Method and device for shunting IP stream during 3GPP access switching

• US 9,549,356 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: China Academy of Telecom Technology (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hou, Yunjing, Zhang, Juan, Xu, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Beyen, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US14/417,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/333, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/142 over the same radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present application relates to the technology of communications. Disclosed are a method and device for shunting IP streams during 3GPP access switching; after having received a command for 3GPP access switching transmitted by a source 3GPP access device, a user equipment (UE) determines the IP streams to be transferred, and then performs 3GPP access switching and IP stream transferring at the same time, thus improving IP stream transferring efficiency. In addition, the IP streams to be transferred contain an IP stream capable of being transmitted via WLAN access after a target 3GPP access device fails to allocate resources to a bearers for transmitting the IP stream, thereby avoiding service interruption due to bearer loss, and thus improving the QoS ensurance for the service.

Claims

1. A method for distributing Internet Protocol (IP) traffic during 3^rd Generation Partner Project (3GPP) inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) handover, the method comprising:

determining, by a User Equipment (UE), IP flows to be moved, upon reception of a handover command for an inter-RAT 3GPP handover from a source 3GPP access device to a target 3GPP access device, transmitted by the source 3GPP access device;

accessing, by the UE, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), during the inter-RAT 3GPP handover; and

moving the IP flows to be moved, to the accessed WLAN, during the inter-RAT 3GPP handover.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover from the source 3GPP access device to the target 3GPP access device, transmitted by the source 3GPP access device comprises:

determining, by the UE, bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device, from parameters in the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover transmitted by the source 3GPP access device, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover; and

determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, from the bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, from the bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device comprises:

determining, by the UE, IP flows which can be moved to the accessed WLAN among the IP flows transmitted over the bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device, as the IP flows to be moved; and

/or

determining, by the UE, IP flows which can be moved to the accessed WLAN and for which the WLAN access has higher priorities than a target 3GPP access among IP flows transmitted over the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device, as the IP flows to be moved.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover transmitted by the source 3GPP access device comprises:

determining, by the UE, 3GPP access information, WLAN access information, IP flow information and an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) policy, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover transmitted by the source 3GPP access device; and

determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein determining, by the UE, the IP flows to be moved, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy comprises:

determining, by the UE, IP flows for which the WLAN access has higher priorities than a target 3GPP access, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy, as the IP flows to be moved; and

/or

determining, by the UE, IP flows for which the WLAN access has lower priorities than the target 3GPP access and matched for transmission over bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by a target 3GPP access device, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy, as the IP flows to be moved.

6. A device for distributing Internet Protocol (IP) traffic during 3^rd Generation Partner Project (3GPP) inter-Radio Access Technology (RAT) handover, the device comprising:

a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores one or more computer readable program codes, and the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program codes;

to determine IP flows to be moved, upon reception of a handover command for an inter-RAT 3GPP handover from a source 3GPP access device to a target 3GPP access device, transmitted by the source 3GPP access device;

to access a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) during the inter-RAT 3GPP handover; and

to move the IP flows to be moved, to the accessed WLAN, during the inter-RAT 3GPP handover.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer readable program codes:

to determine bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device, from parameters in the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover transmitted by the source 3GPP access device, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover; and

to determine the IP flows to be moved, from the bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the processor configured to execute the computer readable program codes to determine the IP flows to be moved, from the hearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device and the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device is further configured to execute the computer readable program codes:

to determine IP flows which can be moved to the accessed WLAN among the IP flows transmitted over the bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by the target 3GPP access device, as the IP flows to be moved; and

/or to determine IP flows which can be moved to the accessed WLAN and for which the WLAN access has higher priorities than a target 3GPP access among IP flows transmitted over the bearers for which resources are allocated successfully by the target 3GPP access device, as the IP flows to be moved.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer readable program codes:

to determine 3GPP access information, WLAN access information, IP flow information and an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) policy, upon reception of the handover command for the inter-RAT 3GPP handover transmitted by the source 3GPP access device; and

to determine the IP flows to be moved, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor configured to execute the computer readable program codes to determine the IP flows to be moved, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy is further configured to execute the computer readable program codes:

to determine IP flows for which the WLAN access has higher priorities than a target 3GPP access, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy, as the IP flows to be moved; and

/or to determine IP flows for which the WLAN access has lower priorities than the target 3GPP access and matched for transmission over bearers for which resources are allocated unsuccessfully by a target 3GPP access device, from the 3GPP access information, the WLAN access information, the IP flow information and the ANDSF policy, as the IP flows to be moved.