A system for providing services in a heterogeneous network system and a terminal device receiving services

Abstract

A system for providing services in a heterogeneous network system and a terminal device for receiving services are disclosed. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing services in a heterogeneous network system, wherein when it is difficult or impossible to directly provide a specific service in the network system to which a user terminal is connected, resources or functions of another network system are used to temporarily provide the specific service.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application with the original application number 201880013028.5 (International Application No.: PCT / KR2018 / 000413, filing date: January 9, 2018, invention title: Method and apparatus for providing services in a heterogeneous network system). Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure, in some embodiments, relates to a method and apparatus for providing services in a heterogeneous network system. Background Art

[0003] The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0004] As the number of users of mobile communication systems has increased steeply, not only has the total data usage increased significantly, but also the data usage and the number of users in each individual coverage area have increased.

[0005] In recent years, in order to meet the demand for wireless data services that has been growing since the commercialization of 4G (fourth generation) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop next-generation networks such as 5G (fifth generation) communication systems or pre-5G communication systems.

[0006] Mobile communication systems utilize radio transmission, and the quality of radio transmission changes over time according to the radio state between the terminal and the base station. When the radio transmission quality is below a certain level, the provision of the service itself may be unavailable. For example, when a specific service is to be provided, it may be difficult or impossible to provide the specific service to the terminal because the network state changes to a certain level or lower level of the mobile communication system to which the terminal is currently connected.

[0007] To prevent the above-mentioned situations, mobile communication systems need to support an appropriate level of quality of service and mobility while taking into account the characteristics of the services of the users. Specifically, services with a high level of importance such as emergency calls or disaster warning text messages need to be provided regardless of the state of the user terminal, the network state, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical Problem

[0009] The present disclosure, in some embodiments, seeks to provide a method and apparatus for providing services in a heterogeneous network system that provides a specific service that is difficult or impossible to directly provide by one network system to which a user equipment is connected by temporarily using the resources or capabilities of another network system.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] At least one aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system, the method including the following steps: registering by a user equipment with a first network system, determining, based on a service request signal of a service node, a network for providing a specific service among the first network system and a second network system, performing a system handover process in which the first network system sends a system handover command to the user equipment when the specific service is provided through the second network system, and performing, by the user equipment, a service reception process of establishing a connection with the second network system based on the system handover command and receiving the specific service from the second network system.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a terminal device for receiving a specific service in a heterogeneous network system, the terminal device including: a transmitting / receiving unit configured to transmit and receive signals; and a control unit. The control unit is configured to: register with a first network system, perform a system handover by establishing a connection with the second network system in response to a system handover command for a second network system capable of providing a specific service, and receive the specific service from the second network system that has been handed over.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system, the method including the following steps: registering by a user equipment with a first network system and a second network system, performing a mode setting process of keeping the first network system for providing general services in a normal mode and switching the second network system for providing a specific service to a mode of only mobile-initiated communication (MICO) or a power saving mode, performing a service occurrence notification process of sending a specific service occurrence message from the second network system to the first network system based on a specific service request signal of a service node, performing a mode switching process of sending a mode switching command from the first network system to the user equipment based on the specific service occurrence message, and performing a service reception process of performing a switching control of switching the second network system to the normal mode based on the mode switching command at the user equipment and receiving the specific service from the second network system switched to the normal mode.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a terminal device for receiving a specific service in a heterogeneous network system, the terminal device including: a transmitting / receiving unit configured to transmit and receive signals; and a control unit. The control unit is configured to: perform registration with both a first network system and a second network system, control the first network system for providing general services to be in a normal mode and control the second network system for providing the specific service to be in a Mobile-Initiated Communication (MICO) mode or a power-saving mode, and when receiving a mode switch command for the specific service, switch the second network system from the MICO mode or the power-saving mode to the normal mode, and then receive the specific service from the second network system.

[0015] Advantageous Effects

[0016] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, it is possible to solve the problem that the service cannot be provided temporarily or continuously in a given network system by using the resources of another network system to provide the specific service.

[0017] In addition, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of ensuring fail-safe provision of critical mission emergency calls, emergency texts, voice services or such services.

[0018] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal can register with two network systems simultaneously, the infrastructure for the specific service is arranged to be linked to only one system instead of two systems, thereby improving the efficiency of network operation.

[0019] In addition, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is an effect of reducing the power consumption of the terminal and the waiting time for the specific service. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a heterogeneous network system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 5It is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a schematic block diagram of a configuration of a user equipment according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Embodiments

[0026] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] In the following description, like reference numerals denote like elements, although these elements are shown in different drawings. Additionally, in the following description of some embodiments, for the purpose of clarity and conciseness, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted. Terms such as "unit" and "module" refer to units for processing at least one function or operation that can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Additionally, some of the steps constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure may be omitted or reordered.

[0028] The present disclosure solves the difficulty of a wireless communication system for providing a specific service by temporarily using another wireless communication system to provide the specific service, and the specific service is applicable to such industrial fields and technical fields that utilize a mobile communication system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a mobile communication system such as an evolved packet system, a long term evolution system, or a next generation system operating based on 3GPP standards.

[0029] This specification will describe the following wireless communication system: a traditional wireless communication system coexists with a next generation wireless communication system, and multi-connection services can be provided by linking a variety of different radio access technologies. At least one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described by taking the long term evolution (LTE) or 4G system as an example of the traditional wireless communication system and the 5G system or new radio (NR) system as an example of the next generation wireless communication system. However, this is merely exemplary, and may at least partially include other wireless communication systems.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a conceptual diagram of a heterogeneous network system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] As Figure 1 shown, a network system can operate while coexisting with another heterogeneous network system. For example, a heterogeneous network system in which a first network system 110 and a second network system 120 coexist can be constructed.

[0032] According to some embodiments, a heterogeneous network system may include a user terminal or user equipment (UE) 100, a first network system 110, a second network system 120, etc. The first network system 110 may be a next-generation network system, for example, a 5G mobile communication system, and the second network system 120 may be a traditional network system such as a 4G mobile communication system.

[0033] The user equipment (UE) 100 is an entity for communicating with a base station, and it can be fixed or mobile. The UE 100 can be referred to not only as a UE but also as a mobile station (MS), a mobile device (ME), a terminal, etc.

[0034] The first network system 110 may have components including a first base station device or a first system base station 112, a first core network device or a first system core 114, etc. The second network system 120 may have components including a second base station device or a second system base station 122, a second core network device or a second system core 124, etc.

[0035] The first system base station 112 and the second base station device 122 may be base stations. Here, a base station is an entity that communicates with a terminal and provides a link to the core network. A base station can be referred to as a BS, a NodeB (NB), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), etc.

[0036] The first system core 114 and the second system core 124 may be devices that constitute the core networks of the corresponding first network and second network.

[0037] The first system core 114 may be, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G network. Here, the AMF is the termination of the radio access network (RAN) control plane (CP) interface (e.g., N2) and the termination of the non-access stratum (NAS). The AMF supports functions such as registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, access authentication, and access authorization. The AMF can be implemented in the form of a virtualized network device installed with the above functions. In other words, the AMF can be implemented as a virtualized node rather than a physical node.

[0038] In addition, the second system core 124 may be a mobility management entity (MME) in an LTE network. The MME performs operations of allocating a serving gateway (S-GW) and a PDN gateway (PGW) in the LTE network according to the type of mobile communication service that performs an end-to-end (E2E) connection between the UE and the PDN.

[0039] In some embodiments, the present disclosure can provide a specific service in a heterogeneous network by temporarily using the resources or capabilities of another network system when it is difficult or impossible to directly provide the service, thereby ensuring the effect of fail-safe provision of mission-critical emergency calls, emergency texts, voice services, or such services while improving service quality, mobility, service availability, and other characteristics. Hereinafter, a method of providing a service in a heterogeneous network system will be described through a first embodiment to a fourth embodiment.

[0040] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method of providing a service in a heterogeneous network system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 2 Illustrates the operations of the UE 100, the heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120, and the service function or service node 130 that provides a service in the heterogeneous network system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may include a first network system 110 and a second network system 120, and they may also include a subscriber information DB (not shown) for managing subscriber information of the first network and the second network, etc.

[0042] According to the first embodiment, the first network system 110 may have components including a first system BS 112, a first system core 114, etc. The second network system 120 may have components including a second system BS 122, a second system core 124, etc.

[0043] In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, when the UE 100 accesses the first network system 110 to receive a service, the UE 100 exchanges service-related information that can be provided by the second network system 120, and when the first network system 110 has difficulty providing a service to the UE 100, the connection of the UE 100 is switched to the second network system 120 to provide a service to the UE 100. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 2 A method of providing a service in a heterogeneous network system according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0044] The UE 100 negotiates the capabilities of the user equipment and the network with the first network system 110 (in step S210), and it attaches or registers the UE 100 itself to the first network system 110 (attachment or registration is performed in step S212).

[0045] Specifically, the UE 100 sends a registration request to connect to the network system 110, and the first network system 110 responds to the registration request for performing registration by sending an attachment or registration acceptance message to the UE 100. Here, non-access stratum (NAS) signaling messages are exchanged by using a radio resource control (RRC) connection, and registration between the UE 100 and the first network system 110 is performed after processing the RRC connection. Before receiving communication services from the network system, the UE 100 needs to be registered.

[0046] By performing registration between the UE 100 and the first network system 110, the first system core 114 in the first network system 110 can exchange information with the second network system 120. Specifically, the first system core 114 can connect to the second network system 120 and send information about the capabilities of the UE 100.

[0047] In addition, the first network system 110 exchanges details such as the type of service that the UE 100 will receive through the second network system 120, service-related information details, etc. At this time, the first network system 110 can determine whether to provide services to the UE 100 through the second network system 120.

[0048] When the UE 100 permits the operation of providing services through the second network system 120, the first system core 114 sends information about the UE 100 and information about the services to be provided through the second network system 120 to the second system core 124. At this time, the first system core 114 can obtain a response signal indicating whether services can be obtained from the second system core 124.

[0049] The second system core 124 pre-transmits system handover-related information to the first system core 114 to provide a specific service. The second system core 124 can shorten the time required to switch from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120 by pre-transmitting system handover-related information. In this case, the system handover-related information can be sent in a form included in the response signal indicating whether services can be obtained, and it can include a temporary identifier of the UE, security-related information, QoS-related information, information related to the radio base station of the second network system that needs to be connected for a specific service, etc.

[0050] The first system core 114 sends the system handover-related information received from the second system core 124 to the UE 100. Here, the system handover-related information can be included in the registration acceptance message for sending or sent simultaneously with the registration acceptance message.

[0051] In steps S210 and S212, the second network system 120 may perform a process of registering information about the second system core 124 in a subscriber information DB (not shown) to receive a service request signal such as an occurrence / arrival alert of a service. Herein, the operation of registering information about the second system core 124 in the subscriber information DB (not shown) may be directly performed by the second network system 120, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, this process may be performed by the first network system 110, thereby transmitting the address of the second system core 124 to the subscriber information DB (not shown).

[0052] The first network system 110 receives a service request signal from the service node 130 (S220, S230), and the first network system 110 determines to provide the service using one of the first network system 110 and the network system 120 in consideration of the capabilities of the user equipment and the network (S240).

[0053] Specifically, when receiving a service request signal according to the occurrence of a service, the service node 130 inquires of a subscriber information DB (not shown) about which network system the received service request signal should be transmitted to by using a service type, a subscriber identifier, etc. Then, the service node 130 receives the address of the second system core 124 registered in steps S210 and S212 from the subscriber information DB (not shown). Here, the identifier of the subscriber means a concept including the identifier of the user equipment, and when there is a user equipment designated for the service, it may be used as the identifier of the user equipment.

[0054] The service node 130 passes a service request message including the type of the service, the identifier of the subscriber, etc. to the second system core 124, and the second system core 124 sends the service request message to the first system core 114.

[0055] The first system core 114 determines whether to provide a service corresponding to the service request message through the second network system 120 in consideration of the capabilities of the user equipment and the network.

[0056] The first system core 114 performs paging between the UE 100 and the first network system 110 to restore communication (S250).

[0057] Specifically, when the UE 100 is in an idle state, the first system core 114 performs paging to restore the communication of the UE 100. In other words, the first system core 114 may send a network restoration request signal or an NW-initiated service request to the UE 100 to change the RRC-IDLE state of the UE 100 to the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0058] The first network system 110 sends a system change or handover command to the UE 100 (S260, S270).

[0059] More specifically, the first system core 114 sends a system handover command to the first system BS 112 to provide a specific service, and the first system BS 112 transmits the received system handover command to the UE 100. In other words, the first system core 114 sends a system handover command to the UE 100 via the first system BS 112, and this system handover command indicates a handover from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120 in order to receive a specific service. Here, the system handover command may include the subscriber's identifier, service type, etc.

[0060] While passing the system handover command to the UE 100, the first network system 110 causes an operation to be performed to release the RRC connection between the first system BS 112 and the UE 100.

[0061] In addition, in order to shorten the time for the system to handover from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120, the first network system 110 may perform a process of exchanging information with the second network system 120. In other words, when the first system BS 112 can collect information about the second system BS 122 that is currently adjacent to the first system BS 112, the time for the UE 100 to access the second system BS 122 for system handover can be shortened by passing information related to the second network system 120, such as frequency, cell identifier, system-related information periodically sent by the second network system 120, etc., to the UE 100 before the operation of system handover.

[0062] The UE 100 performs a connection to the second network system 120 (S280), and it receives a service from the second network system 120 (S290).

[0063] Specifically, the UE 100 switches to the second network system 120 by connecting to the second system BS 122 based on the system handover command. Here, the UE 100 accesses the second system BS 122 by preferentially utilizing the information related to the second network system 120 obtained in step S270. The second network system 120 linked to the UE 100 provides a specific service to the UE 100.

[0064] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for providing a service in a heterogeneous network system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] Illustrates operations performed by UE 100, heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120, and service node 130 that provides services in the heterogeneous network system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may include a first network system 110 and a second network system 120, and heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may also include a subscriber information DB (not shown) for managing subscriber information of the first network, the second network, and other components.

[0066] The first network system 110 may include components such as a first system BS 112 and a first system core 114, and the second network system 120 may include components such as a second system BS 122 and a second system core 124.

[0067] In the second embodiment of the present disclosure, when UE 100 accesses the first network system 110 to receive services, UE 100 exchanges service-related information that can be provided by the second network system 120, and when it is difficult for the first network system 110 to provide services to UE 100, services are provided to UE 100 by switching the connection of UE 100 to the second network system 120, and then returning to the first network system 110 based on system return information. Hereinafter, a method of providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figure 3 Steps S310 to S350 in are similar to steps S210 to S250 in, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0068] Figure 3 Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Figure 2 Steps S210 to S250 in, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] The first network system 110 sends a system switching command including additional system return information to UE 100 (S360, S370).

[0070] More specifically, the first system core 114 sends a system switching command to the first system BS 112 to provide a specific service, and the first system BS 112 transmits the received system switching command to UE 100. In other words, the first system core 114 sends a system switching command to UE 100 via the first system BS 112, and the system switching command instructs to switch from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120 in order to receive a specific service. Here, the system switching command may include an identifier of a subscriber, a service type, system return information, and the like.

[0071] The system return information included in the system handover command refers to the information required for the UE 100 to perform operations when receiving a specific service after the system handover. For example, the system return information may include information about the priority of the system to be used after the UE 100 completes the reception of the specific service (the priority for determining whether to preferably stay in the second network system 120 or return to the first network system 110), information about the time for determining whether to return to the first network system 110 before the system handover (right after the service ends, a certain time value after the service ends, not return at any time, etc.).

[0072] When passing the system handover command to the UE 100, the first network system 110 causes an operation to be performed to release the RRC connection between the first system BS 112 and the UE 100.

[0073] In addition, in order to shorten the time for the system handover from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120, the first network system 110 may perform a process of exchanging information with the second network system 120. In other words, when the first system BS 112 can collect information about the second system BS 122 that is currently adjacent to the first system BS 112, the time for the UE 100 to access the second system BS 122 for the system handover can be shortened by passing information related to the second network system 120, such as frequency, cell identifier, system-related information periodically sent by the second network system 120, etc., to the UE 100 before the operation of the system handover.

[0074] The UE 100 performs a connection with the second network system 120 (S380), and it receives a service from the second network system 120 (S390).

[0075] Specifically, the UE 100 switches to the second network system 120 by connecting to the second system BS 122 based on the system handover command. Here, the UE 100 accesses the second system BS 122 by preferentially using the information related to the second network system 120 obtained in step S370. The second network system 120 linked to the UE 100 provides a specific service to the UE 100.

[0076] After the service received by the UE 100 from the second network system 120 terminates, the UE 100 determines the system to return to based on the system return information (S392), and it performs a reconnection to the determined system to return to (S394).

[0077] Specifically, when receiving a system switching command including system return information in steps S360 and S370, UE 100 performs subsequent operations after receiving a specific service by using the system return information. For example, when the system return information includes the priority of the system, UE 100 determines the system to connect to according to the priority. When the system return information includes the time for determining whether to return, UE 100 determines whether to return according to relevant conditions.

[0078] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] Illustrates operations performed by UE 100, heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120, and service node 130 for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may include a first network system 110 and a second network system 120, and heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may also include a subscriber information DB (not shown) for managing subscriber information of the first network, the second network, and other components.

[0080] The first network system 110 may include components such as a first system BS 112 and a first system core 114, and the second network system 120 may include components such as a second system BS 122 and a second system core 124.

[0081] The third embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for effectively providing services to UE 100 that supports a dual registration function and can be simultaneously connected to the first network system 110 and the second network system 120. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 4 , a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to the third embodiment will be described in detail.

[0082] UE 100 performs registrations (S410 and S420) in the name of attaching or registering to the first network system 110 and the second network system 120.

[0083] More specifically, UE 100 operates in a dual registration state to perform registrations to both the first network system 110 and the second network system 120. Here, the registration of UE 100 may be processed sequentially in the first network system 110 and the second network system 120, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the registration of UE 100 may be processed simultaneously in separate operations.

[0084] After UE 100 is registered, the first network system 110 operates in a general mode, and the second network system 120 switches to a mobile-initiated communication only (MICO) mode or a power saving or sleep mode (S430).

[0085] More specifically, the UE 100 receives general services via the first network system 110, and it receives specific services through the second network system. Thus, the first network system 110 for receiving general services operates in the normal mode, and the second network system 120 for receiving specific services switches to the MICO mode or the sleep mode when no specific services are being performed. In the MICO mode, the UE 100 operates in a power-saving state without performing operations for receiving services in the downlink, and it only actively requests the network system to switch to the normal mode when the UE 100 clearly needs data transmission.

[0086] In step S430, the second network system 120 can switch to the MICO mode and pre-exchange the types of specific services with the first network system 110 in advance. The pre-exchange of the types of specific services allows receiving, through the first network system 110, information for switching the second network system 120 back to the normal mode according to the occurrence of specific services.

[0087] The second network system 120 receives a service request signal from the service node 130 (S440), and the second network system 120 checks the address of the first network system 110 (S450), and then sends a service occurrence message or notification to the first network system 110 (S460).

[0088] Specifically, when receiving a service request signal following the occurrence of a service, the service node 130 sends, by using the type of service, subscriber identifier, etc., the fact that a specific service related to the second network system 120 occurs in the second system core 124.

[0089] Then, the second system core 124 issues a query to a subscriber information DB (not shown) regarding the address of the first system core 114 to which the UE 100 is currently registered, and the second system core 124 receives a response signal to this query. The first network system 110 and the second network system 120 are jointly interlocked with this subscriber information DB.

[0090] The second system core 124 uses the address of the first system core 114 received from the subscriber information DB (not shown) to send a service occurrence message regarding the specific service to the first system core 114. Here, the service occurrence message includes information such as the identifier of the subscriber and the type of service.

[0091] Paging is performed between the UE 100 and the first network system 110 to restore communication (S470).

[0092] Specifically, when the UE 100 is in the idle state, the first system core 114 performs paging to resume communication of the UE 100. In other words, the first system core 114 may send a network resume request signal (NW-initiated service request) to the UE 100 to change the RRC-IDLE state of the UE 100 to the RRC-CONNECTED state.

[0093] The first network system 110 sends a mode change or handover command related to the occurrence of a specific service to the UE 100 (S472).

[0094] Specifically, when restoring the connection between the UE 100 and the first network system 110, the first system core 114 sends a mode handover command to the UE 100 to receive a specific service by switching the second network system 120 from the MICO mode to the normal mode.

[0095] The UE 100 performs control to switch the second network system 120 to the normal mode based on the mode handover command, and the UE 100 receives a specific service through the second network system 120 switched to the normal mode (S480). Specifically, the UE 100 performs processes such as tracking area update and attachment processing to switch the second network system 120 to the normal mode. After switching the second network system 120 to the normal mode, the UE 100 sends a specific service through the second network system 120.

[0096] The third embodiment considers the case where the UE 100 operates in the MICO mode for a specific network system, but the present disclosure can also be applied to the case where the UE 100 operates in a similar power-saving mode.

[0097] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] Illustrates operations performed by the UE 100, the heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120, and a service node 130 that provides services in the heterogeneous network system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may include a first network system 110 and a second network system 120, and the heterogeneous network systems 110 and 120 may further include a subscriber information DB (not shown) for managing subscriber information of the first network, the second network, and other components.

[0099] The first network system 110 may include components such as a first system BS 112 and a first system core 114, and the second network system 120 may include components such as a second system BS 122 and a second system core 124.

[0100] A fourth embodiment of the present invention proposes a method for effectively providing services to a UE 100 supporting a dual registration function that can be simultaneously connected to a first network system 110 and a second network system 200, thereby shortening the time for switching from the first network system 110 to the second network system 120. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figure 5 A method for providing services in a heterogeneous network system according to the fourth embodiment will be described in detail.

[0101] Figure 5 Steps S510 to S560 in Figure 4 are similar to steps S410 to S460 in

[0102] and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0103] Specifically, while performing a paging process (S570) between the UE 100 and the first network system 110, the first network system 110 sends a network restoration request signal (NW-initiated service request) for paging to the UE 100 (S572, S574).

[0104] The UE 100 performs control to switch the second network system 120 to the normal mode based on the NW-initiated service request, and the UE 100 receives services through the second network system 120 switched to the normal mode (S580).

[0105] Specifically, the UE 100 uses the information about the services to be received through the second network system 120 included in the NW-initiated service request as a basis for switching the second network system 120 to the normal mode without searching for a network system to connect to, and the UE 100 receives services through the second network system 120 switched to the normal mode.

[0106] The UE 100 sends a message indicating that the NW-initiated service request has been normally received and the second network system 120 has been switched to the normal mode to the first network system 110, thereby terminating any further paging processing of the first network system 110 (S590).

[0107] Specifically, in response to a service request initiated by the NW, the UE 100 sends a message to the first network system 110 to perform paging and switch the second network system 120 to the normal mode. Accordingly, the first network system 110 stops the paging operation for the UE 100.

[0108] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a configuration of a user equipment according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] The user equipment 600 includes a transmit / receive unit 610 and a control unit 620. The respective components of the user equipment 600 may be implemented as a hardware chip, or it may be implemented as software, and the microprocessor is implemented to execute the functions corresponding to the respective components of the software.

[0110] The transmit / receive unit 610 transmits and receives signals to perform communication with other network function nodes, the first system base station (BS), and the second system BS.

[0111] The control unit 620 performs registration with the first network system 110. When receiving a system switching command for the second network system 120 that can provide a specific service, the control unit 620 performs connection with the second network system 120 to perform system switching, and the control unit 620 receives the specific service from the activated second network system 120. The control unit 620 may also be configured to reconnect the user equipment to the first network system 110 based on the system return information in case the pre-obtained system return information is confirmed, or keep the user equipment connected to the second network system 120.

[0112] When performing registration of the user equipment with both the first network system 110 and the second network system 120, the control unit 620 controls the first network system 110 for providing general services to be in the normal mode, and controls the second network system 120 for providing specific services to be in the MICO mode or the power saving mode.

[0113] When receiving a mode switching command for a specific service, the control unit 620 performs a mode switching of the second network system 120 from the power saving mode to the normal mode, and receives the specific service from the second network system 120.

[0114] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described for brevity. The scope of the technical concept of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited by the illustration. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the scope of the claimed invention is not limited by the embodiments explicitly described above, but includes the claims and their equivalents.

[0115] Although Figures 2 to 5 the corresponding processes are illustrated as being executed in sequence, they are merely illustrative of the technical concept of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In other words, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions can be made by executing at least one of different sequences or parallel steps Figures 2 to 5 without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments, and thus Figures 2 to 5 the examples shown are not limited to a chronological order.

[0116] Figures 2 to 5 The steps shown can be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes any type of recording device capable of recording data readable by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optical-readable media (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), and also include computer-readable recording media implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmitted via the Internet). Additionally, the computer-readable recording medium has computer-readable code that can be stored in a distributed manner in computer systems connected via a network and executed in the computer systems.

[0117] <Reference numerals>

[0118] 100: User equipment

[0119] 110: First network system 112: First system base station

[0120] 114: First system core

[0121] 120: Second network system 122: Second system base station

[0122] 124: Second system core

[0123] 610, 710, 810: Transmit / receive unit 620, 720, 820: Control unit

[0124] Cross-reference to related applications

[0125] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Patent Application No. 10-2017-0141485, filed in Korea on October 27, 2017, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, this non-provisional application claims priority in countries other than the United States for the same reasons as the Korean patent application, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A system for providing services in a heterogeneous network system, the system comprises: means for performing registration of a user equipment with a first network system, the first network system being a next-generation network system; means for determining whether to provide the specific service through a second network system, the second network system being a traditional network system, taking into account the capabilities of the user equipment and the network and details of service-related information of the specific service; and means for sending a system switching command to the user equipment taking into account the capabilities of the user equipment when the means for determining determines to provide the specific service to the user equipment through the second network system; wherein the user equipment establishes a connection with the second network system based on the system switching command; wherein the first network system determines whether to provide the specific service through the second network system; wherein the specific service includes a voice service.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for performing registration is further configured to: negotiate, by the user equipment with the first network system, the capabilities of the user equipment and the network between the user equipment and the first network system; and exchange, by the first network system and the second network system, information about the second network system for providing the specific service.

3. The system according to claim 1, the system is further configured to: when the user equipment is in an idle state, restore communication by performing paging between the user equipment and the first network system and send the system switching command to the user equipment.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system switching command includes information about a subscriber identifier and a service type, and wherein when the system switching command further includes information about the second network system, a connection between the second network system and the user equipment is established based on the system switching command.

5. The system according to claim 1, the system is further configured to: determine, by the user equipment, the system to return to such that when the specific service provided from the second network system terminates, the user equipment returns to the first network system or maintains a connection with the second network system.

6. The system according to claim 5, the system is further configured to: determine the system to return to among the first network system and the second network system based on system return information included in the system switching command.

7. A terminal device for receiving a specific service in a heterogeneous network system, the terminal device comprises: a sending / receiving unit configured to send and receive signals; and a control unit configured to: perform registration with a first network system, the first network system being a next-generation network system; perform system switching by establishing a connection with the second network system in response to a system switching command for a second network system capable of providing a specific service, the second network system being a traditional network system; Among them, the first network system determines whether to provide the specific service through the second network system considering the capabilities of the user equipment and the network and the details of the service-related information of the specific service, and Among them, the specific service includes a voice service.

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