Device for providing hand-off quality of service of inter-access systems and method thereof

• US 7,894,815 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation, SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, KT Corporation, SK Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hyung-Sub, Kim, Won-Ik, Baek, Seung-Kwon, Lee, Bong-Ju, Song, Jae-Su, Shin, Yeon-Seung, Park, Ji-Soo, Kim, Soo-Chang, Choi, Sung-gu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US11/544,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370328-331, 455/436
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for providing a quality of service (QoS) of a hand-off between heterogeneous networks, and a method thereof. According to the present invention, the device includes a device for performing a QoS management function for each access system and a device for performing a QoS management function between heterogeneous access systems in a network including a plurality of interlocked access systems. The device for performing the QoS management function for each access system manages a user service session, a local QoS of the access system, and a QoS context of the service session. The device for performing the QoS management function between the heterogeneous access systems negotiates the QoS of the service session and manages the QoS context when the hand-off is performed between the heterogeneous access systems, and performs a QoS mapping operation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a quality of service (QoS) of a vertical hand-off operation of heterogeneous access systems, the apparatus comprising:

a QoS negotiation managing unit for negotiating the QoS according to a vertical hand-off request between a serving access system and a target access system of a terminal, wherein the serving access system and the target access system are heterogeneous access systems and the hand-off request is a request for a vertical hand-off for transferring the connection between the terminal and the serving access system to between the terminal and the target access system in order to provide a service provided from the serving access system through the target access system; and

an access system interface unit for requesting a QoS context for negotiating the QoS from the serving access system of the terminal in order to receive the requested QoS context, the QoS context being associated with QoS for the connection between the terminal and the serving access system established prior to the vertical hand-off, and for transmitting QoS information negotiated by the QoS negotiation managing unit to the target access system of the terminal for the connection transferred to between the terminal and the target access system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the QoS negotiation managing unit comprises:

a QoS mapping module for performing a QoS mapping operation by using the QoS context; and

a QoS negotiating module for negotiating the QoS based on session QoS information of a service that is provided to the terminal from the serving access system, and transmitting a QoS negotiation result to the target access system of the terminal to prepare the vertical hand-off.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the QoS negotiation module comprises:

a service context managing unit for requesting the QoS context from the serving access system to receive the QoS context;

a resource state checking unit for requesting from the target access system resource state information of the target access system based on the QoS context in order to receive the requested resource state information of the target access system; and

a hand-off preparing unit for transmitting the QoS negotiation result to the target access system to prepare the vertical hand-off between the serving access system and the target access system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the QoS context comprises QoS-related subscription information of a terminal user, and QoS information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the QoS mapping module generates a QoS parameter for each session based on a network congestion state, the QoS context, and the resource state information of the target access system.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a hand-off module interface unit for receiving a QoS negotiation request including the session QoS information, transmitting the QoS negotiation request to the QoS negotiation managing unit, and transmitting a QoS negotiation response including the QoS negotiation information, according to the hand-off request of the terminal.

7. An apparatus for managing a quality of service (QoS) for an individual access system of a plurality of heterogeneous access systems including a serving access system and a target access system in cooperation with a device for managing the QoS of a vertical hand-off for transferring the connection between a terminal and the serving access system to between the terminal and the target access system in order to provide the service provided from the serving access system through the target access system, the apparatus comprising:

an interface unit for performing an interface operation with the device for managing the QoS of a vertical hand-off operation between the heterogeneous access systems including the serving access system and the target access system, receiving a request for information for negotiating a vertical hand-off QoS, and transmitting a response to the request; and

a QoS controller for managing a service session and QoS information, interworking with the interface unit, and providing information requested by the device for managing the QoS of a vertical hand-off between the heterogeneous access systems including the serving access system and the target access system, the QoS information managed by the QoS controller being associated with QoS for the connection between the terminal and the serving access system established prior to the vertical hand-off.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the QoS controller comprises:

a session management module for managing a user service session and the QoS of the access system;

a QoS context management module for managing QoS-related subscription information and the QoS information; and

a resource management module for providing resource state information according to a request from the device for managing the QoS between the heterogeneous access systems by interworking with a resource management unit for managing resource allocation of the access system.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the session management module comprises:

a hand-off processor for performing a preliminary operation for the hand-off according to a QoS negotiation result received from the device for managing the QoS between the heterogeneous access systems;

a session connection management unit for performing a service session connection to the terminal by using the QoS negotiation result; and

a session release management unit for releasing a service session from the terminal according to the hand-off.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the QoS context management module comprises:

a QoS context storage unit for storing the QoS-related subscription information and the QoS information; and

a QoS context management unit for extracting corresponding information from the QoS context storage unit according to a request from the device for managing the QoS between the heterogeneous access systems.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the interface unit comprises:

a first interface unit for receiving a resource state information request for negotiating the hand-off QoS, transmitting a response to the request, receiving a negotiation result for the QoS for preparing the vertical hand-off, and transmitting a response to the negotiation result;

a second interface unit for receiving a hand-off response including a negotiated QoS for the vertical hand-off request received from the terminal; and

a third interface unit for receiving the vertical hand-off request from the terminal, transmitting the hand-off response including the negotiated QoS, and providing a service to the terminal.

12. An apparatus for providing a vertical hand-off quality of service (QoS) between heterogeneous access systems including a serving access system and a target access system in a network having a plurality of interworked access systems, the apparatus comprising:

a first QoS management unit for performing a local QoS management function for each access system; and

a second QoS management unit for performing a QoS management function according to a vertical hand-off between the serving access system and the target access system for transferring the connection from the serving access system to the target access system in order to provide the service provided from the serving access system through the target access system, the second QoS management unit performing the QoS management function according to the vertical hand-off using information requested and obtained from the first QoS management unit performing the local QoS management function.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first QoS management unit comprises:

a session management module for managing a user service session and a local QoS; and

a QoS context management module for managing QoS-related information of the service session.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the session QoS management unit comprises:

a QoS negotiation module for negotiating the QoS of a service session for the vertical hand-off between the serving access system and the target access system and managing a service context; and

a QoS mapping module for performing a QoS mapping operation according to the vertical hand-off between the serving access system and the target access system.

15. A method for managing a quality of service (QoS) of a vertical hand-off operation of heterogeneous access systems, comprising:

a) receiving a QoS negotiation request for a vertical hand-off between heterogeneous access systems for transferring the connection between a terminal and a serving access system to between the terminal and a target access system in order to provide a service provided from the serving access system through the target access system;

b) requesting for user information and access system information for negotiating a hand-off QoS from the serving access system and the target access system, and receiving the information, the information including information associated with QoS for the connection between the terminal and the serving access system established prior to the vertical hand-off;

c) negotiating the QoS of the vertical hand-off operation by using the information received in b); and

d) providing a QoS negotiation result to the target access system for the connection transferred to between the terminal and the target access system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein b) comprises:

i) requesting QoS information of a user requesting the vertical hand-off, from the serving access system, and receiving the QoS information; and

ii) requesting resource state information from the target access system based on the received QoS information, and receiving the resource state information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, in c), a QoS mapping operation between the access systems is performed by using the user QoS information and the resource state information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein d) comprises:

i) transmitting a QoS negotiation result to the target access system to prepare the vertical hand-off according to the QoS negotiation; and

ii) providing a profile of the negotiated QoS to perform the vertical hand-off between the access systems.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, in a), the QoS negotiation request having QoS information for each session is received.

20. A method for providing a quality of service (QoS) for each access system in order to perform a vertical hand-off between heterogeneous access systems for transferring the connection between a terminal and the serving access system to between the terminal and a target access system in order to provide the service provided from the serving access system through the target access system, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a QoS negotiation request for a vertical hand-off operation according to a vertical hand-off request from the terminal, by a serving access system;

b) transmitting user information according to a user information request for negotiating the QoS, the user information including information associated with QoS for the connection between the terminal and the serving access system established prior to the vertical hand-off;

c) receiving a vertical hand-off response according to a QoS negotiation based on the information transmitted in b); and

d) performing a service session release according to the vertical hand-off response.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, in b), QoS-related user subscription information and QoS information requests for negotiating the QoS according to the QoS negotiation request are received, and provided.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein a) comprises:

receiving a vertical hand-off request determined according to a terminal access system search process;

extracting information for searching an access system neighboring the terminal, and QoS parameter information of a service provided to the terminal; and

transmitting a QoS negotiation request including the extracted information according to the vertical hand-off request.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein b) comprises:

i) performing a channel cancellation and a registration cancellation of a service session connected to the terminal; and

ii) forwarding service traffic that has not been transmitted to the target access system to which the terminal performs a hand-off request.

24. A method for managing a quality of service (QoS) for each access system in order to perform a vertical hand-off between heterogeneous access systems for transferring the connection between the terminal and a serving access system to between the terminal and a target access system in order to provide a service provided from the serving access system through the target access system, the method comprising:

a) receiving an access system information request for negotiating a vertical hand-off QoS, and providing access system information, by the target access system;

b) receiving a hand-off QoS negotiation result obtained using QoS context associated with QoS for the connection between the terminal and the serving access system established prior to the vertical hand-off, and performing a preliminary operation for the vertical hand-off; and

c) connecting a service session between the terminal and the target access system by using the vertical hand-off QoS negotiation result, and providing the service provided from the serving access system through the target access system.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a) comprises:

i) receiving a resource state information request for negotiating the QoS; and

ii) determining whether a resource is allocated, based on user QoS-related subscription information and the QoS information in the resource state information request; and

iii) adding information determined in ii) to a response according to the resource state information request, and transmitting the response.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein, in b), processes including an address allocation process and an authentication process are performed to perform a service session connection according to the vertical hand-off.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein c) comprises:

i) performing the service session connection to the terminal; and

ii) adding service traffic that has not been transmitted and received from a serving access system of the terminal, and providing a service using the QoS negotiation result.