Reporting of user plane congestion (UPCON) using a UPCON container

• US 9,560,512 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Shan, Chang Hong, Venkatachalam, Muthaiah, Jain, Puneet K., Siow, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Khirodhar, Maharishi
• Application Number:
  US14/125,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20150036496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2525 Translation at a client
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2539 Hiding addresses; Keeping addresses anonymous
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 : using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 : switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 : Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 : Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 : Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 : Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 : Manipulation of direct-mode connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Technology for reporting radio access network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) is disclosed. In an example, a core network (CN) device can include computer circuitry configured to: receive an UPCON event report using an UPCON container that includes a congestion situation indicator to indicate a UPCON situation; and change an UPCON process based on the congestion situation indicator. The core network device can include a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), a policy and charging rules function (PCEF), a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN), a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF), an operation and maintenance (O&M) subsystem, an UPCON server, a proxy, or a standalone function entity.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon, the instructions which when executed by one or more processors perform the following:

identifying radio access network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) information (RUCI) at a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) in a core network (CN), wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes an access point name (APN) for which the RUCI is reported; and

performing, at the PCRF, a policy decision to reduce traffic at a RAN node using the RUCI based on a congestion level, an identifier of a user equipment (UE) impacted by the UPCON, and the access point name (APN) that is included in the RUCI.

2. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions which when executed by the one or more processors perform the following:

receiving the RUCI, at the PCRF, from an operations and maintenance (OAM) system via a functional element.

3. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes a congestion level for a particular evolved node B (eNB) or an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) cell impacted by the UPCON.

4. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes an the identifier for a user equipment (UE) the UE impacted by the UPCON.

5. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the PCRF that receives the RUCI serves a packet data network (PDN) connection for the UE that is impacted by the UPCON.

6. A policy and charging rules function (PCRF) configured to operate in an evolved packet core (EPC), the PCRF comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory device to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive radio access network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) information (RUCI) from an operations and maintenance (OAM) system via a functional element, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes an access point name (APN) for which the RUCI is reported; and

perform a policy decision based, in part, based on a congestion level, an identifier of a user equipment (UE) impacted by the UPCON, and the access point name (APN) that is included in the RUCI received at the PCRF in order to reduce traffic at a RAN node.

7. The PCRF of claim 6, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes a congestion level for a particular evolved node B (eNB) or an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) cell impacted by the UPCON.

8. The PCRF of claim 6, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes the identifier for the UE impacted by the UPCON.

9. The PCRF of claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

serve a packet data network (PDN) connection for the UE that is impacted by the UPCON.

10. A method for performing policy decisions based on user plane congestion (UPCON), the method comprising:

receiving radio access network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) information (RUCI) at a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) in a core network (CN), wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes an access point name (APN) for which the RUCI is reported; and

performing, at the PCRF, a policy decision for reducing traffic at a RAN node based based a congestion level, an identifier of a user equipment (UE) impacted by the UPCON, and the access point name (APN) that is included in the RUCI received at the PCRF.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the RUCI, at the PCRF, from an operations and maintenance (OAM) system via a functional element.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes a congestion level for a particular evolved node B (eNB) or an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) cell impacted by the UPCON.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the RUCI received at the PCRF includes the identifier for the UE impacted by the UPCON.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the PCRF that receives the RUCI serves a packet data network (PDN) connection for the UE that is impacted by the UPCON.

15. An evolved packet core (EPC) comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory device to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

identify radio access network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) information (RUCI), the RUCI including a congestion level for a particular evolved node B (eNB) or an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) cell impacted by the UPCON, an identifier for a user equipment (UE) impacted by the UPCON, and an access point name (APN) for which the RUCI is reported; and

perform a policy decision in order to reduce traffic at a RAN node, the policy decision being performed based on the congestion level, the identifier of the UE impacted by the UPCON, and the APN including in the RUCI.

16. The EPC of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive the RUCI from an operations and maintenance (OAM) system via a functional element.