Method for dynamically controlling data paths, MTC gateway and network device using the same

• US 9,356,865 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Gleixner, Stephan, Yang, Jen-Shun
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US14/938,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20160065472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 201 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Method for dynamically controlling data paths of Machine-type-communication (MTC) local access device(s) are proposed along with a MTC gateway and a network device using the same method. In one embodiment, the proposed method may include following: a network device, receiving and storing capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection information from at least one MTC server; combining the access network information with the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to build an aggregated topology map; generating enhanced policy rules according to the aggregated topology map related to at least one capillary network; and respectively transmitting the enhanced policy rules to the interconnected MTC gateways.

Claims

1. A network device, adapted to a machine-type-communication (MTC) network comprising local-access devices, MTC gateways and at least one MTC server, the network device comprising:

a first interface, connected to at least one MTC server, configured to receive capillary network information of MTC capillary networks and MTC gateway interconnection information of the MTC gateways from the at least one MTC server,

wherein the MTC network comprises the MTC capillary networks, at least one mobile network operator domain, the MTC gateways and the at least one MTC server,

wherein the mobile network operator domain comprises a core network and an access network, the mobile network operator domain comprises the network device, and part of the local-access devices connected to the MTC gateways such that the MTC capillary networks are connected to the mobile network operator domain through the MTC gateways,

wherein the MTC capillary networks comprise the local-access devices which are MTC local-access devices, the local-access devices are located in the MTC capillary networks, the MTC gateways are interconnected with each other, the network device is located in the mobile network operator domain, and the network device is Access Network Discovery and Selection Function,

wherein the capillary network information comprises busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprise MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection network characteristics;

a storage unit is connected to the first interface, configured to store the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information;

at least one processor, connected to the storage unit to access the storage unit and programmed to executed;

an aggregated topology generator to combine a access network topology of access network information provided by at least one mobile network operator and a MTC gateway interconnection topology of the MTC gateway interconnection information to build an aggregated topology map related to the MTC capillary networks, wherein the access network information of the access network comprises current load situation of at least one base station of the access network; and

an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) controller, to process the aggregated topology map related to MTC capillary networks, and then generate enhanced policy rules, wherein the inter-system routing policy (ISRP) controller modifies pre-configured policy rules or create new policy rules to generate the enhanced policy rules, and the enhanced policy rules includes routing tables of data flow packets from the local-access devices to the MTC server; and

a second interface, connected to the interconnected MTC gateways, configured to respectively transmit the enhanced policy rules to the interconnected MTC gateways.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the MTC capillary networks are respectively connected to the interconnected MTC gateways.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device is disposed in the core network of the mobile network operator domain.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein:

the storage unit is further configured to store other information relevant to policy rules related to MTC traffic originated from the MTC capillary networks,

the at least one processor is programmed to executed the aggregated topology generator to combine the other information relevant to policy rules related to MTC traffic, the access network info nation with the capillary network information and the MTC gateway interconnection information to build the aggregated topology map.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the enhanced policy rules comprise an Inter-system routing policy (ISRP) table for each one of the interconnected MTC gateways, wherein the ISRP table comprises traffic descriptions, preferred radios and forbidden radios.

6. The network device of claim 5, wherein the ISRP table further comprises routing criteria configured for at least one MTC gateway of the interconnected MTC gateways.

7. A machine-type-communication (MTC) gateway, adapted to a machine-type-communication (MTC) network comprising local-access devices, other MTC gateways, a network device and at least one MTC server, the MTC gateway comprising:

a first network interface, connected to at least one of the other MTC gateways, configured to provide connections with the other MTC gateways in the MTC network, at least one MTC server and the network device in a mobile network operator domain,

wherein the MTC network comprises MTC capillary networks, at least one mobile network operator domain, the MTC gateway, the other MTC gateways and the at least one MTC server,

wherein the mobile network operator domain comprises a core network and an access network, and part of the local-access devices connected to the MTC gateway and the other MTC gateways such that the MTC capillary networks are connected to the mobile network operator domain through the MTC gateway and the other MTC gateways,

wherein the MTC capillary networks comprise the local-access devices which are MTC local-access devices, the local-access devices are located in the MTC capillary networks, the MTC gateway and the other MTC gateways are interconnected with each other, the network device is located in the mobile network operator domain, and the network device is Access Network Discovery and Selection Function;

a second network interface, connected to the network device, configured to provide a connection with the network device;

at least one processor connected to the second interface and programed to execute;

an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) client to receive enhanced policy rules from the network device,

wherein the network device receives capillary network information of the MTC capillary networks and MTC gateway interconnection information of the MTC gateway and the other MTC gateways from the MTC server,

wherein the network device receives access network information of the access network from the mobile network operator domain, the network device combines a network topology of the access network information with the capillary network information and MTC gateway interconnection topology of the MTC gateway interconnection information to build an aggregated topology map related to the MTC capillary networks, and the network device processes the aggregated topology map related to the MTC capillary networks then generates the enhanced policy rules,

wherein the access network information comprises current load situation of at least one base station of the access network, the capillary network information comprises busy hours of the MTC capillary networks and inter-capillary network connection, and the MTC gateway interconnection information comprise MTC gateway interconnection topology and MTC gateway interconnection network characteristics,

wherein the network device modifies pre-configured policy rules or create new policy rules to generate the enhanced policy rules, and the enhanced policy rules includes routing tables of data flow packets from the local-access devices to the MTC server;

a storage unit, connected to the at least one processor, configured to store the enhanced policy rules and an Internet protocol (IP) routing table;

wherein the enhanced policy rules are related to data flows of at least one MTC device in a capillary network in which the MTC gateway is disposed, and the IP routing table is updated according to the enhanced policy rules.

8. The MTC gateway of claim 7, further comprising:

one radio access interface, configured to provide a connection with the access network in the mobile network operator domain; and

at least one access interface, configured to provide a connections with the at least one MTC server through other access networks different from the access network in the mobile network operator domain.