Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W48/00—Access restriction; Network selection; Access point selection
  • H04W48/18—Selecting a network or a communication service
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W64/00—Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
  • H04W64/006—Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
  • H04W88/02—Terminal devices
  • H04W88/06—Terminal devices adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to mobile communication technology, and particularly to a method of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment in a heterogeneous network.
• Fig. l the heterogeneous network in Fig. l includes macro cell, Pico cell and WLAN network).
• an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) is provided.
• a user equipment sends a request message to ANDSF actively, and the ADNSF sends a responding message to the user equipment based on the request message.
• the responding message includes inter-system mobile policy, access network discovery information and inter-system routing policy, which are set by the ANDSF for the user equipment.
• the readers could check 3 GPP TS 23.402 Vl l.3.0 for details.
• the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment by the ANDSF the mobile velocity of the user equipment has not been considered.
• the mobile velocity of the user equipment plays a great role.
• the user equipment with high velocity is not suitable for accessing or selecting WLAN network, WiMax network or the low power cell in the cellular network cell, since the high velocity demands a high channel quality and the low channel quality will cause switch failures, thereby causing QoS to decrease.
• the low power cell, WLAN network and/or WiMax network could be selected for those user equipments, thereby significantly offloading the network communication traffic of the whole system.
• the heterogeneous network with different types of access networks makes mobile state estimation (MSE) provided in 3GPP TS 36.304 User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and 3GPP TS 36.331 Radio Resource Control (RRC) not suitable.
• MSE mobile state estimation
• UE User Equipment
• RRC Radio Resource Control
• MSE could not be used efficiently. For example, when the user equipment passes multiple low power cells with small coverage with low velocity, MSE will determine that the user equipment has a high velocity. Thereby, in the heterogeneous network, for the user equipments with identical velocity on the different paths, MSE will determine different estimation for the velocity of the user equipment.
• GPS has been used to estimated the mobile velocity of the user equipment. This method will make GPS receiver consume high energy, and its application is also very limited, for example it could not used in indoors.
• the solutions in the background could not provide an accurate and reliable estimation for the mobile velocity of the user equipment in a heterogeneous network including different types of access networks.
• the solutions in the background have not considered the mobile velocity of the user equipment in the progress of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment by the ANDSF.
• a method, in a user equipment in a heterogeneous network, of assisting an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function to discover and select an access network for the user equipment wherein types of the access networks in the heterogeneous network includes cellular network cell, WLAN network and WiMax network, and wherein the cellular network cell includes high power cell and low power cell, and the method comprises the following steps: B. sending a request message to the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function, the request message at least including identifications of cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently, and sojourn time in each of the cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently; and C. receiving a responding message from the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function, the responding message including inter-system mobile policy, access network discovery information and inter-system routing policy set by the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function for the user equipment.
• a method, in an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function in a heterogeneous network, of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment wherein types of the access networks in the heterogeneous network includes cellular network cell, WLAN network and WiMax network, and wherein the cellular network cell includes high power cell and low power cell, and the method comprises the following steps: a. receiving a request message from the user equipment, the request message at least including identifications of cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently, and sojourn time in each of the cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently; b.
• determining mobile velocity type of the user equipment at least based on the identifications of cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently, and the sojourn time in each of the cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently; c. setting inter-system mobile policy, access network discovery information and inter-system routing policy for the user equipment at least based on the determined mobile velocity type; and d. sending a response message to the user equipment, the responding message including the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.
• a method, in a user equipment in a heterogeneous network, of assisting an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function to discover and select an access network for the user equipment wherein types of the access networks in the heterogeneous network includes cellular network cell, WLAN network and WiMax network, and wherein the cellular network includes high power cell and low power cell, and the method comprises the following steps: IV. sending a request message to the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function, the request message at least including mobile velocity type of the user equipment; and V. receiving a responding message from the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function, the responding message including inter-system mobile policy, access network discovery information and inter-system routing policy set by the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function for the user equipment.
• a method, in an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function in a heterogeneous network, of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment wherein type of access networks in the heterogeneous network includes cellular network cell, WLAN network and WiMax network, and wherein the cellular network cell includes high power cell and low power cell, and the method comprises the following steps: SI . receiving a request message from the user equipment, the request message at least including mobile velocity type of the user equipment; S2.
• inter-system mobile policy setting inter-system mobile policy, access network discovery information and inter-system routing policy for the user equipment at least based on the mobile velocity type; and S3, sending a responding message to the user equipment, the responding message including the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.
• a reliable estimation for the mobile velocity of the user equipment in a heterogeneous network including different types of access networks could be provided. Further, in the progress of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment by the ANDSF, the mobile velocity of the user equipment has also be considered. Thereby, based on this reliable estimation of the mobile velocity, the ANDSF can set the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment efficiently and accurately, thereby decreasing the frequent inter-RAT switch and switch failure, and providing a better user experience.
• the technical solution according to the present invention can select the suitable access network for the user equipment according to the different mobile velocity type, the network communication traffic is offloaded in the system level and the robustness of the service is enhanced.
• the present invention has a good scalable ability, and could be suitable for any other situations in which non-3GPP network and 3GPP network coexist.
• Fig.l shows a heterogeneous network according to an embodiment of the present invention
• Fig.2 shows a system flowchart of the method of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention
• Fig.3 shows a system flowchart of the method of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 4 shows a heterogeneous network according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a user equipment is moving in the heterogeneous network.
• Fig.2 shows a system flowchart of the method of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the information interact progress between the user equipment and the ANDSF could be implemented by S 14 interface, for example.
• step S101 the user equipment firstly determines its sojourn time in the access network the user equipment traversed recently. For example, if the user equipment traversed a Pico cell, the user equipment will determine the sojourn time in this Pico cell. Specifically, in this step, the user equipment can calculate its sojourn time in the access network the user equipment traversed recently according to time stamp obtained during switch or traverse between the access networks.
• the user equipment sends a request message to the ANDSF.
• the request message at least includes identifications of cellular network cells (i.e. the identifications of high power cells and low power cells) the user equipment traversed recently and so journeyn time in each of the cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently.
• the request message further includes identification of the WLAN network the user equipment traversed recently or identification of the WiMAX network the user equipment traversed recently and so journeyn time in the WLAN network or the WiMAX network the user equipment traversed recently.
• the request message further includes current location of the user equipment and capacity of the user equipment.
• the current location of the user equipment could indicate the current longitude and latitude information of the user equipment, for example.
• the capacity of the user equipment could indicate if the user equipment has the ability to support the WLAN network, for example.
• the user equipment can determine the number of the identifications of the access networks traversed recently, i.e. the number of the sojourn time in the access network in the request message, according to the requirement for the cost of the request message and the requirement for the accuracy.
• step S 103 the ANDSF determines mobile velocity type of the user equipment at least based on the identifications of cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently, and the sojourn time in each of the cellular network cells the user equipment traversed recently.
• the ANDSF will also consider the above information.
• the ANDSF can determine the corresponding type of the access network according to the identifications of the access networks in the request message.
• the ANDSF can obtain the coverage and type of all the access networks the user equipment traversed recently, for example, celluar network cell or WLAN network, high power cell or low power cell.
• the ANDSF will determine the mobile velocity of the user equipment according to the determined types of the access networks and the sojourn time in each type of the access network.
• the ANDSF determines the determined mobile velocity of the user equipment as a first mobile velocity type, a second mobile velocity type or a third mobile velocity type according to predefined thresholds.
• the first mobile velocity type is high speed, which corresponds to the mobile velocity of the user equipment higher than 50km/h, for example.
• the second mobile velocity type is medium speed, which corresponds to the mobile velocity of the user equipment between 30km/h and 50km/h, for example.
• the third mobile velocity type is low speed, which corresponds to the mobile velocity of the user equipment lower than 30km/h, for example.
• the request message further includes current location of the user equipment and capacity of the user equipment.
• the ANDSF sets the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment at least based on the determined mobile velocity type.
• the ANDSF will conduct the set by considering the current location of the user equipment and the capacity of the user equipment.
• the mobile velocity of the user equipment is determined as the first mobile velocity type (i.e. high speed)
• a priority of the cellular network cell is higher than a priority of the WLAN network and the WiMax network
• a priority of the high power cell in the cellular network cell is higher than a priority of the low power cell
• the identification of the WLAN network and the identification of the WiMax network are not included, that is, it is not recommended to access the WLAN network or the WiMax network for the user equipment
• the inter-system routing policy for high-demanding QoS service of the user equipment (for example, the service demanding a high requirement on delay, voice service), it is recommended not to access the WLAN network and the WiMax network, for best effort service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network and the WiMax network.
• the mobile velocity of the user equipment is determined as the second mobile velocity type (i.e. medium speed) and/or the third mobile velocity type (i.e. low speed)
• the priority of the cellular network cell is lower than the priority of the WLAN network and the WiMax network
• the priority of the high power cell is lower than the priority of the low power cell
• the identification of the WLAN network and the identification of the WiMax network are included
• the inter-system routing policy for the high-demanding QoS service and the best effort service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network and the WiMax network.
• the ANDSF will recommend the user equipment to access the access network with high reliability when the mobile velocity of the user equipment is high speed, and will recommend the user equipment to access the low power cell, the WLAN network and the WiMax network when the mobile velocity of the user equipment is low speed or even medium speed.
• the ANDSF will also select the suitable access network for the different types of the services by considering the factor of mobile velocity. By considering the accurate mobile velocity of the user equipment when setting the above three policies, the burden of the whole system could be efficiently offload and the QoS could also be guaranteed.
• step SI 05 the ANDSF will send the responding message to the user equipment, which includes the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.
• Fig.3 shows a system flowchart of the method of discovering and selecting an access network for a user equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention.
• the user equipment itself determines the mobile velocity type, and includes the determined mobile velocity type in the request message, which is sent to the ANDSF.
• the information interact progress between the user equipment and the ANDSF could be implemented by S14 interface, for example.
• step S201 the user equipment determines type of access networks traversed recently according to transmitted signal power of the access networks traversed recently, and determines sojourn time in each type of the access networks traversed recently. For example, the user equipment can determine the celluar network cell traversed recently is high power cell or low power cell, thereby obtaining the coverage and type of all the access networks the user equipment traversed recently accurately.
• step S202 the user equipment determines the user equipment's mobile velocity according to the determined type of the access networks and the sojourn time in each type of the access networks.
• step S203 the user equipment determines the determined mobile velocity as a first mobile velocity type, a second mobile velocity type or a third mobile velocity type according to predefined thresholds. This progress is substantially similar to the progress on the ANDSF side in the first embodiment, and thus will not be described in detail.
• the user equipment sends the request message to the ANDSF.
• the request message at least includes mobile velocity type of the user equipment (i.e. the first mobile velocity type, the second mobile velocity type or the third mobile velocity type). Additionally, the request message further includes current location of the user equipment and capacity of the user equipment.
• step S205 the ANDSF sets the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment at least based on the mobile velocity type.
• the detail progress of this step is substantially similar with the corresponding progress in the first embodiment, and thus will not be described in detail herein.
• the ANDSF sends a responding message to the user equipment.
• the responding message includes the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.
• Fig. 4 shows a heterogeneous network according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a user equipment is moving in the heterogeneous network.
• this heterogeneous network includes several macro cells, Pico cells and WLAN networks.
• the present invention is not limited to the above construction, but could also be applied to the heterogeneous network including different kinds of access networks.
• the moving path of the user equipment is illustrated by a dotted line. According to the dotted line, the user equipment traversed a macro cell A served by a macro base station A, a Picocell B served by a Pico base station B and a macro cell C served by a macro base station C. Meanwhile, the user equipment accesses in the macro cell C, and enters into the coverage of WLAN network D.
• step S 101 the user equipment will determine the sojourn time in the macro cell A, the picocell B and the macro cell C, respectively.
• the user equipment will determine the sojourn time in the segment 1 from the macro cell A to the Picocell B in the macro cell A, the sojourn time in the Picocell B, that is the sojourn time in the segment 2, the sojourn time in the segment 3 from the macro cell A to the macro cell C in the macro cell A, the sojourn time in the macro cell C, that is the sojourn time in the segment 4.
• step S 102 the user equipment sends the above four sojourn time and the identifications of the access networks corresponding to those so journeyn time to the ANDSF:
• step S I 02 the user equipment also sends the current location of the user equipment and the capacity of the user equipment to the ANDSF.
• the capacity of the user equipment indicates that the WLAN network is supported.
• step S 103 and S 104 the ADNSF will determine the mobile velocity type of the user equipment based on the above identifications and sojourn time, and set the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment in combination with the current location of the user equipment and the capacity of the user equipment.
• the ANDSF determines the user equipment is located in the coverage of the macro cell C and the WALN network D according to the current location of the user equipment in the request message, and determines that the user equipment can support the WLAN network according to the capacity of the user equipment in the request message.
• the priority of the macro cell C is higher than the priority of the WLAN network D; in the access discovery information, the identification of the WLAN network D is not included; in the inter-system routing policy, for high-demanding QoS service of the user equipment, it is recommended not to access the WLAN network D, for beset service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network D.
• the priority of the macro cell C is lower than the priority of the WLAN network D; in the access discovery information, the identification of the WLAN network D is included; in the inter-system routing policy, for the high-demanding QoS service and the best effort service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network D.
• the ANDSF will send the responding message to the user equipment, which includes the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.
• step S201 the user equipment determines the types of the three access networks according to the transmitted signal power of the access network A, the access network B and the access network C, that is, determines the access networks A and C as macro cells A and C, and determines the access network B as Picocell B.
• the coverage and the type of each cellular network cell are obtained.
• the user equipment will conduct the calculation about the sojourn time.
• the user equipment will determine the sojourn time in the segment 1 from the macro cell A to the Picocell B in the macro cell A, the sojourn time in the Picocell B, that is the sojourn time in the segment 2, the sojourn time in the segment 3 from the macro cell A to the macro cell C in the macro cell A, the sojourn time in the macro cell C, that is the sojourn time in the segment 4.
• step S202 the user equipment determines its mobile velocity according to the determined type of the celluar network cells A, B and C and the above sojourn time. Besides, in step S203, the user equipment determines the type associated with its mobile velocity (that is, the first mobile velocity type, the second mobile velocity type or the third mobile velocity type). And in step S204, the request message including the mobile velocity type is sent to the ANDSF.
• step S204 the user equipment also sends the current location of the user equipment and the capacity of the user equipment to the ANDSF.
• the capacity of the user equipment indicates that the WLAN network is supported.
• the ANDSF will determine the mobile velocity type of the user equipment based on the above information, and set the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy for the user equipment in combination with the current location of the user equipment and the capacity of the user equipment.
• the ANDSF determines the user equipment is located in the coverage of the macro cell C and the WALN network D according to the current location of the user equipment in the request message, and determines that the user equipment can support the WLAN network according to the capacity of the user equipment in the request message.
• the inter-system mobile policy set by the ANDSF for the macro cell C and the WLAN network D, the priority of the macro cell C is higher than the priority of the WLAN network D; in the access discovery information, the identification of the WLAN network D is not included; in the inter-system routing policy, for high-demanding QoS service of the user equipment, it is recommended not to access the WLAN network D, for beset service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network D.
• the inter-system mobile policy set by the ANDSF for the macro cell C and the WLAN network D, the priority of the macro cell C is lower than the priority of the WLAN network D; in the access discovery information, the identification of the WLAN network D is included; in the inter-system routing policy, for the high-demanding QoS service and the best effort service of the user equipment, it is allowable to access the WLAN network D.
• the ANDSF will send the responding message to the user equipment, which includes the inter-system mobile policy, the access network discovery information and the inter-system routing policy.

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• 2013
  • 2013-01-21 CN CN201310022228.6A patent/CN103945498B/zh active Active
  • 2013-12-23 WO PCT/IB2013/003000 patent/WO2014111747A2/en active Application Filing

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