Inter-access network handover

• US 9,872,216 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2014
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Aghvami, Abdol Hamid, Pangalos, Paul Anthony, Audsin, Dev Pragad
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Jutai
• Application Number:
  US14/479,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0044 of quality context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

In a wireless network environment comprising first and second packet-switched access networks, each access network using a tunnelling-type micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) routing protocol to route packet data to and from mobile nodes attached thereto, and each access network comprising an access router to which a mobile node may attach, a mobility agent with which said mobile node may register and a gateway, a method of facilitating network layer handover of said mobile node from said first access network to said second access network, said mobile node registered in said first access network with a serving mobility agent, which method comprises the steps of: said mobile node receiving a router advertisement from said second access network, which router advertisement comprises a network-layer address of a target mobility agent in said second access network with which said mobile node may register; and said mobile node forwarding said network-layer address to said serving mobility agent, whereby said serving mobility agent may communicate with said target mobility agent to facilitate network-layer handover of said mobile node to said second access network.

Claims

1. In a wireless network environment comprising first and second packet-switched access networks, each access network using a tunneling-type micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) routing protocol to route packet data to and from mobile nodes attached thereto, and each access network comprising an access router to which a mobile node may attach, a mobility agent with which said mobile node may register and a gateway, a method of facilitating network layer handover of said mobile node from said first access network to said second access network, said mobile node registered in said first access network with a serving mobility agent, which method comprises the steps of:

(a) said mobile node receiving a router advertisement from said second access network, which router advertisement comprises a network-layer address of a target mobility agent in said second access network with which said mobile node may register; and

(b) said mobile node forwarding said network-layer address to said serving mobility agent, whereby said serving mobility agent may communicate with said target mobility agent to facilitate network-layer handover of said mobile node to said second access network; and

(c) said mobile node transmitting an identifier with said router advertisement, which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks;

wherein following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, said mobile node initiates a handover at the network layer by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising said identifier with said router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks of said mobile node; and

wherein upon receipt of said registration message said target mobility agent uses said identifier to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises said mobile node forwarding said router advertisement substantially as received.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of said mobile node configuring said identifier as an on-link care-of address (LCoA) using data within said router advertisement, and forwarding said on-link care-of address to said serving mobility agent with said router advertisement.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of said serving mobility agent storing and forwarding said identifier to said target mobility agent.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of said first access network using said network-layer address to send handover data about ongoing session(s) of said mobile node to said second access network, upon receipt of which said second access network uses said data to perform at least a part of its admission procedure prior to handover of said mobile node.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said handover data comprises quality of service (QoS) context data useable by said target mobility agent to determine as part of said admission procedure whether or not said second access network is able to provide the same or a similar QoS to said ongoing session(s) of said mobile node.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of said target mobility agent initiating computation of at least one QoS route across said second access network for packet data of said ongoing session(s) of said mobile node.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein if said second access network has determined that it can meet QoS requirements of said ongoing session(s), either at the requested level or some other level, the method further comprises the step of establishing a temporary tunnel between said serving mobility agent and said target mobility agent, which temporary tunnel is useable to route packets arriving at said serving mobility agent intended for said mobile node to said target mobility agent.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, said serving mobility agent forwards packets addressed to said mobile node through said temporary tunnel to said target access network.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of said target access router storing said identifier for subsequent identification of said mobile node.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein messages sent by said mobile node to said serving mobility agent and to said target mobility agent comprise a local binding update message of a type according to HMIPv6, which message comprises a flag indicate to said mobility agents whether the message is a normal local binding update, a local binding update with a router advertisement or a local binding update following handover preparation.

12. A packet-switched wireless access network using a tunneling-type micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) routing protocol to route packet data to and from mobile nodes attached thereto, and which comprises an access router to which a mobile node may attach, a mobility agent with which said mobile node may register and a gateway, said mobile node registered in said packet-switched wireless access network with a serving mobility agent, said packet-switched wireless access network for facilitating network layer handover of said mobile node to another access network, and in which said serving mobility agent is configured to receive a network-layer address from said mobile node, which network layer address is of a target mobility agent in said other access network with which said mobile node may register, whereby said serving mobility agent may communicate with said target mobility agent using said network layer address to facilitate network-layer handover of said mobile node to said other access network, and in which said mobile node is configured to initiate handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising an identifier with a router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks of said mobile node, and in which said target mobility agent is configured to use said identifier upon receipt of said registration message to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

13. A router comprising a memory storing computer executable instructions that when executed enable the router to receive a network-layer address from a mobile node, which network-layer address is of a target mobility agent in another access network, whereby said router may communicate with said target mobility agent in said other access network to facilitate network-layer handover of said mobile node to said other access network, in which first network said mobile node is configured to initiate handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising an identifier with a router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks, and in which second network said target mobility agent is configured to use said identifier upon receipt of said registration message to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

14. A packet-switched wireless access network using a tunneling-type micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) routing protocol to route packet data to and from mobile nodes attached thereto, and which comprises an access router to which a mobile node may attach, a target mobility agent with which said mobile node may register and a gateway, which packet-switched wireless access network is configured to receive handover data from another access network about an ongoing session(s) of said mobile node in said other access network, and upon receipt to use said handover data to perform at least a part of its admission procedure prior to handover of said mobile node from said other access network;

and in which said serving mobility agent is configured to receive a network-layer address from said mobile node, which network layer address is of a target mobility agent in said other access network with which said mobile node may register, whereby said serving mobility agent may communicate with said target mobility agent using said network layer address; and

in which said mobile node is configured to initiate handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising an identifier with a router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks of said mobile node, and in which said target mobility agent is configured to use said identifier upon receipt of said registration message to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

15. A router comprising a memory storing computer executable instructions that when executed enable the router to receive handover data from another access network about an ongoing session(s) of a mobile node in a another access network, and upon receipt to use said handover data to perform at least a part of an admission procedure prior to handover of said mobile node from said other access network, in which first network said mobile node is configured to initiate handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to said target mobility agent a registration message comprising an identifier with a router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks, and in which second network said target mobility agent is configured to use said identifier upon receipt of said registration message to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

16. A mobile node comprising a memory storing computer executable instructions that when executed cause said mobile node to perform the following steps:

(a) determine whether each router advertisement it receives is from an access router in a first access network to which it is presently attached, or from a second access network different from said first;

(b) if from a second access network, to forward said router advertisement to a serving mobility agent in said first access network, and to initiate a handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to a target mobility agent in said second access network a registration message comprising an identifier with said router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks and is useable by said target mobility agent to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.

17. A method of manufacturing a mobile node, which method comprises the steps of storing in a memory of said mobile node computer executable instructions that when executed perform the steps of:

(a) determining whether each router advertisement it receives is from an access router in a first access network to which it is presently attached, or from a second access network different from said first;

if from a second access network, to forward said router advertisement to a serving mobility agent in said first access network, and to initiate a handover at the network layer, following handover of said mobile node at the physical and link layers, by sending to a target mobility agent in said second access network a registration message comprising an identifier with said router advertisement which identifier is useable to identify said mobile node in both said first and second access networks and is useable by said target mobility agent to look up pre-computed QoS route(s) stored for said mobile node.