METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONGESTION CONTROL IN LOCATION UPDATING

• US 20110217982A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Hongxia
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events

Abstract

A method, an apparatus and a system for congestion control in location updating are provided. The method includes: setting location updating congestion control information according to network circumstances (s101); and sending the location updating congestion control information to a terminal so as to implement, by the terminal, the congestion control in location updating according to the location updating congestion control information (s102). By the method, it can be effectively controlled whether the terminal initiates the location updating immediately or initiates the location updating with delay in intercell handover, so as to effectively smooth the system bandwidth required in the location updating, reduce the system call loss, and increase the terminal location updating efficiency and wireless resource utilization ratio.

Claims

1. A method for congestion control in location updating, comprising:

setting location updating congestion control information according to network circumstances; and

sending the location updating congestion control information to a terminal so as to implement, by the terminal, congestion control in location updating according to the location updating congestion control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the implementation, by the terminal, of the congestion control in location updating according to the location updating congestion control information comprises:

obtaining, by the terminal, a second delay time value by using a preset time parameter algorithm according to congestion degree information in the location updating congestion control information and a preset step size time parameter;

detecting, by the terminal, whether a location registration area of the terminal changes; and

if a detection result is that the location registration area changes, counting time by the terminal and sending, by the terminal, a location updating request to a network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step size time parameter is set based on average time for the terminal accessing a network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the implementation, by the terminal, of the congestion control in location updating according to the location updating congestion control information comprises:

obtaining, by the terminal, a second delay time value by using a preset algorithm according to a first delay time value in the location updating congestion control information, wherein the first delay time value is set according to the network circumstances;

detecting, by the terminal, whether a location registration area of the terminal changes; and

if a detection result is that the location registration area changes, then counting time by the terminal and sending, by the terminal, a location updating request to a network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the location updating congestion control information to the terminal comprises:

sending the location updating congestion control information to the terminal by using cell broadcast.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the setting the first delay time value according to the network circumstances comprises:

generating, by the network side device, the first delay time value according to the number of the terminals requiring the location updating and a location request access bandwidth parameter of the network side device.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the obtaining the second delay time value by using the preset algorithm according to the first delay time value comprises:

calculating the second delay time value according to an inherent priority of the terminal and the first delay time value.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the obtaining the second delay time value by using the preset algorithm according to the first delay time value comprises:

calculating the second delay time value according to a random number generated by the terminal and the first delay time value.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the counting time by the terminal and sending the location updating request to the network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value comprises:

counting the time by the terminal and detecting, by the terminal, whether a call is to be initiated by the terminal;

if a call to be initiated is detected during the time counting, stopping, by the terminal, the time counting and sending a location updating request to the network side device;

otherwise

if a call to be initiated is not detected during the time counting, sending, by the terminal, the location updating request to the network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first delay time value is greater than or equal to the second delay time value.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location registration area is one of a location area, routing area, tracking area, or registration area.

12. A terminal, for congestion control in location updating, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive location updating congestion control information sent by a network side device, wherein the location updating congestion control information is set according to network circumstances;

a calculating module, configured to obtain a second delay time value by using a preset algorithm according to the location updating congestion control information received by the receiving module;

a detecting module, configured to detect whether a location registration area of the terminal changes; and

a time counting and requesting module, adapted to count time and send a location updating request to the network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value calculated by the calculating module if a detection result is that the location registration area changes.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising a time parameter module, configured to save a step size time parameter preset according to average time for accessing a network, wherein the calculating module obtains the second delay time value by using a preset time parameter algorithm according to congestion degree information in the location updating congestion control information and the step size time parameter in the time parameter module.

14. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein:

the calculating module calculates the second delay time value according to an inherent priority of the terminal and a first delay time value in the location updating congestion control information, further wherein the first delay time value is set according to the network circumstances.

15. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein:

the calculating module generates a random number and calculates the second delay time value according to the random number and the first delay time value.

16. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

a delay request module, configured to send a delay request to the network side device wherein the receiving module is adapted to receive the location updating congestion control information sent by the network side device according to the delay request.

17. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the receiving module is adapted to receive the location updating congestion control information sent by the network side device by using cell broadcast.

18. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the detecting module is further configured to detect whether a call is to be initiated by the terminal after the time counting is begun;

and

if a call to be initiated is detected during the time counting, the time counting and requesting module stops the time counting and sends the location updating request to the network side device immediately;

otherwise

if a call to be initiated is not detected during the time counting, the time counting and requesting module sends the location updating request to the network side device after the counted time reaches the second delay time value.

20. The network side device according to claim 18, wherein:

the sending module sends the location updating congestion control information to the terminal by using cell broadcast.

21. The network side device according to claim 18, wherein:

the location updating congestion control information comprises a first delay time value set according to the network circumstances; and

the setting modules assesses the network circumstances of the network side device to generate an empirical value of the first delay time value and set the first delay time value according to the empirical value.

22. The network side device according to claim 18, wherein:

the location updating congestion control information comprises a first delay time value; and

the setting module generates the first delay time value according to the number of the terminals requiring the location updating and a location request access bandwidth parameter of the network side device.

23. The network side device according to claim 18, wherein:

the location updating congestion control information comprises congestion degree information; and

the setting module sets the congestion degree information according to network congestion degree situations.

19. A network side device, for congestion control in location updating, comprising:

a setting module, configured to set location updating congestion control information according to network circumstances; and

a sending module, configured to send the location updating congestion control information set by the setting module to a terminal.