Method for re-selecting a communication network

• US 9,749,923 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Institut Fokus, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gelsellschaft Zur Forderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pampu, Cornel, Zhou, Qing, Corici, Marius, Diez, Alberto, Magedanz, Thomas, Vingarzan, Dragos
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ko, Sithu
• Application Number:
  US13/631,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 370315, 370331, 370338, 370352, 455439
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for re-selecting a communication network. The method comprises receiving a network access request indicating a request to access to a communication network by a communication device, determining upon the basis of the network access request as to whether communication resources of the communication network are available for the communication device, and re-selecting another communication network for the communication device if the communication resources are not available for the communication device.

Claims

1. A method for re-selecting a second communication network, comprising:

establishing a session between a first communication network and a communication device;

receiving by a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) server, a network access request from the communication device, the network access request indicating a request to modify a parameter of the session established with the first communication network by the communication device;

based on the network access request, determining by the PCRF server, a policy decision on the modified parameter of the session;

sending by the PCRF server, an Access Reselection Request to an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) server with information on the modified parameter for the session;

determining by the ANDSF server according to the Access Reselection Request from the PCRF, whether communication resources of the first communication network are available for modifying the parameter of the session established with the communication device;

in response to determining by the ANDSF server that communication resources are not available, sending by the ANDSF server, a handover command to the communication device; and

re-selecting by the communication device, the second communication network according to the received handover command.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining that the communication resources are not available for the communication device is in response to determining that:

the communication resources provided by the first communication network are not sufficient to support the requested access to the first communication network,

the communication device is not authorized to access to the communication resources of the first communication network, or

the communication resources provided by the first communication network cannot be reserved for the first communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the re-selection of the second communication network comprises initiating a handover of the communication device to the second communication network.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting a network re-selection request to the communication device or to a network entity comprising a base station to initiate the network re-selection.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting information on the second communication network to the communication device or to a network entity comprising a base station or to any access point.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication resources comprise at least one of the following:

a data rate, a bandwidth, a communication channel, a communication frequency, or at least one quality of service parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is executed if a previous resource reservation has failed, or upon a change of a communication session.

8. A method for accessing a communication network, comprising:

establishing by a communication device a session with a first communication network;

transmitting by the communication device to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) server, a network access request towards the first communication network to modify a parameter of the session established with the first communication network;

based on the network access request, determining by the PCRF server, a policy decision on the modified parameter of the session;

sending by the PCRF server, an Access Reselection Request to an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) server with information on the modified parameter for the session;

determining by the ANDSF server according to the Access Reselection Request from the PCRF, whether communication resources of the first communication network are available for modifying the parameter of the session established with the communication device;

in response to determining by the ANDSF server that communication resources are not available, sending by the ANDSF server, a handover command to the communication device; and

receiving by the communication device, the handover command instructing the communication device to re-select a second communication network, in particular instructing that the communication device be handed-over to the second communication network; and

re-selecting by the communication device, the second communication network according to the received handover command.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network access request is transmitted by a policy control function of the communication device or of another network entity.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network re-selection is initiated by a policy control function of the communication device or of another network entity.

11. A network selector, comprising a server performing both Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) and Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF), the server further comprises:

a receiver configured to receive from a communication device a network access request, the network access request received via an established session with a first communication network, and the network access request indicating a request by the communication device to modify a parameter of the established session;

a resource controller based on the network access request, configured to determine a policy decision on the modified parameter of the session, and determine upon the basis of the network access request as to whether communication resources of the first communication network are available to reestablish the session with the new parameters for the communication device; and

a network controller configured to select a second communication network and send a handover command to the communication device for another network reselection, if the communication resources are not available for the communication device, wherein the second communication network is selected by the communication device in response to determining that the second communication network has the communication resources.

12. The network selector according to claim 11, wherein the network controller is configured to transmit a network re-selection request to the communication device to select the second communication network.