Mobile communication system for matching resource amount of core network bearer and resource amount of visited network bearer

• US 7,912,477 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tamura, Toshiyuki, Schmid, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim; Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/734,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20070249339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 455450-454
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/767 after changing the attachment point, e.g. after hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/786 Mapping reservation between domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals

Abstract

A visited policy controlling device decides the amount of a visited network bearer resource that is provided by a visited user plane device for an end-to-end service based on the amount of a bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service. A home policy controlling device decides the amount of a core network bearer resource that a home gateway device provides for the end-to-end service based on the amount of the bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service. Further, a home policy controlling device performs processing to match the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the amount of the visited network bearer resource decided by visited policy controlling device, if they do not match.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system in which a visited network and a home network are connected with each other via a core network, comprising:

a visited user plane device provided on the visited network, connected with a mobile terminal, providing a visited network bearer resource for an end-to-end service that goes through the visited network, the core network and the home network between the mobile terminal and a counterpart side device, and relaying data of the end-to-end service by the visited network bearer resource;

a home gateway device provided on the home network, connected with the mobile terminal via the core network and the visited user plane device on the visited network, providing a core network bearer resource for the end-to-end service, and relaying data of the end-to-end service by the core network bearer resource;

a visited policy controlling device provided on the visited network, and deciding the amount of the visited network bearer resource that is provided by the visited user plane device for the end-to-end service based on the amount of bearer service resource required for using in the end-to-end service; and

a home policy controlling device provided on the home network, and deciding the amount of the core network bearer resource that is provided by the home gateway device for the end-to-end service based on the amount of the bearer service resource required for using in the end-to-end service, and performing processing to match the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the amount of the visited network bearer resource decided by the visited policy controlling device, if they do not match.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the home policy controlling device applies a policy of the home network to the amount of the bearer service resource required for using in the end-to-end service and then sends a resource requesting signal including information on the required amount of resource to the visited policy controlling device, while deciding the amount of the core network bearer resource provided for the end-to-end service in conjunction with the home gateway device;

upon receiving the resource requesting signal from the home policy controlling device, the visited policy controlling device applies the policy of the visited network to information on the requested amount of resource that is included in the resource requesting signal and then decides the amount of the visited network bearer resource provided for the end-to-end service, while sending an allocation responding signal including information on the amount of the visited network bearer resource to the home policy controlling device; and

upon receiving the requesting signal from the visited policy controlling device, the home policy controlling device compares the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the amount of the visited network bearer resource informed from the visited policy controlling device with the allocation responding signal, and if they do not match, makes them match.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 2, wherein, when the home policy controlling device receives the bearer requesting signal for requesting the bearer service resource for using the end-to-end service, it starts processing of deciding the amount of the core network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service and processing of causing the visited policy controlling device to decide the amount of the visited network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the home policy controlling device sends the resource requesting signal to the visited policy controlling device, while requesting the same amount of resource as that of the resource requesting signal from the home gateway device in order to decide the amount of the core network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service;

when the home gateway device is requested for the resource by the home policy controlling device, it responds to the home policy controlling device after determining the amount of the core bearer resource that can be permitted for the request;

when the visited policy controlling device receives the resource requesting signal from the home policy controlling device, it requests the amount of resource based on the request of the resource requesting signal from the visited user plane device in order to decide the amount of the visited network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service; and

when the visited user plane device is requested for the resource from the visited policy controlling device, it responds to the visited policy controlling device after determining the amount of the visited network bearer resource that can be permitted for the request.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the visited user plane device comprises a visited user plane controlling device connected to the core network and a base station connected to the visited user plane controlling device and wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal, wherein the visited user plane controlling device manages an access bearer with the base station, and the base station manages a radio bearer with the mobile terminal;

when the visited policy controlling device receives the resource requesting signal from the home policy controlling device, it sends the visited network resource requesting signal for requesting the amount of resource based on the request by the resource requesting signal to the visited user plane controlling device;

when the visited user plane controlling device receives the visited network resource requesting signal, it determines an access bearer resource that can be permitted for the end-to-end service, while sending the wireless resource requesting signal for requesting a radio bearer resource from the base station; and

when the base station receives the wireless resource requesting signal, it determines the radio bearer resource that can be permitted to the end-to-end service.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 5, wherein

when the visited user plane controlling device receives the bearer requesting signal for requesting the bearer service resource from the mobile terminal, it determines an access bearer resource that can be permitted for the request by the bearer requesting signal and sends the wireless resource requesting signal for requesting the radio bearer resource from the base station, while sending the core network resource requesting signal for requesting the core network bearer resource to the home gateway device;

when the base station receives the wireless resource requesting signal, it determines the amount of the radio bearer resource that can be permitted for the request by the wireless resource requesting signal, and sends the wireless resource allocation responding signal including information on the amount of the radio bearer resource to the visited user plane controlling device;

when the home gateway device receives the core network resource requesting signal, it sends the core network resource allocation responding signal including information on the amount of the core network bearer resource to be allocated for the request by the core network resource requesting signal to the visited user plane controlling device; and

if the amount of the radio bearer resource included in the wireless resource allocation responding signal received from the base station and the amount of the core network bearer resource included in the core network resource allocation responding signal received from the home gateway device do not match, the visited user plane controlling device performs to match them.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the home policy controlling device performs control so as to any bearer resource larger in amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the visited network bearer resource decided by the visited policy controlling device matches to the other smaller in amount.

8. A bearer resource controlling method in a mobile communication system in which a visited network comprising a visited user plane controlling device and a visited policy controlling device and a home network comprising a home gateway device and a home policy controlling device are connected via a core network, and the visited user plane device connects with a mobile terminal, provides a visited network bearer resource for an end-to-end service that goes through the visited network, the core network and the home network between the mobile terminal and a counterpart side device, and relays data of the end-to-end service by the visited network bearer resource, and the home gateway device connects with the mobile terminal via the core network and the visited user plane device in the visited network, provides the core network bearer resource to the end-to-end service, and relays data of the end-to-end service by the core network bearer resource, comprising;

deciding, in the visited policy controlling device, the amount of the visited network bearer resource that is provided by the visited user plane device for the end-to-end service based on the amount of the bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service;

deciding, in the home policy controlling device, the amount of the core network bearer resource that is provided by the home gateway device for the end-to-end service based on the amount of bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service; and

if the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by the home policy controlling device and the amount of the visited network bearer resource decided by the visited policy controlling device do not match, performing a process for matching them.

9. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 8, comprising, in the home policy controlling device,

applying a home network policy to the amount of the bearer service resource that is required to be used in the end-to-end service;

sending a resource requesting signal including information on the required amount of the resource to the visited policy controlling device; and

deciding the amount of the core network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service in conjunction with the home gateway device; and

, in the visited policy controlling device,

when the resource requesting signal is received from the home policy controlling device, applying a visited network policy to the information on the requested amount of resource included in the resource requesting signal;

deciding the amount of the visited network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service; and

sending an allocation responding signal including the information on the amount of the visited network bearer resource to the home policy controlling device; and

, in the home policy controlling device,

receiving the responding signal from the visited policy controlling device; and

comparing the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the amount of the visited network bearer resource informed from the visited policy controlling device in the allocation responding signal, and if they do not match, performing a process for matching them.

10. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 9, wherein, when the home policy controlling device receives a bearer requesting signal for requesting the bearer service resource to be used for the end-to-end service from the mobile terminal, it starts processing for deciding the amount of the core network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service and processing for causing the visited policy controlling device to decide the amount of the visited network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service.

11. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 9, wherein

the home policy controlling device sends the resource requesting signal to the visited policy controlling device, while requesting the resource requested by the mobile terminal from the home gateway device in order to decide the amount of the core network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service;

when the home gateway device is requested for the resource from the home policy controlling device, it responds to the home policy controlling device after determining the amount of the core network bearer resource that can be permitted for the request;

when the visited policy controlling device receives the resource requesting signal from the home policy controlling device, it requests the amount of the resource based on the request of the resource requesting signal from the visited user plane device in order to decide the amount of the visited network bearer resource to be provided for the end-to-end service; and

when the visited user plane device is requested for the resource by the visited policy controlling device, it responds to the visited policy controlling device after determining the amount of the visited network bearer resource that can be permitted for the request.

12. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 11, wherein

the visited user plane device comprises the visited user plane controlling device connected with the core network and a base station connected to the visited user plane controlling device and wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal, wherein the visited user plane controlling device manages an access bearer with the base station, and the base station manages a radio bearer with the mobile terminal;

when the visited policy controlling device receives the resource requesting signal from the home policy controlling device, it sends the visited network resource requesting signal for requesting the amount of resource based on the request by the resource requesting signal to the visited user plane controlling device;

when the visited user plane controlling device receives the visited network resource requesting signal, it determines an access bearer resource that can be permitted for the end-to-end service, while sending the wireless resource requesting signal for requesting a radio bearer resource from the base station; and

when the base station receives the wireless resource requesting signal, it determines the radio bearer resource that can be permitted to the end-to-end service.

13. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 12, wherein

when the visited user plane controlling device receives the bearer requesting signal for requesting the bearer service resource from the mobile terminal, it determines the access bearer resource that can be permitted for the request by the bearer requesting signal and sends the wireless resource requesting signal for requesting the radio bearer resource from the base station, while sending a core network resource requesting signal for requesting the core network bearer resource to the home gateway device;

when the base station receives the wireless resource requesting signal, it determines the amount of the radio bearer resource that can be permitted for the request by the wireless resource requesting signal and sends the wireless resource allocation responding signal including information on the amount of the radio bearer resource to the visited user plane controlling device;

when the home gateway device receives the core network resource requesting signal, it sends the core network resource allocation responding signal including information on the amount of the core network bearer resource to be allocated for the request by the core network resource requesting signal to the visited user plane controlling device; and

if the amount of the radio bearer resource included in the wireless resource allocation responding signal received from the base station and the amount of the core network bearer resource included in the core network resource allocation responding signal received from the home gateway device do not match, the visited user plane controlling device performs processing for matching them.

14. The bearer resource controlling method according to claim 9, wherein the home policy controlling device performs control so as to any bearer resource larger in amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the visited network bearer resource decided by the visited policy controlling device matches to the other smaller in amount.

15. A home policy controlling device in a mobile communication system in which a visited network comprising a visited user plane controlling device and a visited policy controlling device and a home network comprising a home gateway device and a home policy controlling device are connected via a core network, and the visited user plane device connects with a mobile terminal, provides a visited bearer resource for an end-to-end service that goes through the visited network, the core network and the home network between the mobile terminal and a counterpart side device, and relays data of the end-to-end service by the visited network bearer resource, and the home gateway device connects with the mobile terminal via the core network and the visited user plane device in the visited network, provides the core network bearer resource to the end-to-end service, and relays data of the end-to-end service by the core network bearer resource;

wherein the visited policy controlling device is caused to decide the amount of the visited network bearer resource that is provided for the end-to-end service based on the amount of the bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service, and the home policy controlling device decides by itself the amount of the core network bearer resource that is provided by the home gateway device for the end-to-end service based on the amount of the bearer service resource requested to be used in the end-to-end service; and

if the amount of the core network bearer resource decided by itself and the amount of the visited network bearer resource decided by the visited policy controlling device do not match, processing for matching them is performed.