Mobility management method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910485-B2
Application number	US-202117388980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A mobility management method and apparatus are provided, to flexibly switch a forwarding path, and ensure service continuity in a movement process of a terminal device. The method includes: A control plane network element determines a changed media access control address MAC address of a first terminal device after the first terminal device moves. Then, the control plane network element determines at least one second terminal device that belongs to a same terminal device group as the first terminal device, where the first terminal device is a terminal device whose address changes after the movement, and the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device other than the first terminal device in the terminal device group. Finally, the control plane network element notifies the first terminal device and the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobility management method, applied to a scenario in which a first terminal device moves, the method comprising:
determining, by a control plane network element, a changed media access control (MAC) address of the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves;
determining, by the control plane network element, at least one second terminal device that belongs to a terminal device group as the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device is a terminal device whose address changes after the movement, and the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device other than the first terminal device in the terminal device group; and
 notifying, by the control plane network element, the first terminal device and the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device, wherein notifying the first terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device comprises:
sending, by the control plane network element, first address update information to the first terminal device through a first device, wherein the first address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device, and the first device is one of a target access device serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, a target user plane function network element serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, and a target integrated device serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, wherein the target integrated device is a device in which an access device and a user plane function network element are integrated.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one second terminal device comprises:
querying, by the control plane network element from a group management function network element, member information of the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs, wherein the member information comprises identifiers of all terminal devices comprised in the terminal device group; and
determining, by the control plane network element, the at least one second terminal device based on the member information.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when a second terminal device in the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device that performs access by using a 3GPP network, notifying the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device comprises:
sending, by the control plane network element, second address update information to the second terminal device through an access device currently accessed by the second terminal device, wherein the second address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when a second terminal device in the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device that performs access by using a fixed network, notifying the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device comprises:
sending, by the control plane network element, third address update information to the second terminal device through a network exposure function network element, wherein the third address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein notifying the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device comprises:
sending, by the control plane network element, fourth address update information to a second terminal device in the at least one second terminal device through a second device, wherein the fourth address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device, and the second device is one of a user plane function network element currently accessed by the second terminal device, and an integrated device currently accessed by the second terminal device, wherein the integrated device is a device in which an access device and a user plane function network element are integrated.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
initiating, by the control plane network element, a procedure of releasing an original MAC address of the first terminal device, wherein the original MAC address of the first terminal device is a MAC address before the first terminal device moves.

7. A control plane network element, applied to a scenario in which a first terminal device moves, and comprising:
a processor, configured to:
determine a changed media access control (MAC) address of the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves; and
determine at least one second terminal device that belongs to a terminal device group as the first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device is a terminal device whose address changes after the movement, and the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device other than the first terminal device in the terminal device group; and

a transmitter, configured to, in coordination with the processor notify the first terminal device and the at least one second terminal device to update to the changed MAC address of the first terminal device, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:
send first address update information to the first terminal device through a first device, wherein the first address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device, and the first device is one of a target access device serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, a target user plane function network element serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, and a target integrated device serving the first terminal device after the first terminal device moves, wherein the target integrated device is a device in which an access device and a user plane function network element are integrated.

8. The control plane network element according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
query, from a group management function network element, member information of the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs, wherein the member information comprises identifiers of all terminal devices comprised in the terminal device group; and
determine the at least one second terminal device based on the member information.

9. The control plane network element according to claim 7 , wherein when a second terminal device in the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device that performs access by using a 3GPP network, the transmitter is specifically configured to:
send second address update information to the second terminal device through an access device currently accessed by the second terminal device, wherein the second address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device.

10. The control plane network element according to claim 7 , wherein when a second terminal device in the at least one second terminal device is a terminal device that performs access by using a fixed network, the transmitter is specifically configured to:
send third address update information to the second terminal device through a network exposure function network element, wherein the third address update information comprises the changed MAC address of the first terminal device.

11. The control plane network element according to claim 7 , wherein the transmitter is specifically configured to:
send fourth address update informa

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xu Changchun
• Lin Bo
• Wang Yan
• Li Shikun

Classifications

• H04W8/30 Primary

  Network data restoration; {Network data reliability; Network data fault tolerance} · CPC title

• H04W8/12

  between location registers or mobility servers · CPC title

• H04W40/36

  due to handover · CPC title

• H04W80/02

  Data link layer protocols · CPC title

• H04W36/10 Primary

  Reselecting an access point controller · CPC title