Security Key Refresh for Dual Connectivity

• US 20200136684A1
• Filed: 12/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Yujian, Heo, Youn Hyoung, Luft, Achim
• Granted Patent: US 11,337,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments have a master eNB with a control plane and optional data plane to user equipment and a secondary eNB with a data plane to the user equipment. The user equipment thus uses both the master eNB and the secondary eNB for data communications while receiving control information from only the master eNB. The master eNB and secondary eNB are connected with an X2 interface. When the secondary eNB desires to refresh its security key, it informs the master eNB using the X2 interface. The master eNB then uses its control plane with the user equipment to initiate a security key refresh for the secondary eNB.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method performed by a first base station, comprising:

receiving, from a second base station, a request to refresh a security key used by the secondary base station;

sending, to a user equipment (UE) that is connected to the first base station and the second base station simultaneously through Dual Connectivity (DC), an RRC signaling to the UE to effectuate the security key refresh for the corresponding second base station; and

receiving, from the UE, a message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first base station is a primary master base station and the second base station is a secondary base station in the DC.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the request to refresh the security key is received before Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) count for a bearer is about to wrap around.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the RRC signaling to the UE to effectuate the security key refresh is an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, and the message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed is an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the security key refresh information communicated to the UE causes the UE to derive a new security key used to communicate with the second base station.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

sending, to the second base station, a security key refresh acknowledgement message.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein only the first base station has a control plane in the UE.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the security key refresh acknowledgement message comprises a timing reference from which the second base station should begin using the refreshed security key.

29. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors, configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to;

receive a control message from a first base station to refresh of a security key used to communicate with a second base station, wherein the UE is connected to the first and the second base stations simultaneously through Dual Connectivity (DC);

derive a new security key used by the UE to communicate with the second base station; and

send a message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first base station is a primary master base station and the second base station is a secondary base station in the DC.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first base station is configured to send a security key refresh acknowledgement message to the second base station, wherein the security key refresh acknowledgement message comprises information used by the second base station to derive the new security key.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the control message to refresh the security key is an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, and the message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed is an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the control message is received in response to a request to refresh the security key received by the first base station from the second base station, wherein the request to refresh the security key is received before Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) count for a bearer is about to wrap around.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein only the first base station has a control plane in the UE.

35. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

transceiver circuitry; and

one or more processors coupled to the transceiver circuitry, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to;

receive a control message from a first base station to refresh of a security key used to communicate with a second base station, wherein the UE is connected to the first and the second base stations simultaneously through Dual Connectivity (DC);

derive a new security key used by the UE to communicate with the second base station; and

send a message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed.

36. The UE of claim 35, wherein the first base station is a primary master base station and the second base station is a secondary base station in the DC.

37. The UE of claim 35, wherein the first base station is configured to send a security key refresh acknowledgement message to the second base station, wherein the security key refresh acknowledgement message comprises information used by the second base station to derive the new security key.

38. The UE of claim 35, wherein the control message to refresh the security key is an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, and the message indicating that the refresh for the security key has been completed is an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message.

39. The UE of claim 35, wherein the control message is received in response to a request to refresh the security key received by the first base station from the second base station, wherein the request to refresh the security key is received before Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) count for a bearer is about to wrap around.

40. The UE of claim 35, wherein only the first base station has a control plane in the UE.