Terminal device and PCRF

• US 10,455,626 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2016
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Yudai, Aramoto, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US15/576,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20180302935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0263 involving mapping traffic to individual bearers or channels, e.g. traffic flow template [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method of communication control and the like accompanied with a multi-access PDN connectivity establishment request from a terminal device. Communication control for establishing a multi-access PDN connection is performed based on a response to a PDN connectivity establishment request from the terminal device. Communication control is performed for transmitting and/or receiving user data by using one or more default bearers for a multi-access PDN connection.

Claims

1. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a controller;

LTE interface circuitry; and

WLAN interface circuitry,

wherein

the LTE interface circuitry is configured to;

transmit a second Packet Data Network (PDN) connectivity request message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in order to establish a PDN connection over a 3GPP access, and

receive an Activate default Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer context request message from the MME,

while the UE has established the PDN connection over the 3GPP access, the WLAN interface circuitry is configured to;

transmit a PDN connectivity request message to a Trusted WLAN Access Gateway (TWAG) in a case of adding a WLAN access to the PDN connection; and

receive a PDN connectivity accept message as a response to the PDN connectivity request message from the TWAG,

in a case where a Network-based IP flow mobility (NBIFOM) mode of the PDN connection is a UE-initiated NBIFOM mode, the PDN connectivity request message includes first information indicating a default access selected by the UE,

the PDN connectivity accept message includes second information indicating a default access determined by a Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF), based on the first information, and

the controller is configured to;

consider the default access indicated by the second information, based on reception of the PDN connectivity accept message; and

route a packet not matching any routing filter to the default access indicated by the second information.

2. The UE according to claim 1,

wherein the first information and the second information indicate the 3GPP access or a non-3GPP access, respectively.

3. The UE according to claim 2,

wherein the second information is information determined by the PCRF verifying the first information.

4. The UE according to claim 1,

wherein the second information is information determined by the PCRF verifying the first information.

5. The UE according to claim 1,

wherein

the second PDN connectivity request message includes third information indicating a requested NBIFOM mode,

the Activate default EPS bearer context request message includes fourth information indicating NBIFOM mode selected by the PCRF or a PDN Gateway (PGW), and

the UE considers the NBIFOM mode indicated by the fourth information as a NBIFOM mode of the PDN connection, based on the reception of the Activate default EPS bearer context request message.

6. A communication method performed by a User Equipment (UE), the communication method comprising:

transmitting a second PDN connectivity request message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in order to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection over a 3GPP access;

receiving an Activate default Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer context request message from the MME;

while the UE has established the PDN connection over the 3GPP access,

transmitting a PDN connectivity request message to a Trusted WLAN Access Gateway (TWAG) in a case of adding a WLAN access to the PDN connection; and

receiving a PDN connectivity accept message as a response to the PDN connectivity request message from the TWAG,

wherein

in a case where a Network-based IP flow mobility (NBIFOM) mode of the PDN connection is a UE-initiated NBIFOM mode, the PDN connectivity request message includes first information indicating a default access selected by the UE, and

the PDN connectivity accept message includes second information indicating a default access determined by a Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF), based on the first information, and

the communication method further comprising;

considering the default access indicated by the second information, based on reception of the PDN connectivity accept message; and

routing a packet not matching any routing filter to the default access indicated by the second information.

7. The communication method according to claim 6,

wherein the first information and the second information indicate the 3GPP access or a non-3GPP access, respectively.

8. The communication method according to claim 6,

wherein the second information is information determined by the PCRF verifying the first information.

9. The communication method according to claim 6,

wherein

the second PDN connectivity request message includes third information indicating a requested NBIFOM mode,

the Activate default EPS bearer context request message includes fourth information indicating NBIFOM mode selected by the PCRF or a PDN Gateway (PGW), and

the UE considers the NBIFOM mode indicated by the fourth information as a NBIFOM mode of the PDN connection, based on the reception of the Activate default EPS bearer context request message.