with restricted access. The usage modes of the home base station can be classified into a closed mode, a mixed mode, and an open mode. When the home base station is in the closed mode, only the CSG user belonging to the home base station can access the base station and enjoy the services provided by the base station. When the home base station is in the open mode, any user can access the base station, and the home base station at this time is equivalent to the macro base station. When the home base station is in the hybrid mode, the CSG user is allowed to access, and other users are allowed to access the service. However, different user types are distinguished according to whether the user belongs to the CSG list, and differentiated service quality processing is implemented, that is, CSG users have higher service priorities when using hybrid home base stations, with better quality of service and service categories.

In addition to supporting access to the mobile core network, the mobile communication system (including the home base station system) can also support the offload function. Under the condition that the wireless side network element has the offloading capability and the user signing allows the offloading, the terminal can implement the other of the home network. Local access to Internet Protocol (IP) devices or the Internet.

The implementation of the offloading can use multiple connection establishment methods: the core network access and the split access function can be realized at the same time by establishing a connection. In this case, it is not necessary to add a local gateway function on the wireless side network element or the home base station gateway; A local gateway is added to provide strong support for the offloading technology. The local gateway can be combined/distributed with the wireless side network element (as shown in Figure 1). When there is a home base station gateway, the local gateway can be set/separated not only with the home base station, but also with the home base station gateway (as shown in FIG. 3). The local gateway may be an L-SGW (Local SGW, Local SGW) and an L-PGW (Local PGW, Local PGW), and may be a separate L-PGW. In addition, the home base station gateway can be combined with the home base station. For a UTRAN (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) system, the core network gateway may be an SGSN (Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node, Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node), GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support) Node, Gateway GPRS Support Node). The local gateway may be an L-GGSN (Local GGSN, Local GGSN) and an L-SGSN (Local SGSN, Local SGSN), and may be a separate L-GGSN. Taking the LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile communication network architecture as an example, FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a data stream connected by a split connection and a data stream connected by a core network in the wireless communication system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system flow based on the system architecture of FIG. 1 after the terminal switches to the new radio side network element. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a handover process performed by the terminal in the related art. The switching process includes the following steps:

Step 501: The original radio side network element determines that an S1 handover needs to be initiated.

Step 502: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity.

Step 503: The original mobility management entity sends a relocation forward request message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 504: The target mobility management entity initiates a session establishment process of the core network and the offload connection. Step 505: The target mobility management entity requests the target radio side network element to perform handover.

Step 506: The target radio side network element responds to the target mobility management entity with a handover request acknowledgement message.

Step 507: The target mobility management entity sends a relocation forward response message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 508: The original mobility management entity sends a handover command to the original radio side network element.

Step 509: The original radio side network element sends a handover command to the terminal.

Step 510: The terminal initiates a handover confirmation message to the target radio side network element.

Step 511: The target radio side network element notifies the target mobility management entity to perform handover.

Step 512: The target mobility management entity sends a relocation forward completion notification message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 513: The original mobility management entity returns a relocation forward completion confirmation message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 514, continuing the normal switching process.

It can be seen from the above process that, in the case that the terminal does not support mobility in a handover process, the data of the terminal cannot be transmitted to the original local gateway through the target wireless side network element, thereby not only guiding The waste of resources, the burden of system processing is increased, and the shunt data cannot be transmitted. At the same time, when there are multiple shunt connections in the terminal, it is also necessary to consider how to release the partial connection.

Summary of the invention

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method for managing a traffic distribution connection, a wireless side network element, and a mobility management entity, to solve the problem of resource waste in the related art. An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for managing a traffic distribution connection, including:

After receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, the mobility management entity determines that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, and sends the offload connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element; and

The original radio side network element receives the offload connection information that does not support mobility.

Optionally, the method further includes:

When it is determined that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, the mobility management entity releases the offload connection that does not support mobility; or

After the original radio side network element receives the offloading connection information that does not support mobility, the original radio side network element releases the offloading connection that does not support mobility or notifies the local gateway to release the offloading that does not support mobility. connection.

Optionally, the offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover command or a terminal context release command.

Optionally, the offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message or a handover failure message or a handover rejection message;

The method further includes:

After the original wireless side network element receives the offloading connection information that does not support mobility, the original wireless side network element re-initiates a handover request to the mobility management entity.

Optionally, the offload connection is a shunt operation for a local internet protocol IP access user local network, or a local IP access company local network, or a local IP access internet or internet service, Or a specific IP data offload connection; the offload connection information is a bearer identifier, an access point name (APN) or a tunnel identifier of the offload connection; the bearer identifier is an evolved packet system EPS bearer ID; And the tunnel identifier is a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) or a Generic Routing Encapsulation Key (GRE key) of the serving gateway or the wireless side network element or the local gateway.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a wireless side network element, including:

a handover request sending module, configured to: when it is determined that the handover is required, the original radio side network element sends a handover request;

The information receiving module is configured to: when the original wireless side network element is used, after receiving the switching request, receive the shunt connection information that is not supported by the mobility management entity and does not support mobility.

Optionally, the wireless side network element further includes: a split connection release module or a release notification module, where:

The offload connection release module is configured to: release a shunt connection that does not support mobility according to the offload connection information that does not support mobility in the notification message; or

The release notification module is configured to: notify the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility.

The handover request sending module is further configured to: after receiving the offload connection information that does not support mobility, re-initiate a handover request to the mobility management entity.

Optionally, the offload connection is a connection for a local internet protocol IP access user local network, or a local IP access company local network, or a local IP access to the Internet or Internet service, or a specific IP data offload; The offload connection information is a bearer identifier of the offload connection, an access point name APN or a tunnel identifier; the bearer identifier is an evolved packet system EPS bearer ID; and the tunnel identifier is a serving gateway or a radio side network element or a local gateway User plane tunnel endpoint identification TEID or general routing encapsulation code GRE key The embodiment of the invention further provides a mobility management entity, including:

The offload connection judging module is configured to: after receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, determine a offload connection that does not support mobility;

The information sending module is configured to: when it is determined that there is a shunt connection that does not support mobility, send the shunt connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element.

Optionally, the offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message, a handover failure message, or a handover rejection message;

The mobility management entity further includes:

The handover request processing module is configured to: perform normal handover request processing when the offload connection supports mobility.

Optionally, the mobility management entity further includes:

The shunt connection release module is configured to: release the shunt connection that does not support mobility. In the method and network element for managing the offload connection in the embodiment of the present invention, after the mobility management entity performs the mobility determination of the offload connection, the management operation of the offload connection is performed, thereby avoiding waste of system resources, increasing the processing burden, and improving mobile communication. The processing efficiency of the system.

BRIEF abstract

1 is a schematic diagram 1 of a wireless communication network connection in the related art;

2 is a schematic diagram 2 of a wireless communication network connection in the related art;

3 is a schematic diagram 3 of a wireless communication network connection in the related art;

4 is a schematic diagram of a split data flow of a wireless communication system in the related art;

4a is a schematic diagram of a split data flow of a wireless communication system in the related art;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a handover process performed by a terminal in the related art;

6 is a schematic diagram of a shunt connection management method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a method for managing a split connection according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a method for managing a split connection according to Application Example 1 of the present invention;

9 is a schematic flow chart of a method for managing a split connection according to Application Example 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a method for managing a split connection according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG.

11 is a schematic flowchart of a method for managing a traffic distribution connection according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are schematic diagrams showing a module structure of a wireless side network element according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIGS. Schematic diagram of the module structure of the entity.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

Example 1

The method for managing the offload connection in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

Step 601: After receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, the mobility management entity determines that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, and sends the offload connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element.

The offload connection is a connection for a local IP access user local network, or a local IP access company local network, or a local IP access to the Internet or Internet service, or a specific IP data offload.

Before the original radio side network element initiates the handover request, the method further includes: the original radio side network element determining, according to the local home base station network identifier or the local gateway information, whether each of the offload connections supports mobility, and if yes, releasing the A shunt connection that supports mobility.

The offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover command or a terminal context release command.

The offload connection information in the embodiment of the present invention is a bearer identifier, an APN or a tunnel identifier of the offload connection, where the bearer identifier is an EPS bearer ID, and the tunnel identifier is a user plane of a serving gateway or a wireless side network element or a local gateway. TEID or GRE key. The original radio side network element is a base station, a home base station, or an RNC (Radio Network Controller); the mobility management entity is a mobility management unit, an MSC (Mobile Switching Centre), or an SGSN.

Step 602: The original radio side network element receives the offload connection information that does not support mobility. The original wireless side network element can correctly handle the handover based on the offload connection information that does not support mobility.

Example 2

The method for managing the offload connection in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the method includes the following steps:

Step 701: After receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, the mobility management entity determines that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, and sends the offload connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element.

The offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message or a handover failure message or a handover rejection message.

The original radio side network element is a base station, a home base station or an RNC; and the mobility management entity is a mobile management unit, an MSC or an SGSN.

Step 702: The original radio side network element receives the offload connection information that does not support mobility. The original wireless side network element can correctly handle the handover based on the offload connection information that does not support mobility.

Step 703: The original radio side network element re-initiates a handover request to the mobility management entity. The offload connection may be released by the MME, the original radio side network element, or the local gateway. The following is an example of the MME and the original radio side network element releasing the shunt connection that does not support mobility.

Application example 1

The following embodiment diagram depicts an application scenario based on the E-UTRAN system.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for performing handover of a terminal on the basis of the system of FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the release of the offload connection initiated by the original radio side network element includes the following steps: Step 801, the original wireless side The NE determines that an S1 switch needs to be initiated.

Step 802: The original radio side network element determines, according to the local home base station network identifier or the local gateway information, whether each of the offload connections supports mobility. If yes, continue with the next step; if it is not supported and there are other connections that need to be established (including the mobility-supported offload connection and/or the core network connection), then the original radio side network element initiates the offload connection that does not support mobility. , continue with the next steps.

Step 803: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity, where the handover request carries the connection information that needs to be established. Optionally, the indication is carried, so that the original mobility management entity distinguishes the subsequent handover request message (step 807) to perform subsequent Processing (step 804).

Step 804: The original mobility management entity determines, according to the offload subscription, whether each of the offload connections supports mobility. If yes, go to step 809 to step 820. If not, continue with the next steps.

Step 805: The original mobility management entity sends a handover preparation failure message or a handover failure message or a handover rejection message to the original radio side network element, and carries the 7-type identifier or APN or tunnel identifier of one or more off-the-way connections that do not support mobility. .

Step 806: The original radio side network element initiates a offload connection or a offloaded bearer release that does not support mobility. Alternatively, in step 806, the original radio side network element may notify the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility.

Step 807: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity, where the handover request carries bearer information supporting the mobility and the core network bearer information, and optionally carries an indication, so that the original mobility management entity distinguishes the handover request. The message (step 803) is to perform subsequent processing (step 808).

If the method of carrying the indication is used, the handover request in step 803 and step 807 does not carry The same indication information, or the handover request in step 803 is an existing handover request message, and the handover request in step 807 is a new handover request message.

Step 808: The original mobility management entity determines whether the offload connection (ie, the offload connection to be released) that does not support mobility has been released. If not released, a rejection message is sent to the original radio side network element; if it has been released, the subsequent steps are continued.

The following steps are the same as steps 503-517.

Step 809: The original mobility management entity sends a forward relocation request message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 810: The target mobility management entity initiates a session establishment process for the core network connection and/or the offload connection to the serving gateway.

Step 811: The target mobility management entity requests the target radio side network element to perform handover.

Step 812: The target radio side network element responds to the target mobility management entity with a handover request acknowledgement message.

Step 813: The target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation response message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 814: The original mobility management entity sends a handover command to the original radio side network element.

Step 815: The original radio side network element sends a handover command to the terminal.

Step 816: The terminal initiates a handover confirmation message to the target radio side network element.

Step 817: The target radio side network element notifies the target mobility management entity to perform handover.

Step 818: The target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation completion notification message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 819: The original mobility management entity returns a forward relocation completion confirmation message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 820, continuing the normal switching process.

Application example 2

9 is a flow of a process of switching a terminal on the basis of the system of FIG. 1 according to Application Example 2 of the present invention; In the embodiment, the release of the offload connection initiated by the original mobility management entity includes the following steps: Step 901: The original radio side network element determines that the S1 handover needs to be initiated.

Step 902: The original radio side network element determines, according to the local home base station network identifier or the local gateway information, whether each of the offload connections supports mobility. If yes, continue with the next step. If the connection is not supported and there are other connections to be established, the original radio side network element initiates the offload connection release and continues the subsequent steps.

Step 903: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity, optionally carrying an indication, so that the original mobility management entity distinguishes the subsequent handover request message (step 908) to perform subsequent processing (step 904).

Step 904: The original mobility management entity determines whether each of the offload connections supports mobility according to the offload subscription. If yes, go to step 909 to step 920. If not, continue with the next steps.

Step 905: The original mobility management entity sends a handover preparation failure message or a handover failure message or a handover rejection message to the original radio side network element, and carries the 7-type identifier or APN or tunnel identifier of one or more off-the-way connections that do not support mobility. .

Steps 901 to 905 are the same as steps 801 to 805, respectively.

Step 906: The original mobility management entity initiates a offload connection or a offload bearer release. This step and step 905 are performed without prioritization.

Step 907: Step 906 causes the offload connection or the offloading bearer on the original radio side network element to release. If the original radio side network element discovers that the connection or bearer carried in step 905 is completely released, the handover is initiated again.

Step 908: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity, and carries the bearer information of the offload connection supporting the mobility and the core network bearer information, and optionally carries an indication, so that the original mobility management entity distinguishes the handover request message. 903) to perform subsequent processing (step 909).

Step 909: The original mobility management entity sends a forward relocation request message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 910: The target mobility management entity initiates a session establishment process of the core network connection and/or the offload connection to the serving gateway. Step 911: The target mobility management entity requests the target radio side network element to perform handover.

Step 912: The target radio side network element responds to the target mobility management entity with a handover request acknowledgement message.

Step 913: The target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation response message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 914: The original mobility management entity sends a handover command to the original radio side network element.

Step 915: The original radio side network element sends a handover command to the terminal.

Step 916: The terminal initiates a handover confirmation message to the target radio side network element.

Step 917: The target radio side network element notifies the target mobility management entity to perform handover.

Step 918: The target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation completion notification message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 919: The original mobility management entity returns a forward relocation completion confirmation message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 920, continuing the normal switching process.

Example 3

The method for managing the offload connection in Embodiment 3 of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 10, and the method includes the following steps:

Step 1001: After receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, the mobility management entity determines that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, and sends the offload connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element.

Before the original radio side network element initiates the handover request, the method further includes: the original radio side network element determining, according to the local home base station network identifier or the local gateway information, whether each of the offload connections supports mobility, and if yes, releasing the A shunt connection that supports mobility. The offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover command or a terminal context release command.

Step 1002: The original radio side network element receives the offload connection information that does not support mobility. The original wireless side network element can correctly handle the handover based on the offload connection information that does not support mobility.

Step 1003: The original radio side network element releases the offload connection that does not support mobility or notifies the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility.

The local gateway can be L-SGW and L-PGW, can be a separate L-PGW, can be

L-GGSN and L-SGSN can be separate L-GGSNs. The core network access gateway may be an S-GW, a P-GW, an SGSN, or a GGSN. The serving gateway can be an S-GW and can be located on the core network or on a local network or a wireless network.

Application example 3

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the process of performing handover of the terminal on the basis of the system of FIG. 1 in the application example 3 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the release of the offload connection is initiated by the local gateway or the original radio side network element, including the following steps:

Step 1101: The original radio side network element determines that an S1 handover needs to be initiated.

Step 1102: The original radio side network element sends a handover request to the original mobility management entity.

Step 1103: The original mobility management entity determines whether each of the offload connections supports mobility according to the local home base station network identifier or the local gateway information.

Step 1104: The original mobility management entity sends a forward relocation request message to the target mobility management entity.

Step 1105: The target mobility management entity initiates a session establishment process for the core network connection and/or the offload connection to the serving gateway.

Step 1106: The target mobility management entity requests the target radio side network element to perform handover. Step 1107: The target radio side network element responds to the target mobility management entity with a handover request acknowledgement cancellation step 1108, and the target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation response message to the original mobility management entity.

Step 1109: The original mobility management entity sends a handover command to the original radio side network element, where the message carries the bearer identifier or APN or tunnel label of the one or more offload connections that do not support mobility. Step 1110, the original radio side network element The terminal sends a handover command.

Step 1111: The terminal initiates a handover confirmation message to the target radio side network element.

Step 1112: The target radio side network element notifies the target mobility management entity to perform handover.

Step 1113: The target mobility management entity sends a forward relocation completion notification message to the original mobility management entity.

In step 1114, the original mobility management entity replies to the target mobility management entity with a forward relocation completion confirmation message.

Step 1115: The target mobility management entity modifies the core network and the offload bearer.

Step 1116: The game is released. Step 1117: The original wireless side network element notifies the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility acquired in step 1109. At this time, the original radio side network element sends a release notification message to the local gateway, and the release notification is sent. The message carries the bearer identifier or APN or tunnel identifier of one or more offload connections that do not support mobility, and then the local gateway releases the obtained offload connection that does not support mobility, or the original radio side network element release step 1109 does not support Mobility split connection.

Step 1118, continuing the normal switching process.

In the above embodiment, the step 1103 of determining whether each of the split connections supports mobility may be performed between step 1102 and step 1109, and there is no order from step 1104 to step 1108.

Alternatively, in step 1116 in the above embodiment, the bearer identifier or APN or tunnel identifier of one or more offload connections that do not support mobility is carried, and step 1109 does not need to carry one or more offload connections that do not support mobility. 7 Label or APN or tunnel identification. Accordingly, step 1117 The original radio side network element notifies the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility acquired in step 1116, or the offload connection that is not supported by the original radio side network element release step 1116, and determines whether each offload connection supports mobile The step 1103 can be performed between step 1102 and step 1116, and there is no order from step 1104 to step 1115.

Alternatively, after the step 1103 of determining whether each of the offload connections supports mobility by the original mobility management entity, the original mobility management entity releases the offload connection that does not support mobility, and the offload connection information that does not support mobility may be It is carried in the handover command of step 1109, and may also be carried in the terminal context release command of step 1116. At this time, the original radio side network element does not need to release or notify the local gateway to release the offload connection.

In order to simplify the description, the above application example only illustrates the management mode of the split connection by taking the case of FIG. 1 as an example. In the case of Figure 2, Figure 3, and the UTRAN system, the mobility management entity is still required to notify the wireless side network element of which offload connection needs to be released after determining whether the offload connection supports mobility, so that the offloaded connection management is facilitated. In these cases, the manner in which the shunt connection is managed is very similar to the above-described embodiment, and does not affect the embodiment of the present invention, so the description will not be repeated here.

In the above application example, the bearer identifier may be an EPS bearer ID. The tunnel identifier can be the user plane TEID or GRE key of the service gateway or the wireless side network element or the local gateway. If step 805 or step 905 is to pass the APN or tunnel identity, the information needs to be initially initiated by the mobility management entity in the establishment process of the connection (including attach or PDN connection establishment or service request or location update or handover). The context establishment request or the handover request or the bearer setup request message is delivered to the radio side network element for storage, so that the radio side network element can learn the connection or bearer that needs to be released after receiving the APN or the tunnel identifier of step 805 or step 905.

The location update mentioned in this article can be trace area update and routing area update.

When the terminal only has a split connection, there is no core network connection. If the mobility management entity determines that the offload connection cannot support the mobility, the initiated step 805 and step 905 do not need to carry the bearer identifier or APN or tunnel identifier, and may initiate the offload connection. Release operation. The offloaded wireless side network element address can be the same as the local gateway address.

To implement the foregoing method, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a wireless side network element, as shown in FIG. The wireless side network element includes:

The handover request sending module 121 is configured to: when it is determined that the handover is required, send the handover request as the original wireless side network element;

The information receiving module 122 is configured to: when the original radio side network element is sent, receive the shunt connection information that is not supported by the mobility management entity and is sent after the handover request is sent.

As shown in FIG. 13, the wireless side network element further includes: a split connection release module 123 or a release notification module 124, wherein

The offload connection release module 123 is configured to: release a shunt connection that does not support mobility according to the offload connection information that does not support mobility in the notification message; or

The release notification module 124 is configured to: notify the local gateway to release the offload connection that does not support mobility.

The handover request sending module 121 is further configured to: after receiving the offloading connection information that does not support mobility, re-initiate a handover request to the mobility management entity.

As described above, the offload connection information is a bearer identifier, an APN or a tunnel identifier of the offload connection, and the bearer identifier is an EPS bearer ID, and the tunnel identifier is a user of a serving gateway or a wireless side network element or a local gateway. Face TEID or GRE key.

To implement the foregoing method, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a mobility management entity. As shown in FIG. 14, the mobility management entity includes: The offload connection judging module 141 is configured to: after receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, determine a offload connection that does not support mobility;

The information sending module 142 is configured to: when determining that there is a shunt connection that does not support mobility, send the shunt connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element.

Optionally, the offloading connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message, a handover failure message, or a handover rejection message.

As shown in FIG. 15, the MME further includes: a handover request processing module 143, configured to: perform normal handover request processing when the offload connection supports mobility.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 15, the mobility management entity further includes: a offload connection release module 144, configured to: release the offload connection that does not support mobility.

The mobility management entity determines whether the offload connection supports mobility according to the offload subscription. The offload connection information is a bearer identifier, an APN or a tunnel identifier of the offload connection, and the bearer identifier is an EPS bearer ID, and the tunnel identifier is a user plane TEID or a GRE key of the serving gateway or the wireless side network element or the local gateway. „

In the method and the network element for managing the offload connection in the embodiment of the present invention, the mobility management entity performs the management operation of the offload connection in the case of performing the offload connection mobility judgment, thereby avoiding waste of system resources, increasing the processing burden, and improving the mobility. Processing efficiency of the communication system.

Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the above modules or steps of the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by a general computing device, which can be concentrated on a single computing device or distributed in multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by the computing device, such that they may be stored in the storage device by the computing device, or they may be separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or Multiple of these modules or steps are fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any special The combination of hardware and software.

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present invention. All modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Industrial applicability

In the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the waste of system resources and the processing burden are avoided, and the processing efficiency of the mobile communication system is improved.

Claims

Claim

1. A method for managing a split connection, comprising:

After receiving the handover request sent by the original radio side network element, the mobility management entity determines that there is a offload connection that does not support mobility, and sends the offload connection information that does not support mobility to the original radio side network element;

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein:

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein:

The offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message or a handover failure message or a handover rejection message;

The method further includes:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

The offload connection is a connection for a local internet protocol IP access user local network, or a local IP access company local network, or a local IP access to the Internet or Internet service, or a specific IP data offload; the offload connection information is a bearer identifier of the offload connection, an access point name APN or a tunnel identifier; the bearer identifier is an evolved packet system EPS bearer ID; and the tunnel identifier is a user of a monthly service gateway or a wireless side network element or a local gateway End tunnel identifier TEID or general routing code GRE key

6. A wireless side network element, comprising:

The information receiving module is configured to: when the original wireless side network element is sent, after the sending the switching request, receive the shunt connection information that is not supported by the mobility management entity and does not support mobility.

The wireless side network element of claim 6, further comprising: a split connection release module or a release notification module, wherein: the offload connection release module is configured to: according to the offload connection information in the notification message that does not support mobility Release a shunt connection that does not support mobility; or,

8. The wireless side network element according to claim 6 or 7, wherein:

9. The wireless side network element according to claim 6 or 7, wherein:

10. The wireless side network element according to claim 6, wherein

The offload connection is a connection for a local internet protocol IP access user local network, or a local IP access company local network, or a local IP access to the Internet or Internet service, or a specific IP data offload; the offload connection information is a bearer identifier of the offload connection, an access point name APN or a tunnel identifier; the bearer identifier is an evolved packet system EPS bearer ID; and the tunnel identifier is a user of a monthly service gateway or a wireless side network element or a local gateway Face Tunnel Endpoint Identification TEID or Generic Routing Encapsulation Code GRE key„

11. A mobility management entity, comprising:

12. The mobility management entity of claim 11 wherein:

The offload connection information that does not support mobility is carried by a handover preparation failure message, a handover failure message, or a handover rejection message;

The mobility management entity further includes:

13. The mobility management entity according to claim 11, wherein

14. The mobility management entity according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising: a offload connection release module, configured to: release the offload connection that does not support mobility.