WO2009155825A1 - Policy control method, system, data gateway and policy decision entity - Google Patents

Abstract

A policy control method, system, data gateway and policy decision entity are provided by the present invention belonging to the field of mobile communications. The method includes: a policy decision entity receives the information of a second access network sent by a data gateway; the policy decision entity associates with the gateway policy control session according to the information of the second access network, and generates the policy rule information according to the information of the associated gateway policy control session or the information of the second access network; the policy decision entity then sends the policy rule information to the data gateway. The system includes: a data gateway and a policy decision entity. By sending the access network information corresponding to the data connection to the policy decision entity via a data gateway, the present invention enables the policy decision entity to judge correctly the current access network actually in use, so as to provide the policy rule corresponding to the access network to the data gateway accordingly.

Description

 Policy control methods, systems, data gateways, and policy decision entities

 The present invention relates to the field of mobile communication technologies, and in particular, to a policy control method, system, data gateway, and policy decision entity. Background technique

 In the next generation mobile communication network, the user terminal accesses through the local wireless access network. When a user terminal accesses a packet data network, the access gateway functions as a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF), and a Policy Charging Rule. A gateway policy control session is established between Function, abbreviated: PCRF. As a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), the Data Gateway establishes a Data Access Connection (IP-Accessive Network, IP-CAN) policy control session with the Policy Decision Entity (PCRF).

 When the location of the user terminal changes and the access network needs to be switched, the user terminal sends a data connection request to the target side access gateway. After the target side access network is successfully connected, the source side connection is released, that is, the method of first building and then deleting.

 After analyzing the prior art, the inventor found that: In the process of user switching, the target side access network establishes a connection for the user in advance to ensure the continuity of the handover, so there may be one during a period of time. The data access has an association relationship between two access networks. The policy decision entity cannot determine the access network currently in use, and thus cannot provide the data gateway with the policy rules corresponding to the access network. Summary of the invention

In order to solve the problem that the user has multiple access network connections at the same time, between the policy decision entity and the data gateway The policy control session can use the correct access network information. The embodiment of the present invention provides a policy control method, system, data gateway, and policy decision entity. The technical solutions are as follows:

 A policy control method includes the following steps when a user terminal has established a data connection with a first access network and needs to establish a data connection with the second access network:

 The policy decision entity receives the second access network information sent by the data gateway;

 The policy decision entity controls the session according to the second access network information association gateway policy, and generates policy rule information according to the information of the associated gateway policy control session or the second access network information;

 The policy decision entity sends the policy rule information to the data gateway.

 The embodiment of the invention further provides a mobile packet network system, including:

 a data gateway, configured to: when the user terminal has established a data connection with the first access network, and needs to establish a data connection with the second access network, send the second access network information to the policy decision entity, and receive the policy decision The corresponding policy rule information returned by the entity;

 a policy decision entity, configured to receive second access network information sent by the data gateway, control a session according to the second access network information associated with a gateway policy, and control a session or the second access according to the associated gateway policy The network information generates policy rule information, and returns corresponding policy rule information to the data gateway.

 The embodiment of the invention further provides a data gateway, including:

 An information sending unit, configured to send second access network information to the policy decision entity;

 The policy rule information acquiring unit is configured to receive policy rule information corresponding to the second access network information sent by the policy decision entity.

 An embodiment of the present invention further provides a policy decision entity, including:

 An information receiving unit, configured to receive second access network information sent by the data gateway;

An association unit, configured to control a session according to the second access network information associated with the gateway policy; the policy rule generating unit, configured to generate policy rule information according to the information of the associated gateway policy control session or the second access network information ; And a policy rule sending unit, configured to send, to the data gateway, corresponding policy rule information generated by the policy rule generating unit.

 The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information to obtain the currently used access network, and according to the associated result, Provide the data gateway with policy rules that correspond to the access network. DRAWINGS

 Figure 1 is a logical architecture diagram of a next generation mobile communication network;

 2 is a flowchart of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

 3 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method provided by Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

 4 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

 FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG.

 6 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

 7 is a schematic diagram of a mobile packet network system according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

 8 is a structural diagram of a data gateway provided by Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

 9 is a structural diagram of a policy decision entity provided by Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

 FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a policy decision entity provided by Embodiment 6 of the present invention. detailed description

 The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a logical architecture diagram of a next generation mobile communication network. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal, the access gateway, the data gateway, and the policy decision entity are included. The user terminal accesses through a local wireless access network. The access gateway is a convergence point of the access network, and is responsible for access technology related connection management and data forwarding; the data gateway is a gateway for accessing the packet data network, and is responsible for data connection management and data forwarding of the user accessing the packet data network. , also an anchor for mobile services for mobile users; The next-generation mobile communication network enhances the policy control function, including Quality of Service (QoS) control and charging control. When a user accesses a packet data network, the policy decision entity is responsible for access. The QoS and charging control rules of the connection make a decision, and the control rule is provided to the gateway. The gateway acts as a policy enforcement point, and performs quality of service and charging control on the data service of the data access connection according to the above rules.

 The actual network corresponding to the next-generation mobile communication network may be an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network. Correspondingly, for a universal mobile communication system UMTS Terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), a next-generation universal mobile communication system (Evolved UTRAN, E-UTRAN for short) or global mobile communication For the GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), the access gateway may be a Serving Gateway or a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) service support node, data. The gateway can be a Packet Data Network Gateway or a GPRS gateway support node. The policy decision entity may be a PCRF or a Policy Decision Function (abbreviation: PDF). The policy enforcement point of the access gateway may be a BBERF or a Policy Enforcement Point (PEP), and the policy enforcement of the data gateway. The point can be PCEF or ΡΕΡ.

 Embodiment 1

 The embodiment of the present invention provides a policy control method. When a user terminal has established a data connection with the first access network and needs to establish a data connection with the second access network, FIG. 2 is a policy provided by Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The decision method flow chart, as shown in Figure 2, includes the following steps:

 S210: The policy decision entity receives the second access network information sent by the data gateway.

 S220: The policy decision entity controls the session according to the second access network information association gateway policy, and generates policy rule information according to the information of the associated gateway policy control session or the second access network information;

S230: The policy decision entity sends the policy rule information to the data gateway. The second access network information includes: access gateway identification information, location information, and access gateway handover indication information.

 The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information to obtain the currently used access network, and according to the associated result, Provide the data gateway with policy rules that correspond to the access network.

 Embodiment 2

 In this embodiment, the source side first access gateway and the target side second access gateway are respectively BBERF, and the data gateway is PCEF. The user has established a data access connection to a packet data network in the first access network, the connection through the first access gateway and the data gateway. The first access gateway establishes a gateway policy control session 1 with the policy decision entity, and the data gateway establishes a data access connection policy control session with the policy decision entity to jointly control the quality of service of the data access connection, and may also include Billing. Subsequently, the user terminal needs to switch the access network due to location movement or the like, thereby causing the access gateway to change. In this embodiment, the source access network is the first access network, the gateway is the first access gateway, the target access network is the second access network, and the gateway is the second access gateway. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a policy control method, and the specific steps are as follows:

 S301. The user terminal sends a first connection setup request message to the second access gateway on the target side. The user terminal sends a first connection establishment request message to the second access gateway of the target side, where the first connection establishment request message may be a handover request message, a packet data network (Packet Data Network, PDN for short) connection establishment message, Attach message, location update message, mobile IP registration binding request message, address allocation request message, and so on.

 The second access gateway has a policy control function, and the BBERF sends a gateway policy control session establishment request message to the policy decision entity, where the gateway policy control session establishment request message carries the access network information. The access network information may be specifically the access gateway identification information and the location information, and may be specifically provided to the policy decision entity by means of a cell or a message.

5303. The policy decision entity sends a second gateway policy control session establishment to the second access gateway. Answer the message.

 The policy decision entity receives the gateway policy control session establishment request message sent by the second access gateway, and establishes a second gateway policy control session with the second access gateway, where the second gateway policy control session includes the access network Information, sending a second gateway policy to control a session setup response message to the second access gateway. The second gateway policy control session establishment response message may carry a user default policy control rule (that is, a pre-configured rule), or may be sent to the second access according to the service flow currently activated by the user and the access network information generation rule. Gateway.

 The policy decision entity may be associated with the data access connection established before the handover according to the user identification information, the user IP address, the packet data network identifier information, and the like provided by the second access gateway (the data access accessed through the first access network) Into the connection, to obtain the current service flow information of the user, but at this time, the policy decision entity only provides the second access gateway with the policy control rule corresponding to the second access network, and does not provide the corresponding second access network to the data gateway. Policy control rules.

 S304. The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway.

 The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway, where the second connection setup request message includes the access network information, and the second connection setup request message may be a general packet radio service tunnel protocol (GPRS). Tunneling Protocol (GTP) bearer setup request message, GTP bearer update request message, mobile IP registration binding request message, PDP context request message, and so on.

 S305. The data gateway sends a data access connection policy control session update message to the policy decision entity, where the data access connection policy control session update message carries the second access network information.

The data access connection policy control session update message sent by the data gateway PCEF to the policy decision entity may be an IP-CAN policy control session update message or a policy rule request message, and the IP-CAN policy control session update message or policy rule request message includes Second access network information. The second access network information may be one of the access gateway identification information, the location information, the access gateway handover indication, or the BBERF handover indication, where the access gateway identification information may be the access gateway address information, Domain name information or number information; second access network information can pass through cells, The manner of the flag, the message or the event report (Event Triggers) is provided to the policy decision entity, and the policy decision entity switches the access gateway identification information, the location information, the access gateway handover indication or the BBERF switch according to the second access network information. Indicates whether the currently used BBERF has changed.

 S306. The policy decision entity controls the second access network information carried in the session update message according to the data access connection policy, generates policy rule information corresponding to the second access network, and sends the access information including the policy rule information to the data gateway. The connection policy controls the session response.

 The policy decision entity receives the data access connection policy control session update message, and associates the gateway policy control session of the second access network, that is, the second gateway policy control session, according to the second access network information in the message. The specific manner of the association may be: the policy decision entity has obtained the access network information of the first access network and the corresponding gateway policy control session in the first access network, and obtains the connection of the second access network in S302 and S303. The network access information, such as the access gateway identification information or/and the location information, is then matched with the access network information saved in the policy decision entity according to the second access network information provided by S305, and matched to the gateway policy control corresponding to the information. The session is the associated gateway policy control session. In this example, the second gateway policy controls the session, and the second gateway policy control session is used as the current gateway policy control session. Alternatively, the policy decision entity records, after S302, S303, that the established second gateway policy control session is the newly established gateway policy control session, and then uses the newly established second according to the access gateway handover indication or the BBERF handover indication provided by S305. The gateway policy control session acts as the current gateway policy control session.

 Controlling information provided by the session according to the second gateway policy, such as access network resource capability, access network type, etc., the policy decision entity generates policy rule information, and then includes the policy rule information in the access connection policy control session response, that is, The IP-CAN policy control session update response message or policy rule response message is provided to the data gateway. The policy decision entity may also send two messages to the data gateway, one is a data access connection policy control session response message, and the other is a policy rule push message, providing updated rules to the data gateway.

Correlating to the second gateway policy by the policy decision entity according to the second access network information provided by the PCEF Before the control session, after S303, the policy decision entity has established a second gateway policy control session. The policy decision entity needs to decide the policy rule for various reasons (such as the application server trigger), and the policy decision entity is sent to the PCEF. The policy rule is still determined using the first access network information provided by the original first gateway policy control session. Until the second access network information provided according to the PCEF is associated with the gateway policy control session (second gateway policy control session) of the second access network, the policy decision entity begins to control the session using the second gateway policy of the second access network. The second access network information provided is used for policy decision.

 S307. The data gateway sends a second connection setup response message to the second access gateway, indicating that the connection establishment is complete.

 S308. The second access gateway sends a first connection setup response message to the user terminal, indicating that the connection establishment is completed.

 Among them, S308 can also be parallel with the process of S302-S307, that is, there is no sequential relationship between them. The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information to obtain a second gateway policy control session corresponding to the second access gateway. The policy decision entity can correctly determine the currently used access network and provide the data gateway with the policy rules corresponding to the access network.

 Embodiment 3

4 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a source access side first access gateway functions as a BBERF, a target side second access gateway does not perform policy control, and a data gateway functions as a PCEF. The user has established a data access connection to access a certain packet data network in the first access network, and the connection passes through the first access gateway and the data gateway. The first access gateway establishes a first gateway policy control session with the policy decision entity, and the data gateway establishes a data access connection policy control session with the policy decision entity to jointly control the service quality of the data access connection, or Includes billing. Subsequently, the user terminal needs to switch the access network due to location movement or the like, thereby causing the access gateway to change. In this embodiment, the source access network is the first access network, the gateway is the first access gateway, the target access network is the second access network, and the gateway is the second access gateway. For example, the embodiment of the present invention provides a policy control method, and the specific steps are as follows:

S401. The user terminal sends a first connection setup request message to the target second access gateway. The second access gateway receives the first connection setup request message sent by the user terminal, where the first connection setup request message may be a handover request message, a PDN connection setup message, an attach message, a location update message, and a mobile IP registration binding. Request message, address assignment request message, and so on.

 S402. The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway.

 The second connection establishment request message includes the access network information, and the access network information may be one of the access gateway identification information, the location information, or any combination thereof, and may be specifically provided by using a cell or a message. Policy decision entity. The second connection establishment request message may be specifically a GTP bearer setup request message, a GTP bearer update request message, a mobile IP registration binding request message, a PDP context request message, and the like.

 S403. The data gateway sends a data access connection policy control session update message to the policy decision entity, where the data access connection policy control session update message carries the second access network information.

 For example, the data gateway PCEF sends an IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or a Policy Rule Request message to the Policy Decision Entity, the IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or Policy Rule Request message containing the second access network information. The second access network information may be one of the access gateway identification information, the location information, the access gateway handover indication, or the BBERF handover indication, or may be specifically provided by using a cell, a flag, a message, or an event report. The policy decision entity determines whether the currently used BBERF changes according to the access gateway identification information, the location information, the access gateway handover indication, or the BBERF handover indication in the second access network information.

 S404. The policy decision entity sends a data access connection policy control session response including a policy rule message to the data gateway according to the second access network information included in the data access connection policy control session update.

The policy decision entity receives the request message, and according to the second access network information in the message, determines that the gateway policy control session of the first access network is no longer used, that is, the first gateway policy controls the session. Specific judgment The disconnection mode may be: the policy decision entity has obtained the first access network information and the corresponding gateway policy control session in the first access network, and the second access network is provided according to S403 because the second access gateway does not perform policy control. The information is matched with the access network information of the gateway policy control session saved in the policy decision entity, and the corresponding gateway policy control session of the second access network is not matched, or the newly established gateway policy control session is determined according to the handover indication.

 Since there is no corresponding gateway policy control session, the policy decision entity generates policy rule information according to the second access network information provided by the data gateway, such as network resource capability and access network type, and then sends a data access connection to the data gateway. The policy controls the session response, that is, the policy rule is provided to the data gateway in an IP-CAN policy control session response message or a policy rule response message. The policy decision entity can also send two messages to the data gateway, one is the data access connection policy control session response message, and the other is the policy rule push message, providing the updated rule to the data gateway.

 Before the policy decision entity judges that the gateway policy control session (ie, the first gateway policy control session) of the first access network is no longer used according to the second access network information provided by the PCEF, the policy decision entity is for various reasons (for example, an application server) Triggering), when a decision policy rule is required, and the decision policy rule is sent to the PCEF, the policy decision entity still uses the access network information provided by the gateway policy of the first access network to control the policy rule. After determining that the first gateway policy control session of the source side access network is no longer used according to the second access network information provided by the PCEF, the policy decision entity starts to use only the access network information provided by the PCEF IP-CAN policy control session. Strategic decision making.

 S405: The data gateway sends a second connection setup response message to the second access gateway, indicating that the connection establishment is complete.

 S406. The second access gateway sends a first connection setup response message, indicating that the connection establishment is complete. Among them, S406 can also be parallel with S402-S405, that is, there is no sequential relationship between them.

The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity associates with the received second access network information, so that the policy decision entity can correctly determine the currently used access network. When the associated gateway policy control session is not obtained, the corresponding second access network policy rule is determined according to the information of the second access network, and the data gateway is provided with the Should be the second access network's policy rules.

 Embodiment 4

 FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the source access side first access gateway does not perform policy control, the target side second access gateway functions as a BBERF, and the data gateway functions as a PCEF. The user has established a data access connection to a packet data network in the first access network, and the connection passes through the first access gateway and the data gateway. The user has established a data access connection to a packet data network in the first access network, and the connection passes through the first access gateway and the data gateway. The data gateway establishes a data access connection policy control session with the policy decision entity, controls the quality of service of the data access connection, or includes charging. Subsequently, the user terminal needs to switch the access network due to location movement or the like, thereby causing the access gateway to change. In this embodiment, the source access network is the first access network, the gateway is the first access gateway, the target access network is the second access network, and the gateway is the second access gateway. The embodiment of the invention provides a policy control method, and the specific steps are as follows:

 S501. The user terminal sends a first connection setup request message to the second access gateway on the target side. The second access gateway receives the first connection setup request message sent by the user terminal, where the first connection setup request message may be a handover request message, a PDN connection setup message, an attach message, a location update message, and a mobile IP registration binding. Request message, address assignment request message, and so on.

 The second access gateway has a policy control function, and the BBERF sends a gateway policy control session establishment request message to the policy decision entity, where the gateway policy control session establishment request message carries the access network information, and the second access The network information may be the access gateway identification information and the location information, and may be specifically provided to the policy decision entity by means of a cell or a message.

 S503. The policy decision entity sends a gateway policy control session setup response message to the second access gateway.

The policy decision entity receives the request message in S502, establishes a second gateway policy control session with the second access gateway, and sends a gateway policy control session setup response message to the second access gateway. The gateway policy control session establishment response message may carry a user default policy control rule (ie, Pre-configured rules), or sent to the second access gateway according to the service flow currently activated by the user and the access network information generation rule. The policy decision entity may be associated with the data access connection established before the handover according to the user identification information, the user IP address, the packet data network identifier information, and the like provided by the second access gateway (the data connection accessed through the first access network) Into the connection, to obtain the current service flow information of the user, but at this time, the policy decision entity only provides the second access gateway with the policy control rule corresponding to the second access network, and does not provide the corresponding second access network to the data gateway. Policy control rules.

 S504: The second access gateway sends a first connection setup response message to the user terminal.

 The second access gateway sends a first connection setup response message to the user terminal, indicating that the connection establishment is completed.

 Among them, S504 can also be parallel with the S505-S508 process, that is, there is no sequential relationship between them.

 S505. The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway.

 The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway, where the second connection setup request message includes the access network information, and the second connection setup request message may be a GTP bearer setup request message, and the GTP bearer Update request message, mobile IP registration binding request message, PDP context request message, and the like.

 5506. The data gateway PCEF sends a data access connection policy control session update message to the policy decision entity, where the data access connection policy control session update message includes the second access network information.

For example, the data gateway PCEF sends an IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or a Policy Rule Request message to the Policy Decision Entity, the IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or Policy Rule Request message containing the second access network information. The second access network information may specifically be one or any combination of access gateway identification information, location information, access gateway handover indication, or BBERF handover indication, and may specifically be through a cell, a flag, a message, or an event. The manner of reporting is provided to the policy decision entity, and the policy decision entity determines whether the BBERF changes according to the access gateway identification information, the location information, the access gateway handover indication, or the BBERF handover indication in the second access network information. S507. The policy decision entity sends a data access connection policy control session response message that includes a policy rule corresponding to the second access network to the data gateway according to the second access network information included in the data access connection policy control session update message.

 The policy decision entity receives the data access connection policy control session update message, according to the target side access network information in the message, and associates the gateway policy of the target side to control the session, and the specific manner may be: obtaining the second connection in S502 and S503 Access network access information, such as access gateway identification information or/and location information, is then matched with the access network information stored in the policy decision entity according to the second access network information provided by S505, and matched to the second The gateway policy controls the session, and the second gateway policy control session is used as the current gateway policy control session. Alternatively, the policy decision entity records, after S502, S503, that the established second gateway policy control session is the newly established gateway policy control session, and then uses the newly established second according to the access gateway handover indication or the BBERF handover indication provided by S505. The gateway policy control session acts as the current gateway policy control session.

 The policy decision entity controls the information provided by the session according to the second gateway policy, such as the access network resource capability and the access network type, generates policy rule information, and sends a data access connection policy control session including the policy rule information to the data gateway. The response message, that is, the policy rule information is provided to the data gateway in the IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update Response message or the Policy Rule Response message. The policy decision entity may also send two messages to the data gateway, one is a data access connection policy control session response message and a gateway policy control session and an IP-CAN policy control session association information, and the other is a policy rule push message, providing an update The latter rule is given to the data gateway.

Before the policy decision entity associates the target side access network information provided by the PCEF with the target side gateway policy control session, after the S503, that is, the policy decision entity has established the target side gateway policy control session (the second gateway policy control session) When the policy decision entity needs to decide the policy rule and is sent to the PCEF for various reasons (for example, the application server triggers), the policy decision entity still uses the original gateway policy to control the session (that is, the first gateway policy control session). Access network information to determine policy rules. After the target side access network information provided according to the PCEF is associated to the target side gateway policy control session (ie, the second gateway policy control session), the policy decision is The body begins to use the second gateway policy to control the access network information provided by the session for policy decision.

 S508. The data gateway sends a second connection setup response message to the second access gateway, indicating that the connection establishment is complete.

 The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information, and obtains the second access gateway corresponding to the second gateway policy control session. The policy decision entity can correctly determine the access network currently in use and provide the data gateway with the policy rules corresponding to the access network.

 Embodiment 5

 FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a policy decision method according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, this embodiment describes a policy control method for a multi-mode user terminal in a case where multiple access networks can simultaneously access a connection for data services. The first access gateway functions as BBERF1, the second access gateway functions as BBERF2, and the data gateway functions as PCEF. The user has established a data access connection to a packet data network in the first access network, and the connection passes through the first access gateway and the data gateway. The first access gateway establishes a first gateway policy control session with the policy decision entity, and the data gateway establishes a data access connection policy control session with the policy decision entity to jointly control the service quality of the data access connection, or Includes billing. Then, the user terminal accesses another access network because of the service requirement, so that data services can be simultaneously performed in multiple access networks. For example, the video service is performed through the E-UTRAN network, and the data download service is performed through the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network. The embodiment of the invention provides a policy control method, and the specific steps are as follows:

 S601. The user terminal sends a first connection setup request message to the second access gateway.

 The second access gateway receives the first connection establishment request message, and the message may be a PDN connection establishment message, an attachment message, a mobile IP registration binding request message, an address allocation request message, and the like.

S602. The second access gateway has a policy control function, and sends, as a BBERF, a gateway policy control session establishment request message to the policy decision entity, where the gateway policy control session establishment request message carries the access network information, where the access network information Specifically, the access gateway identification information and location information may be Specifically, it can be provided to the policy decision entity by means of cells and messages.

 S603. The policy decision entity sends a gateway policy control session establishment response message to the second access gateway.

 The policy decision entity receives the gateway policy control session establishment request message sent by the second access gateway, establishes a second gateway policy control session with the second access gateway, and sends a gateway policy control session establishment response message to the second interface. Into the gateway. The gateway policy control session establishment response message may carry a user default policy control rule (that is, a pre-configured rule), or may be sent to the second access gateway according to the service flow currently activated by the user and the access network information generation rule. The policy decision entity can be associated with the established data access connection according to the user identification information, the user IP address, and the packet data network identification information provided by the second access gateway, so as to obtain the current service flow information of the user.

 S604. The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway currently used by the user.

 The second access gateway sends a second connection setup request message to the data gateway currently used by the user. The second connection setup request message may be a GTP bearer setup request message, a GTP bearer update request message, and a mobile IP registration binding request message. , PDP context request message, and so on.

 S605, the data gateway sends a data access connection policy control session update message to the policy decision entity, where the data access connection policy control session update message includes the second access network information.

 For example, the data gateway PCEF sends an IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or a Policy Rule Request message to the Policy Decision Entity, the IP-CAN Policy Control Session Update message or Policy Rule Request message containing the second access network information. The second access network information may also be sent separately or carried by other messages. The access network information may be the access gateway identification information and the location information, and may be provided to the policy decision entity by means of a cell or a message.

 S606. The policy decision entity controls the second access network information included in the session update message according to the data access connection policy, and sends an access connection policy control session response message including the policy rule information to the data gateway.

The policy decision entity receives the data access connection policy control session update message, according to the data The access connection policy controls the second access network information in the session update message, and the associated gateway policy control session, that is, the second gateway policy control session. The specific manner of the association may be: the policy decision entity has obtained the access network information of the first access network in the first access network, and the policy decision entity obtains the access network information of the second access network in S602 and S603. For example, the access gateway identification information or/and the location information is matched with the access network information saved in the policy decision entity according to the second access network information provided by S605, and matched to the previously established second gateway policy control session.

 Controlling information provided by the session according to the second gateway policy, such as access network resource capability, access network type, etc., the policy decision entity generates policy rule information, and then the policy rule information is controlled in the access connection policy control session, that is, IP The -CAN policy control session update response message or policy rule response message is provided to the data gateway. The policy decision entity can also send two messages to the data gateway, one is the data access connection policy control session response message, and the other is the policy rule push message, providing the updated rule to the data gateway.

 S607. The data gateway sends a second connection setup response message to the second access gateway, indicating that the connection establishment is complete.

 S608. The second access gateway sends a first connection setup response message to the user terminal, indicating that the connection establishment is completed.

 Among them, S608 can also be parallel with the processes of S602-S607 and S604-S607, that is, there is no sequential relationship between them.

Thereafter, the policy decision entity generates a policy control rule corresponding to the first access network according to the user service flow information and sends the policy to the data gateway, including the first access network information, and the data gateway PCEF applies the rule to the first access network information. Corresponding to the data connection of the first access network; likewise, the policy decision entity generates a policy control rule corresponding to the second access network according to the user service flow information and sends the policy to the data gateway, where the second access network information is included, and the data gateway PCEF is configured according to The second access network information applies this rule to the data connection corresponding to the second access network. On the other hand, when the data gateway PCEF actively requests the policy control rule, the first access network or the second access network information is provided, and the policy decision entity associates the corresponding gateway according to the first access network or/and the second access network information. Control policy sessions, generate policy control rules Then, it is sent to the data gateway, and can also be sent to the corresponding access gateway.

 It should be noted that the data gateways in the foregoing Embodiments 1 to 5 may be

PCEF can also be PEP.

 The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information to obtain a second gateway policy control session corresponding to the second access gateway. The policy decision entity can correctly determine the currently used access network and provide the data gateway with the policy rules corresponding to the access network.

 Embodiment 6

 FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a mobile packet network system according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment of the present invention provides a mobile packet network system, where the system includes:

 a first access gateway 701, configured to establish a data connection with the user terminal;

 a second access gateway 702, configured to establish a data connection with the user terminal;

 The data gateway 703 is configured to send the second access network information to the policy decision entity 704, and receive corresponding policy rule information returned by the policy decision entity 704.

 The policy decision entity 704 is configured to receive the second access network information sent by the data gateway 703, control the session according to the second access network information associated with the gateway policy, and control the session or the second according to the associated gateway policy. The access network information generates policy rule information, and returns corresponding policy rule information to the data gateway 703.

 FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of a data gateway according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the data gateway 703 may include:

 The receiving unit 703a is configured to receive the second access network information from the second access gateway, and the information sending unit 703b is configured to send the second access network information to the policy decision entity 704. The policy rule information acquiring unit 703c uses The policy rule information corresponding to the second access network information sent by the policy decision entity 704 is received.

FIG. 9 is a structural diagram of a policy decision entity according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, and in conjunction with FIG. 8, the policy decision entity 704 may include: The information receiving unit 704a is configured to receive the second access network information sent by the data gateway 703. The association unit 704b is configured to control the session according to the second access network information received by the information receiving unit 704a.

 a policy rule generating unit 704c, configured to generate policy rule information according to information related to the gateway policy control session or the second access network information;

 The policy rule sending unit 704d is configured to send the corresponding policy rule information generated by the policy rule generating unit 704c to the data gateway 703.

 FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a policy decision entity according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10, and in conjunction with FIG. 8, the policy decision entity 704 may further include:

 The gateway policy control session establishing unit 704e is configured to establish, when the access gateway of the access network serves as a policy control point, a gateway policy control session with the access gateway, and record the gateway policy control session and the included Accessing network information, or recording the gateway policy control session is a newly established gateway policy control session.

 As an embodiment, the second access network information includes the access gateway identification information and/or the location information. The association unit 704b specifically includes:

 a matching module, configured to match access gateway identification information and/or location information in the second access network information with access network information of an established gateway policy control session; the policy decision entity 704 matches When the gateway policy control session corresponding to the access network information is used, the gateway policy control session is the associated gateway policy control session.

 As another implementation manner, the second access network information includes the access gateway identification information and/or the location information. The association unit 704b specifically includes:

 a matching module, configured to match access gateway identification information and/or location information in the second access network information sent by the data gateway 703 with access network information of the established gateway policy control session; The decision entity 704 does not match the gateway policy control session corresponding to the access network information.

In another implementation manner, the second access network information includes an access gateway switching indication; The association unit 704b specifically includes:

 An update module, configured to use the newly established gateway policy to control the session as the associated gateway policy control session according to the handover indication in the second access network information sent by the data gateway 703; and control according to the associated gateway policy Session information generates policy rule information.

 The embodiment of the present invention sends the second access network information to the policy decision entity through the data gateway, and the policy decision entity performs association by using the received second access network information to obtain the currently used access network, and according to the associated result, Provide the data gateway with policy rules that correspond to the access network.

 Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in software, and the corresponding software program may be stored in a readable storage medium, such as a hard disk, a cache, or an optical disk of a router.

 The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., which are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, should be included in the protection of the present invention. Within the scope.

Claims

Rights request

 A policy control method, when a user terminal has established a data connection with the first access network and needs to establish a data connection with the second access network, the method includes the following steps:

 The policy decision entity receives the second access network information sent by the data gateway;

 The policy decision entity controls the session according to the second access network information association gateway policy, and generates policy rule information according to the associated gateway policy control session information or the second access network information; the policy decision entity The data gateway sends the policy rule information.

 The policy control method according to claim 1, wherein when the access gateway of the second access network is used as a policy control point, the policy decision entity receives the second access network information sent by the data gateway. Previously included:

 The policy decision entity establishes a second gateway policy control session with the access gateway of the second access network, records the second gateway policy control session and the access network information it contains, or records the The second gateway policy control session is a newly established gateway policy control session.

 The policy control method according to claim 1, wherein the second access network information is: access gateway identification information, location information, access gateway handover indication, or bearer binding and event reporting function switching. One or any combination of instructions.

 The policy control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the policy decision entity controls the session according to the second access network information associated with the gateway policy, and controls the session information according to the associated gateway policy or The generating the policy rule information by the second access network information, specifically: the policy decision entity matching the second access network information with the access network information of the established gateway policy control session;

 When the policy decision entity matches the gateway policy control session corresponding to the access network information, the gateway policy control session is the associated gateway policy control session;

 Generating policy rule information according to the associated gateway policy control session information.

The policy control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the policy decision entity controls the session according to the second access network information associated with the gateway policy, according to the associated gateway The policy control session information or the second access network information generating policy rule information specifically includes: the policy decision entity connects the second access network information sent by the data gateway with the established gateway policy control session Network access information is matched;

 The policy decision entity does not match the gateway policy control session corresponding to the access network information; the policy decision entity generates policy rule information according to the second access network information.

 The policy control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second access network information includes an access gateway handover indication or a bearer binding and an event reporting function switching indication, and the policy decision entity is configured according to The second access network information association gateway policy control session, and the policy rule information generated by the associated gateway policy control session information or the second access network information, specifically includes: the policy decision entity according to the data The access gateway switching indication or the bearer binding and event reporting function switching indication sent by the gateway, using the newly established gateway policy control session as the associated gateway policy control session; controlling the session information generation policy rule according to the associated gateway policy Information; or stop using the previously associated gateway policy control session; generating policy rule information according to the second access network information.

 7. A mobile packet network system, the system comprising:

 a data gateway, configured to: when the user terminal has established a data connection with the first access network, and needs to establish a data connection with the second access network, send the second access network information to the policy decision entity, and receive the policy decision The corresponding policy rule information returned by the entity;

 a policy decision entity, configured to receive second access network information sent by the data gateway, control a session according to the second access network information associated with a gateway policy, and control a session or the second access according to the associated gateway policy The network information generates policy rule information, and returns corresponding policy rule information to the data gateway.

 8. A data gateway, the gateway comprising:

 An information sending unit, configured to send second access network information to the policy decision entity;

The policy rule information acquiring unit is configured to receive policy rule information corresponding to the second access network information sent by the policy decision entity.

The data gateway according to claim 8, wherein the gateway further comprises: a receiving unit, configured to receive the second access network information from the second access gateway.

 A policy decision entity, where the policy decision entity includes: an information receiving unit, configured to receive second access network information sent by a data gateway;

 An association unit, configured to control a session according to the second access network information associated with the gateway policy; the policy rule generating unit, configured to generate policy rule information according to the information of the associated gateway policy control session or the second access network information ;

 And a policy rule sending unit, configured to send, to the data gateway, corresponding policy rule information generated by the policy rule generating unit.

 The policy decision entity according to claim 10, wherein the policy decision entity further comprises:

 a gateway policy control session establishing unit, configured to establish a gateway policy control session with the access gateway when the access gateway of the access network is used as a policy control point, and record the gateway policy control session and the included Incoming network information, or recording the gateway policy control session is a newly established gateway policy control session.

 The policy decision entity according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the second access network information includes access gateway identification information and/or location information. The association unit specifically includes: a matching module, configured to: Matching the access gateway identification information and/or the location information in the second access network information with the access network information of the established gateway policy control session; the policy decision entity matching the access network information corresponding to When a gateway policy controls a session, the gateway policy control session is the associated gateway policy control session.

 The policy decision entity according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the second access network information includes an access gateway handover indication;

 And an update module, configured to use the newly established gateway policy to control the session as the associated gateway policy control session according to the handover indication in the second access network information sent by the data gateway; and control the session according to the associated gateway policy Information generation policy rule information.