HK1075569A - System and method for tight inter-working between wireless local area network (wlan) and universal mobile telecommunications system (umts) - Google Patents

Description

System and method for tight inter-working between wireless local area network and universal mobile telecommunication system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and more particularly, to a compact interworking system between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

Background

There is a need for a system architecture that provides tight interworking between Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) and that has an architecture that supports:

handover between two systems;

when the terminal is handed over between two systems, the call is managed and connected; and

the international roaming communication definition table is loosely interacted between two systems.

Disclosure of Invention

WLAN and UMTS technologies are effectively combined to interwork and support a tightly interworked communication definition table. The Iur interface of UMTS is used for lossless handover, mobile Internet Protocol (IP) is used for call management and connectivity, and DIAMETER communication protocol signaling is used for authentication and accounting.

Drawings

Fig. 1 and 2 are diagrams of WLAN and UMTS network system architectures embodying the principles of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a system architecture 10 that includes a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)12, where the PLMN 12 includes a home location register/subscriber subscription server (HLR/HSS)14, an authentication authorization and accounting user equipment (AAAH)16, a Charging Gateway Function (CGF)18, a subscriber service 20, and an integrated packet radio service support node (GGSN) 22.

A wireless local area network internet protocol gateway (WLAN IP GW), namely WIP-GW30, after combining the firewall, can use two APs to establish the interface of signal and data; such as APs 32 and 34. The User Equipment (UE)36 is preferably a dual mode WLAN/UMTS UE.

The data processing program in the system is as follows:

there is a Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) interface between the WIP-GW30 of the PLMN 12 and the customer service 20. WIP-GW30 combines the functionality of mobile internet protocol foreign service with the functionality of several Radio Network Controllers (RNCs), WIP-GW30 acts like a foreign service to PLMN 12 but acts like a wireless local area network controller (RNC) to the AP, incoming data is sent over the channel between PLMN (user service) and WLAN (WIP-GW)30, as represented by incoming data line 38, and outgoing data flows directly from WIP-GW30 to internet 40, as represented by outgoing internet protocol data line 42.

The PLMN 12 provides authentication and subscription management services by using its HSS/HLR 14. DIAMETER is an Internet protocol (IP domain protocol) that handles authorization, authentication, and accounting functions in an Internet protocol network, and the use of DIAMETER in this architecture enables Internet protocol IP-based authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) procedures to function properly between the WIP-GW and the PLMN. Since the PLMN is originally a UMTS network, the node providing authentication and authorization procedures on the PLMN is HSS/HLR, and the PLMN node providing accounting functions is a Charging Gateway Function (CGF). The HSS/HLR and CGF provide UMTS procedures and signaling to help these functions operate. The AAAH provides signaling interaction between the AAA procedures based on the internet protocol and the UMTS procedures corresponding thereto, so that the AAA functions inputted or outputted to the HSS/HLR and CGF can also operate in the wlan system, and the mp provides mobility management procedures in the internet protocol network as well. In a UMTS network, mobility management procedures for packet switched data services are handled by the GGSN. The user service in this configuration provides interaction between the MIP program (running between the WIP-GW and the user service) and the UMTS Mobile Application Part (MAP) interface for the GGSN, and the MIP/DIAMETER signal is output from the WIP-GW30, passed through the AAA foreign (AAAF) function 44 and the AAA user (AAAH) function 16, and finally input to the user service 20. The MIP registration information is included in the DIAMETER signaling over the wireless link 48.

The AAAH 16 interacts with DIAMETER for the HLR/HSS 14 via the Mobile Application Part (MAP) (germanium interface) so that the HSS/HLR operates normally for authentication.

The AAAH 16 interfaces with the PLMN billing Communication Gateway Function (CGF)18 using GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) over the gallium interface to allow the PLMN billing server to operate properly.

Session continuity between the WLAN and the UMTS PLMN 12 is achieved by using MIP (between WIP-GW30 and the customer service 20) and GTP (between the customer service 20 and GGSN 22), while the customer service 20 provides interaction between the two interfaces, which ensures that the user's session and ip address remain the same while moving between Access points (e.g., 32 and 34) and between UMTS and WLAN networks. Further, when the user moves between networks, the GGSN22 operates as an Anchor Point (Anchor Point) for the call data. For example, in the structure 10, if the user moves from the wireless local area network to the UMTS network (UMTS Access NW)50 as shown in fig. 2, the user's call location is still fixed in the GGSN22, and thus can be maintained while moving. When located in the UMTS Access NW 50, the user equipment 36 is able to communicate with the anchoring GGSN22 via the UMTS Radio Access Network (RAN) and Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) component 52 in the PLMN. Handover between the wlan and the UMTS PLMN is accomplished via the Iur interface (46), while the WIP-GW supports operation from the UMTS Iur interface 46 to the Radio Network Controller (RNC) within the UMTS RAN.

Claims (18)

1. A method for providing tight interworking between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the method comprising the steps of:

the UMTS and WLAN communicate data directly using a Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) between the UMTS and the WLAN; and

the UMTS and WLAN communicate data over the internet using the Internet Protocol (IP).

2. A method for handover of a user equipment (US) between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the method comprising:

the UMTS and WLAN utilize an Iur interface to support handover between the two.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein MIP over DIAMETER signaling provides call maintenance between a UE and a WLAN as the UE moves between the two.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the UMTS uses a public area mobile network charging platform via DIAMETER-UMTS interaction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the UMTS uses PLMN subscriber location registration/subscriber subscription server for authentication.

6. An apparatus for providing tight interworking between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), comprising:

each of the UMTS and WLAN having means for communicating data directly with the other of the UMTS and WLAN using a Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) between the two; and

the WLAN has means for transmitting outgoing data to the internet using the Internet Protocol (IP).

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said WLAN comprises:

apparatus for receiving input data from a mobile network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the mobile network is a public area mobile network (PLMN).

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the PLMN includes a user service (HA) for tunneling data to an Internet Protocol Gateway (IPGW) provided in the WLAN.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the HA further communicates with the internet using IP.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the PLMN includes authentication, authorization, accounting user (AAAH) to communicate authentication with an AAA foreign (AAAF) provided in the WLAN.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said AAAF provides communication between said AAAH and said wlan ip GW.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the AAAH cooperates with the HA and a subscriber location registration/subscriber subscription server (HLR/HSS) to provide AAAH services.

14. An apparatus for handover of a user equipment (US) between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), comprising:

the UMTS has an Iur interface to support handover with the WLAN.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the means for utilizing MIP over DIAMETER signaling provides session maintenance between WLAN and UMTS as a UE moves between the WLAN and the UMTS.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the UMTS uses a public area mobile network charging platform via DIAMETER-UMTS interaction.

17. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the UMTS uses a PLMN with a subscriber subscription server/subscriber location register (HSS/HLR) for authentication.

18. An apparatus for providing tight interworking between a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), comprising:

each of said UMTS and WLAN having means for communicating with another of said UMTS and WLAN directly using Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) between said two; and

the UMTS utilizes an Iur to communicate with the WLAN to provide a handover of a User Equipment (UE) from one of the UMTS and WLAN to the other of the UMTS and WLAN.