Communication system, control device, communication terminal, communication device, and communication method

• US 10,652,943 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tamura, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Application Number:
  US16/200,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20190098684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0064 of control information between different access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• 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 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode 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 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

In order to provide a communication system capable of charging control in accordance with a bearer used by a UE even when the UE performs dual connectivity, a communication system according to the present disclosure includes a communication terminal (11) configured to communicate with a communication device (12) and a communication device (13) by using a different radio bearer for each of the communication device (12) and the communication device (13), and a control device (14) configured to determine whether to cause the communication device (12) to measure the traffic of each radio bearer.

Claims

1. An UE (User Equipment) comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors, comprising hardware, configured to;

send an Attach Request message to a MME (Mobility Management Entity) during an Attach procedure, the Attach Request message including first information indicating that the UE supports dual connectivity with a master base station providing E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)) and a secondary base station providing radio communication scheme in 5G;

receive an Attach Accept message from the MME during the Attach procedure, the Attach Accept message including second information indicating whether use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted or not; and

receive a RRC Connection Reconfiguration message from the master base station during-a Secondary Node Addition procedure for operating the dual connectivity, the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message being received after receiving the Attach Accept message.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the dual connectivity is E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the master base station is connected to the secondary base station via X2 interface.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the Secondary Node Addition procedure is a process of adding resources from the secondary base station to the UE.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the second information indicates whether the use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted by an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network or not.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

apply a new configuration to the secondary base station; and

reply to the master base station with a RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message during the Secondary Node Addition procedure.

7. A MME (Mobility Management Entity) comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors, comprising hardware, configured to;

receive, by the MME, an Attach Request message from an UE (User Equipment) during Attach procedure, the Attach Request message including first information indicating that the UE supports Dual Connectivity with a master base station providing E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)) and a secondary base station providing radio communication scheme in 5G;

decide whether or not to restrict use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G for the UE, based on the first information and second information; and

send an Attach Accept message to the UE during the Attach procedure, the Attach Accept message including the second information indicating whether use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted or not.

8. The MME according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to perform a Secondary Node Addition procedure for providing resources from the secondary base station to the UE after the Attach procedure.

9. The MME according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to

select a SGW (Serving GW) during the Attach procedure if the MME has the first information and the second information indicates that the use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is not restricted.

10. The MME according to claim 7, wherein the dual connectivity is E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

11. The MME according to claim 7, wherein the second information indicates the use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted by an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network or not.

12. A master base station providing E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)), the master base station comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors, comprising hardware, configured to;

receive, by the master base station, an Attach Request message from an UE (User Equipment);

send the Attach Request message to a MME (Mobility Management Entity) during an Attach procedure, the Attach Request message including first information indicating that the UE supports dual connectivity with the master base station and a secondary base station providing radio communication scheme in 5G;

receive an Attach Accept message from the MME;

send the Attach Accept message to the UE during the Attach procedure, the Attach Accept message including second information indicating whether use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted or not; and

send a RRC Connection Reconfiguration message to the UE during a Secondary Node Addition procedure for operating the dual connectivity, the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message being sent after sending the Attach Accept message.

13. The master base station according to claim 12, wherein the dual connectivity is E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

14. The master base station according to claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message from the UE during the Secondary Node Addition procedure.

15. The master base station according to claim 12, wherein the second information indicates whether the use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted by an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network or not.

16. A method for an UE (User Equipment) the method comprising:

sending an Attach Request message to a MME (Mobility Management Entity) during Attach procedure, the Attach Request message including first information indicating that the UE supports dual connectivity with a master base station providing E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)) and a secondary base station providing radio communication scheme in 5G;

receiving an Attach Accept message from the MME during the Attach procedure, the Attach Accept message including second information indicating whether use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted or not; and

receiving a RRC Connection Reconfiguration message from the master base station during a Secondary Node Addition procedure for operating the dual connectivity, the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message being received after receiving the Attach Accept message.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the second information indicates whether the use of dual connectivity with the radio communication scheme in 5G is restricted by an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network or not.