METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING ADDRESS OF A MACHINE TYPE COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20140286237A1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Bhalla, Rajesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection

Abstract

Techniques, systems and apparatus are described for implementing a framework for an address determination technique for IPv4 addressing of MTC devices behind NATs in wireless networks. In one aspect, a method includes determining address for machine type communications (MTC) devices behind Network Address Translators (NATs) in a wireless communication network. The determining includes assigning a private address to an MTC device attached to the wireless communication network, and determining mapped public transport address.

Claims

1. A method, implementable at a network-side in a wireless communication network, comprising:

receiving a trigger request including an external identification (ID) of a machine type communication (MTC) device;

transmitting a device information request including the external ID;

receiving, in response to the device information request, a first internet protocol (IP) address for the MTC device, the first IP address being in a private address space of the wireless network; and

obtaining a second IP address based on the first IP address, the second IP address corresponding to a translation of the first IP address in a second network from which the trigger request was received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the second IP address includes:

transmitting an address translation request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in an address translation response message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to the trigger request by providing a trigger response message including the second IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address comprise IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger request is received when the MTC device does not have any IP address assigned.

6. An apparatus, operable at a network-side in a wireless communication network, comprising:

a trigger request receiver that receives a trigger request including an external identification (ID) of a machine type communication (MTC) device;

a request transmitter that transmits a device information request including the external ID;

an internet protocol (IP) address receiver that receives, in response to the device information request, a first IP address for the MTC device, the first IP address being in a private address space of the wireless network; and

an IP address obtainer that obtains a second IP address based on the first IP address, the second IP address corresponding to a translation of the first IP address in a second network from which the trigger request was received.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the IP address obtainer includes:

a translation request transmitter that transmits an address translation request including the first IP address; and

another IP address receiver that receives the second IP address in an address translation response message.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a trigger request responder that responds to the trigger request by providing a trigger response message including the second IP address.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address comprise IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the trigger request is received when the MTC device does not have any IP address assigned.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-volatile, computer-readable medium having code stored thereupon, the code, when executed on a processor, causing the processor to implement a method, comprising:

receiving a trigger request including an external identification (ID) of a machine type communication (MTC) device;

transmitting a device information request including the external ID;

receiving, in response to the device information request, a first internet protocol (IP) address for the MTC device, the first IP address being in a private address space of the wireless network; and

obtaining a second IP address based on the first IP address, the second IP address corresponding to a translation of the first IP address in a second network from which the trigger request was received.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the obtaining the second IP address includes:

transmitting an address translation request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in an address translation response message.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

responding to the trigger request by providing a trigger response message including the second IP address.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address comprise IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the trigger request is received when the MTC device does not have any IP address assigned.

16. An apparatus, operable at a network side in a wireless communications network, comprising:

means for receiving a trigger request including an external identification (ID) of a machine type communication (MTC) device;

means for transmitting a device information request including the external ID;

means for receiving, in response to the device information request, a first internet protocol (IP) address for the MTC device, the first IP address being in a private address space of the wireless network; and

means for obtaining a second IP address based on the first IP address, the second IP address corresponding to a translation of the first IP address in a second network from which the trigger request was received.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for obtaining the second IP address includes:

means for transmitting an address translation request including the first IP address; and

means for receiving the second IP address in an address translation response message.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for responding to the trigger request by providing a trigger response message including the second IP address.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address comprise IP version 4 (IPv4) addresses.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the trigger request is received when the MTC device does not have any IP address assigned.

21. A method, implementable at a gateway device in a wireless communications network, comprising:

receiving a request to perform translation of a first Internet Protocol (IP) address of a machine type communication (MTC) device that is in a first IP address space private to the wireless communication system;

obtaining a second IP address for the MTC device, the second IP address being in a second IP address space different from the first IP address space;

transmitting a response to the request by including the second IP address; and

facilitating user data plane communication to and from the MTC device and another communication entity in the second IP address space.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the operation of obtaining a second IP address comprises:

exchanging messages with a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) server.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the exchanging the messages includes:

transmitting an address binding request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in a binding response message.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the operation of obtaining a second IP address comprises:

exchanging messages with a traversal using relay network address translation (TURN) server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the exchanging the messages includes:

transmitting an address binding request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in a binding response message.

26. An apparatus, operable at a gateway device in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a request receiver that receives a request to perform translation of a first Internet Protocol (IP) address of a machine type communication (MTC) device that is in a first IP address space private to the wireless communication system;

an IP address obtainer that obtains a second IP address for the MTC device, the second IP address being in a second IP address space different from the first IP address space;

a response transmitter that transmits a response to the request by including the second IP address; and

a gateway that facilitates user data plane communication to and from the MTC device and another communication entity in the second IP address space.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the IP address obtainer includes:

a message exchanger that exchanges messages with a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) server.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the message exchanger includes:

a binding request transmitter that transmits an address binding request including the first IP address; and

a binding response receiver that receives the second IP address in a binding response message.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the IP address obtainer includes:

a message exchanger that exchanges messages with a traversal using relay network address translation (TURN) server.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the exchanging the messages includes:

a binding request transmitter that transmits an address binding request including the first IP address; and

a binding response receiver that receives the second IP address in a binding response message.

31. A computer program product comprising a non-volatile, computer-readable medium having code stored thereupon, the code, when executed on a processor, causing the processor to implement a method, comprising:

receiving a request to perform translation of a first Internet Protocol (IP) address of a machine type communication (MTC) device that is in a first IP address space private to the wireless communication system;

obtaining a second IP address for the MTC device, the second IP address being in a second IP address space different from the first IP address space;

transmitting a response to the request by including the second IP address; and

facilitating user data plane communication to and from the MTC device and another communication entity in the second IP address space.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the operation of obtaining a second IP address comprises:

exchanging messages with a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) server.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the exchanging the messages includes:

transmitting an address binding request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in a binding response message.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the operation of obtaining a second IP address comprises:

exchanging messages with a traversal using relay network address translation (TURN) server.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the exchanging the messages includes:

transmitting an address binding request including the first IP address; and

receiving the second IP address in a binding response message.

36. An apparatus operable at a gateway in a wireless communications network, comprising:

means for receiving a request to perform translation of a first Internet Protocol (IP) address of a machine type communication (MTC) device that is in a first IP address space private to the wireless communication system;

means for obtaining a second IP address for the MTC device, the second IP address being in a second IP address space different from the first IP address space;

means for transmitting a response to the request by including the second IP address; and

means for facilitating user data plane communication to and from the MTC device and another communication entity in the second IP address space.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the means for obtaining a second IP address comprises:

means for exchanging messages with a session traversal utilities for network address translation (STUN) server.

38. A wireless communications system, comprising:

a machine type communication interworking function (MTC-IWF) that;

receives a trigger request including an external identification (ID) of a machine type communication (MTC) device;

transmits a device information request including the external ID;

receives, in response to the device information request, a first internet protocol (IP) address for the MTC device, the first IP address being in a private address space of the wireless network; and

obtains a second IP address based on the first IP address, the second IP address corresponding to a translation of the first IP address in a second network from which the trigger request was received; and

a packet data gateway (P-GW) that;

receives a request to perform translation of the first IP address;

exchanges messages to generate the second IP address for the MTC device;

provides the second IP address to the MTC-IWF; and

facilitates user data plane communication to and from the MTC device and another communication entity in the second IP address space.