METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING DATA PATHS, MTC GATEWAY AND NETWORK DEVICE USING THE SAME

• US 20130311640A1
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Yang, Jen-Shun, Gleixner, Stephan
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Method for dynamically controlling data paths of Machine-type-communication (MTC) local access device(s) are proposed along with a MTC gateway and a network device using the same method. In one embodiment, the proposed method may include following: a network device, receiving and storing capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information from at least one MTC server; combining the access network information with the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to build an aggregated topology map; generating enhanced policy rules according to the aggregated topology map related to at least one capillary network; and respectively transmitting the enhanced policy rules to the interconnected MTC gateways.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically controlling data paths, adapted to MTC networks comprising local-access devices located in MTC capillary networks, interconnected MTC gateways, at least one MTC server and a network device in a mobile network operator domain, the method comprising:

the network device receiving capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information either directly over a control plane from the at least one MTC server, or indirectly receiving the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information transmitted from the at least one MTC server to the MTC gateway over a user plane and then from the MTC gateway to the network device over a S14 control plane;

the network device storing the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information;

the network device receiving access network information from the mobile network operator domain;

the network device combining the access network information with the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to build an aggregated topology map;

the network device processing the aggregated topology map related to the MTC capillary networks, and then generating enhanced policy rules; and

the network device respectively transmitting the enhanced policy rules to the interconnected MTC gateways.

2. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the capillary network information comprise busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprise MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection characteristics.

3. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the MTC capillary networks are respectively connected to the interconnected MTC gateways.

4. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein each one of the MTC capillary networks comprise at least one MTC local-access devices.

5. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein at least two neighboring MTC capillary networks among the MTC capillary networks are bridged together through the interconnected MTC gateways.

6. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information from the at least one MTC server comprises:

the network device receiving MTC gateway interconnection topology and scheduled capillary network busy periods and other capillary network properties from the at least one MTC server.

7. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information from the at least one MTC server comprises:

the network device receiving types of MTC traffic originated from the MTC capillary networks, traffic priority of the MTC traffic, and traffic volume of the MTC traffic from the at least one MTC server.

8. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving access network information from the mobile network operator domain comprises:

receiving current load situation of at least one base station of an access network in the mobile network operator domain.

9. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the step of respectively transmitting the enhanced policy rules to the interconnected MTC gateways comprises:

the network device respectively establishing secure link with the interconnected MTC gateways; and

the network device respectively transmitting the enhanced policy rules and a routing table related to the interconnected MTC gateways and the MTC capillary networks.

10. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, further comprising:

the network device receiving other information relevant to policy rules related to MTC traffic originated from the MTC capillary networks;

the network device storing the other information relevant to policy rules related to MTC traffic; and

the network device combining the other information relevant to policy rules related to MTC traffic, the access network information with the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to build the aggregated topology map.

11. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information from the at least one MTC server comprises:

the network device receiving the capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information from the at least one MTC server through some of the interconnected MTC gateways.

12. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 1, wherein the enhanced policy rules comprise an Inter-system routing policy (ISRP) table for each one of the interconnected MTC gateways, wherein the ISRP table comprises traffic descriptions, preferred radios and forbidden radios.

13. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 12, wherein the ISRP table further comprises routing criteria configured for at least one MTC gateway of the interconnected MTC gateways.

14. A method for dynamically controlling data paths, adapted to a MTC network comprising local-access devices located in MTC capillary networks, interconnected MTC gateways, at least one MTC server and a network device in a mobile network operator domain, the method comprising:

the at least one MTC server transmitting capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information over a user plane to the interconnected MTC gateways and then from the MTC gateway to the network device over a S14 control plane.

15. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 14, wherein the capillary network information comprise busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprises MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection characteristics.

16. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 14, wherein the MTC capillary networks are respectively connected to the interconnected MTC gateways.

17. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 14, wherein each one of the MTC capillary networks comprises at least one MTC local-access devices.

18. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 17, wherein at least two neighboring capillary networks among the MTC capillary networks are bridged together through the interconnected MTC gateways.

19. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 17, wherein the network device is Access Network Discovery and Selection Function.

20. A method for dynamically controlling data paths, adapted to a machine-type-communication (MTC) server in a MTC network comprising local-access devices located in MTC capillary networks, interconnected MTC gateways, at least one MTC server and a network device in a mobile network operator domain, the method comprising:

the at least one MTC server receiving enhanced policy rules from the network device, wherein the enhanced policy rules are related to data flows of at least one MTC device in a capillary network in which the interconnected MTC gateway is disposed;

the at least one MTC server storing the enhanced policy rules; and

the at least one MTC server updating its routing table in accordance with the enhanced policy rules.

21. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 20, wherein the capillary network information comprise busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprises MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection characteristics.

22. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 20, wherein the MTC capillary networks are respectively connected to the interconnected MTC gateways.

23. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 20, wherein each one of the MTC capillary networks comprises at least one MTC local-access devices.

24. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 23 wherein at least two neighboring capillary networks among the MTC capillary networks are bridged together through the interconnected MTC gateways.

25. A method for dynamically controlling data paths, adapted to a machine-type-communication (MTC) server in a MTC network comprising local-access devices located in MTC capillary networks, interconnected MTC gateways, at least one MTC server and a network device in a mobile network operator domain, the method comprising:

the at least one MTC server provisioning capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information to a mobile network operator entity over a control plane; and

the mobile network operator entity transmitting the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to the network device over the control plane.

26. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 25, wherein the capillary network information comprise busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprises MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection characteristics.

27. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 25, wherein the MTC capillary networks are respectively connected to the interconnected MTC gateways, and each one of the MTC capillary networks comprises at least one MTC local-access devices.

28. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 27, wherein at least two neighboring capillary networks among the MTC capillary networks are bridged together through the interconnected MTC gateways.

29. The method for dynamically controlling data paths of claim 25, wherein the network device is Access Network Discovery and Selection Function, and the mobile network operator entity is a MTC inter-working function.