ACCESS CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE

• US 20130279330A1
• Filed: 01/10/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Quan, Haiyang, Fang, Jiayi, Zhao, Yi, Feng, Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,220,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

Disclosed is an access control method, for use in implementing improved access control. The method comprises: during a random access process, on the basis of a current load of a random access network (RAN) and a core network (CN) and of terminal or service information reported by a user equipment (UE), the RAN judging whether or not access to the RAN and to the CN is allowed; when access is denied by at least one network between the RAN and the CN, the RAN transmitting to the UE an instruction message having attached therein a backoff time corresponding to the access denying network. Also disclosed is a device for implementing the method.

Claims

1. An access control method, comprising:

determining, by a Radio Access Network, RAN, whether a User Equipment, UE, is allowed for an access to the RAN and a Core Network, CN, according to current load conditions of the RAN and the CN and device or service information reported by the UE in an random access procedure; and

when an access to at least one of the RAN and the CN is rejected, sending, by the RAN, to the UE an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein without distinguishing a single-CN node overload, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Reject message;

and

with a single-CN node overload to be distinguished, if an access request does not carry a UE identifier corresponding to an MME with which the UE registers, then the method further comprises;

receiving an RRC Connection Setup Complete message sent from the UE;

and sending by the RAN to the UE the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises;

if the RRC Connection Setup Complete message carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers and the MME corresponding to the UE identifier has an S1 interface with the RAN and is overloaded, or all of MMEs in an MME pool are overloaded, then the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time for a CN overload in an RRC Connection Release message;

or if the access request carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in the RRC Connection Reject message.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the RRC Connection Reject message further comprises an RAN overload indicator indicating whether the RAN is overloaded, or the wait time for an RAN overload, which is a specified value, when the RAN is not overloaded.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the RAN sends to the UE the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network, the method further comprises:

determining, by the RAN, the wait time for a CN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for a CN overload according to the current load condition of the network and the information reported by the UE, or by determining for the UE the wait time for a CN overload from a wait time, indicated by an MME or an OAM entity, which is further randomized; and

determining, by the RAN, the wait time for an RAN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for an RAN overload.

2. (canceled)

7. A method for processing a message in an access procedure, comprising:

receiving, by a UE, an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to an access rejecting network after sending an access request, wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload;

parsing, by the UE, the indication message for the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network; and

rejecting, by the UE, a further access to the access rejecting network according to the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the indication message is an RRC Connection Reject message or an RRC Connection Release message.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein rejecting by the UE a further access to the access rejecting network according to the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises:

starting and setting, by the UE, a T302 timer corresponding to the wait time for an RAN overload upon discovering the wait time for an RAN overload to be carried in the indication message, and rejecting a network access attempt of the UE when the T302 timer is started; and

starting and setting, by an NAS in the UE, a timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload when the UE discovers the wait time for a CN overload to be carried in the indication message, and rejecting a network access attempt of the UE when a timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload is started.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the indication message is an RRC Connection Reject message carrying the wait time for an RAN overload;

and

starting and setting, by the UE, the T302 timer corresponding to the wait time for an RAN overload upon discovering that the RRC Connection Reject message further carries an RAN overload indicator indicating the RAN to be overloaded, and rejecting a network access attempt of the UE when the T302 timer is started;

or

ignoring, by the UE, the wait time for an RAN overload in the indication message upon discovering that the RRC Connection Reject message further carries an RAN overload indicator indicating the RAN not to be overloaded;

or

ignoring, by the UE, the wait time for an RAN overload in the indication message upon discovering the wait time for an RAN overload to be a specified value.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

recording, by the UE, a setup reason corresponding to an RRC connection corresponding to the indication message upon discovering the indication message to carry the wait time for a CN overload; and

rejecting a network access attempt of the UE when a timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload is started comprises;

when there is another access to be performed by the UE when the timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload is started, firstly determining if a setup reason for the current access request has an access priority no higher than that of the recorded setup reason, and if so, keeping the wait timer for a CN overload in operation and prohibiting the access, or if the setup reason for the current access request has a higher access priority than that of the recorded setup reason, invaliding the timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload.

8. (canceled)

13. A device of radio access network, comprising:

a control module configured to determine whether a UE is allowed for an access to the RAN and a CN according to current load conditions of the RAN and the CN and device or service information reported by the UE upon reception of an access request of the UE; and

an interface module, when an access to at least one of the RAN and the CN is rejected, configured to send to the UE an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network.

15. The device of radio access network according to claim 13, wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload.

16. The device of radio access network according to claim 15, wherein without distinguishing a single-CN node overload, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Reject message;

and

with a single-CN node overload to be distinguished, if the access request does not carry a UE identifier corresponding to an MME with which the UE registers, then further comprising;

receiving an RRC Connection Setup Complete message sent from the UE; and

if the RRC Connection Setup Complete message carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers and the MME corresponding to the UE identifier has an S1 interface with the RAN and is overloaded, or all of MMEs in a MME pool are overloaded, then the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Release message;

or if the access request carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in the RRC Connection Reject message.

17. The device of radio access network according to claim 16, wherein the RRC Connection Reject message further comprises an RAN overload indicator indicating whether the RAN is overloaded, or the wait time for an RAN overload, which is a specified value, when the RAN is not overloaded.

18. The device of radio access network according to claim 13, wherein the control module is further configured:

to determine the wait time for a CN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for a CN overload according to the current load condition of the network and the information reported by the UE, or by determining for the UE the wait time for a CN overload from a wait time, indicated by an MME or an OAM entity, which is further randomized; and

to determine the wait time for an RAN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for an RAN overload.

14. (canceled)

19. A user equipment, comprising:

an interface module configured to receive an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to an access rejecting network after sending an access request, wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload;

a parsing module configured to parse the indication message for the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network; and

a control module configured to reject a further access to the access rejecting network according to the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network.

20. The user equipment according to claim 19, wherein the indication message is an RRC Connection Reject message or an RRC Connection Release message.

21. The user equipment according to claim 19, wherein the control module starts and sets a T302 timer corresponding to the wait time for an RAN overload upon discovering the wait time for an RAN overload to be carried in the indication message, and rejects a network access attempt of the UE when the T302 timer is started;

and an NAS in the control module starts and sets a timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload when the control module discovers the wait time for a CN overload to be carried in the indication message, and rejects a network access attempt of the UE when the timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload is started.

22. The user equipment according to claim 21, wherein the indication message is an RRC Connection Reject message carrying the wait time for an RAN overload;

and

the control module starts and sets the T302 timer corresponding to the wait time for an RAN overload upon discovering that the RRC Connection Reject message further carries an RAN overload indicator indicating the RAN to be overloaded, and rejects a network access attempt of the UE when the T302 timer is started;

or

the control module ignores the wait time for an RAN overload in the indication message upon discovering that the RRC Connection Reject message further carries an RAN overload indicator indicating the RAN not to be overloaded;

or

the control module ignores the wait time for an RAN overload in the indication message upon discovering the wait time for an RAN overload to be a specified value.

23. The user equipment according to claim 19, further comprising a record module configured to record a setup reason corresponding to an RRC connection corresponding to the indication message upon discovering the indication message to carry the wait time for a CN overload;

and

when there is another access to be performed when a timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload is started, if a setup reason for the current access request has an access priority no higher than that of the recorded setup reason, then the control module prohibits the access, or if the setup reason for the current access request has a higher access priority than that of the recorded setup reason, then the control module invalidates the timer corresponding to the wait time for a CN overload and allows the access request to be sent.

24. (canceled)