WO2009115015A1 - A discovery and selection method for network, network system and communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

A discovery and selection method for network, and corresponding network system and device. The method includes following steps: after an user terminal is accessed to a network, the first Access Network Discovery and Selection Function entity (ANDSF) obtains a network state information by interacting with the second ANDSF; the obtained network state information is sent to the user terminal by the first ANDSF in order that a target network is selected by the user terminal, or a target network is selected for the user terminal according to the obtained network state information. The solution proposed by this invention can realize the discovery and selection processing for network more simply.

Description

 Network discovery and selection method, network system and communication device

 This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 200810084022.5, entitled "Network Discovery and Selection Method, Network System and Device", filed on March 18, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. In this application.

Technical field

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

Background technique

 The architecture of the new mobile communication network, called EPS (evolved packet system), is defined in LTE (Long Term Evolution) developed by 3GPP (The 3rd Generation Partnership Project). . An important feature of EPS is the consideration of convergence of multiple access methods, allowing non-3GPP (non-3GPP) networks to access EPS networks. The non-3GPP networks described here include WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). In), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), and the like. For the purpose of operation, the prior art proposes a unified network discovery and selection concept, that is, after the user terminal UE accesses the network, an ANDSF (Access Network Discovery and Selection Function) in the network is accessed. Collecting network status information (such as load status, etc.) of the relevant access network, and selecting the UE according to the relevant policies of the operator (such as the access network mode available to the current UE) and the signal conditions of the surrounding network collected by the UE. A target network, when the conditions are met, the user can switch to other access networks.

 In the prior art network discovery and selection architecture, the UE may connect to the ANDSF through 3GPP access or trusted and untrusted non-3GPP access, and the ANDSF may connect to the non-3GPP access network to collect the load of the network. Information such as status. In this architecture, when the roaming UE registers with the network, it can simultaneously select the vANDSF of the visited place and the hANDSF of the home location, and obtain relevant policy information and network status information from the hANDSF and the vANDSF respectively, and complete network discovery and selection processing.

In the research and practice of the prior art, the inventors found that the prior art has the following problems: In the prior art architecture and method, the UE always needs to select two ANDSFs for interactive processing, the process is too complicated, and the applicability is not strong. . Summary of the invention

 The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a network discovery and selection method, a network system, and a communication device, which can more easily implement network discovery and selection processing.

 In order to solve the above technical problem, the embodiment provided by the present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions:

 The embodiment of the present invention provides a network discovery and selection method, including: after the user terminal accesses the network, the first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF acquires network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF; The ANDSF sends the acquired network status information to the user terminal for target network selection, or the acquired network status information is used by the user terminal to select a target network.

 An embodiment of the present invention provides a network system, including: a first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF, configured to acquire network status information by interacting with a second ANDSF after the user terminal accesses the network, and the network is The status information is sent to the user terminal for target network selection, or the target network is selected for the user terminal according to the network status information; and the second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF is configured to perform with the first ANDSF Information exchange.

 An embodiment of the present invention provides a communication apparatus, including: an interaction unit, configured to acquire network status information by interacting with another access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF after the user terminal accesses the network; Sending the network status information to the user terminal for target network selection, or selecting a target network for the user terminal according to the network status information.

 As shown in the foregoing technical solution, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, after the user terminal accesses the network, the network status information is obtained through interaction between the different access network discovery and the selection function entity ANDSF, so the user terminal only needs to access one of the network status information. The ANDSF can obtain the network status information obtained after the information exchange on the network side through the ANDSF, and perform corresponding processing, or obtain the target network information selected according to the interaction result after the information exchange on the network side, thereby being more simple to implement. Network discovery and selection processing.

DRAWINGS

 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a flowchart of a UE actively initiating a request in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flowchart of an ANDSF actively transmitting information to a UE in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a handover decision performed by a vANDSF in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; A flowchart of the handover decision is completed by the hANDSF; FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the handover decision from the vANDSF to the hANDSF in the method according to the embodiment of the present invention;

 8 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

 9 is a flowchart of a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

 10 is a flowchart of a UE actively initiating a request in a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

 11 is a flowchart of an ANDSF actively transmitting information to a UE in a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a handover decision performed by a vANDSF in a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a handover decision made by the hANDSF to the hANDSF in the method of the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

 15 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

 16 is a flow chart of a method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

 FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

 In the embodiment of the present invention, by performing information interaction between the visited place and the ANDSF of the home place,

The UE only needs to be connected to one of the ANDSFs to obtain relevant information, thereby facilitating network discovery and selection processing.

 In the embodiment of the present invention, information interaction between the visited place and the ANDSF of the home place mainly has two forms, one is an interface for newly interacting between the vANDSF and the hANDSF, and information is exchanged, and the other way is to utilize the existing The interface of the PCRF (Policy Charging Rule Function) is the S9 interface between the hPCRF of the home location and the vPCRF of the visited place. The vANDSF can be connected to the vPCRF, the vPCRF is connected to the hPCRF, and the hANDSF can be connected to the hPCRF. , thus enabling information interaction.

The interface of the interaction between the vANDSF and the hANDSF in the embodiment of the present invention is called Sz connection. Port, through which the switching policy, handover decision, access network status information, and the like can be transmitted between the vANDSF and the hANDSF. When the UE accesses the system, the ANDSF of the local network may be selected, that is, when the UE is at the home location, the hANDSF is selected, when the UE roams, the vANDSF is selected, and the selected ANDSF decides whether it is necessary to select one for the UE to pass the Sz. The ANDSF of the interface connection. For example, when the UE is roaming, the vANDSF may select the hANDSF for the identity of the UE, and the vANDSF and the hANDSF communicate through the Sz interface, and the UE only interacts with the directly connected vANDSF, and the vANDSF may be regarded as a proxy of the hANDSF.

 The following methods are examples of processing in a roaming scenario, but are not limited to this. The same applies to non-roaming scenarios.

 Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

 As shown in Figure 1, vANDSF and hANDSF communicate through the new Sz interface; roaming UEs select vANDSF (when roaming selects the visited network, when roaming selects the home network). The vANDSF communicates with the UE through the Sx interface; the hANDSF and the vANDSF obtain information such as the network status of other access systems in the network through the Sy interface. hANDSF connects to vANDSF through the Sz interface, and obtains information such as the network status of the visited network through vANDSF.

 Referring to FIG. 2, it is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the UE is in the visited network and accesses the vANDSF. FIG. 2 includes:

 301. The UE performs a registration process to complete registration to a specific access network.

 For example, an attach procedure can be performed to register to a 3GPP network, a WiMax network, or the like.

 302. The UE performs DNS (Domain Name Service) resolution or DHCP.

( Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) The process obtains the address of the ANDSF, and the DNS server or the DHCP server returns the address of the configured ANDSF of the local network to the UE;

 When the UE roams, the ANDSF of the local network in which it is located is the vANDSF of the roaming place. If the address of the ANDSF of the local network in which the UE is located has been recorded in the UE, the DNS resolution or DHCP step does not need to be performed.

 303. The UE initiates a registration process to the vANDSF, and requests a service from the vANDSF.

The registration process may be an explicit registration initiated by the UE, such as sending a registration request message to the vANDSF, or may be an implicit registration, such as the UE sending a policy request message to the vANDSF or sending a surrounding network. Measurement report of the network, etc. If the UE records the address of the home address hANDSF (which may be UE pre-configuration or network dynamic provisioning), the message carries the address of the hANDSF to the vANDSF.

 The vANDSF can establish and maintain a context for the UE to record relevant information.

 304, the vANDSF registers the UE to the hANDSF;

 The vANDSF finds that the UE is a roaming user, and according to the attribution information provided by the UE,

The UE selects a hANDSF, for example, may perform a DNS resolution according to the hPLMN ID of the UE (home Public Land Mobile Network) to obtain a hANDSF address, or a hANDSF address provided by the UE determines a hANDSF for the UE, and then The hANDSF initiates a registration procedure to register the UE with the hANDSF.

 The registration process may be an explicit registration, such as the vANDSF sending a registration request message to the hANDSF; or an implicit registration, such as the vANDSF sending a policy request message to the hANDSF or transmitting a measurement report of the surrounding network.

 The hANDSF can establish and maintain a context for the UE to record related information.

 305. Perform related processing of network discovery and selection between the UE, the hANDSF, and the vANDSF. In this step, the network discovery is different from the decision-making body of the selection, and can be divided into several situations.

 1) Processing when the decision is made entirely by the UE

 Under the handover decision method, the ANDSF provides policy information and/or related network state information to the UE, and the UE determines, according to the information provided by the ANDSF, whether handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 Therefore, in the architecture of the embodiment of the present invention, the hANDSF sends the policy information related to the UE to the vANDSF, and the vANDSF collects the status information of the related network according to the policy information provided by the hANDSF, and sends related policy information and network status information to the UE. The UE can make a handover decision based on the information provided by the vANDSF, that is, decide whether a handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 At this time, it can be divided into the case where the UE actively initiates the policy request and the case where the network side actively issues the policy information.

 The process of the UE actively initiating a policy request after registering to the ANDSF (including registration to vANDSF and hANDSF) is as shown in FIG. 3, including:

401. The UE sends a policy request message to the vANDSF to obtain policy information. After receiving the policy request message, the vANDSF sends a policy request message to the hANDSF. During this period, the vANDSF may obtain the network status from the relevant network, or may obtain the network status from the specific network according to the policy information provided by the hANDSF after step 403.

 403. The hANDSF may send, according to the current location information of the UE, the policy information set by the home location (such as the network available for the visited place and the priority of the selection, etc.) to the vANDSF.

 404. The vANDSF provides the UE with the policy information of the handover according to the policy information provided by the hANDSF and the status of the obtained related network.

 405. The UE performs a decision according to the policy information sent by the vANDSF.

 The UE can make a handover decision based on the information provided by the vANDSF, that is, whether or not switching needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 It should be noted that the subsequent UE may send a policy request message to the vANDSF to obtain updated policy information, and the vANDSF and the hANDSF respectively obtain the updated information for processing.

 After the UE registers with the ANDSF (including registration to the vANDSF and the hANDSF), the process of actively transmitting the policy information to the UE by one of the ANDSFs, for example, the hANDSF, is as shown in FIG. 4, and includes:

 501. The hANDSF may send, according to the current location information of the UE, the policy information set by the home location (such as the network available for the visited place and the priority of the selection, etc.) to the vANDSF;

 502. The vANDSF provides the UE with the policy information of the handover according to the policy information provided by the hANDSF and the status of the obtained related network.

 503. The UE performs a decision according to the policy information sent by the vANDSF.

 The UE can make a handover decision based on the information provided by the vANDSF, that is, whether or not switching needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 It should be noted that the vANDSF may also actively send policy information to the UE. In addition, when the roaming agreement of the home location and the roaming place changes or the related policy information of the UE changes, the hANDSF may send the updated policy information (such as the network available for the visited place and the selection priority, etc.) to the vANDSF. After receiving the policy update information provided by the hANDSF or checking that the related network status is changed, the vANDSF may send the related information to the UE in the policy update message, and the UE completes the subsequent handover process according to the updated policy information.

2) Processing when the decision is made entirely by the ANDSF. In the handover decision method, the UE reports the measurement report of the neighboring network to the ANDSF, and the ANDSF performs the handover decision for the UE according to the handover policy of the UE and the measurement report reported by the UE, and sends the decision result to the UE, and the UE completes the result according to the result. Subsequent switching processing. In this case, the UE does not need to obtain the policy information sent by the ANDSF, and directly receives the decision result delivered by the ANDSF for processing.

 Under the handover decision method, since there are actually two ANDSFs serving the UE, namely, vANDSF and hANDSF, they can be divided into the following three cases according to the handover decision point: A: The handover decision is completely completed by vANDSF.

 In this scenario, the vANDSF is the final decision point of the handover, and the hANDSF provides the vANDSF with the policy information required for the UE handover (such as the network available for the visit and the priority of the selection, etc.), and the vANDSF collects the state information of the relevant network (such as the current The load condition of the network), the UE reports the measurement report of the surrounding network to the vANDSF. The vANDSF performs a handover decision for the UE based on the information obtained above, and transmits a handover decision (e.g., to which target network to switch to) to the UE.

 The specific process of completing the handover decision by vANDSF is shown in Figure 5, including:

 601. The UE sends a measurement report to the vANDSF.

 602. The vANDSF sends a policy request message to the hANDSF.

 If the policy information provided by hANDSF is not recorded in the vANDSF, a policy request message is sent to the hANDSF.

 After receiving the measurement report of the UE, the vANDSF can immediately obtain the network status information from the relevant network. 603. The hANDSF may send, according to the current location information of the UE, the policy information (such as the available network and the priority of the visit) to the vANDSF.

 604. The vANDSF collects the status of the related network according to the policy information provided by the hANDSF, performs a handover decision, and sends the decision result to the UE, where the UE performs subsequent handover processing according to the decision result.

 The related network status may be the information already saved in the vANDSF, or the vANDSF may initiate the status acquisition process to obtain the updated network status.

It should be noted that the vANDSF obtains the policy information provided by the hANDSF, which may be obtained through a separate process in steps 602 and 603, or may obtain the policy information provided by the hANDSF during the UE registration process. In addition, when the roaming agreement of the home location and the roaming place changes or the related policy information of the UE changes, the hANDSF may send the updated policy information (such as the network available for the visited place and the selection priority, etc.) to the vANDSF. Based on the information obtained above and the relevant policies of the operator, the vANDSF makes a handover decision for the UE, and sends a handover decision (such as which target network to switch to) to the UE.

 If in some cases, the vANDSF cannot complete the handover decision, for example, when the UE is at the boundary of the visited network and is about to switch to another network, the access network controlled by the vANDSF cannot meet the handover requirement of the UE, and is required at this time. The access network information of the other network is selected and sent to the UE to guide the UE to switch to the new network. At this point, the vANDSF cannot obtain the information of the destination network, so the vANDSF needs the help of hANDSF, and can perform the following process:

 When the vANDSF is unable to complete the handover decision, the UE sends a policy request message to the hANDSF, requesting the hANDSF to provide access network resources of other networks (distinguished from the current visited network) where the current UE is located; hANDSF according to the current location of the UE, according to the operator policy Selecting available access network resource information of the other network (new visited network or home network) at the current location, and providing the status of the relevant access network, such as load status, through the vANDSF of the network where the access network is located, and The status of the information and access network is sent to the vANDSF that initiated the request. After receiving the information, the vANDSF performs a handover decision to select a handover target network for the UE. In addition, if the UE needs to migrate to the network, the hANDSF can directly obtain the access network status of the network, and does not need to obtain the information through the new vANDSF.

 B: Complete handover decision by hANDSF

 In this scenario, the hANDSF is the final handover decision point, and the vANDSF forwards the measurement report reported by the UE to the hANDSF, and reports the network status of the visited network to the hANDSF.

 The specific process of completing the handover decision by hANDSF is shown in Figure 6, including:

 701. The UE sends a measurement report to the vANDSF.

 702. The vANDSF forwards the measurement report to the hANDSF, where the message may also carry status information of the related network, such as a load status.

703. The hANDSF may perform a handover decision according to the measurement report reported by the UE, the status information of the related network that is provided by the vANDSF or saved in the hANDSF, and the operator policy, and select the destination network for the handover, and send the decision result to the vANDSF. In this step, the hANDSF may also decide to switch to another visited network or a home network according to the measurement report reported by the UE. At this time, the hANDSF may acquire available access network information from the vANDSF or the local hANDSF of the other visited network, and select an appropriate access network of the other visited network or the home network for the UE, and send the decision result to the vANDSF.

 704. The vANDSF sends the decision result provided by the hANDSF to the UE, where the UE performs subsequent handover processing according to the decision result.

 In this method, when the UE initially registers, the hANDSF can still send the policy information to the vANDSF, and the vANDSF can report the network status according to the policy information (such as the subscribed access network and priority).

 C: Switch from vANDSF to hANDSF to complete the handover decision

 When switching decisions are made by vANDSF, switching decisions may be made by hANDSF under certain circumstances. When the vANDSF fails to make a handover decision for the UE, the hANDSF is required to perform the handover decision, and the handover decision point is changed to hANDSF. After the hANDSF performs the handover decision, the decision result is sent to the UE through the vANDSF.

 The specific process of switching from vANDSF to hANDSF to complete the handover decision is shown in Figure 7, including:

801. The UE sends a measurement report to the vANDSF.

 802. The vANDSF cannot perform a handover decision for the UE, and then sends a handover request message to the hANDSF, requesting the hANDSF to perform a handover decision, where the handover request message may carry the measurement report provided by the UE;

 803. The hANDSF returns a decision result to the vANDSF.

 The hANDSF selects available access network resource information of other networks (other visited networks or home networks) of the current location according to the current location information of the UE, and provides related access through the vANDSF of the network where the access networks are located. The status of the network, such as the load status, performs a handover decision for the UE based on the measurement report provided by the UE, and sends the result of the handover decision to the vANDSF.

 804. The vANDSF sends the decision result provided by the hANDSF to the UE, and the UE performs a subsequent handover operation according to the result.

 3) Joint decision by UE and ANDSF

This processing method is basically similar to the process of making decisions entirely by ANDSF, except that Before the UE reports the measurement report, the ANDSF needs to send the policy information to the UE first, and then the UE reports the measurement report according to the policy information. The ANDSF described herein may be a vANDSF or a hANDSF ₀ ANDSF, and may provide policy information to the UE during the first registration process of the UE, or actively provide the UE after the policy information changes.

 The policy information provided by the ANDSF to the UE may generally include: a specified access network, a reported threshold or frequency, and the like. The UE monitors the specified network according to the information. When the related data reaches the reporting threshold, the UE reports the measurement report of the specified network to the ANDSF. As for the decision processing of ANDSF and the processing under the decision of ANDSF, it is not consistent here.

 In the first embodiment of the present invention, the UE only needs to access the vANDSF, and the network status information obtained by the information exchange between the vANDSF and the hANDSF through the new interface is obtained by the vANDSF, thereby performing corresponding processing, or obtaining the vANDSF and the hANDSF. The network information is selected based on the interaction result after the information is exchanged with the new interface, so that the network discovery and selection processing can be realized more simply.

 Please refer to FIG. 8, which is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The main difference between the network structure of the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the UE in the second embodiment accesses the hANDSF.

 After the UE registers with the access network (such as 3GPP or Wimax), the ANDSF of the home network can always be selected, and the selected hANDSF decides whether it is necessary to select an ANDSF that can be connected through the Sz interface for the UE. In particular, when the UE roams, hANDSF is selected. The hANDSF can select a vANDSF of the visited network according to the current location of the UE and the like. The vANDSF and the hANDSF communicate through the Sz interface, and the UE only interacts with the directly connected hANDSF, and the vANDSF can be hANDSF. Provide access network information, and even make switching decisions.

 The network architecture of the second embodiment of the present invention describes the case where the UE registers with the hANDSF in the roaming condition. When the UE roams, the ANDSF of the home location is always found.

 As shown in Figure 8, the vANDSF and hANDSF communicate via the new Sz interface. The roaming UE selects the ANDSF of the home location, that is, hANDSF; the hANDSF communicates with the UE through the Sx interface; the vANDSF obtains information such as the network status of other access systems in the network through the Sy interface. In addition, hANDSF connects to vANDSF through the Sz interface, and obtains information such as the network status of the visited network through vANDSF.

Referring to FIG. 9, is a flowchart of a method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In Embodiment 2, the UE is roaming. In the network, the hANDSF is accessed, so the flowchart of the second embodiment is basically the same as the process of the flowchart of the first embodiment, except that the positions of the vANDSF and the hANDSF in the flowchart change, and the corresponding flow produces some changes. Figure 9 includes:

 1001. The UE performs a registration process to complete registration to a specific access network.

 For example, an attach procedure can be performed to register to a 3GPP network, a WiMax network, or the like.

 1002: The UE performs a DNS resolution or a DHCP process to obtain an address of the ANDSF from a DNS server or a DHCP server. If the address of the hANDSF has been recorded in the UE, the DNS resolution or DHCP step is not required to be performed.

1003. The UE initiates a registration process to the hANDSF, and requests a service from the hANDSF. The registration process may be an explicit registration initiated by the UE, such as sending a registration request message to the hANDSF, or an implicit registration, such as the UE sending a policy to the hANDSF. Request a message or send a measurement report of a surrounding network, etc. The hANDSF can establish and maintain a context for the UE, recording relevant information.

The information (e.g., the PLMN ID of the visited network) selects a vANDSF for the visited location for the UE, and then initiates a registration procedure with the vANDSF to register the UE with the vANDSF.

 The registration process may be an explicit registration, such as the hANDSF sending a registration request message to the vANDSF; or an implicit registration, such as the hANDSF sending a policy request message to the vANDSF or transmitting a measurement report of the surrounding network.

 The vANDSF can establish and maintain a context for the UE to record relevant information.

 1005. Perform related processing of network discovery and selection between the UE, the hANDSF, and the vANDSF. In this step, according to the difference between the network discovery and the selected decision-making body, it can be divided into several situations.

 1) Processing when the decision is made entirely by the UE

 Under the handover decision method, the ANDSF provides policy information and/or related network state information to the UE, and the UE determines, according to the information provided by the ANDSF, whether handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

Therefore, under the framework of the embodiment of the present invention, the hANDSF provides policy information and/or related information to the UE. The network status information (this information can be provided by the vANDSF to the hANDSF), and the UE can make a handover decision according to the information provided by the hANDSF, that is, whether the handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 At this time, it can be divided into the case where the UE actively initiates the policy request and the case where the network side actively issues the policy information.

 The process of the UE actively initiating a policy request after registering to the ANDSF (including registration to vANDSF and hANDSF) is as shown in FIG. 10, including:

 1101. The UE sends a policy request message to the hANDSF to obtain policy information.

 The message may include current location information of the UE, and the like.

 After receiving the policy request message, the hANDSF sends a policy request message to the vANDSF to obtain the status of the related network.

 The message sent to the vANDSF may include current location information of the UE, and may also include policy information provided by the hANDSF to the vANDSF.

 1103. The vANDSF may obtain the status of the network according to the current location information of the UE and/or the policy information provided by the hANDSF, and send the status to the hANDSF.

 1104. The hANDSF provides the UE with the switched policy information according to the policy information and the status of the related network provided by the vANDSF.

 1105. The UE performs a decision according to the policy information sent by the hANDSF.

 The UE can make a handover decision based on the information provided by the hANDSF, that is, decide whether a handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 It should be noted that the subsequent UE may send a policy request message to the hANDSF to obtain updated policy information, and the vANDSF and the hANDSF respectively obtain the updated information for processing.

 After the UE registers with the ANDSF (including the registration to the vANDSF and the hANDSF), the process of actively transmitting the policy information to the UE by one of the ANDSFs, for example, the vANDSF, is as shown in FIG. 11, and includes:

 1201, after the vANDSF determines that the current network status of the UE changes, the collected network status may be actively sent to the hANDSF;

1202: The hANDSF provides the UE with the handover policy information according to the policy information and the status of the related network provided by the vANDSF; 1203. The UE performs a decision according to the policy information sent by the hANDSF.

 The UE can make a handover decision based on the information provided by the hANDSF, that is, decide whether a handover needs to be made and which destination network to switch to.

 It should be noted that the hANDSF may also actively send the policy information to the UE. In addition, when the roaming agreement of the home location and the roaming place changes or the related policy information of the UE changes, or the vANDSF indicates that the current related network status of the UE changes, the hANDSF may update the updated policy information (such as the network available at the visited place) And selecting the priority, etc.) and the network status are sent to the UE, and the UE completes the subsequent handover process according to the updated policy information.

 2) Processing when the decision is made entirely by the ANDSF.

 In the handover decision method, the UE reports the measurement report of the neighboring network to the ANDSF, and the ANDSF performs the handover decision for the UE according to the handover policy of the UE and the measurement report reported by the UE, and sends the decision result to the UE, and the UE completes the result according to the result. Subsequent switching processing. In this case, the UE does not need to obtain the policy information sent by the ANDSF, and directly receives the decision result delivered by the ANDSF for processing.

 Under the handover decision method, since there are actually two ANDSFs serving the UE, namely, vANDSF and hANDSF, they can be divided into the following three cases according to the handover decision point: A: The handover decision is completely completed by vANDSF.

 In this scenario, vANDSF is the final decision point for the switch. The UE reports the measurement report of the surrounding network to the hANDSF, and the hANDSF forwards the measurement report of the UE to the vANDSF and provides the policy information required for the UE handover (such as the network available for the visited place and the priority of the selection), and the vANDSF collects the status information of the related network. (such as the current network load situation). The vANDSF performs a handover decision for the UE based on the information obtained above, and transmits a handover decision (e.g., to which target network to switch to) to the UE.

 The specific process of completing the handover decision by vANDSF is shown in Figure 12, including:

 1301. The UE sends a measurement report to the hANDSF.

 1302, the hANDSF forwards the measurement report to the vANDSF, where the message may also carry the location information of the current UE, and the policy information of the operator, and the like;

1303. The vANDSF collects the status of the related network according to the location information and the policy information of the UE, and may also perform the handover decision by using the saved status information of the related network and the measurement report reported by the UE, and select the destination network for the handover for the UE, and The decision result is sent to hANDSF; 1304. The hANDSF sends the decision result provided by the vANDSF to the UE, and the UE performs subsequent handover processing according to the decision result.

 In addition, when the roaming agreement of the home location and the roaming place changes or the related policy information of the UE changes, the hANDSF may send the updated policy information (such as the network available for the visited place and the selection priority, etc.) to the vANDSF. Based on the information obtained above and the relevant policies of the operator, the vANDSF makes a handover decision for the UE, and sends a handover decision (such as which target network to switch to) to the UE.

 If in some cases, the vANDSF cannot complete the handover decision, for example, when the UE is at the boundary of the visited network and is about to switch to another network (other visited network or home network), the access network controlled by the vANDSF cannot satisfy The handover of the UE is required. At this time, the access network information of the other network needs to be selected and sent to the UE to guide the UE to switch to the new network. At this time, the vANDSF cannot obtain the information of the destination network, so the vANDSF needs the help of hANDSF and can be processed in the following two ways:

 A processing method is: when the hANDSF receives the measurement report of the UE, and may determine the current UE in the existing visited network, the location information of the UE may be determined, and the other network according to the carrier policy is selected. Available access network resource information (other visited network or home network), and the status of the relevant access network, such as load status, can be provided through the vANDSF of the network where the access network is located, and then the policy information and the status of the access network are Send to vANDSF. After receiving the information, the vANDSF performs a handover decision to select a handover target network for the UE.

Another processing method is: when the vANDSF receives the measurement report sent by the hANDSF, and determines that the handover decision cannot be completed, sends a policy request message to the hANDSF, requesting the hANDSF to provide the other network where the current UE is located (distinguished from the current visited network) Access network resources of other visited networks or home networks; hANDSF selects available access network resource information of other networks in the current location according to the current location of the UE according to the current location of the UE, and can pass the vANDSF of the network where the access network is located Provides status of the associated access network, such as load conditions, and sends these policy information and the status of the access network to the vANDSF that initiated the request. After receiving the information, the vANDSF performs a handover decision to select a handover target network for the UE. In addition, if the UE needs to migrate to the homing network, the hANDSF can directly obtain the access network status of the network without acquiring relevant information through the new vANDSF. B: Complete handover decision by hANDSF

 In this scenario, the hANDSF is the final handover decision point, and the hANDSF receives the measurement report reported by the UE, and requests the vANDSF to report the network status 4 of the visited network to the hANDSF.

 The specific process of completing the handover decision by hANDSF is shown in Figure 13, including:

 1401. The UE sends a measurement report to the hANDSF.

 1402: The hANDSF requests the vANDSF policy, and requests the vANDSF to provide policy information of the UE related network;

 1403. The vANDSF collects the status of the related network according to the location information and the policy information of the UE, and may also use the saved status information of the related network, and provide the network status to the hANDSF through the policy response message.

 1404. The hANDSF may perform a handover decision according to the measurement report reported by the UE, the status information of the related network provided by the vANDSF or saved in the hANDSF, and the operator policy, select a destination network for the handover, and send the decision result to the UE. The UE performs subsequent handover processing according to the decision result.

 It should be noted that if the hANDSF adopts the stored network information, step 1402 and steps are performed.

1403 is not required.

 In addition, when the hANDSF receives the message sent by the UE in step 1401, and determines that the network where the vANDSF registered by the UE cannot provide the destination network information for the UE, the hANDSF may select another network for the UE according to the current location information of the UE. The vANDSF of the other visited network or the home network, and sends a policy request to the vANDSF (step 1402), requesting: obtaining information about the access network, and the newly selected vANDSF is based on the location information and policy information of the UE. Etc. Collect the status of the relevant network and send it to hANDSF (as in step 1403). When the UE needs to return to the tributary network, the hANDSF can also directly obtain the information status of other access networks of the home network, and complete the decision.

 C: Switch from vANDSF to hANDSF to complete the handover decision

When the handover decision is made by the vANDSF, the handover decision may be made by the hANDSF in some specific cases. When the vANDSF cannot make a handover decision for the UE, the hANDSF is required to perform the handover decision, and the handover decision point is changed to hANDSF. After the hANDSF performs the handover decision, the decision result is sent to the UE through the vANDSF. The specific process of switching from vANDSF to hANDSF to complete the handover decision is shown in Figure 14, including:

1501. The UE sends a measurement report to the vANDSF.

 1502, the hANDSF forwards the measurement report to the vANDSF, where the message may also carry the location information of the current UE, and the policy information of the operator;

 1503: The vANDSF fails to perform a handover decision for the UE, and sends a handover request message to the hANDSF, requesting the hANDSF to perform a handover decision, where the handover request message may carry the measurement report provided by the UE;

 1504. The hANDSF sends a decision result to the UE.

 The hANDSF selects available access network resource information of other networks (other access networks or home networks) at the current location according to the current location information of the UE, and can provide related access through the vANDSF of the network where the access network is located. The status of the network, for example, the load status, performs a handover decision for the UE according to the measurement report provided by the UE, and sends the result of the handover decision to the UE, and the UE performs a subsequent handover operation according to the result.

 3) Joint decision by UE and ANDSF

The processing method is basically similar to the process of making the decision by the ANDSF. The difference is that the ANDSF needs to send the policy information to the UE before the UE reports the measurement report, and then the UE reports the measurement report according to the policy information. The ANDSF described herein may be a vANDSF or a hANDSF ₀ ANDSF, and may provide policy information to the UE during the first registration process of the UE, or actively provide the UE after the policy information changes.

 The policy information provided by the ANDSF to the UE may generally include: a specified access network, a reported threshold or frequency, and the like. The UE monitors the specified network according to the information. When the related data reaches the reporting threshold, the UE reports the measurement report of the specified network to the ANDSF. As for the decision processing of ANDSF and the processing under the decision of ANDSF, it is not consistent here.

 In the second embodiment of the present invention, the UE only needs to access the hANDSF, and the network status information obtained by the information exchange between the hANDSF and the vANDSF through the new interface is obtained by the hANDSF, and corresponding processing is performed, or the hANDSF and the vANDSF are obtained. The network information is selected based on the interaction result after the information is exchanged with the new interface, so that the network discovery and selection processing can be realized more simply.

Referring to FIG. 15, FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Embodiment 3 and Embodiment 1 The main difference between the network structure of the implementation two is that the implementation of the three interfaces between the vANDSF and the hANDSF does not set a new interface, but uses the interface between the PCRFs.

 In the prior art, the ANDSF can be interfaced with the PCRF functional entity in the PCC (Policy Control and Charging) system, and the vPCRF of the roaming place and the hPCRF of the home location in the PCC architecture can be connected through the S9 interface. Therefore, the information exchange between the vANDSF and the hANDSF can also be implemented by using the interface. The UE can select the ANDSF of the current network, and the ANDSF obtains the network policy information and the network status information through the vPCRF and the hPCRF, thereby completing the handover decision. The ANDSF can obtain the current UE's policy information (such as the operator policy, the UE's service policy, and the like) from the PCRF, and can also obtain the information from another ANDSF by using the PCRF interface.

 As shown in Figure 15, there is no direct interaction between the vANDSF and the hANDSF. The UE always selects the visited vANDSF and obtains the UE's policy information from the hPCRF through the vPCRF. If the policy in the hPCRF is insufficient to support the handover decision, the hPCRF may also obtain relevant policy information from the home hANDSF. It should be noted that FIG. 15 only uses the UE to select the vANDSF as an example. The UE may also select hANDSF and connect to the vANDSF through an interface between the hPCRF and the vPCRF.

 Referring to FIG. 16, a flowchart of a method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention includes:

 1701. The UE performs a registration process to complete registration to a specific access network;

 For example, an attach procedure can be performed to register to a 3GPP network, a WiMax network, or the like.

 1702. The UE performs a DNS resolution or a DHCP process to obtain an ANDSF address from a DNS server or a DHCP server, and the DNS server or the DHCP server will be configured.

The address of the ANDSF is returned to the UE;

 If the address of the required ANDSF has been recorded in the UE, the DNS resolution or DHCP step does not need to be performed.

 1703. The UE initiates a registration process to the vANDSF, and requests a service from the vANDSF. The registration process may be an explicit registration initiated by the UE, such as sending a registration request message to the ANDSF, or may be an implicit registration, such as the UE sending a policy to the vANDSF. Request a message or send a measurement report of a surrounding network, etc.

 The vANDSF can establish and maintain a context for the UE.

1704. The vANDSF registers the UE to the hANDSF by using the vPCRF and the hPCRF. Corresponding processing of network discovery and selection between 1705, UE, hANDSF, vANDSF, vPCRF and hPCRF.

 This step in this embodiment may also include three cases according to the difference between the network discovery and the selection decision body: that is, the decision is made entirely by the UE, the decision is made entirely by the ANDSF, and the UE and the ANDSF jointly decide.

 In the case of the UE making a decision, after the step 1704 is completed, the vANDSF requests the policy information from the vPCRF. The PCRF can find the hPCRF according to the home network information of the UE, and forward the policy request sent by the vANDSF. If the hPCRF does not have the policy information of the UE, it sends a policy request to the hANDSF, requesting the hANDSF to provide related information. The hANDSF may send the policy information (such as the available network and the selection priority) of the home location to the hPCRF according to the current location information of the UE, and the hPCRF sends the information obtained from the hANDSF to the vPCRF through the policy response message. And then forwarded to the vANDSF, and then the vANDSF sends the policy information to the UE, and the UE decides whether the handover is needed.

 For the case with more detailed examples and other methods, it is similar to the scheme in the previous embodiment. The difference is mainly that the ANDSF does not directly participate in the process of network selection and discovery, and the participation of vPCRF and hPCRF is required in the middle. However, the final decision function is generally handled by the ANDSF. Of course, it can also be processed by PCRF, the principle is similar. Therefore, it will not be described in detail here.

 In the third embodiment of the present invention, the UE only needs to access the vANDSF, and the network status information obtained by using the interface between the vANDSF and the hANDSF by using the existing PCRF interface is obtained by the vANDSF, so as to perform corresponding processing, or obtain the corresponding information. The information about the target network selected by the vANDSF and the hANDSF after the information exchange between the existing PCRF interfaces is performed according to the interaction result, thereby enabling network discovery and selection processing to be more simple. The embodiments provide a network system and apparatus.

 Please refer to FIG. 17, which is a schematic structural diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 As shown in FIG. 17, the network system includes: a first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1801, a second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1802.

The first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1801 is configured to acquire network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF 1802 after the user terminal accesses the network, and the network status information is used. Sending to the user terminal for target network selection, or selecting the network status information to select a target network for the user terminal.

 The second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1802 is configured to perform information interaction with the first ANDSF 1801.

 The first ANDSF 1801 specifically acquires network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF 1802 through a newly added signaling interface.

 The first ANDSF 1801 is a visited vANDSF, and the second ANDSF 1802 is a home-based hANDSF; or the first ANDSF 1801 is a home-based hANDSF, and the second ANDSF 1802 is a visited vANDSF.

 Referring to FIG. 18, it is a schematic structural diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 As shown in FIG. 18, the network system includes: a first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1901, a second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1902, a home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF 1903, and a visited strategy. Charging rule function entity vPCRF 1904.

 The first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1901 is configured to: after the user terminal accesses the network, acquire network condition information by interacting with the second ANDSF 1902, and send the network status information to the user terminal to perform the target. The network selects or selects a target network for the user terminal according to the network status information.

 The second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF 1902 is configured to perform information interaction with the first ANDSF 1901.

 The first ANDSF 1901 specifically passes the home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF

An interface between the 1903 and the visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF 1904 interacts with the second ANDSF 1902 to obtain network status information.

 The first ANDSF 1901 is a visited vANDSF, and the second ANDSF 1902 is a home-based hANDSF; or the first ANDSF 1901 is a home-based hANDSF, and the second ANDSF 1902 is a visited vANDSF. The specific connection between ANDSF and PCRF is: vANDSF is connected to vPCRF 1904, hANDSF is connected to hPCRF 1903, and the first ANDSF 1901 in FIG. 18 is connected to hPCRF 1903 for illustration.

 Referring to FIG. 19, it is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 19, the communication device includes: an interaction unit 2002, and a processing unit 2003. Said here The communication device may be an access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF.

 The interaction unit 2002 is configured to acquire network status information by interacting with the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF after the user terminal accesses the network.

 The processing unit 2003 is configured to send the network status information to the user terminal for target network selection, or select a target network for the user terminal according to the network status information.

 The interaction unit 2002 interacts with the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF to obtain network status information by using a newly added interface. Alternatively, the interaction unit 2002 is configured by the home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF and The interface between the visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF interacts with the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF to obtain network status information.

 The communication device further includes: a determination processing unit 2004.

 The determining processing unit 2004 is configured to: after receiving the measurement report sent by the user terminal, determine that the target network cannot be selected for the user terminal, send a message to the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF, requesting the The ANDSF selects a target network for the user terminal.

 The communication device further includes: an indication unit 2005.

 The indication unit 2005 is configured to send the policy information to the user terminal, and instruct the user terminal to report the measurement report according to the policy information.

 In summary, the foregoing technical solution can be seen that, after the user terminal accesses the network in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the network status information is obtained through interaction between the different access network discovery and the selection function entity ANDSF, and thus the user terminal You only need to access one of the ANDSFs to pass the

The ANDSF obtains the network status information obtained after the information exchange on the network side, and performs corresponding processing, or obtains the target network information selected according to the interaction result after the information exchange on the network side, so that the network discovery and selection processing can be realized more simply.

 Further, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the first ANDSF may interact with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information by using a newly added interface; or, the first ANDSF may adopt a home policy charging rule. The interface between the functional entity hPCRF and the visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF interacts with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information.

Further, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention may be that the user terminal accesses the vANDSF of the visited place, or may be the hANDSF that accesses the attribution place. The network discovery and selection method, the network system, and the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail. For those skilled in the art, according to the embodiments of the present invention, in the specific implementation manner and application scope. There are variations, and the description is not to be construed as limiting the invention.

Claims

Rights request

 A network discovery and selection method, characterized in that it comprises:

 After the user terminal accesses the network,

 The first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF obtains network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF;

 The first ANDSF sends the acquired network status information to the user terminal for target network selection, or selects a target network for the user terminal according to the acquired network status information.

 2. The network discovery and selection method according to claim 1, wherein:

 The acquiring, by the first ANDSF, the network status information by using the interaction with the second ANDSF includes: the first ANDSF interacting with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information by using a new interface; or

 The first ANDSF interacts with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information by using an interface between the home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF and the visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF.

 3. The network discovery and selection method according to claim 2, wherein:

 The first ANDSF further includes: before acquiring the network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF:

 The first ANDSF receives the registration message of the user terminal to register, and directly sends the registration message or sends it to the second ANDSF for registration through the vPCRF and the hPCRF.

 The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF is a visited vANDSF, and the second ANDSF is a homeland hANDSF, the first The ANDSF obtains network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF, including:

 After receiving the measurement report sent by the user terminal, the vANDSF sends a request to the hANDSF, where the measurement report is sent by the user terminal or is based on the policy information after receiving the policy information sent by the vANDSF. Issue

 Receiving policy information returned by the hANDSF according to the request;

Network status information is collected based on the received policy information.

The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF is a vANDSF, and the second ANDSF is a hANDSF, the first

The ANDSF obtains network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF, including:

 The vANDSF receives the policy information sent by the hANDSF, and the policy information is obtained after the hANDSF receives the measurement report sent by the user terminal, and the measurement report is sent by the user terminal or is sent by the vANDSF. The policy information is sent according to the policy information;

 Network status information is collected based on the received policy information.

 The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF is hANDSF, the second ANDSF is vANDSF, the first

The ANDSF obtains network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF, including:

 The hANDSF receives the network status information sent by the vANDSF, and the network status information is collected by the vANDSF after receiving the measurement report sent by the user terminal,

 The measurement report is sent by the user terminal or is sent according to the policy information after receiving the policy information sent by the hANDSF.

 The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF is hANDSF, and the second ANDSF is vANDSF, the first

The ANDSF obtains network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF, including:

 After receiving the measurement report sent by the user terminal, the hANDSF sends a request to the vANDSF, where the measurement report is sent by the user terminal or is sent according to the policy information after receiving the policy information sent by the hANDSF. ;

 Receiving network status information returned by the vANDSF according to the request.

 The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF is hANDSF, and the second ANDSF is vANDSF,

 The acquiring, by the first ANDSF, the network status information by the interaction with the second ANDSF includes: the hANDSF receiving the handover request of the vANDSF, where the handover request is that the vANDSF receives the measurement 4 report sent by the user terminal, and determines Cannot be issued after selecting the target network for the user terminal;

After receiving the handover request, the hANDSF collects network status information.

The network discovery and selection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first ANDSF further comprises: before acquiring network status information by interacting with the second ANDSF:

 Receiving a policy request message sent by the user terminal;

 The first ANDSF sends the network status information to the user terminal for target network selection.

 10. A network system, comprising:

 The first access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF is configured to: after the user terminal accesses the network, acquire network condition information by interacting with the second ANDSF, and send the network status information to the user terminal to perform target network selection. Or selecting the network status information to select a target network for the user terminal;

 The second access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF is configured to perform information interaction with the first ANDSF.

 11. The network system according to claim 10, wherein:

 The first ANDSF interacts with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information by using a newly added signaling interface.

 12. The network system according to claim 10, wherein:

 The network system further includes a home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF and a visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF;

 The first ANDSF interacts with the second ANDSF to obtain network status information by using an interface between the home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF and the visited policy charging rule function entity vPCRF.

 The network system according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: the first ANDSF is a vANDSF of a visited place, and the second ANDSF is a hANDSF of a home location; or

The first ANDSF is a home hANDSF, and the second ANDSF is a visited place vANDSF ₀

 14. A communication device, comprising:

An interaction unit, configured to discover and select with other access networks after the user terminal accesses the network The interaction of the functional entity ANDSF acquires network status information;

 And a processing unit, configured to send the network status information to the user terminal for target network selection, or select a target network for the user terminal according to the network status information.

 15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein:

ANDSF performs interaction to obtain network status information; or

 The interaction unit interacts with the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF to obtain network status information by using an interface between the home policy charging rule function entity hPCRF and the visited policy accounting rule function entity vPCRF.

 The communication device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the communication device further comprises:

 a determining processing unit, configured to receive a measurement report sent by the user terminal, and determine that the target network cannot be selected for the user terminal, send a message to the other access network discovery and selection function entity ANDSF, request the ANDSF A target network is selected for the user terminal.

 17. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the communication device further comprises:

 The indication unit is configured to send the policy information to the user terminal, and instruct the user terminal to report the measurement report according to the policy information.