User equipment, network device and method for accessing network system

• US 9,369,929 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Jixing, Guo, Yi, Hu, Shuhui
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane
• Application Number:
  US14/584,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20150133126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0865 of different Radio Access Technologies [RATs], e.g. LTE or WiFi
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for accessing s network system, including the following steps: receiving, by a first network device of a first network system, a measurement report of a second network system sent by a user equipment of the first network system; determining, by the first network device, a second network device in the second network system according to the measurement report; and sending, by the first network device, a bearer setup request to the second network device, for enabling the second network device to set up a connection with the user equipment. The present invention, by realizing aggregation between a two network systems, may dynamically schedule the resources of the two network systems according to loads of the two network systems, thereby provides load balancing with extremely high efficiency, and is capable of increase the peak data rate of the user effectively and remarkably.

Claims

1. A method for accessing network system, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a first network device of a first network system, a measurement report of a second network system sent by a user equipment of the first network system;

determining, by the first network device, a second network device in the second network system according to the measurement report; and

sending, by the first network device, a bearer setup request to the second network device through an interface X, for enabling the second network device to set up a cellular connection with the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement report comprises carrier information of the second network system, and the carrier information comprises carrier frequency information and carrier signal strength information or carrier signal quality information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining a second network device in the second network system comprises:

selecting, by the first network device, a network device corresponding to a carrier with strongest signal strength or best signal quality in the second network system as the second network device, according to the carrier information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after receiving the measurement report, the first network device determines whether a service is processed by the first network system, or processed by the second network system, or co-processed by the first network system and the second network system, according to a Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement of the service and carrying capacity or load situations of the first network system and the second network system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein when determining that the service is processed by the second network system, or co-processed by the first network system and the second network system, the first network device requests the second network device to set up a corresponding radio bearer for bearing the service according to the QoS requirement of the service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein after setting up the radio bearer, the first network device stores a mapping relation between the bearer set up for the first network system and/or the second network system and the service.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first network device sets up a bearer between the first network device and the second network device according to the radio bearer set up by the second network device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after setting up the bearer between the first network device and the second network device, the first network device determines whether the second network device quits a service related to the user equipment or modifies a beared service, according to a received latest measurement report and/or the QoS requirement of the service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein after setting up the connection with the user equipment by the second network device, the first network device receives a bearer setup response sent by the second network device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is an evolved access network and/or packet control function entity (eAN/ePCF), the first network system is an evolved high rate packet data (eHRPD) network system, the second network device is an evolved Node B (eNB), and the second network system is a long term evolution (LTE) network system.

11. A network device, configured to enable a user equipment to access to a core network of a first network system, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a measurement report of a second network system sent by the user equipment;

a processor, configured to find out a second network device of the second network system according to the measurement report; and

a sender, configured to send a bearer setup request to the second network device, for enabling the second network device to set up a connection with the user equipment;

wherein the bearer setup request comprises related information of the user equipment.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to, after the second network device sets up the connection with the user equipment, receive a bearer setup response message sent by the second network device.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to, after the second network device sets up the connection with the user equipment, for a service related to the user equipment, determine whether the service is processed by the first network system, or processed by the second network system, or co-processed by the first network system and the second network system, according to a Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirement of the service and carrying capacity or load situations of the first network system and the second network system.

14. The network device of claim 13, wherein:

the processor is configured to, when determining that the service is processed by the second network system, or co-processed by the first network system and the second network system, generate a second network system bearer setup request according to the QoS requirement of the service, for enabling the second network device to set up a corresponding radio bearer for bearing the service.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein:

the processor is further configured to, in accordance with the radio bearer set up by the second network device, set up a corresponding bearer between the network device and the second network device.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein:

the processor is further configured to, after setting up the bearer between the network device and the second network device, determine whether the second network device quits the service related to the user equipment or modifies the beared service, according to a received latest measurement report and/or the QoS requirement of the service.

17. A network device, located in a second network system, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive a bearer setup request from a first network device, wherein the bearer setup request comprises related information of a user equipment in a first network system; and

a processor, configured to set up a connection with the user equipment according to the related information of the user equipment, and set up a bearer used for bearing a service of the user equipment according to the bearer setup request.

18. The network device of claim 17, further comprising:

a sender, configured to send a bearer setup response to the first network device after the connection is set up.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the sender is further configured to send a paging message to the user equipment, for enabling the network device to set up a connection with the user equipment.

20. The network device of claim 19, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a bearer deactivation request or a bearer modification request sent by the first network device;

the processor disconnects or releases the connection with the user equipment according to the bearer deactivation request, and the processor modifies the bearer set up with the user equipment according to the bearer modification request.

21. The network device of claim 17, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a request message sent by the user equipment, and set up the connection with the user equipment.