CN103379555B

CN103379555B - A kind of communication system, apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: CN103379555B
Application number: CN201210135000.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张娟; 周燕飞; 毕海
Original assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Current assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT; Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-04-28
Filing date: 2012-04-28
Publication date: 2016-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-04-28
Also published as: WO2013159605A1; CN103379555A

Abstract

The invention discloses a kind of communication system, apparatus and method, in order to realize communicating by letter of LGW and PCRF in local network, distribute realizing PCC based on this system, for LIPA or the SIPTO carrying dynamic assignment PCC strategy of UE request, meet different business demands. This system comprises local gateway LGW and strategy and charging rule functions PCRF, also comprises tactful cohesively managed gateway PAMGW; Described PAMGW, for receive the message of described LGW by the first interface being connected with described LGW, be sent to described PCRF by the second interface being connected with PCRF described at least one, and receive the message of described PCRF by described the second interface, and be sent to described LGW by described first interface. The present invention discloses a kind of PCC management system and method.

Description

Communication system, device and method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication system, apparatus, and method.

Background

In a local network deployment scenario, a User Equipment (UE) may access a local network associated with a home base station through the home base station, and this technology is called local IP access (LIPA). The local network includes a home network, an enterprise network, and the like. The UE can also access the Internet directly through the home base station system, and this technique is called selected IP traffic offload (SIPTO).

In the stage of third generation mobile communication standardization organization (3GPP) R10, the LIPA technology that the UE accesses the local network through the home base station is implemented, and after the UE accesses the home base station, data directly accesses the local network through a Local Gateway (LGW) without passing through a core network. The LGW implements part of the functionality of a packet data network gateway (PGW) from the control plane and the user plane, but is relatively simple to implement with respect to the PGW since the LGW is located in the home network and not in a network entity located in the 3GPP operator.

In addition, 3GPP is also discussing a method that is expected to realize that a UE establishes a SIPTO connection through a home base station using the LIPA architecture

Currently, protocols support an interface between a PGW and a PCRF (policy and charging rules function), which may dynamically send quality of service (QOS) control policies to the PGW for Packet Data Network (PDN) connections to the PGW.

Fig. 1 shows an LIPA architecture at stage R10, if a UE establishes a normal bearer connection to a core network, a data plane path is from the UE to an (evolved) home base station (h (e) NB) through a Uu interface, to a serving gateway (ServingGW, SGW) through an S1-U interface, to a PGW through an S5 interface, and to a visited network through an SGi interface of the PGW. Wherein H (e) NB is connected to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) via an S1-MME interface, and the MME is connected to the SGW via an S11 interface. However, if the UE establishes the LIPA connection, the data plane path is from the UE to the h (e) NB, and then accesses the local network through the SGi interface of the LGW without passing through the functional entity of the core network.

The LGW may implement a part of the functions of the PGW in the local network, such as IP address allocation. Stage R10 for simplicity, LGW and h (e) NB are implemented on the same physical entity (i.e., co-located). However, the LGW does not support an interface between the PCRF and the LGW, and cannot communicate with the PCRF.

Therefore, the local network does not support a dynamic Policy Control and Charging (PCC) allocation procedure, and when the UE initiates an LIPA dedicated bearer establishment procedure or initiates a QoS modification for the LIPA bearer, the procedure may be rejected by the network.

The 3GPP subsequently discusses a LIPA subsequent evolution architecture and a SIPTO architecture accessed through a home base station, as shown in fig. 2, compared to the LIPA architecture of stage R10, the main difference is that LGW and h (e) NB are implemented (i.e. separated) on different physical entities, and the LGW and h (e) NB are connected through an Sxx interface to better support service continuity when the UE moves. Wherein, the LGW is connected to the SGW through an S5 interface, h (e) the NB is connected to the SGW through an S1-U interface, and is connected to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) through an S1-MME interface, and the MME and the SGW are connected through an S11 interface. In case the LGW is connected to the SGW via a security gateway (SecurityGW, SeGW), h (e) NB is connected to the SGW and MME via the SeGW and an (evolved) home base station gateway (h (e) NBGW). However, the evolved LIPA/SIPTO architecture does not support the interface between the PCRF and the LGW, does not yet implement the dynamic QOS control process for the LIPA/SIPTO bearers, and does not support the establishment of the LIPA/SIPTO dedicated bearers and QOS modification for the LIPA/SIPTO bearers.

This means that all services accessed via LIPA/SIPTO must use the same default QoS (defaultqos) value, which is stored in the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) as subscription information, and the UE is obtained from the HSS by the MME at the time of attachment, and the default QoS value of subscription is a non-guaranteed bit rate (non-gbr) bearer, which cannot guarantee the requirement of real-time services. Meanwhile, with the increase of user requirements, for example, a user may need to access a printer at home through the LIPA method, and may also access a movie repository of a notebook at home through a mobile phone to implement online video of the mobile phone, and the like. If the service is provided by adopting the default QoS value signed by the user, the QoS requirement of the service can not be met obviously.

It can be seen that with the development of network applications, when a user initiates different services through a home base station using LIPA/SIPTO connection, the network is required to be able to provide different QoS control for these services. First, it is necessary to implement communication between the LGW and the PCRF in the local network, and then implement dynamic PCC allocation based on the communication between the LGW and the PCRF.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a communication system, a device and a method, which are used for realizing the communication between an LGW and a PCRF in a local network, realizing PCC allocation based on the system, dynamically allocating PCC strategies for an LIPA or SIPTO bearer requested by UE and meeting different service requirements.

The embodiment of the invention provides the following specific technical scheme:

a communication system comprises a local gateway LGW, a policy and charging rule function PCRF and a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW;

the PAMGW is used for receiving the information of the LGW through a first interface connected with the LGW, sending the information to the PCRF through a second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receiving the information of the PCRF through the second interface and sending the information to the LGW through the first interface.

A communication system comprises a local gateway LGW, a policy and charging rule function PCRF, a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW and a security gateway SeGW;

the SeGW is configured to determine, after receiving a message of the LGW, an interface identifier of a first interface corresponding to an interface identifier of the LGW that sends the message according to a correspondence between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface of the pamw, and send the received message to the pamw through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier; and after receiving a message of the PCRF sent by the pamw through the first interface, determining an interface identifier of the LGW corresponding to the first interface sending the message according to a correspondence between the interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface of the pamw, and sending the received message to the corresponding LGW through the determined interface identifier;

the PAMGW is used for receiving the information of the LGW through a first interface connected with the SeGW, sending the information to the PCRF through a second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receiving the information of the PCRF through the second interface and sending the information to the SeGW through the first interface.

A method of communication, comprising:

a Policy Aggregation Management Gateway (PAMGW) receives a message of an LGW through a first interface of the PAMGW and sends the message of the LGW to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) through a second interface of the PAMGW, wherein the second interface is connected with the PCRF;

and the PAMGW receives the message of the PCRF through the second interface and sends the message of the PCRF to the LGW through the first interface.

A policy aggregation management gateway, PAMGW, comprising:

the first interface is connected with the LGW and used for receiving the information of the LGW and sending the information of the PCRF to the LGW;

and the second interface is connected with at least one PCRF and used for sending the information of the LGW to the PCRF and receiving the information of the PCRF.

A PCC management system comprises a local gateway LGW, a policy and charging rule function PCRF and a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW;

the PAMGW is configured to receive a PCC assignment request message of the LGW through a first interface connected to the LGW, send the PCC assignment request message to the PCRF through a second interface connected to the at least one PCRF, receive a message carrying an assigned PCC policy of the PCRF through the second interface, and send the message to the LGW through the first interface.

A PCC management system comprises a local gateway LGW and a policy and charging rule function PCRF, and also comprises a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW and a security gateway SeGW;

the SeGW is configured to determine, after receiving a PCC assignment request message from the LGW, an interface identifier of a first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW that sends the PCC assignment request message according to a correspondence between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface of the pamw, and send the received PCC assignment request message to the pamw through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier; and after receiving a message carrying the assigned PCC policy from the PCRF over the first interface, the pamw determines, according to a correspondence between an interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface of the pamw, an interface identifier of the LGW corresponding to the first interface through which the message carrying the assigned PCC policy is sent, and sends the received message carrying the assigned PCC policy to the corresponding LGW through the determined interface identifier;

the PAMGW is configured to receive, through a first interface connected to the SeGW, a PCC assignment request message of the LGW, send, through a second interface connected to at least one PCRF, the PCRF, and receive, through the second interface, a message carrying an assigned PCC policy of the PCRF, and send, through the first interface, the message to the SeGW.

A PCC management method, comprising:

a Policy Aggregation Management Gateway (PAMGW) receives a PCC allocation request message of an LGW through a first interface of the PAMGW and sends the PCC allocation request message to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) through a second interface of the PAMGW, wherein the second interface is connected with the PCRF;

and the PAMGW receives the message carrying the allocated PCC policy from the PCRF through the second interface, and sends the message carrying the allocated PCC policy to the LGW through the first interface.

Based on the technical scheme, in the embodiment of the invention, the PAMGW is arranged between the LGW and the PCRF, the PAMGW receives the message of the LGW through the first interface connected with the LGW, sends the message to the PCRF through the second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receives the message of the PCRF through the second interface, and sends the message to the LGW through the first interface, so that the LGW and the PCRF can perform signaling interaction, and an architecture for realizing the communication between the LGW and the PCRF is provided for a local network.

Based on the system architecture provided by the embodiment, a request process about PCC policy allocation between the LGW and the PCRF is realized, dynamic PCC allocation is realized, and a PCC policy can be dynamically allocated for a LIPA or SIPTO bearer requested by the UE, so as to meet different service requirements.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating LIPA architecture at stage R10 in the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art LIPA architecture for subsequent evolution;

FIG. 3 is a system architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of PAMGW in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a flowchart illustrating a PCC management method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating establishment of a LIPA/SIPTTOPDN connection according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating establishment of a LIPA/SIPTO bearer according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention for performing LIPA/SIPTO bearer modification;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating establishment of a LIPA/SIPTTOPDN connection according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating establishment of a LIPA/SIPTO bearer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to enable communication between the LGW and the PCRF in the local network to enable dynamic PCC allocation through communication between the LGW and the PCRF, PCC policies are dynamically allocated for LIPA or SIPTO bearers requested by the UE such that different traffic using the LIPA/SIPTO connection uses different QoS bearers to communicate data, the local network also needs to establish an interface connection with an entity (i.e. the PCRF) deploying the dynamic PCC architecture.

The PCRF is used as a policy decision entity to generate PCC policies such as QoS policies.

In the macro network, the PGW executes a policy and charging enforcement function pcef (policy and charging enforcement function), and mainly executes functions of service data flow discovery (such as service data flow discovery, service data flow discovery), QoS mapping, charging, and the like. And the PCRF sends the generated PCC policy to the PGW.

Unlike PGWs, LGWs are deployed by a home (or business) together with an operator, typically inside the home (or business). If H (e) NB is collocated with the LGW, then a family that deploys H (e) NB will have one LGW at a time. With the evolution of the LIPA architecture, after h (e) NB and LGW are allowed to be separated, one LGW can be used by the same residential building or the same enterprise.

At present, an interface between an LGW and a PCRF is not supported in an LIPA architecture, communication cannot be performed between a PGW and the PCRF, and the number of LGWs is huge compared with the number of PGWs in a network, so that even if the PGW and the PCRF can be directly connected, the impact of directly connecting a large number of LGWs to the PCRF on the PCRF is very large, and the management is also very complicated.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a communication system for implementing communication between an LGW and a PCRF.

And, based on the communication system, further provides a PCC management system for the local network, to manage the split bearer of the local network, support the dynamic PCC policy distribution of the bearer connection using LIPA/SIPTO transport, and implement the bearer QoS control in the LIPA/SIPTO system.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication system, which includes a Local Gateway (LGW), a PCRF (policy and charging rules function), and a Policy Aggregation Management Gateway (PAMGW).

The PAMGW is used for receiving the information of the LGW through a first interface connected with the LGW, sending the information to the PCRF through a second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receiving the information of the PCRF through a second interface and sending the information to the LGW through the first interface.

In the system, PAMGW is used as an interface, and is respectively connected with the LGW and at least one PCRF, and is used for signaling interaction between the PCRF and the LGW.

In this system, the HeNB may be located in the same physical entity as the LGW, or may be located in a different physical entity from the LGW (fig. 3 shows only the logical interface between h (e) NB and LGW is not an actual interface).

In one specific implementation, PAMGW has at least one first interface, each first interface connecting to one LGW.

The pamw is specifically configured to: determining a second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the LGW message according to the corresponding relation between the preset interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface, sending the LGW message to the PCRF through the determined second interface, determining a first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the PCRF message according to the corresponding relation, and sending the PCRF message to the LGW through the determined first interface.

In the implementation mode, a plurality of LGWs are connected with the PCRF through one PAMGW, so that the number of the PAMGWs connected with the PCRF can be reduced.

Wherein the LGW may be directly connected to the first interface of the PAMGW.

For simplicity of implementation, one LGW is connected to only one PAMGW at a time. Namely, one LGW can only perform signaling interaction with the PCRF through one PAMGW.

Preferably, one LGW may be connected with at least two pamws, thereby sharing the load of pamws.

Preferably, when one LGW connects a plurality of pamws, the LGW performs a selection function of pamws.

The LGW executing selection function may select and determine pamw according to static configuration information, or may select and determine pamw according to a query result returned by the network side.

In a specific implementation, the LGW determines, according to a correspondence between pre-configured indication information of the user terminal and the PAMGW identifier, a PAMGW identifier corresponding to the indication information of the user terminal, sends a message to the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier, and receives a message of the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier.

In practical applications, the indication information may be an Access Point Name (APN), a PGW identifier, and the like.

For example, the LGW determines a pamw identifier corresponding to an APN requested by the user terminal according to a pre-configured correspondence between the APN and the pamw identifier; or, the LGW determines, according to a pre-configured correspondence between the PGW identifier of the user terminal and the pamw identifier, the identifier of the pamw corresponding to the PGW requested by the user terminal.

In another specific implementation, the LGW receives a PAMGW address obtained by a Domain Name Server (DNS) query, and sends a message to a PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address, and receives a message of a PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address.

Specifically, the LGW obtains a pamw address by querying a DNS server set in the network, a corresponding relationship between indication information and a pamw identifier is configured in the DNS server, the LGW sends a query request to the DNS server, the query request carries the indication information, the indication information may be an APN, a PGW identifier, and the like requested by the user terminal, the DNS server searches for the pamw address corresponding to the indication information carried in the request according to the configured corresponding relationship, and carries the pamw address in a query result and returns the pamw address to the LGW.

For example, in a specific implementation, the LGW may perform a pamw selection function in many ways, and the LGW may be used in the present invention as long as the purpose of determining the pamw currently used by the LGW is achieved.

The PAMGW is further configured to send, through the second interface, a message of different connection requests of the same user terminal, received by the first interface, to the PCRF specified by the LGW.

Specifically, the LGW specifies the PCRF, and the LGW may specify the same PCRF for different connection requests for the same ue, or specify different PCRFs for different types of connection requests for the same ue. And the PAMGW sends the message of the LGW to the appointed PCRF according to the appointed PCRF identifier carried in the message sent by the LGW.

In practical application, the PAMGW may also send a message sent by the LGW to each PCRF connected to the second interface of the determined PAMGW, and the PCRF parses the identifier of the designated PCRF carried in the message, and performs PCC policy allocation when determining that the identifier of the designated PCRF is the identifier of the PCRF.

Specifically, the LGW message is a PCC allocation request message, and the PCRF message is a message carrying the allocated PCC policy. Wherein the PCC allocation request and the allocated PCC policy are used for establishment of LIPA or SIPTO connections, binding or modification of bearers in the local network.

In practical application, as long as two entities deploy the same protocol stack, messages between the two entities can be analyzed, in the existing system, the PGW and the PCRF can analyze messages between themselves, the LGW inherits most of functions of the PGW, and the LGW and the PCRF can analyze messages between themselves only by adding the protocol stack the same as the PGW in the LGW.

In another communication system provided by the present invention, further comprising a security gateway (SeGW), the LGW is connected to the first interface of the pamw via the SeGW.

Specifically, the SeGW is configured to, after receiving the LGW message, determine, according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface, an interface identifier of the first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW that sends the message, and send the received message to the pamw through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier; after receiving the message of the PCRF sent by the pamw through the first interface, determining the interface identifier of the LGW corresponding to the first interface for sending the message according to the corresponding relationship between the interface identifier of the LGW and the interface identifier of the first interface of the pamw, and sending the received message to the corresponding LGW through the determined interface identifier;

In practice, if a security gateway is deployed in the network, the security gateway belongs to the mobile operator network and does not belong to a node of the home network.

Wherein, one LGW can be connected with at least two PAMGWs after passing through the SeGW. The interface identification of the first interface of each PAMGW is different.

Based on the system architecture same as that shown in fig. 3, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a PCC management system, where an implementation principle of the PCC management system is the same as that of the communication system, and reference may be specifically made to the description of the communication system, and repeated descriptions are omitted, where the PCC management system includes an LGW, a PCRF, and a PAMGW, where,

the PAMGW is used for receiving a PCC allocation request message of the LGW through a first interface connected with the LGW, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PCRF through a second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receiving a message carrying an allocated PCC policy of the PCRF through the second interface, and sending the message to the LGW through the first interface.

Wherein, PAMGW has at least one first interface, each first interface is connected with one LGW;

PAMGW is specifically configured to:

determining a second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the PCC allocation request message according to the corresponding relation between the preset interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PCRF through the second interface, determining a first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the message carrying the allocated PCC policy according to the corresponding relation, and sending the message carrying the allocated PCC policy to the LGW through the first interface.

Preferably, one LGW is connected with at least two pamws;

LGW is also used for:

after receiving a PCC allocation request message of a user terminal, determining a PAMGW identifier corresponding to indication information carried in the PCC allocation request message according to a corresponding relation between the pre-configured indication information of the user terminal and the PAMGW identifier, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier, and receiving a message which is sent by the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier and carries an allocated PCC strategy;

or,

receiving a PAMGW address acquired through DNS inquiry, sending a PCC allocation request message to PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address, and receiving a message carrying an allocated PCC policy sent by the PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address.

Specifically, PAMGW is configured to determine, according to a correspondence between a preset PCRF identifier and an interface identifier of a second interface, the second interface corresponding to the identifier of the PCRF specified by the LGW, and send, through the determined second interface, a PCC assignment request message of different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the specified PCRF.

Wherein the PCC allocation request and the allocated PCC policy are used for establishment of LIPA or SIPTO connections, binding or modification of bearers in the local network.

Based on the system architecture same as that shown in fig. 3, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a PCC management system, where the system further includes a security gateway, and a specific implementation principle of the security gateway is the same as that of the PCC management system, and reference may be made to the description of the PCC management system specifically, and repeated details are not described here, where,

the SeGW is used for determining an interface identifier of a first interface corresponding to an interface identifier of the LGW for sending the PCC allocation request message according to a corresponding relation between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and the interface identifier of the first interface of the PAMGW after receiving the PCC allocation request message of the LGW, and sending the received PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier; and after receiving a message carrying the assigned PCC policy from the PCRF over the first interface, the PAMGW determines, according to a correspondence between an interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface of the PAMGW, an interface identifier of the LGW corresponding to the first interface through which the message carrying the assigned PCC policy is sent, and sends the received message carrying the assigned PCC policy to the corresponding LGW through the determined interface identifier;

the PAMGW is used for receiving a PCC allocation request message of the LGW through a first interface connected with the SeGW, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PCRF through a second interface connected with at least one PCRF, receiving a message carrying an allocated PCC policy of the PCRF through the second interface, and sending the message to the SeGW through the first interface.

As shown in fig. 4, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a pamw, the operation principle of the pamw is the same as the operation principle of the pamw in the system, and in particular, refer to the description in the system, the pamw has a first interface 401 connected to the LGW, and a second interface 402 connected to at least one PCRF, wherein,

and the second interface is connected with at least one PCRF and used for sending the message of the LGW to the PCRF and receiving the message of the PCRF.

Wherein, PAMGW may also comprise a plurality of first interfaces or a plurality of second interfaces,

specifically, the PAMGW further includes a determining unit 403, configured to determine, according to a correspondence between an interface identifier of a preset first interface and an interface identifier of a second interface, the second interface corresponding to the first interface that receives the LGW message, and determine, according to the correspondence, the first interface corresponding to the second interface that receives the PCRF message.

The LGW message is a PCC allocation request message, and the PCRF message is a message carrying the allocated PCC policy. The PCC allocation request and the allocated PCC policy are used for establishment of LIPA or SIPTO connections, binding or modification of bearers in the local network.

Based on the system architecture, as shown in fig. 5A, in the embodiment of the present invention, a communication method is further provided, an implementation principle of the method is the same as that of the communication system, and reference may be specifically made to the description of the system, and repeated details are not described again, and the method mainly includes the following steps:

step 501: PAMGW receives the message of LGW through a first interface and sends the message of LGW to PCRF through a second interface, wherein the second interface is connected with at least one PCRF;

step 502: PAMGW receives the PCRF message through the second interface and sends the PCRF message to LGW through the first interface.

Wherein PAMGW may have at least one first interface (two or more) each connected to one LGW.

Specifically, when the PAMGW specifies a plurality of first interfaces or a plurality of second interfaces, the PAMGW determines, according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the first interface and an interface identifier of the second interface, the second interface corresponding to the first interface that receives the LGW message, and sends the LGW message to the PCRF through the determined second interface.

Similarly, the pamw determines a first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the message of the PCRF according to a preset corresponding relationship between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface, and the pamw sends the message of the PCRF to the LGW through the determined first interface.

Optionally, when the LGW is connected to the first interface of the pamw via the SeGW, the pamw receives, through the first interface thereof, a message sent by the LGW via the SeGW, wherein the SeGW determines, according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface, an interface identifier of the first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW that sends the message, and sends the received message to the pamw through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier.

Specifically, PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the identifier of the PCRF specified by the LGW according to a correspondence between a preset PCRF identifier and an interface identifier of the second interface, and sends a message of different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the PCRF specified by the LGW through the determined second interface.

Wherein, the LGW message is a PCC allocation request message; the message of the PCRF is a message carrying the distributed PCC policy. The PCC allocation request and the allocated PCC policy are used for establishment of LIPA or SIPTO connections, binding or modification of bearers in the local network.

Similarly, based on the system architecture, as shown in fig. 5B, in the embodiment of the present invention, a PCC management method is further provided, an implementation principle of the method is the same as that of the PCC management system, and reference may be specifically made to the description of the system, and repeated details are not described again, where the method mainly includes the following steps:

step 510: PAMGW receives PCC allocation request message of LGW through a first interface and sends the PCC allocation request message to PCRF through a second interface, wherein the second interface is connected with at least one policy and charging rules function PCRF.

Step 520: and the PAMGW receives the message carrying the distributed PCC strategy from the PCRF through the second interface of the PAMGW and sends the message carrying the distributed PCC strategy to the LGW through the first interface of the PAMGW.

Before the pamw sends the PCC assignment request message to the PCRF through the second interface thereof, the pamw determines the second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the PCC assignment request message according to the preset corresponding relationship between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

Before the pamw sends the message carrying the allocated PCC policy of the PCRF to the LGW through the first interface of the pamw, the pamw determines the first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the message carrying the allocated PCC policy according to the preset corresponding relationship between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

Specifically, pamw receives, through a first interface thereof, a PCC assignment request message sent by an LGW via a security gateway SeGW, where the SeGW determines, according to a correspondence between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and an interface identifier of the first interface, the interface identifier of the first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW that sends the PCC assignment request message, and sends the received PCC assignment request message to pamw through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier.

The PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the identity of the PCRF specified by the LGW according to the corresponding relation between the preset PCRF identity and the interface identity of the second interface, and sends the PCC allocation request message of different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the PCRF specified by the LGW through the determined second interface.

In practical applications, the SGW and the LGW may be connected using GTP (GPRS tunneling protocol) or Proxy Mobile IP (PMIP). These two cases will be described in detail below with reference to specific examples.

In the first case: the following describes in detail the case of using GTP for connection between SGW and LGW with reference to the first to third embodiments.

In the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, a specific procedure for establishing a LIPA or SIPTO Packet Data Network (PDN) connection is as follows:

step 601: the UE initiates an attach PDN connection establishment message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the MME detects and determines that the attach PDN connection establishment message belongs to a LIPA or SPTO connection establishment request.

Step 602: the MME selects the LGW of the UE as a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDNGW) corresponding to an LIPA Access Point Name (APN), and after the MME initiates a session establishment process to the SGW, the SGW initiates a session establishment request to the LGW.

In the prior art, after receiving a session establishment request of an SGW, an LGW allocates a user plane tunnel address and a port number for establishing connection between the LGW and an h (e) NB, and carries the user plane tunnel address and the port number in a response message and returns the response message to the SGW, after the SGW sends the response message to an MME, the MME acquires subscription information of a UE from an HSS and sends the response message to the UE (NAS layer), the response message carries the user plane tunnel address, the port number and subscription information of the UE, the subscription information contains default QoS values signed by different APNs, and the MME notifies the h (e) NB of the user plane tunnel address, the port number and the subscription information of the UE, so that a direct tunnel between the LGW and the h (e) NB can be successfully established.

In this embodiment, after receiving the message of the session establishment request from the SGW, the LGW adds steps 603 to 606.

Step 603: the LGW sends a PCC assignment request message to the pamw through a first interface of the pamw, and the PCC assignment request message carries an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), an IP address, and an APN for connection request of the UE.

Step 604: after receiving the PCC assignment request message of the LGW, PAMGW sends the PCC assignment request message to PCRF through a second interface of PAMGW.

The PAMGW is preset with a corresponding relation between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface, determines the second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the PCC allocation request message of the LGW according to the corresponding relation, and sends the PCC allocation request message to the PCRF through the determined second interface.

Step 605: and the PCRF allocates a PCC policy to the UE according to the received PCC allocation request message, wherein the PCC policy comprises policy information such as QoS (quality of service), charging policy (chargingrules), event trigger (eventtrigger) and the like.

Specifically, the PCRF allocates the PCC policy to the UE according to the configured policy, or acquires application layer information from an Application Function (AF) and acquires subscription information of the UE from a Subscription Profile Repository (SPR) to allocate the PCC policy to the UE. Those skilled in the art can know, according to the existing protocol, that there are various specific ways for the PCRF to allocate the PCC policy to the UE, which is only an example here and is not intended to limit the present invention.

Step 606: and the PCRF returns the message carrying the PCC policy to the PAMGW through a second interface of the PAMGW and informs the LGW through the PAMGW.

Specifically, PAMGW determines, according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the first interface and an interface identifier of the second interface, the first interface corresponding to the second interface that receives the message carrying the PCC policy, and sends the message carrying the PCC policy to the LGW through the determined first interface.

The LGW receives a message which carries the PCC strategy and is returned from the PAMGW, stores the PCC strategy carried by the message, and establishes a bearing corresponding to the QoS in the PCC strategy for the UE.

The LGW also returns a session establishment response message to the SGW, the SGW returns the response message to the MME, and the MME returns a response message to the UE (NAS layer of the UE) to respond to the attach PDN connection establishment message initiated by the UE, and establish an S1 bearer and an air interface bearer.

In a second embodiment, the existing architecture does not support dynamic PCC, and when the UE initiates a LIPA or SIPTO bearer establishment request message, the LGW returns a reject message. In this specific embodiment, after the PCC architecture is adopted in the local network, the UE supports dynamic PCC, and may also establish bearers with different QoS for different services initiated by the UE, as shown in fig. 7, a specific process of establishing a LIPA or SIPTO bearer for the UE is as follows:

step 701: after receiving the bearer establishment request of the UE, the SGW sends a request message for establishing a new bearer to the LGW.

Step 702: the LGW sends a PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW through a first interface of the PAMGW so as to establish a new IP connectivity access network (IP-CAN) bearer, wherein the PCC allocation request carries request PCC policy information, the request PCC policy information comprises requested QoS (quality of service), requested TFT (thin film transistor) and other information, and the PCC allocation request also carries indication information for indicating the request type of establishing the new bearer.

Step 703: after receiving the PCC assignment request message of the LGW through the first interface of the pamw, the pamw forwards the PCC assignment request message to the PCRF through the second interface of the pamw.

Step 704: and the PCRF acquires application layer information from the AF and subscription information of the UE from the SPR according to the PCC allocation request message received through the second interface of the PAMGW to generate a requested PCC policy of the newly-built bearer, wherein the PCC policy comprises policy information such as QoS, chargingrules, eventtrigger and the like.

Step 705: and the PCRF carries the requested PCC policy of the newly-built bearer in a response message and returns the PCC policy to the PAMGW through a second interface of the PAMGW.

Step 706: and the PAMGW returns the received response message carrying the PCC strategy of the requested newly-built bearer to the LGW through the first interface of the PAMGW.

Specifically, PAMGW determines, according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the first interface and an interface identifier of the second interface, the first interface corresponding to the second interface that receives the response message, and sends the response message to the LGW through the determined first interface.

Step 707: the LGW stores the PCC policy of the requested new bearer carried in the response message received through the first interface of the pamw, avoids performing bearer binding according to the PCC policy, and returns a bearer establishment response message to the SGW.

Third embodiment, in the existing R10 architecture, the local network also does not support the modification procedure for the established LIPA or SIPTO bearer, and if the UE initiates a bearer modification request, the LGW will reject the request. In this embodiment, after the PCC architecture is adopted in the local network, the UE supports dynamic PCC, and may implement a bearer modification process with different QoS, as shown in fig. 8, the specific process is as follows:

step 801: after receiving the bearer modification request message of the UE, the SGW sends a bearer modification request message for modifying the established bearer to the LGW.

Step 802: the LGW sends a PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW through a first interface of the PAMGW to request to modify the established IP-CAN bearer, wherein the PCC allocation request message carries PCC policy information requesting modification, the PCC policy information requesting modification comprises QoS information requesting modification and/or TFT information requesting modification, in practical application, other PCC policy information requesting modification CAN be included, and the PCC allocation request message also carries a bearer identifier requesting modification.

Step 803: PAMGW sends the received PCC distribution request message to PCRF through the second interface.

Step 804: the PCRF acquires application layer information from the AF and subscription information of the UE from the SPR according to a PCC allocation request message received through a second interface of the PAMGW to generate a new PCC policy, the new PCC policy is carried in a response message, the response message is returned to the PAMGW through the second interface of the PAMGW, the new PCC policy carries new QoS and/or TFT information allocated to the bearer requested to be modified, and in actual application, the new PCC policy can also contain other policy information allocated to the bearer requested to be modified.

Step 805: PAMGW returns the received response message to LGW through its first interface.

Step 806: and the LGW stores the new PCC strategy carried in the received response message, carries out bearing binding according to the new PCC strategy and returns a bearing modification response message to the SGW.

In the second case: the following describes in detail the connection between the SGW and the LGW using PMIP according to the fourth to fifth embodiments.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in fig. 9, the specific process of establishing LIPA or SIPTOPDN connection is as follows:

step 901: UE initiates an attach PDN connection establishment message to MME, and requests MME to establish LIPA or SPTOAPN connection for the MME.

Step 902: the MME selects a PGW corresponding to the LIPA or SPTOAPN of the UE as an LGW, the MME initiates a session establishment request to the SGW, the SGW initiates a PMIP session establishment process to the LGW after receiving the session establishment request sent by the MME, the PMIP session establishment process with the LGW is required to be established, and the SGW simultaneously initiates a gateway control session (gateway control Session) process to the PCRF.

In this embodiment, after receiving the message of the session establishment request from the SGW, the LGW adds steps 903 to 906.

Step 903: the LGW sends a PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW through a first interface of the PAMGW, and the PCC allocation request message carries the IMSI, the IP address and the APN requesting connection of the UE.

Step 904: after receiving the PCC assignment request message of the LGW, PAMGW sends the PCC assignment request message to PCRF through a second interface of PAMGW.

Step 905: and the PCRF allocates a PCC policy to the UE according to the received PCC allocation request message, wherein the PCC policy comprises policy information such as QoS, chargingrules, eventtrigger and the like.

Specifically, the PCRF allocates the PCC policy to the UE according to the configured policy, or acquires application layer information from the AF and acquires subscription information of the UE from the SPR to allocate the PCC policy to the UE. Those skilled in the art can know, according to the existing protocol, that there are various specific ways for the PCRF to allocate the PCC policy to the UE, which is only an example here and is not intended to limit the present invention.

Step 906: and the PCRF returns the message carrying part of the PCC policy to the SGW, and simultaneously, the PCRF returns the message carrying the other part of the PCC policy to the PAMGW through a second interface of the PAMGW and informs the LGW through the PAMGW.

Specifically, the PCRF returns a message carrying the QoS policy to the SGW, and sends policies such as chargingrules and eventtrigger except the QoS policy to the pamw.

After receiving the message carrying the partial QoS strategy returned from the PCRF, the SGW stores the partial QoS strategy carried by the message carrying the partial QoS strategy and establishes a bearer corresponding to the QoS for the UE. After receiving the strategies such as chargingrules, eventtrigger and the like returned from PAMGW, the LGW stores the strategy information and returns a message that PMIP session establishment is successful to the SGW. The SGW also returns a response message that PMIP session establishment is successful to the MME, and the MME responds to a non-access stratum (NAS) request of the UE to establish S1 bearer and air interface bearer for the MME.

In a fifth embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, a specific process for the UE to initiate establishment of a new LIPA or SIPTO bearer is as follows:

step 1001: after receiving the bearer establishment request, the SGW sends a request message to the PCRF requesting allocation of new QoS.

Step 1002: and the PCRF allocates a new PCC strategy for the UE according to the received request message, the application layer information acquired from the AF and the subscription information acquired from the SPR.

Step 1003: and the PCRF returns the allocated new QoS strategy to the SGW and returns the strategies such as chargingrules, eventtrigger and the like for updating the IP-CAN of the UE to the PAMGW.

Step 1004: and the SGW executes a bearing binding function by using the QoS information after receiving the QoS information returned from the PCRF, and returns a response message to the MME.

Step 1005: PAMGW sends strategies such as chargingrules and eventtrigger to LGW, and LGW updates corresponding strategy information stored in IP-CAN after receiving the strategies.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the LIPA or SIPTO bearer modification process initiated by the UE is similar to the new bearer establishment process initiated by the UE, and the signaling transmission processes between the LGW and the pamw and between the pamw and the PCRF are the same, and are not described herein again.

In practical applications, an h (e) NBGW may be deployed between an h (e) NB and an MME and between an h (e) NB and an SGW in a base station subsystem of a local network, and the method provided in the embodiments of the present invention is used to implement dynamic PCC scheduling for LIPA or SIPTO bearers, and is not related to the deployment of the h (e) NBGW, that is, all embodiments provided in the present invention are also applicable to a local network in which an h (e) NBGW is deployed.

Based on the technical solution, in the embodiment of the present invention, a pamw is arranged between an LGW and a PCRF, where the pamw receives a message of the LGW through a first interface included in the pamw and connected to the LGW, sends the message to the PCRF through a second interface included in the pamw and connected to at least one PCRF, receives a message of the PCRF through the second interface, and sends the message to the LGW through the first interface, so that signaling interaction between the LGW and the PCRF can be performed, and an architecture for implementing communication between the LGW and the PCRF is provided for a local network.

Based on the system architecture provided in this embodiment, a request process for PCC policy allocation between the LGW and the PCRF is implemented, dynamic PCC allocation is implemented, and a PCC policy is dynamically allocated for a LIPA or SIPTO bearer requested by the UE, so as to meet different service requirements.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication system comprises a local gateway LGW and a policy and charging rule function PCRF, and is characterized by also comprising a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW;

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the PAMGW has at least one first interface, each first interface connecting to one LGW;

the PAMGW is specifically configured to:

determining a second interface corresponding to a first interface for receiving the message of the LGW according to the corresponding relation between the interface identifier of a preset first interface and the interface identifier of a second interface, sending the message of the LGW to the PCRF through the second interface, determining a first interface corresponding to a second interface for receiving the message of the PCRF according to the corresponding relation, and sending the message of the PCRF to the LGW through the first interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one LGW is connected with at least two pamws;

the LGW is further configured to:

after receiving a request message of a user terminal, determining a PAMGW identifier corresponding to indication information carried in the request message of the user terminal according to a corresponding relation between the indication information of a pre-configured user terminal and the PAMGW identifier, sending a message to the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier, and receiving the message of the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier;

or,

receiving PAMGW address obtained by DNS inquiry, sending message to PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address, and receiving the message of PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the PAMGW is configured to determine the second interface corresponding to the identifier of the PCRF specified by the LGW according to a preset correspondence between the identifier of the PCRF and the identifier of the second interface, and send the message of the different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the specified PCRF through the determined second interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the LGW's message is a policy control and charging PCC allocation request message;

and the message of the PCRF is a message carrying the distributed PCC policy.

6. A communication system comprises a local gateway LGW and a policy and charging rule function PCRF, and is characterized by also comprising a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW and a security gateway SeGW;

7. A method of communication, comprising:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein before the PAMGW sends messages for the LGW to PCRF over its second interface, comprising:

and the PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the message of the LGW according to the preset corresponding relation between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein prior to the PAMGW sending the PCRF message to the LGW over the first interface, the PAMGW comprises:

and the PAMGW determines a first interface corresponding to a second interface for receiving the message of the PCRF according to the preset corresponding relation between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the pamw receives messages of the LGW through its first interface, comprising:

the PAMGW receives a message sent by an LGW through a security gateway SeGW through a first interface, wherein the SeGW determines an interface identifier of the first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW sending the message according to a corresponding relation between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and the interface identifier of the first interface, and sends the received message to the PAMGW through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the PAMGW sends messages for the LGW to a PCRF over its second interface, comprising:

and the PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the identity of the PCRF appointed by the LGW according to the corresponding relation between the preset PCRF identity and the interface identity of the second interface, and sends the message of different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the appointed PCRF through the determined second interface.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, wherein the message of the LGW is a PCC allocation request message;

and the message of the PCRF is a message carrying the distributed PCC policy.

13. A policy aggregation management gateway, PAMGW, comprising:

14. The PAMGW of claim 13, further comprising a determining unit, configured to determine a second interface corresponding to a first interface for receiving the LGW message according to a preset correspondence between an interface identifier of the first interface and an interface identifier of the second interface, and determine a first interface corresponding to a second interface for receiving the PCRF message according to the correspondence.

15. A PCC management system, including local gateway LGW and tactics and charging rule function PCRF, characterized by that, also include the administrative gateway PAMGW of tactics aggregation;

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the PAMGW has at least one first interface, each first interface connecting to one LGW;

the PAMGW is specifically configured to:

determining a second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the PCC allocation request message according to a preset corresponding relationship between an interface identifier of the first interface and an interface identifier of the second interface, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PCRF through the second interface, determining a first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the message carrying the allocated PCC policy according to the corresponding relationship, and sending the message carrying the allocated PCC policy to the LGW through the first interface.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one LGW is connected with at least two pamws;

the LGW is further configured to:

after receiving a PCC allocation request message of a user terminal, determining a PAMGW identifier corresponding to indication information carried in the PCC allocation request message according to a corresponding relation between pre-configured indication information of the user terminal and the PAMGW identifier, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier, and receiving a message which is sent by the PAMGW corresponding to the determined PAMGW identifier and carries an allocated PCC policy;

or,

receiving a PAMGW address acquired through DNS query, sending the PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address, and receiving a message carrying an allocated PCC policy and sent by the PAMGW determined according to the PAMGW address.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the PAMGW is configured to determine a second interface corresponding to an identifier of the PCRF specified by the LGW according to a correspondence between a preset PCRF identifier and an interface identifier of the second interface, and send a PCC assignment request message of a different connection request of the same ue received by the first interface to the specified PCRF through the determined second interface.

19. A PCC management system comprises a local gateway LGW and a policy and charging rule function PCRF, and is characterized by also comprising a policy aggregation management gateway PAMGW and a security gateway SeGW;

20. A PCC management method, comprising:

21. The method of claim 20, wherein before the pamw sends the PCC assignment request message to PCRF over its second interface, comprising:

and the PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the first interface for receiving the PCC allocation request message according to the preset corresponding relation between the interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the PAMGW, prior to sending the PCRF's message carrying the assigned PCC policy to the LGW over the first interface, comprises:

and the PAMGW determines a first interface corresponding to the second interface for receiving the message carrying the distributed PCC policy according to the corresponding relation between the preset interface identifier of the first interface and the interface identifier of the second interface.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the pamw receives the PCC assignment request message for a LGW over its first interface, comprising:

the PAMGW receives a PCC allocation request message sent by an LGW through a security gateway SeGW through a first interface of the PAMGW, wherein the SeGW determines an interface identifier of the first interface corresponding to the interface identifier of the LGW which sends the PCC allocation request message according to a corresponding relation between a preset interface identifier of the LGW and the interface identifier of the first interface, and sends the received PCC allocation request message to the PAMGW through the first interface corresponding to the determined interface identifier.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the pamw sends the PCC assignment request message to a PCRF over its second interface, comprising:

and the PAMGW determines a second interface corresponding to the identity of the PCRF specified by the LGW according to the corresponding relation between the preset PCRF identity and the interface identity of the second interface, and sends the PCC allocation request message of different connection requests of the same user terminal received by the first interface to the PCRF specified by the LGW through the determined second interface.