Method and apparatus for establishing a PDN connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9843975-B2
Application number	US-201114000137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2011
Priority date	Feb 17, 2011
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A method for use in establishing a packet data network, PDN, connection from a user equipment or UE, to a 3GPP core network via a non-3GPP access network. The method comprises receiving at the non-3GPP access network a request to establish the PDN connection; communicating with the 3GPP core network to establish a tunnel for the PDN connection between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network and to assign an IP address for the tunnel, which tunnel IP address is used subsequently by the non-3GPP access network to distinguish between the new PDN connection tunnel and at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE, wherein the 3GPP core network is responsible for assigning the IP address, and sending address information from the non-3GPP access network to the 3GPP core network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for establishing a packet data network (PDN) connection from a user equipment (UE) to a 3GPP core network via a non-3GPP access network, the method comprising:
receiving, by the non-3GPP access network, a request to establish the PDN connection;
communicating, by the non-3GPP access network, with the 3GPP core network to establish a tunnel for the PDN connection between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network and to assign an internet protocol (IP) address for the tunnel, wherein
the non-3GPP access network distinguishes between the PDN connection tunnel and at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE based on the tunnel IP address, and
the 3GPP core network is responsible for assigning the IP address;

determining, by the non-3GPP access network, which IP addresses have been assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE;
determining, by the non-3GPP access network, address information comprising at least one IP address not to be assigned by the 3GPP core network to the PDN connection tunnel, said at least one IP address comprising the determined IP addresses assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE; and
sending, by the non-3GPP access network, the determined address information to the 3GPP core network as part of the communicating step, wherein the determined address information enables the 3GPP core network to assign an IP address for the PDN connection tunnel that does not clash with the determined IP addresses assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the determined address information further comprises at least one IP address from which the 3GPP core network chooses to assign to the tunnel, or at least information enabling the at least one IP address to be determined by the 3GPP core network.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising receiving, by the non-3GPP access network, a request to hand over an existing PDN connection for the UE from a 3GPP access network to the non-3GPP access network,
determining, by the non-3GPP access network, whether the IP address of the PDN connection being handed over clashes with an IP address already assigned to a PDN connection for the UE via the non-3GPP access network, and
establishing, by the non-3GPP access network, when a clash is not detected, a handed-over PDN connection via the non-3GPP access network using the IP address of the PDN connection being handed over.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein, when the clash is detected, the handover request is rejected.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein, when the clash is detected then: communicating, by the non-3gpp access network, with the 3GPP core network to establish a handed-over PDN connection via the non-3GPP access network without preservation of the IP address of the PDN connection being handed over.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the communicating step comprises sending, by the non-3GPP access network, address information to the 3GPP core network, the address information enabling the 3GPP core network to assign an IP address for the handed-over PDN connection that does not clash with an IP address already assigned to a PDN connection for the UE via the non-3GPP access network.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the steps performed by the non-3GPP access network are performed by a gateway node of the non-3GPP access network, and wherein the steps performed by the 3GPP core network are performed by a gateway node of the 3GPP network.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the non-3GPP access network is a BroadBand Forum (BBF) network.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the non-3GPP gateway node is a Border Network Gateway node of the BBF network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the 3GPP gateway node is a PDN Gateway node of the 3GPP core network.

11. An apparatus for establishing a packet data network (PDN)-connection from a user equipment (UE) to a 3GPP core network via a non-3GPP access network, the apparatus being for use at the non-3GPP access network and comprising
a processor,
a data storage coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a request to establish the PDN connection;
communicate with the 3GPP core network to establish a tunnel for the PDN connection between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network and to assign an internet protocol (IP) address for the tunnel, wherein
the non-3GPP access network to distinguish between the PDN connection tunnel and at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE based on the tunnel IP address, and
the 3GPP core network is responsible for assigning the IP address;

determine which IP addresses have been assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE;
determine address information comprising at least one IP address not to be assigned by the 3GPP core network to the PDN connection tunnel, said at least one IP address comprising the determined IP addresses assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE; and
send the determined address information to the 3GPP core network, wherein the address information enables the 3GPP core network to assign an IP address for the PDN connection tunnel that does not clash with the determined IP addresses assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE.

12. A method for establishing a packet data network (PDN)-connection from a user equipment (UE) to a 3GPP core network via a non-3GPP access network, the method comprising:
communicating, by the 3GPP core network, with the non-3GPP access network to establish a tunnel for the PDN connection between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network and to assign an internet protocol (IP) address for the tunnel, wherein
the non-3GPP access network distinguishes between the PDN connection tunnel and at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE based on the tunnel IP address, and
the 3GPP core network is responsible for assigning the IP address;

receiving, by the 3GPP core network, address information transmitted from the non-3GPP access network as part of the communicating step, wherein the received address information comprises at least one IP address not to be assigned by the 3GPP core network and enables the 3GPP core network to assign an IP address for the PDN connection tunnel that does not clash with IP addresses assigned to the at least one other such PDN connection tunnel already established for the UE; and
assigning, by the 3GPP access network, an IP address for the PDN connection tunnel between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network based on the received address information.

13. An apparatus for establishing a packet data network (PDN) connection from a user equipment (UE) to a 3GPP core network via a non-3GPP access network, the apparatus being for use at the 3GPP core network and comprising:
a processor, wherein the processor is configured to:
communicate with the non-3GPP access network to establish a tunnel for the PDN connection between the non-3GPP access network and the 3GPP core network and to assign an internet protocol (IP) address for the tunnel, wherein
the non-3GPP access network to distinguish between the PDN connection tunnel and at least one other such PDN connection tunnel

Assignees

• Roeland Dinand
• Qiang Zu
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Roeland Dinand
• Qiang Zu

Classifications

• H04W36/22 Primary

  for handling the traffic · CPC title

• H04W76/022

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/2015

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W36/14

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W36/0022

  for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies · CPC title