MAINTAINING CURRENT CELL LOCATION INFORMATION IN A CELLULAR ACCESS NETWORK

• US 20120076047A1
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Turányi, Zoltán Richárd, Mihály, Attila, Miklós, György
• Granted Patent: US 9,769,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/287 Remote access server, e.g. BRAS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents

Abstract

A method, femto Base Station, and network service node for connecting a User Equipment UE, to local devices in a local network. The femtoBS includes a femtoBS part and a Packet Data Network Gateway, PDN-GW, part comprising a subset of PDN-GW functions. The UE sends a PDN connection request that includes a special Access Point Name, APN, which indicates the request ts for local IP access. The network service node, such as a Mobility Management Entity, MME1 includes a gateway selection mechanism that, based on the special APN1 selects the PDN GW part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection. A route optimization function in the femtoBS shortcuts the traffic between the femtoBS part and the PDN GW part, providing direct access to the local network. The UE may access the Internet through a residential gateway in the local network and a fixed access connection.

Claims

1. A method of connecting a wireless communication device through a femto base station, femtoBS, device, to local devices in a local network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving in the femtoBS device, a request from the wireless communication device to establish a packet-switched data connection to a 3GPP operator network, the femtoBS device including a femtoBS part and a gateway part, the gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network gateway functions implemented in, or in communication with, the femtoBS part;

forwarding the connection request to a service node in the 3GPP operator network;

determining by the service node that the request is for local IP access;

in response to determining that the request is for local IP access, activating a gateway selection mechanism in the service node, and selecting the gateway part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection; and

upon establishment of the connection, routing traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the gateway part of the femtoBS device while bypassing a serving gateway, SGW, implemented solely in the 3GPP operator network, the gateway part providing direct access to the local network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the request is for local IP access includes detecting that the request includes an Access Point Name, APN, that indicates the request is for local IP access.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request includes an identifier for the wireless communication device, and the step of determining that the request is for local IP access includes determining that a subscription associated with the identifier indicates that local IP access should be provided for the wireless communication device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is performed in a Long Term Evolution, LTE, radio access network, wherein:

the wireless communication device is a mobile User Equipment, UE;

the femtoBS is a Home eNodeB;

the connection request is a request for a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection;

the gateway part of the femtoBS comprises a subset of PDN GW functions; and

the service node in the 3GPP operator network is a Mobility Management Entity, MME.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the femtoBS device routes traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the PDN GW part of the femtoBS device by shortcutting first and second GPRS Tunneling Protocol, GTP, tunnels (S5, S1U) between the femtoBS device and the SGW in the 3GPP operator network, wherein the first GTP tunnel connects the femtoBS part and the SGW, and the second GTP tunnel connects the SGW and the PDN GW part.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the shortcutting step includes pairing the first and second GTP tunnels by the femtoBS device, the pairing step including:

receiving in a bearer setup message sent over an S1 interface from the MME to the femtoBS device, an identifier being utilized on an S5 interface between the Serving Gateway and the PDN GW part; and

utilizing the S5 identifier to pair the first and second GTP tunnels.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the S5 identifier is a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) used for an uplink connection at the PDN GW, which is known by the MME.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the S5 identifier is an International Mobile Station Identifier, IMSI, for the UE together with an Evolved Packet System Bearer Identifier, EBI, being utilized on an S1-C interface between the femtoBS part and the MME.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the shortcutting step includes pairing the first and second GTP tunnels by the femtoBS device, the pairing step including:

sending a specially formatted packet on the second GTP tunnel from the PDN GW part to the SGW;

receiving from the SGW on the first GTP tunnel, the specially formatted packet at the femtoBS part; and

utilizing the specially formatted packet to pair the first and second GTP tunnels.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is performed in a Third Generation, 3G, network, wherein:

the wireless communication device is a mobile User Equipment, UE;

the femtoBS is a 3G Home NodeB;

the connection request is a request for a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection;

the gateway part of the femtoBS comprises a subset of PDN GW functions; and

the service node in the 3GPP operator network is a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the connection request includes an Access Point Name, APN, that indicates the request is for local IP access.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the connection request includes an International Mobile Station Identifier for the UE that indicates the request is for local IP access.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the local devices in the local network include a residential gateway connected to a fixed access network, wherein the method further comprises providing Internet connectivity through the residential gateway and a fixed access connection.

14. A femto base station, femtoBS, device for connecting a wireless communication device to local devices in a local network, the femtoBS device comprising:

a femtoBS part including communication means for receiving a request from the wireless communication device to establish a packet-switched data connection to a 3GPP operator network and for forwarding the request to a service node in the 3GPP operator network;

a gateway part implemented in, or in communication with, the femtoBS part, the gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network gateway functions;

communication means for receiving from the service node in the 3GPP operator network, an indication that the gateway part of the femtoBS has been selected to serve the data connection; and

means for bypassing a serving gateway, SGW, implemented solely in the 3GPP operator network, wherein the means for bypassing the SGW routes traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the gateway part of the femtoBS device upon establishment of the data connection, the gateway part providing direct access to the local network.

15. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 14, wherein the femtoBS device is a Home eNodeB in a Long Term Evolution, LTE, radio access network.

16. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the wireless communication device is a mobile User Equipment, UE;

the connection request is a request for a Packet Data Network, PDN, connection;

the gateway part of the femtoBS comprises a subset of PDN GW functions; and

the service node in the 3GPP operator network is a Mobility Management Entity, MME.

17. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 16, wherein the connection request includes an indication that the request is for local IP access, wherein the indication is a specially defined Access Point Name, APN.

18. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 16, wherein the connection request includes an indication that the request is for local IP access, wherein the indication is an identifier for the UE, the identifier being associated with a subscription that indicates that local IP access should be provided for the UE.

19. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 16, wherein the means for bypassing the SGW in the 3GPP operator network includes means for shortcutting first and second GPRS Tunneling Protocol, GTP, tunnels (S5, S1U) between the femtoBS device and the SGW in the 3GPP operator network, wherein the first GTP tunnel connects the femtoBS part and the SGW, and the second GTP tunnel connects the SGW and the PDN GW part.

20. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 16, wherein the means for bypassing the SGW includes means for pairing the first and second GTP tunnels by the femtoBS device, the pairing means including:

communication means for receiving in a bearer setup message sent over an S1 interface from the MME to the femtoBS device, an identifier being utilized on an S5 interface between the SGW and the PDN GW part; and

means for utilizing the identifier to pair the first and second GTP tunnels;

wherein the identifier is selected from;

a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) used for an uplink connection at the PDN GW, which is known by the MME;

a specially defined Access Point Name, APN, utilized in the connection request; and

an International Mobile Station Identifier, IMSI, for the UE together with an Evolved Packet System Bearer Identifier, EBI, being utilized on an S1-C interface between the femtoBS part and the MME.

21. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 14, wherein the local devices in the local network include a residential gateway connected to a fixed access network, wherein the gateway part includes means for providing Internet connectivity through the residential gateway and a fixed access connection.

22. A service node in a 3GPP operator network for controlling establishment of a packet-switched data connection for a wireless communication device through a femto base station, femtoBS, device, the service node comprising:

communication means for receiving via the femtoBS device, a request by the wireless communication device for a packet-switched data connection to the 3GPP operator network;

means for determining that the request is for local IP access;

a gateway selection mechanism, responsive to a determination that the request is for local IP access, for selecting a gateway part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection, the gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network gateway functions; and

communication means for sending an indication to the femtoBS device that the gateway part of the femtoBS device has been selected to serve the connection, thereby enabling the femtoBS device to bypass a serving gateway, SGW, implemented solely in the 3GPP operator network by routing traffic directly between a femtoBS part and the gateway part of the femtoBS device upon establishment of the data connection.

23. The service node as recited in claim 22, wherein the service node is a Mobility Management Entity, MME, in an Evolved Packet Core, EPC, network.

24. The service node as recited in claim 23, wherein the communication means for sending an indication to the femtoBS device that the gateway part of the femtoBS device has been selected to serve the connection is also configured to send a bearer setup message over an S1 interface to the femtoBS device, the bearer setup message including an identifier being utilized on an S5 interface between the gateway part and the SGW in the EPC network;

wherein the identifier enables the femtoBS device to pair first and second GTP tunnels (S5, S1U) between the femtoBS device and the SGW, wherein the first GTP tunnel connects the femtoBS part and the SGW, and the second GTP tunnel connects the SGW and the gateway part.

25. The service node as recited in claim 24, wherein the identifier in the bearer setup message is a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID).

26. The service node as recited in claim 22, wherein the service node is a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN, in a Third Generation, 3G, network.