Access control mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11160006-B2
Application number	US-201816499067-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2018
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) can include processing circuitry configured to decode system information including access barring parameters for one or more access categories for accessing a cell of a next generation Node-B (gNB). A network access attempt is detected by a control plane layer of the UE that is higher than a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. The processing circuitry map s, using a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer of the control plane, the network access attempt to at least one access category of a plurality of available access categories based on mapping rules. The processing circuitry performs an access barring check procedure for the mapped at least one access category based on the access barring parameters. Upon determining that access to the cell is not barred, a NAS message is encoded for transmission to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), e.g. an Attach Request message to perform an attach procedure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:
decode a plurality of operator defined access categories from one or more Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages that are higher in a protocol stack than a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer;
detect a network access attempt at the NAS layer of the UE;
after detecting the network access attempt, provide one operator-defined access category from the NAS layer of the UE to the RRC layer of the UE;
wherein the UE uses a policy to derive from the decoded operator-defined access categories the operator-defined access category that is provided from the NAS to the RRC layer of the UE;
subsequently, receive at the NAS layer of the UE indication that the network access attempt is not barred.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
upon determining that the network access attempt is not barred, encode a configuration message for transmission to a base station for configuration of an RRC connection and to perform a network access procedure corresponding to the network access attempt.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the network access attempt is due to one or more pending uplink user data packets.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
perform the access barring check procedure while the UE is in one of: an RRC Idle state, an RRC Connected state, or an RRC Inactive state.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operator-defined access categories are applicable to a plurality of UEs within a public land mobile network (PLMN) associated with a base station and to at least another UE for which the PLMN is not a Home PLMN (HPLMN).

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the policy is defined in the NAS protocol.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the policy defined in the NAS protocol is based on the one or more NAS messages.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more NAS messages provide one or more standardized access categories in addition to the operator-defined access categories.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the NAS layer of the Network is a 5G NAS layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the NAS layer of the UE is a 5G NAS layer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the RRC layer of the UE is a New Radio (NR) layer.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the NAS layer also provides an RRC establishment cause to the RRC layer.

13. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
wireless communication circuitry; and
at least one processor coupled to the wireless communication circuitry and configured to cause the UE to:
decode a plurality of operator-defined access categories from one or more Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages that are higher in a protocol stack than a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer;
detect a network access attempt at the NAS layer of the UE;
after detecting the network access attempt, provide one operator-defined access category from the NAS layer of the UE to the RRC layer of the UE;
wherein the UE uses a policy to derive from the decoded operator-defined access categories the operator-defined access category that is provided from the NAS to the RRC layer of the UE;
subsequently, receive at the NAS layer of the UE indication that the network access attempt is not barred.

14. The UE of claim 13 , wherein the policy is defined in the NAS protocol.

15. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the policy defined in the NAS protocol is based on the one or more NAS messages.

16. The UE of claim 13 , wherein the one or more NAS messages provide one or more standardized access categories in addition to the operator-defined access categories.

17. The UE of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
upon determining that the network access attempt is not barred, encode a configuration message for transmission to the base station for configuration of an RRC connection and to perform a network access procedure corresponding to the network access attempt.

18. The UE of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to cause the UE to:
perform the access barring check procedure while the UE is in one of: an RRC Idle state, an RRC Connected state, or an RRC Inactive state.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions executable by at least one processor of a user equipment (UE), wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to:
decode a plurality of operator-defined access categories from one or more Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages that are higher in a protocol stack than a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer;
detect a network access attempt at the NAS layer of the UE;
after detecting the network access attempt, provide one operator-defined access category from the NAS layer of the UE to the RRC layer of the UE;
wherein the UE uses a policy to derive from the decoded operator-defined access categories the operator-defined access category that is provided from the NAS to the RRC layer of the UE;
subsequently, receive at the NAS layer of the UE indication that the network access attempt is not barred.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the policy is defined in the NAS protocol.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zaus Robert
• Martinez Tarradell Marta
• Pinheiro Ana Lucia
• Palat Sudeep K
• Chin Chen-Ho
• Burbidge Richard C
• Stojanovski Alexandre Saso

Classifications

• H04W48/08

  Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery (signalling during connection H04W76/00) · CPC title

• H04W60/00

  Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration · CPC title

• H04W48/02 Primary

  Access restriction performed under specific conditions · CPC title

• H04W76/27

  Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title