Communication method and apparatus in wireless communication system using satellite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11817889-B2
Application number	US-202117529831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2021
Priority date	Jun 25, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus in a wireless communication system are provided. The communication method includes identifying, by a first satellite including a session management function within a space core network (SCN), a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request from a UE, selecting, by the first satellite, a satellite gateway for communicating with a ground gateway, and requesting, by the first satellite, the satellite gateway to allocate a port number which is matched to identification information of a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user (GTP-U) tunnel to be used for transmission and reception of packets for a PDU session requested by the UE in a path between a satellite base station which the UE accesses and the satellite gateway, wherein the packets are transmitted or received to and from a terrestrial core network (TCN) by using address information which is converted based on the port number.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A satellite in a wireless communication system, the satellite comprising:
a transceiver; and
a processor configured to:
identify a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request from a user equipment (UE),
select a satellite gateway for communicating with a ground gateway, and
request, via the transceiver, the satellite gateway to allocate a port number which is matched to identification information of a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user (GTP-U) tunnel to be used for transmission and reception of packets for a PDU session requested by the UE in a path between a satellite base station which the UE accesses and the satellite gateway,

wherein the satellite includes a session management function within a space core network (SCN), and the packets are transmitted or received to and from a terrestrial core network (TCN) by using address information which is converted based on the port number.

2. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein a second GTP-U tunnel to be used in a path between the satellite gateway and the TCN is a persistent GTP-U tunnel to be shared by a plurality of UEs.

3. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
identify whether a separate delivery path is required in a path between the satellite gateway and the TCN for the requested PDU session, and
in case that the separate delivery path is required, select a separate GTP-U tunnel as the separate delivery path for the UE for the requested PDU session.

4. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive, from a second satellite including a mobility management function within the SCN, a request for modification of the first GTP-U tunnel for the PDU session, and
request the satellite gateway to allocate a port number which is matched to identification information of a modified GTP-U tunnel.

5. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
after the PDU session for the UE is established, receive, from a session management function (SMF) of the TCN, a data notification message in which first downlink data to be transmitted to the UE is piggybacked, and
buffer the received first downlink data, and deliver, to a satellite base station serving the UE which is identified via paging, the first downlink data.

6. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the PDU session is activated or deactivated based on mobility of the UE or mobility of the satellite.

7. A satellite gateway for communicating with a ground gateway in a wireless communication system, the satellite gateway comprising:
a transceiver; and
a processor configured to:
receive, from a first satellite including a session management function within a space core network (SCN) via the transceiver, an allocation request for a port number which is matched to identification information of a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user (GTP-U) tunnel to be used for transmission and reception of packets for a protocol data unit (PDU) session which is requested by a user equipment (UE),
allocate the port number which is matched to a first source internet protocol (IP) address which corresponds to the identification information of the first GTP-U tunnel, and

manage a matching table including information in which the identification information of the first GTP-U tunnel is matched to the port number,
wherein the first GTP-U tunnel is used in a path between a satellite base station which the UE accesses and the satellite gateway, and
wherein the packets are transmitted or received to and from a terrestrial core network (TCN) by using address information which is converted based on the port number.

8. The satellite gateway of claim 7 , wherein a second GTP-U tunnel to be used in a path between the satellite gateway and the TCN is a persistent GTP-U tunnel to be shared by a plurality of UEs.

9. The satellite gateway of claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
convert the first source IP address into a second source IP address including an IP address of the satellite gateway and the port number, and
based on the converted second source IP address, transmit, to the ground gateway, an uplink packet of the UE by using the persistent GTP-U tunnel.

10. The satellite gateway of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
convert the second source IP address including the port number into the first source IP address, and
based on the converted first source IP address, transmit the downlink packet to be transmitted to the UE by using the first GTP-U tunnel.

11. A communication method in a wireless communication system using at least one satellite, the method comprising:
identifying, by a first satellite including a session management function within a space core network (SCN), a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request from a user equipment (UE);
selecting, by the first satellite, a satellite gateway for communicating with a ground gateway; and
requesting, by the first satellite, the satellite gateway to allocate a port number which is matched to identification information of a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol-user (GTP-U) tunnel to be used for transmission or reception of packets for a PDU session requested by the UE in a path between a satellite base station which the UE accesses and the satellite gateway,
wherein the packets are transmitted or received to and from a terrestrial core network (TCN) by using address information which is converted based on the port number.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a second GTP-U tunnel to be used in a path between the satellite gateway and the TCN is a persistent GTP-U tunnel to be shared by a plurality of UEs.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selecting of the satellite gateway comprises:
identifying, by the first satellite, whether a separate delivery path is required in a path between the satellite gateway and the TCN for the requested PDU session; and
in case that the separate delivery path is required, selecting, by the first satellite, a separate GTP-U tunnel as the separate delivery path for the UE for the requested PDU session.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first satellite from a second satellite including a mobility management function within the SCN, a request for modification of the first GTP-U tunnel for the PDU session; and
requesting, by the first satellite, the satellite gateway to allocate a port number which is matched to identification information of a modified GTP-U tunnel.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
after the PDU session for the UE is established, receiving, by the first satellite from a session management function (SMF) of the TCN, a data notification message in which first downlink data to be transmitted to the UE is piggybacked; and
buffering, by the first satellite, the received first downlink data, and delivering, to a satellite base station serving the UE which is identified via paging, the first downlink data.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the PDU session is activated or deactivated based on mobility of the UE or mobility of the satellite.

17. A communication method in a wireless communication system using at least one satellite, the method comprising:
receiving, by a satellite gateway for communicating with a ground gateway from a first satellite including a session management function within a space core network (SCN), an allocation request for a port number which i

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Univ Korea Res & Bus Found

Inventors

• Song Seongkyu
• Kim Joonwoo
• Kim Taeyun
• Pack Sangheon
• Lee Jaewook
• Jung Jungsoo

Classifications

• H04B7/18513 Primary

  Transmission in a satellite or space-based system · CPC title

• H04W76/12 Primary

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W76/11

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W76/22

  Manipulation of transport tunnels · CPC title