Access control method and device

• US 9,220,031 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2012
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Feng, Yuan, Quan, Haiyang, Fang, Jiayi, Zhao, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob
• Assistant Examiner(s): ATKINS JR., GEORGE CALVIN
• Application Number:
  US13/978,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

Disclosed is an access control method, for use in implementing improved access control. The method comprises: during a random access process, on the basis of a current load of a random access network (RAN) and a core network (CN) and of terminal or service information reported by a user equipment (UE), the RAN judging whether or not access to the RAN and to the CN is allowed; when access is denied by at least one network between the RAN and the CN, the RAN transmitting to the UE an instruction message having attached therein a backoff time corresponding to the access denying network. Also disclosed is a device for implementing the method.

Claims

1. An access control method, comprising:

determining, by a Radio Access Network, RAN, whether a User Equipment, UE, is allowed for an access to the RAN and a Core Network, CN, according to current load conditions of the RAN and the CN and device or service information reported by the UE in an random access procedure; and

when an access to at least one of the RAN and the CN is rejected, sending, by the RAN, to the UE an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network;

wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload;

wherein without distinguishing a single-CN node overload, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Reject message; and

with a single-CN node overload to be distinguished, if an access request does not carry a UE identifier corresponding to an MME with which the UE registers, then the method further comprises;

receiving an RRC Connection Setup Complete message sent from the UE; and

sending by the RAN to the UE the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises;

if the RRC Connection Setup Complete message carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers and the MME corresponding to the UE identifier has an S1 interface with the RAN and is overloaded, or all of MMEs in an MME pool are overloaded, then the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time for a CN overload in an RRC Connection Release message;

or if the access request carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in the RRC Connection Reject message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RRC Connection Reject message further comprises an RAN overload indicator indicating whether the RAN is overloaded, or the wait time for an RAN overload, which is a specified value, when the RAN is not overloaded.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the RAN sends to the UE the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network, the method further comprises:

determining, by the RAN, the wait time for a CN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for a CN overload according to the current load condition of the network and the information reported by the UE, or by determining for the UE the wait time for a CN overload from a wait time, indicated by an MME or an OAM entity, which is further randomized; and

determining, by the RAN, the wait time for an RAN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for an RAN overload.

4. A device of radio access network, comprising a memory and one or more processors, wherein the memory stores one or more computer readable program codes, and the one or more processors are used for executing the one or more computer readable program codes to perform:

a control module configured to determine whether a UE is allowed for an access to the RAN and a CN according to current load conditions of the RAN and the CN and device or service information reported by the UE upon reception of an access request of the UE; and

an interface module, when an access to at least one of the RAN and the CN is rejected, configured to send to the UE an indication message carrying a wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network;

wherein the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network comprises a wait time for an RAN overload or a wait time for a CN overload or both the wait time for an RAN overload and the wait time for a CN overload;

wherein without distinguishing a single-CN node overload, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Reject message; and

with a single-CN node overload to be distinguished, if the access request does not carry a UE identifier corresponding to an MME with which the UE registers, then further comprising;

receiving an RRC Connection Setup Complete message sent from the UE; and

if the RRC Connection Setup Complete message carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers and the MME corresponding to the UE identifier has an S1 interface with the RAN and is overloaded, or all of MMEs in a MME pool are overloaded, then the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in an RRC Connection Release message;

or if the access request carries the UE identifier corresponding to the MME with which the UE registers, the RAN sends the indication message carrying the wait time corresponding to the access rejecting network in the RRC Connection Reject message.

5. The device of radio access network according to claim 4, wherein the RRC Connection Reject message further comprises an RAN overload indicator indicating whether the RAN is overloaded, or the wait time for an RAN overload, which is a specified value, when the RAN is not overloaded.

6. The device of radio access network according to claim 4, wherein the control module is further configured:

to determine the wait time for a CN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for a CN overload according to the current load condition of the network and the information reported by the UE, or by determining for the UE the wait time for a CN overload from a wait time, indicated by an MME or an OAM entity, which is further randomized; and

to determine the wait time for an RAN overload by determining by itself for the UE the wait time for an RAN overload.