Local forwarding method and system for user plane data, and local gateway

• US 10,021,578 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Zhijun, Xie, Zhenhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwar, Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US15/345,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A local switching method for user plane data includes: after being triggered, a level 1 data node judging whether a direct tunnel can be established for a source user equipment and a target user equipment, and if so, establishing a direct tunnel between a source level 2 data node and a target level 2 data node for the source user equipment and the target user equipment; after receiving an IP data packet transmitted by the source user equipment to the target user equipment, the source level 2 data node forwarding the IP data packet to the target level 2 data node through the direct tunnel between the source level 2 data node and the target level 2 data node, so that the target level 2 data node forwards the IP data packet to the target user equipment.

Claims

1. A local switching method for user plane data, comprising:

deploying a Local Gateway (LGW) in a network;

after allocating an IP address to a User Equipment (UE) or releasing an IP address of the UE, a public data network gateway notifying the allocation or release of the IP address of the UE to the LGW to which the UE belongs, and the LGW registering or deregistering the IP address of the UE; and

after receiving an IP data packet forwarded by a source base station which is transmitted by a source UE to a target UE, the LGW judging whether the IP address of the target UE is registered on the LGW, and if so, transmitting the IP data packet to a target base station to which the target UE is connected.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the method further comprises:

when judging that the IP address of the target UE is not registered on the LGW, the LGW forwarding the IP data packet to an ancestor node.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the method further comprises:

after receiving an indication from the ancestor node, the LGW establishing with a target node indicated by the ancestor node a direct tunnel between the source UE and the target UE, and after subsequently receiving an IP data packet transmitted by the source UE to the target UE, forwarding the IP data packet to the target node through the direct tunnel, so that the target node forwards the IP data packet to the target UE.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

7. A Local Gateway (LGW), comprising:

an IP address management unit, configured to register or deregister an IP address of a User equipment (UE) after receiving a notification that a public data network gateway allocates an IP address to the UE or releases the IP address of the UE; and

a data forwarding unit, configured to judge whether an IP address of a target UE is registered on the LGW after receiving an IP data packet forwarded by a source base station which is transmitted by a source UE to the target UE, and if so, transmit the IP data packet to a target base station to which the target UE is connected.

8. The LGW according to claim 7, wherein, the data forwarding unit is further configured to forward the IP data packet to an ancestor node when judging that the IP address of the target UE is not registered on the LGW.

9. The LGW according to claim 8, wherein,

the data forwarding unit is further configured to establish with a target node indicated by the ancestor node a direct tunnel between the source UE and the target UE after receiving an indication from the ancestor node, and forward the IP data packet to the target node through the direct tunnel after subsequently receiving an IP data packet transmitted by the source UE to the target UE, so that the target node forwards the IP data packet to the target UE.

10. The LGW according to claim 9, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

11. The LGW according to claim 8, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

12. The LGW according to claim 7, wherein, the LGW is deployed on the base station or is deployed on a serving gateway or is independently deployed and connected to the base station and the serving gateway.

13. A local switching system for user plane data, comprising a Local Gateway (LGW) and a public data network gateway, wherein,

the public data network gateway is configured to notify an allocation or release of an IP address of a User Equipment (UE) to the LGW to which the UE belongs after allocating an IP address to the UE or releasing the IP address of the UE;

the LGW comprises;

an IP address management unit, configured to register or deregister the IP address of the UE after receiving the notification that the public data network gateway allocates the IP address to the UE or releases the IP address of the UE; and

a data forwarding unit, configured to judge whether an IP address of a target UE is registered on the LGW after receiving an IP data packet forwarded by a source base station which is transmitted by a source UE to the target UE, and if so, transmit the IP data packet to a target base station to which the target UE is connected.

14. The local switching system according to claim 13, wherein, the data forwarding unit in the LGW is further configured to forward the IP data packet to an ancestor node when judging that the IP address of the target UE is not registered on the LGW.

15. The local switching system according to claim 14, wherein,

the data forwarding unit in the LGW is further configured to establish with a target node indicated by the ancestor node a direct tunnel between the source UE and the target UE after receiving an indication from the ancestor node, and forward the IP data packet to the target node through the direct tunnel after subsequently receiving an IP data packet transmitted by the source UE to the target UE, so that the target node forwards the IP data packet to the target UE.