SESSION PROCESSING METHOD AND APPARATUS OF MACHINE TYPE COMMUNICATION

• US 20140094139A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: QIAO, Weihua, XU, Guanbin, ZHANG, Wanqiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/406
• 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: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a session processing method and apparatus of machine type communication. The method includes: receiving, by a first network device, a session request message; acquiring, by the first network device, subscription information according to a device parameter; and generating, by the first network device, a policy and charging control rule PCC rule of a subscriber of a UE according to the subscription information, carrying the PCC rule in a session response message, and sending the session response message. In the session processing method and apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, explicit binding of an MTC UE Category to a Low cost MTC service is implemented, so that it is ensured that the cost reduction technology does not affect the performance of a UE that belongs to an existing UE Category, thereby improving network performance of a communication system.

Claims

1. A session processing method of machine type communication, comprising:

receiving, by a first network device, a session request message, wherein the session request message includes a device parameter, and the device parameter includes indication information used to indicate that a user equipment (UE) belongs to a machine type communication UE category;

acquiring, by the first network device, subscription information according to the device parameter, wherein the subscription information comprises service information corresponding to the machine type communication UE category; and

generating, by the first network device, a policy and charging control rule (PCC rule) of a subscriber of the UE according to the subscription information, and sending a session response message including the PCC rule, wherein the PCC rule includes the service information corresponding to the machine type communication UE category.

2. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 1,

wherein the acquiring, by the first network device, the subscription information according to the device parameter includes:

sending, by the first network device, a subscription information request message to a subscription profile repository (SPR) device, wherein the subscription information request message includes the device parameter, and

receiving subscription information of the UE that is returned by the SPR device, wherein the subscription information of the UE is acquired by the SPR device according to the device parameter in the subscription information request message;

wherein the session request message further includes an international mobile subscriber identity used to indicate the subscriber of the UE; and

wherein the generating, by the first network device, the PCC rule of the subscriber of the UE according to the subscription information includes;

generating, by the first network device, the PCC rule of the UE according to the received subscription information of the UE, and

applying the PCC rule of the UE in the subscriber of the UE according to the international mobile subscriber identity.

3. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 1,

wherein the acquiring, by the first network device, the subscription information according to the device parameter includes:

sending, by the first network device, a subscription information request message to a subscription profile repository (SPR) device, wherein the subscription information request message includes an international mobile subscriber identity used to indicate the subscriber of the UE and includes the device parameter, and

receiving subscription information of the subscriber of the UE that is returned by the SPR device, wherein the SPR device returns the subscription information of the subscriber of the UE based on acquiring subscription information of a category to which the UE belongs according to the device parameter in the subscription information request message, acquiring subscription information of the subscriber of the UE according to the international mobile subscriber identity in the subscription information request message, replacing service information in the subscription information of the subscriber of the UE with service information in the subscription information of the category of the UE, and returning the replaced subscription information of the subscriber of the UE to the first network device; and

wherein the generating, by the first network device, the PCC rule of the subscriber of the UE according to the subscription information includes;

generating, by the first network device, the PCC rule of the subscriber of the UE according to the received replaced subscription information of the subscriber of the UE.

4. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 1, wherein the device parameter is an international mobile equipment identity or an information element.

5. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 1, wherein the session request message is generated as triggered by an attach request message or a packet switched network connection establishment request message sent by the UE to a mobility management entity.

6. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 4,

wherein the device parameter is the international mobile equipment identity;

and

wherein the international mobile equipment identity in the session request message is sent by the UE to the first network device through a mobility management entity, a serving gateway, and a second network device.

7. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 4,

wherein the device parameter is the information element;

wherein the information element in the session request message is generated by a mobility management entity according to a reserved bitmap of a request type carried in an attach request message sent by the UE, and is sent to the first network device through a serving gateway and a second network device; and

wherein the reserved bitmap of the request type carried in the attach request message indicates that the UE belongs to the machine type communication UE category.

8. A session processing method of machine type communication, comprising:

receiving, by a second network device, a session request message including a device parameter, wherein the device parameter includes indication information used to indicate that a user equipment (UE) belongs to a machine type communication UE category; and

sending, by the second network device, the device parameter in a policy and charging control rule (PCC rule) activation request message to a first network device;

receiving, by the second network device, a PCC rule activation request response message sent by the first network device, wherein the PCC rule activation request response message is based on a PCC rule identity according to the device parameter in the PCC rule activation request message; and

determining, by the second network device, a PCC rule from a pre-configured PCC rule set according to the PCC rule identity in the PCC rule activation request response message, wherein the PCC rule includes service information of the machine type communication UE category.

9. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 8, wherein the device parameter is an international mobile equipment identity or an information element.

10. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 8, wherein the session request message is generated as triggered by an attach request message or a packet switched network connection establishment request message sent by the UE to a mobility management entity.

11. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 9, wherein the session request message is generated as triggered by an attach request message or a packet switched network connection establishment request message sent by the UE to a mobility management entity.

12. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 9,

wherein the device parameter is the international mobile equipment identity;

and

wherein the international mobile equipment identity in the session request message is sent by the UE to the second network device through a mobility management entity and a serving gateway.

13. The session processing method of machine type communication according to claim 9,

wherein the device parameter is the information element;

wherein the information element in the session request message is generated by a mobility management entity according to a reserved bitmap of a request type carried in an attach request message sent by the UE, and is sent to the second network device through a serving gateway; and

wherein the reserved bitmap of the request type carried in the attach request message indicates that the UE belongs to the machine type communication UE category.

14. A network device, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a session request message, wherein the session request message includes a device parameter, and the device parameter includes indication information used to indicate that a user equipment (UE) belongs to a machine type communication UE category;

an acquisition unit, configured to acquire subscription information according to the device parameter, wherein the subscription information comprises service information corresponding to the machine type communication UE category; and

a response unit, configured to generate a policy and charging control rule (PCC rule) of a subscriber of the UE according to the subscription information, carry the PCC rule in a session response message, and send the session response message, wherein the PCC rule includes service information corresponding to the machine type communication UE category.

15. The network device according to claim 14, wherein

the acquisition unit is further configured to send, to a subscription profile repository (SPR) device, a subscription information request message carrying the device parameter, and receive subscription information of the UE that is returned by the SPR device and acquired according to the device parameter in the subscription information request message;

the session request message further includes an international mobile subscriber identity used to indicate the subscriber of the UE; and

the response unit is further configured to generate the PCC rule of the UE according to the received subscription information of the UE, and apply the PCC rule of the UE in the subscriber of the UE according to the international mobile subscriber identity.

16. The network device according to claim 14, wherein

the acquisition unit is further configured to send, to a subscription profile repository (SPR) device, a subscription information request message that includes an international mobile subscriber identity used to indicate the subscriber of the UE and includes the device parameter, and receive subscription information of the subscriber of the UE that is returned by the SPR device, wherein the SPR device returns the subscription information of the subscriber of the UE based on acquiring subscription information of a category to which the UE belongs according to the device parameter in the subscription information request message, acquiring subscription information of the subscriber of the UE according to the international mobile subscriber identity in the subscription information request message, replacing service information in the subscription information of the subscriber of the UE with service information in the subscription information of the category of the UE, and sending the replaced subscription information of the subscriber of the UE to the response unit;

and

the response unit is further configured to generate the PCC rule of the subscriber of the UE according to the received replaced subscription information of the subscriber of the UE.

17. A network device, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a session request message carrying a device parameter, wherein the device parameter includes indication information used to indicate that a user equipment (UE) belongs to a machine type communication UE category;

an activation request unit, configured to send the device parameter in a policy and charging control rule (PCC rule) activation request message to a first network device, and receive a PCC rule activation request response message sent by the first network device, wherein the PCC rule activation request response message is based on a PCC rule identity according to the device parameter in the PCC rule activation request message; and

a response unit, configured to determine a PCC rule from a pre-configured PCC rule set according to the PCC rule identity in the PCC rule activation request response message, wherein the PCC rule includes service information of the machine type communication UE category.