Method and apparatus for switching UPFs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12114222-B2
Application number	US-201917437611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2019
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

A method performed by a core network node of a wireless communications network having a first gNB and a second gNB, a wireless device, WD, is connected to the first gNB, and a first Packet Data Unit, PDU, session is established between the WD and a Data Network over a first User Plane Function, UPF. The method includes obtaining information regarding a predicted positional change indicating a new future position of the WD and selecting a second UPF which is more suitable than the first UPF for transmission of data between an application server and the WD for the new future position. The method includes triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, and in response to the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, triggering a first move of packet flows from the first PDU session to the second PDU session.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, performed by a core network node of a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network further comprising a first gNB and a second gNB, a wireless device, WD, is connected to the first gNB, and there is a first Packet Data Unit, PDU, session established between the WD and a Data Network, DN, over a first User Plane Function, UPF, the DN comprising an application server, AS, the method comprising:
obtaining information regarding a predicted positional change of the WD indicating a new future position of the WD;
selecting a second UPF which is more suitable than the first UPF for transmission of data between the application server and the WD for the new future position;
triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF including triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB, the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB including triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first gNB;
in response to the establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first qNB, facilitating a transfer of the second PDU session over the second UPF from the first qNB to the second gNB; and
in response to the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, triggering a first move of packet flows from the first PDU session to the second PDU session.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a handover indication; and
based on the receiving a handover indication, triggering a second move of packet flows from the first PDU session to the second PDU session.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF comprises instructing the WD to trigger establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first PDU session over the first UPF is via the first gNB, the method further comprising:
facilitating a transfer of the first PDU session over the first UPF from the first gNB to the second gNB.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering establishment of a second PDU session over the second UPF comprises indicating that the second PDU session over the second UPF should be via the gNB which provides a shortest packet transmission latency based on the predicted new position of the WD.

6. A method, performed by a Wireless Device, WD, connected to a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network comprising a core network node, a first gNB and a second gNB, the WD is connected to the first gNB, and there is a first Packet Data Unit, PDU, session established between the WD and a Data Network, DN, over a first User Plane Function, UPF, the DN comprising an application server, AS, the PDU session enabling transmission of data between the WD and the AS, the method comprising:
receiving an instruction to establish a second PDU session between the WD and the DN over a second UPF, the instruction being received in response to a predicted positional change of the WD indicating a new future position in which the second UPF is more suitable than the first UPF for transmission of data between the AS and the WD;
in response to the receiving, establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF between the WD and the DN, the establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF including establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB, the establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB including establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first gNB;
in response to the establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first qNB, transferring the second PDU session from the first qNB to the second gNB; and
in response to the establishing ( 304 ) the second PDU session over the second UPF between the WD and the DN, initiating a first move of packet flows from the first PDU session over the first UPF to the second PDU session over the second UPF.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving indication of a handover of the WD; and
based on the receiving indication of a handover, initiating a second move of packet flows from the first PDU session to the second PDU session.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
in response to the establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first gNB, transferring the first PDU session from the first gNB to the second gNB.

9. A method, performed by a first gNB of a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network further comprising a core network node and a second gNB, a WD is connected to the first gNB, and there is a first Packet Data Unit, PDU, session established between the WD and a Data Network, DN, over a first User Plane Function, UPF, the DN comprising the AS, the PDU session enabling transmission of data between the WD and the AS, the method comprising:
receiving a request for establishing a second PDU session over a second UPF, based on a predicted new position of the WD;
obtaining an indication that the second PDU session should be established via the most suitable gNB for the second UPF, the indication including an indication that the second PDU session should be via the qNB that has the shortest packet transmission delay for the predicted new position; and
based on the received indication and the received request, ensuring that the second PDU session is established via the second gNB.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:
selecting the second gNB as the most suitable gNB for establishing the second PDU session over the second UPF.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the indication comprises an indication that the second PDU session should be established via the second gNB.

12. A core network node operable in a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network comprising a first gNB and a second gNB, a wireless device, WD, is connected to the first gNB, and there is a first Packet Data Unit, PDU, session established between the WD and a Data Network, DN, over a first User Plane Function, UPF, the DN comprising an application server, the core network node comprising:
processing circuitry; and
a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, to configure the core network node for:
obtaining information regarding a predicted positional change of the WD indicating a new future position of the WD;
selecting a second UPF which is more suitable than the first UPF for transmission of data between the application server and the WD for the new future position;
triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF including triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB, the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the second qNB including triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first gNB;
in response to the establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF via the first qNB, facilitating a transfer of the second PDU session over the second UPF from the first qNB to the second gNB; and
in response to the triggering establishment of the second PDU session over the second UPF, trig

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Roeland Dinand
• Eriksson Göran
• Mildh Gunnar

Classifications

• H04W36/32 Primary

  by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data · CPC title

• H04W36/00837

  Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off · CPC title

• H04W36/324

  by mobility data, e.g. speed data · CPC title

• H04W36/008375

  based on historical data · CPC title

• H04W76/15 Primary

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title