System and method for supporting multiple access paths

Abstract

The invention provides a system and a method for supporting multiple access paths. A wireless communication device receives a routing policy including a first indication from a core network. Wireless communications may establish multiple access paths to connect with a core network. The plurality of access paths may include two access paths that may be cellular-based. The wireless communication device may determine to establish two cellular-based access paths according to the first indication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for supporting multiple access paths. Background Art

[0002] The third generation partnership project (3GPP), a standardization organization, is currently developing a new radio interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the next generation packet core network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: 5G access network (5G Access Network, 5G-AN), 5G core network (5G Core Network, 5GC) and user equipment (User Equipment, UE). In order to facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the units of 5GC (also called network functions) have been simplified, some of which are software-based and some are hardware-based, so that they can be adapted as needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems existing in the prior art, and to provide additional features that will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description when combined with the accompanying drawings. According to different embodiments, the present disclosure describes, for example, systems, methods, devices, and computer program products. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not restrictive, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read the present disclosure that the disclosed embodiments may be modified differently (e.g., including combining features from the disclosed embodiments, embodiments, and / or implementations) while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to the following systems, methods, apparatuses, or computer-readable media. A wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment UE) may receive a routing policy (e.g., a URSP) including a first indication from a core network. The wireless communication device may establish multiple access paths to connect to the core network. The multiple access paths may include two access paths that may be cellular-based. The wireless communication device may determine to establish two cellular-based access paths (which may include other access paths in addition to the two 3GPP access paths) based on the first indication. The first indication may include a list of access paths from multiple access paths. The first indication may indicate a first access path among the multiple access paths via at least one of the following: an indication of a type of radio access technology (RAT), or an identification (ID) of a network.

[0005] In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may receive a traffic routing rule, the traffic routing rule including a second indication indicating that the wireless communication may route a first type of traffic from a core network via at least one designated access path among a plurality of access paths. The wireless communication device may determine, based on the second indication, that first traffic of the first type is routed via at least one designated access path. The wireless communication device may determine that the first traffic is traffic of the first type. The wireless communication device may determine that the traffic routing rule applies to the first traffic in response to the first traffic being of the first type. The second indication may indicate the designated access path via at least one of the following: an indication of the type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of the network.

[0006] In some embodiments, the type of RAT may include one of the following: whether the first access path is cellular-based; or Long Term Evolution (LTE), New Radio (NR), Wireless Locate Area Network (WLAN), Bluetooth, or Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). In some embodiments, the ID of the network may include: the ID of the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or the ID of the Non-Public Network (NPN). The at least one designated access path may include at least one of the two cellular-based access paths, or a non-cellular-based access path.

[0007] In some embodiments, the at least one designated access path may include a first plurality of access paths.The second indication may indicate that a particular portion of the first type of traffic may be routed via a respective one of the first plurality of access paths.

[0008] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may establish a connection to the core network via the first access path and the second access path to access the same data service. The wireless communication device may receive a routing selection policy via at least one of the first access path or the second access path. The wireless communication device may receive a traffic routing rule via at least one of the first access path or the second access path.

[0009] In some embodiments, establishing a connection to a network function may include a user plane connection. The wireless communication device may use a protocol to establish a connection to a network function to receive a routing strategy or a traffic routing rule. The protocol may include at least one of the following: Performance Measurement Function Protocol (PMFP), Multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP), Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP), Multipath Quick User Plane Function Internet Connection (MPQUIC), Simple Two-way Active Measurement Protocol (STAMP) or Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP).

[0010] In some embodiments, the core network may send a routing policy including a first indication to the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may establish multiple access paths to connect to the core network. The multiple access paths include two cellular-based access paths. The first indication may cause the wireless communication device to establish two cellular-based access paths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Various embodiments of the disclosed solution are described in detail below with reference to the following features or drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and only describe exemplary embodiments of the disclosed solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosed solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be regarded as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the disclosed solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of description, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary cellular communication network in which the technology of the present disclosure can be implemented according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 A block diagram of a base station and a user equipment device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 An example of multiple access paths according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 A flow chart showing a method for supporting multiple access paths according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5 A flow chart of supporting multiple access paths according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] 1. Mobile Communication Technology and Environment

[0018] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown that can implement the techniques of the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to as "network 100" in the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the network 100 includes a base station 102 ("BS 102"; also called a wireless communication node) and a user equipment device 104 ("UE 104"; also called a wireless communication device), which can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel) and cell clusters 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 covering a geographic area 101. Figure 1 1 , BS 102 and UE 104 are contained within the respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating within its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users.

[0019] For example, BS 102 can operate under the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 can communicate via downlink radio frame 118 and uplink radio frame 124 respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 can be further divided into subframe 120 / 127, and subframe 120 / 127 can include data symbol 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described as non-limiting embodiments of "communication node", which can generally implement the method of the present disclosure. According to different embodiments of the present disclosure, such communication node can be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0020] Figure 2 A block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for sending and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features. In an exemplary embodiment, the system 200 may be used in a wireless communication environment, such as Figure 1 Data symbols are communicated (eg, sent and received) in the illustrated wireless communication environment 100 .

[0021] The system 200 generally includes a base station 202 ("BS 202") and a user equipment device 204 ("UE 204"). The BS 202 includes a base station (BS) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled and interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 220 as necessary. The UE 204 includes a user equipment (UE) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled and interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 240 as necessary. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described in the present disclosure.

[0022] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the system 200 may further include Figure 2. The present invention relates to a block or modules of any number other than the modules shown in . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the different example blocks, modules, circuits and processing logic described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware or any actual combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware and software, different example components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps are generally described in terms of their functions. Whether these functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software may depend on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. A technician familiar with the concept described in the present disclosure may implement such functions in an appropriate manner for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to in this disclosure as an "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each of which includes a circuit coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time duplex manner. Similarly, in some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to in this disclosure as a "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each of which includes a circuit coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may selectively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time so that the uplink receiver circuit is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for receiving transmissions through the wireless transmit link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Instead, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for receiving transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time as the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, the time synchronization between changes in duplex direction is very close and the guard time between the transitions is minimal.

[0024] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with an appropriately configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 that can support a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution LTE and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the application of specific standards and associated protocols. Instead, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0025] According to different implementations, BS202 may be, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femtocell or a microcell. In one embodiment, UE 204 may be embodied as different types of user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or designed to be a general-purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. In this way, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0026] In addition, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present disclosure may be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by the processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or any practical combination thereof. The memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, the memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that the processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from the memory modules 216 and 234, respectively, and write information to the memory modules 216 and 234. The memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In one embodiment, the memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions to be executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0027] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional communication between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communication module 218 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, without limitation, the network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network communication module 218 can include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). As used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, the terms "configured for", "configured to", and their various variations, as mentioned herein in relation to a specific operation or function, refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc., which are physically constructed, programmed, formatted and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function. .

[0028] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to as the "Open Systems Interconnection Model" in this disclosure) is a concept and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each of which represents a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as a seven-layer OSI model or a seven-layer model. In one embodiment, the first layer may be a physical layer. In one embodiment, the second layer may be a medium access control (MAC) layer. In one embodiment, the third layer may be a radio link control (RLC) layer. In one embodiment, the fourth layer may be a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In one embodiment, the fifth layer may be a radio resource control (RRC) layer. In one embodiment, the sixth layer may be a Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0029] Various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the disclosed solution. As will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art, after reading this disclosure, the embodiments described herein may be changed or modified in different ways without departing from the scope of the disclosed solution. Therefore, the disclosed solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and shown herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps in the method of the present disclosure is merely an example method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps of the disclosed method or process may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the disclosed solution. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques of the present disclosure present different steps or actions in a sample order, and the disclosed solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0030] 2. System and method for supporting multiple access paths

[0031] The 5G System (5GS) may support certain functions to provide multi-access data connectivity at upper layers (e.g., above the Radio Access Network (RAN)). Multi-access data connectivity may include the possibility of exchanging user plane services between the user equipment UE and the data network by using two access network paths and / or two independent user plane tunnels between the anchor user plane function in the RAN and the 5G core 5GC at the same time. For example, Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) may support service steering, splitting and / or switching across a 3GPP access path and a non-3GPP access path.

[0032] In one embodiment, it may be desirable to distribute and / or aggregate traffic across two 3GPP access paths, such as: (i) two 3GPP access paths in the same public land mobile network PLMN (e.g., one path using Long Term Evolution LTE / Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and another path using New Radio NR / 5GC, or two paths using 3GPP non-terrestrial network NTN access (e.g., Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) / Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO))); (ii) two 3GPP access paths on two different PLMNs or between a PLMN and a non-public network NPN (e.g., one path using 3GPP via PLMN-1 using 3GPP NTN access, and another path uses 3GPP terrestrial access (or NPN) via PLMN-2, or two 3GPP terrestrial access paths use the same RAT (e.g., NR&NR, NTN&NTN) or different RATs (e.g., NR plus LTE); or (iii) more than two access paths on different PLMNs or between PLMN and NPN. Through the above, it is disclosed how to instruct the user equipment UE to route application traffic in different ways through the network. .

[0033] UE policies for 5GS may include at least one of the following: UE Route Selection Policy (URSP), Access Network Discovery and Selection Policy (ANDSP), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Policy (V2XP), or 5G Proximity Services (ProSe) Policy (ProSeP). The UE policy may notify / inform / instruct the UE which access paths to use. In one embodiment, the UE policy may also be pre-configured in the UE. The UE policy may be passed from the Policy Control Function (PCF) to the UE. When the UE has not received the same type of policy from the PCF, the UE may apply the pre-configured policy.

[0034] A URSP may be a collection of one or more URSP rules. The URSP rule may include: (a) a priority value of the URSP rule, identifying the priority of the URSP rule among all existing URSP rules; (b) a traffic descriptor, including: (1) a full match traffic descriptor; or (2) at least one of the following components: one or more application identifiers, one or more IP 3-tuples (e.g., destination IP address, destination port number, or protocol used above IP), one or more non-IP descriptors (e.g., destination information of non-IP services), one or more data network names (DNNs), one or more connection capabilities, or one or more domain descriptors (e.g., destination fully qualified domain names (FQDNs)) or regular expressions as domain name matching criteria; or (c) one or more routing descriptors, each routing descriptor including a priority value of the routing descriptor; and (1) a power distribution unit (PDU) session type; and optionally, one or more of the following: session and service continuity (SSC) mode, one or more single-network slice selection assistance information (Single-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information); Information, S-NSSAI), one or more DNNs, preferred access type, multiple access preference, time window, location criteria, PDU session pair ID, or robust security network (RSN), (2) non-seamless non-3GPP offload indication, (3) 5G ProSe layer 3 UE to network relay offload indication.

[0035] In the routing descriptor, "Multiple Access Preference" may be used to recommend that the UE may establish a PDU session on multiple access networks. "Multiple Access" may be interpreted as "one 3GPP access (path) and one non-3GPP access (path)". In one embodiment, the UE may use PDU sessions on more than two access networks and is not limited to one 3GPP access path and one non-3GPP access path.

[0036] The access service steering, switching and splitting ATSSS features may be optional features supported by the UE and the 5GC network. The ATSSS feature enables multi-access PDU connectivity services, which can exchange PDUs between the UE and the data network by using one 3GPP access network and one non-3GPP access network simultaneously and two independent N3 / N9 tunnels between the PDU Session Anchor (PSA) and the RAN / Access Network (AN). The multi-access PDU connectivity service can be achieved by establishing a Multiple Access Protocol Data Unit (MAPDU) session (e.g., a PDU session that can have user plane resources on two access networks), assuming that both 3GPP access and non-3GPP access are allowed to use S-NSSAI for the PDU session. The UE can request a MAPDU session when the UE is registered via both 3GPP and non-3GPP access, or when the UE is registered via only one access.

[0037] After the MAPDU session is established, and when user plane resources are present on both access networks, the UE may apply network-provided policies (e.g., ATSSS rules) and may consider local conditions (e.g., network interface availability, signal loss conditions, or user preferences) to decide how to allocate uplink traffic on the two access networks. Similarly, the user plane function UPF anchor for the MAPDU session may apply network-provided policies (e.g., N4 rules) and may use information received from the UE via the user plane (e.g., access network unavailability or availability) to decide how to allocate downlink traffic between the two N3 / N9 tunnels and the two access networks. When user plane resources are present on only one access network, the UE may apply ASSS rules and may consider local conditions for triggering the establishment or activation of user plane resources on the other access.

[0038] Implementation Example 1

[0039] This embodiment introduces a new indication in the UE routing selection policy (URSP). The indication may instruct the UE to establish a connection to the core network on at least one of the multiple access paths (e.g., multiple access paths). The indication may be a list. Each entry in the list may refer to an access path to the network. The multiple access paths may include two cellular-based access paths (e.g., LTE or NR). In addition to the two access paths, the multiple access paths may include other access paths (using a 3GPP access network or a non-3GPP access network). The entry may include at least one of the following: an indication of the type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of the network. With the development of UE and / or 4G / 5G / 6G network deployment, the disclosed embodiment may bring more reliable frequency band resources to the UE. The UE can use 4G / 5G / 6G radio resources to simultaneously establish a communication connection with the network.

[0040] The RAT type component may be indicated by whether the access path is cellular based (to indicate whether the responsible RAT is 3GPP); or Long Term Evolution LTE, New Radio NR, Wireless Location Local Area Network WLAN, Bluetooth, or Non-Terrestrial Network NTN (e.g., LEO, MEO, or GEO).

[0041] The network ID component may be represented by an identifier (eg, a globally unique ID) that can uniquely identify a network. For example, the network ID component may include: an ID of a public land mobile network PLMN, or an ID of a non-public network NPN.

[0042] The following describes some embodiments of how to interpret indications in UE policies. (1) Indication a (NR; LTE): A connection to the network can be established via NR and LTE. (2) Indication b (identifier of PLMN 1; identifier of PLMN 2): A connection can be established via PLMN 1 and PLMN 2 simultaneously. (3) Indication c (identifier of NPN 1; identifier of PLMN 3): A connection can be established via NPN 1 and PLMN 3 simultaneously. (4) Indication d (LTE, identifier of PLMN 4; NR, identifier of PLMN 5): A connection can be established via PLMN 4 on LTE and via PLMN 5 on NR simultaneously. (5) Indication e (NR, identifier of NPN 2; LTE, identifier of PLMN 6): A connection can be established via NPN 2 on NR and via PLMN 6 on LTE simultaneously. (6) Indication f(NR, identifier of NPN 3; NTN, identifier of PLMN 7): A connection can be established on NR via NPN 3, while a connection can be established on NTN via PLMN 7. (7) Indication g(NR; LTE; WLAN): Connections can be established to the networks via NR, LTE, and WLAN simultaneously.

[0043] Implementation Example 2

[0044] This implementation embodiment introduces new indications in access traffic steering, switching and splitting ATSSS traffic routing rules. The UE may receive at least traffic routing rules from the core network via non-access layer NAS signaling. The UE may determine the access path based on the at least one traffic routing rule. In one embodiment, the ATSSS traffic routing rules may be sent to the UE after the UE establishes two access paths. The indication may indicate that when the relevant traffic matches at least the traffic routing rules, the UE may route the relevant traffic on / via at least a specified access path among multiple access paths. The indication may refer to an access path to the network. The indication may include at least one of the following: an indication of the type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of the network.

[0045] The RAT type component may be indicated by whether the access path is cellular based (to indicate whether the responsible RAT is 3GPP); or Long Term Evolution LTE, New Radio NR, Wireless Location Local Area Network WLAN, Bluetooth, or Non-Terrestrial Network NTN (e.g., LEO, MEO, or GEO).

[0046] The network ID component may be represented by an identifier (eg, a globally unique ID) that can uniquely identify a network. For example, the network ID component may include: an ID of a public land mobile network PLMN, or an ID of a non-public network NPN.

[0047] The disclosed scheme provides a method for indicating different types of 3GPP or non-3GPP access. The following describes some embodiments of how routing rules are interpreted in UE policies. (a) "Traffic Descriptor: UDP, DestAddr1.2.3.4", "Switching Mode: Active-Standby, Active=NR, Standby=LTE": This rule may mean / indicate "Direct UDP traffic with destination IP address 1.2.3.4 (e.g., traffic type matching the rule) to the active access point (NR), if available. If the active access point is not available, the user equipment UE may use the standby access point (LTE). (b) "Traffic Descriptor: Application-1", "Steering Mode: Load Balancing, PLMN 1=20%, PLMN 2=80%", "Steering Function: MPTCP": This rule may mean / indicate "Send 20% of the traffic of Application-1 through PLMN 1 and 80% through PLMN 2 by using the MPTCP function. ”PLMN1 may represent the identifier of PLMN 1. (c) “Traffic Descriptor: Application-1”, “Steering Mode: Load Balancing, NPN 1=20%, PLMN 3=80%”, “Steering Function: MPTCP”: This rule may mean / indicate “By using the MPTCP function, send 20% of the traffic of Application-1 through NPN 1 and 80% through PLMN 3.” NPN 1 may represent the identifier of NPN 1. (d) “Traffic Descriptor: Application-1”, “Steering Mode: Load Balancing, NR NPN 2=20%, NTN PLMN 4=80%”, “Steering Function: MPTCP”: This rule may mean / indicate “By using the MPTCP function, send 20% of the traffic of Application-1 through NPN 2 on NR and 80% through PLMN 4 on NTN.” "(e) "Traffic Descriptor: Application-2", "Steering Mode: Load Balancing, LTE=20%, NR 2=60%, WLAN=20%", "Steering Function: MPTCP": This rule may mean / indicate "Send 20% of the traffic of Application-2 over LTE, 60% over NR2, and 20% over WLAN by using the MPTCP function."

[0048] Implementation Example 3

[0049] This implementation embodiment describes a process in which a UE obtains a traffic routing rule on a user plane that can be established via multiple access paths (in Figure 4 middle).

[0050] In step 1-2, the UE may establish a connection (#1) through a public land mobile network 1 (PLMN1) via access network 1 (AN 1) and / or establish a connection (#2) through NPN 1 via AN 2, respectively. Connection #1 and connection #2 have at least one common connection attribute (e.g., data network name DNN, single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI, or transport protocol type) that supports the UE to access the same data service.

[0051] In step 3-4, once the discovery and selection of the network function NF configuration UE policy and / or traffic routing rules are completed, the UE can establish a communication connection with the NF. The communication connection to the NF can be established through PLMN 1, NPN 1, or both. The communication connection can be any type of protocol signaling connection. The NF can use the communication connection on any access path to deliver routing-related policies and / or routing rules to the UE. The UE can use the communication connection on any access path to send requests related to routing-related policies and / or routing rules to the NF. Routing-related policies and / or routing rules may include instructions described in Implementation Example 1 and Implementation Example 2.

[0052] The following are some embodiments of protocol signaling connections for the communication connection between UE and NF: (a) Performance Measurement Function Protocol (PMFP), (b) Multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP), (c) Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP), (d) Multipath Quick User plane function Internet Connection (MPQUIC), (e) Simple Two-way Active Measurement Protocol (STAMP), or (f) Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP).

[0053] Supporting multiple access paths is considered to be a direct and effective way to meet service requirements of ultra-low latency, high throughput and / or flow management. It should be understood that one or more features in the above embodiments are not limited to specific embodiments, but can be combined in any way (e.g., in any priority and / or order, simultaneously or not simultaneously).

[0054] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 for supporting multiple access paths is shown. The method 500 may be used in conjunction with Figure 1 to Figure 2 In one embodiment, the method 500 may be performed by a wireless communication device. In one embodiment, additional, fewer, or different operations may be performed in the method 500. At least one operational aspect is directed to a system, method, device, or computer-readable medium.

[0055] A wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) may receive a routing policy (e.g., a URSP) including a first indication from a core network. The wireless communication device may establish multiple access paths to connect to the core network. The multiple access paths may include two access paths that may be cellular-based (may include other access paths in addition to the two 3GPP access paths). The wireless communication device may determine to establish two cellular-based access paths based on the first indication. The first indication may include a list of access paths from the multiple access paths. The first indication may indicate a first access path among the multiple access paths via at least one of the following: an indication of the type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of the network.

[0056] In one embodiment, a wireless communication device may receive a traffic routing rule, the traffic routing rule including a second indication indicating that the wireless communication may route a first type of traffic from a core network via at least one designated access path among a plurality of access paths. The wireless communication device may determine, based on the second indication, that a first type of first communication volume is routed via at least one designated access path. The wireless communication device may determine that the first traffic is a first type of traffic. The wireless communication device may determine that the traffic routing rule applies to the first traffic in response to the first traffic being of the first type. The second indication may indicate the designated access path via at least one of the following: an indication of the type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of the network.

[0057] In one embodiment, the type of RAT may include one of the following: whether the first access path is cellular-based; or long term evolution LTE, new radio NR, wireless positioning local area network WLAN, Bluetooth, or non-terrestrial network NTN. In one embodiment, the ID of the network may include: an ID of a public land mobile network PLMN, or an ID of a non-public network NPN. The at least one designated access path may include at least one of the two cellular-based access paths, or an access path that is not based on cellular.

[0058] In an embodiment, the at least one designated access path may include a first plurality of access paths. The second indication may indicate that a specific portion of the first type of traffic may be routed via a corresponding one of the first plurality of access paths.

[0059] In one embodiment, the wireless communication device may establish a connection to the core network via the first access path and the second access path to access the same data service. The wireless communication device may receive a routing selection policy via at least one of the first access path or the second access path. The wireless communication device may receive a traffic routing rule via at least one of the first access path or the second access path.

[0060] In one embodiment, establishing a connection to the network function may include a user plane connection. The wireless communication device may receive a routing policy or a traffic routing rule via establishing a connection to the network function using a protocol. The protocol may include at least one of the following: performance measurement function protocol PMFP, multipath transmission control protocol MPTCP, datagram congestion control protocol DCCP, multipath fast user plane function network connection MPQUIC, simple two-way active measurement protocol STAMP or two-way active measurement protocol TWAMP.

[0061] In one embodiment, the core network may send a routing policy including a first indication to the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may establish multiple access paths to connect to the core network. The multiple access paths include two cellular-based access paths. The first indication may enable the wireless communication device to establish two cellular-based access paths.

[0062] Although the above content has described different embodiments of the disclosed solution, it should be understood that it is presented only by way of example and not limitation. Similarly, different figures can depict embodiment architectures or configurations, and these architectures or configurations are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the example features and functions of the disclosed solution. However, such personnel will understand that the solution is not limited to the illustrated embodiment architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using various replacement architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-mentioned illustrative embodiments.

[0063] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., in this application does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used in this application as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements may be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0064] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0065] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that any of the different illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed in the present disclosure may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital embodiments, analog embodiments, or a combination of both), firmware, different forms of programs or design codes incorporating instructions (which may be referred to as "software" or "software modules" in the present disclosure for convenience), or any combination of these technologies. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in their functional aspects as a whole. Whether these functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not result in a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the different illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described in the present disclosure may be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits may also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a microprocessor in combination with a DSP core or above, or any other suitable configuration that performs the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0067] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm of the present disclosure may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that can transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0068] In the present disclosure, the term "module" as used in the present disclosure refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described in the present disclosure. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, different modules are described as separate modules; however, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0069] In addition, memory or other storage, and communication components may be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without detracting from the present disclosure. For example, the functions shown as being performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable means for providing the described functions, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0070] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined in this disclosure may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Thus, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown in this disclosure, but is intended to be consistent with the broadest scope consistent with the novel features and principles of this disclosure, as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The wireless communication device receives a routing selection policy from a core network, the routing selection policy including a first instruction for the wireless communication device to establish multiple access paths to connect to the core network, the multiple access paths including two cellular-based access paths; The wireless communication device determines to establish the two cellular-based access paths according to the first indication.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first indication comprises a list of access paths from the plurality of access paths.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first indication indicates a first access path among the plurality of access paths via at least one of: an indication of a type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of a network.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication device receives a traffic routing rule from the core network, the traffic routing rule comprising a second indication for instructing the wireless communication to route the first type of traffic via at least one designated access path among the plurality of access paths; The wireless communication device determines, according to the second indication, to route the first traffic of the first type via the at least one designated access path.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising: The wireless communication device determines that the first traffic is of the first type; The wireless communication device determines that the traffic routing rule applies to the first traffic in response to the first traffic being of the first type.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The second indication indicates the designated access path via at least one of: an indication of a type of radio access technology RAT, or an identification ID of a network.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 6, wherein: Types of RATs include one of the following: whether the first access path is cellular-based; or Long Term Evolution LTE, New Radio NR, Wireless Location Local Area Network WLAN, Bluetooth, or Non-Terrestrial Network NTN.

8. The method according to claim 3 or 6, wherein: The identification of the network includes: the ID of the Public Land Mobile Network PLMN, or The ID of the non-public network NPN.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The at least one designated access path includes at least one of the following: at least one of the two cellular-based access paths, or Non-cellular based access paths.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The at least one designated access path comprises a first plurality of access paths, and the second indication indicates that a particular portion of traffic of the first type is to be routed via a corresponding access path in the first plurality of access paths.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 4, comprising: The wireless communication device establishes a connection with the core network via a first access path and a second access path to access the same data service; The wireless communication device establishes a connection with a network function NF via at least one of the first access path or the second access path.

12. The method according to claim 11, comprising: The wireless communication device receives the routing policy via at least one of the first access path or the second access path.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, comprising: The wireless communication device receives the traffic routing rule via at least one of the first access path or the second access path.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The connections established with the network function include user plane connections.

15. The method of claim 12 or 13, comprising receiving the routing policy or the traffic routing rule via establishing the connection to the network function using a protocol comprising at least one of: Performance Measurement Function Protocol PMFP, Multipath Transmission Control Protocol MPTCP, Datagram Congestion Control Protocol DCCP, Multipath Fast User Plane Internet Connection MPQUIC, Simple bidirectional active measurement protocol STAMP, Bidirectional Active Measurement Protocol TWAMP.

16. A method comprising: The core network sends a routing selection strategy to the wireless communication device, the routing selection strategy including a first instruction to the wireless communication device to establish multiple access paths connected to the core network, the multiple access paths including two cellular-based access paths; The wireless communication device is enabled to establish the two cellular-based access paths according to the first instruction.

17. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by at least one processor, the at least one processor can implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. An apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-16.

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