Method and system

Abstract

To switch the connection from an old management network element that manages a subscriber profile to a new management network element.SOLUTION: Provided is a method executed in a system, the system comprising a master profile management device to be hierarchized and a slave profile management device. The master profile management device holds subscriber profiles of all of subscribers, and the slave profile management device holds subscriber profiles acquired from the master profile management device as slave subscriber profiles. The method includes a step of transmitting an in-zone information update file including a subscriber identification number and in-zone information of a position registration requirement signal to the master profile management device by the slave profile management device, in the case where the in-zone information of the position registration request signal from a terminal device is different from the in-zone information of the slave subscriber profiles corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and system, and more particularly, to a method and system for sharing subscriber profiles among hierarchical managed network elements. [Background technology]

[0002] When a product or service is discontinued (End of Sale: EOS) or when maintenance and support is discontinued (End of Life: EOL), a management network element having a database (UDR: Unified Data Repository in the case of 5G) that manages the subscriber profile of a subscriber needs to transfer the subscriber profile stored therein from an old management network element to a new management network element. Here, the transfer process refers to a procedure performed when a subscriber profile including a subscriber's communication service and contract information is transferred from one device to another device. For example, the transfer process may include a process of reading out a subscriber profile from the old integrated data management device, verifying the read out subscriber profile to confirm that the subscriber is a legitimate subscriber, transferring the subscriber profile to a new integrated data management device, and then deleting the subscriber profile stored in the old integrated data management device.

[0003] Conventionally, when a subscriber's terminal device moves during a transfer and transmits a location registration request signal, this location registration request signal is transmitted to the old management network element of the transfer source, and may not be reflected in the presence information of the subscriber profile of the new management network element of the transfer destination. For example, when a terminal device moves between mobility management elements (AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function in the case of 5G) during a transfer, the presence information in the new management network element of the transfer destination remains the identifier of the mobility management element before the move, and is not updated to the mobility management element identifier after the move, and the presence information of the subscriber profile of the new management network element may become in an unmatched state different from the actual presence information of the terminal device. Conventionally, in order to resolve this unmatched state, a reset signal is transmitted from the new management network element to all mobility management elements under it. Upon receiving a reset signal, the mobility management element transmits a location registration request signal to the new management network element when it receives a location registration request from the terminal device of the corresponding subscriber identification number.

[0004] However, the reset signal causes the terminal devices of all the subscribers to be transferred to simultaneously send location registration request signals to the new management network element of the transfer destination. Therefore, even if the location information of the subscriber profile of the new management network element of the transfer destination is not in an unmatched state, the mobility management device always sends a location registration request signal to the new management network element of the transfer destination when it receives a reset signal. Therefore, burst traffic is generated from the mobility management device to the new network element, and there is a risk of network congestion between them.

[0005] Meanwhile, a technique for reducing the number of location registration request signals is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when a mobility management element transmits a location registration request signal to a management network element based on a reset signal from an integrated data management device, the number of location registration request signals transmitted from the mobility management element is reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-168749 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, although the technique described in Patent Document 1 reduces the number of transmitted location registration request signals, terminal devices that are not in an unmatched state also transmit location registration request signals to the management network element.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to reduce the processing load of a parent managed network element by hierarchizing managed network elements.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of bursty traffic from the mobility management device toward the new management network element when switching a connection from an old management network element to a new management network element. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a method implemented in a system, the system comprising a hierarchical parent profile management device and a child profile management device, the parent profile management device holding subscriber profiles of all subscribers, the child profile management device holding the subscriber profiles obtained from the parent profile management device as child subscriber profiles, and the method including creating, by the child profile management device, a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device differs from location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device.

[0011] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a system comprising a hierarchical parent profile management device and a child profile management device, wherein the parent profile management device holds subscriber profiles of all subscribers, the child profile management device holds the subscriber profile acquired from the parent profile management device as a child subscriber profile, and the child profile management device is configured to: create a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 13 shows a process flow for sharing a database of subscriber profiles between a parent integrated data management device and a child integrated data management device under it in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example data structure of a database of subscriber profiles stored in a storage unit of a parent / child integrated data management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 13 illustrates an example data structure of a location information update file stored in a memory unit of a child integrated data management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] The details of the process of the step of creating the location information update file in FIG. 2 will be described below. [Figure 6] 13 shows a process flow for switching a connection from a first child integrated data management device to a second child integrated data management device in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the contents of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be listed and described. One embodiment of the present disclosure has the following configuration. [Configuration 1] A characteristic configuration of a method for achieving the above-mentioned object is a method implemented in a system (100), the system comprising a hierarchical parent profile management device (150) and a child profile management device (116), the parent profile management device retaining subscriber profiles (300) of all subscribers (S204), the child profile management device retaining the subscriber profile acquired from the parent profile management device as a child subscriber profile (300C) (S206), the method including the child profile management device transmitting to the parent profile management device (S208) a location information update file (400) including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device (102) differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile (300C) corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device.

[0014] [Configuration 2] Another characteristic feature of the method of the present disclosure is that the method further includes the child profile management device obtaining the subscriber profile whose location information has been updated from the parent profile management device based on the location information update file (S210), and updating the child subscriber profile based on the subscriber profile whose location information has been updated (S212).

[0015] [Configuration 3] Another characteristic configuration of the method disclosed herein is that the child profile management device creates the location information update file by further receiving from the terminal device a location registration request signal including the subscriber identification number read from the terminal device and location information of the terminal device (S502), determining whether the location information of the location registration request signal differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number (S504), and when it is determined that the location information of the location registration request signal differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number, creating a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal (S506).

[0016] [Configuration 4] Another characteristic feature of the method of the present disclosure is that the method further includes (S210) updating, by the parent profile management device, the location information of the subscriber profile based on the location information update file obtained from the child profile management device, with location information corresponding to the subscriber identification number in the location information update file.

[0017] [Configuration 5] Another characteristic feature of the method of the present disclosure is that the method repeats the steps of sending the location information update file to the parent profile management device by the child profile management device (S208), obtaining the updated subscriber profile from the parent profile management device (S212), and updating the child subscriber profile based on the subscriber profile with the updated location information (S212).

[0018] [Configuration 6] Another characteristic configuration of the method according to the present disclosure is that the created location information update file is periodically transmitted from the child profile management device to the parent profile management device (S208).

[0019] [Configuration 7] Another characteristic configuration of the method of the present disclosure is that the child profile management device includes a first child profile management device in which a communication route with the parent profile management device and a communication route with a user data management device have been established, and a second child profile management device in which a communication route with the parent profile management device and a communication route with a user data management device have not been established, and the method further includes, when the communication route between the first child profile management device and the second child profile management device is established, transmitting an instruction to prohibit transmission of a location registration request signal from the first child profile management device to the user data management device (S604).

[0020] [Configuration 8] Another characteristic configuration of the method of the present disclosure is that the method further includes the steps of: when a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the parent profile management device (S612); and when a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the user data management device (S614), the parent profile management device transmits the subscriber profiles of all of the subscribers to the second child profile management device (S618); the second child profile management device acquires the subscriber profiles of all of the subscribers from the parent profile management device and retains them as child subscriber profiles (S620); and the second child profile management device transmits a request to send a location registration request signal to the user data management device (S620).

[0021] [Configuration 9] Another characteristic configuration of the method of the present disclosure is that the method further includes, by the second child profile management device, creating a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when the location information of the location registration request signal from the terminal device differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device (S208).

[0022] [Configuration 10] Another characteristic configuration of the method of the present disclosure is that the method further includes the first child profile management device sending a request to the parent profile management device to prohibit use of the subscriber profile (S608), and when a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the parent profile management device (S612), and a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the user data management device (S614), the second child profile management device sending a request to the parent profile management device to transmit the subscriber profile (S616).

[0023] [Configuration 11] A characteristic configuration of a system for achieving the above-mentioned object is a system comprising a hierarchical parent profile management device and a child profile management device, the parent profile management device storing subscriber profiles of all subscribers (S204), the child profile management device storing the subscriber profile acquired from the parent profile management device as a child subscriber profile (S206), and the child profile management device configured to perform the following when location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device, sending to the parent profile management device a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal (S208).

[0024] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the following embodiment. In the drawings, identical or similar elements are given identical or similar reference symbols, and duplicate descriptions of identical or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. In addition, the features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. However, the embodiment of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such an aspect. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiment of the present disclosure can take various aspects included in the scope defined in the claims.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Each device shown in the communication system 100 is a network element that implements main functions provided by the communication system 100, such as a mobility management function, a user data management function, and a subscriber profile management function. Although the network elements are shown in FIG. 1 as being implemented by devices, these functions may be implemented as functional entities. In addition to the network elements shown in the figure, other network elements may be used to implement some or all of the main functions of the communication system 100. In addition to the network elements shown in the figure, other network elements may be included.

[0026] The communication system 100 includes a plurality of hierarchical integrated data management devices. More specifically, the communication system 100 includes a parent integrated data management device 150 (UDR p ), and a plurality of child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n 1. The letters and numbers following the # of each device in FIG. 1 indicate examples of identifiers assigned to each device. n ) are subordinate to a plurality of user data management devices 114 (UDM 11 ~#UDM nn) are communicatively connected, and further, a user data management device 114 (UDM 11 ~#UDM nn ) are subordinate to a plurality of mobility management devices 112 (#AMF 11 ~#AMF 4n ) are communicatively connected. One child integrated data management device 116 and a plurality of subordinate user data management devices 114 are mesh-connected. Also, one user data management device 114 and a plurality of subordinate mobility management devices 112 are mesh-connected. Note that, under each mobility management device 112, a plurality of base stations 104 are communicatively connected.

[0027] A terminal device (UE: User Equipment) 102 can communicate with a core network composed of a mobility management device 112, a user data management device 114, a child integrated data management device 116, a parent integrated data management device 150, etc., via a base station 104. In the communication system 100, the destination of a location registration request signal from a terminal device 102 located under the control of the mobility management device 112 is set to the child integrated data management device 116, not the parent integrated data management device 150. As a result, the location registration request signal from the terminal device 102 is processed by the child integrated data management device 116. This makes it possible to avoid concentration of location registration request signals on the parent integrated data management device 150.

[0028] In the example of FIG. 1, the mobility management device 112#AMF 11 It is assumed that the terminal device 102 is located under the control of the parent integrated data management device 150. According to the present disclosure, the child integrated data management device 116 can copy a database 300 (FIG. 3) of a subscriber profile associated with the terminal device 102 in the parent integrated data management device 150. The terminal device 102 can use various network services provided by the telecommunications carrier by using the copied database 300C of the child integrated data management device 116.

[0029] Also, in the example of FIG. 1, the terminal device 102 then 11From different mobility management devices #AMF 31 During this movement, even if switching is performed from the child integrated data management device 116a to another child integrated data management device 116b, all child integrated data management devices 116 share and hold the subscriber profiles of all subscribers, so the terminal device 102 can access the child integrated data management device 116 after switching (#UDR b ) subscriber profile to access the carrier's network services.

[0030] In the following embodiments, the communication system 100 is described as complying with the 3GPP 5G (5th Generation) standard, but the embodiments are not necessarily limited to a specific standard and may comply with other communication standards such as 4th Generation (4G) and 6th Generation (6G).

[0031] (Terminal device 102) The terminal device 102 is realized as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a tablet computer, a laptop computer (a so-called notebook computer), or the like.

[0032] The terminal device 102 has hardware resources such as a control unit, a storage unit, a transmission / reception unit, an antenna, and a SIM. The control unit, the storage unit, the transmission / reception unit, and the SIM are connected via a bus. The control unit is a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), etc. Specific examples of the storage unit are a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, a flash memory, an optical disk, etc. The control unit of the terminal device 102 is a functional unit that controls the operation and functions of the entire terminal device 102. The control unit realizes various processes in the terminal device 102 by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit as necessary. The transmission / reception unit is a functional unit for wirelessly communicating with a base station device in an access network via an antenna.

[0033] The SIM installed in the terminal device 102 stores a contract profile of a user who has a contract with a telecommunications carrier. The SIM contract profile stores subscriber information of the user, and includes individual identifier information such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number assigned to a mobile phone line contract, a telephone number of the subscriber user (Mobile Subscriber International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN)), and an Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID) number. The terminal device 102 can transmit a location registration request signal to the child integrated data management device 116 and use various network services provided by the telecommunications carrier.

[0034] (Parent integrated data management device 150) The parent integrated data management device 150 includes a UDR (Unified Data Repository). The parent integrated data management device 150 stores a database of subscriber profiles of all subscribers who have service contracts with telecommunications carriers, which are organized in the UDR so that they can be searched or stored. The parent integrated data management device 150 is communicably connected to a plurality of child integrated data management devices 116.

[0035] The parent integrated data management device 150 has hardware resources such as a control unit, a storage unit, and a transmission / reception unit. The control unit, the storage unit, and the transmission / reception unit are connected via a bus. The control unit of the parent integrated data management device 150 is a functional unit that controls the overall operation and function of the parent integrated data management device 150. The control unit realizes various processes in the parent integrated data management device 150 by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit as necessary. The transmission / reception unit is a functional unit for the parent integrated data management device 150 to communicate with the child integrated data management device 116 and the like. The storage unit stores a subscriber profile database 300, which is a database of subscriber profiles of all subscribers. Details of the subscriber profile database 300 of the parent integrated data management device 150 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0036] In the following, the child integrated data management device 116, the mobility management device 112, and the user data management device 114 have the same hardware configuration as the parent integrated data management device 150, and therefore a duplicated explanation of the hardware configuration will be omitted.

[0037] (Child Integrated Data Management Device 116) There are a plurality of child integrated data management devices 116, each of which has a UDR. Based on the subscriber profile database 300 acquired from the parent integrated data management device 150, the child integrated data management device 116 organizes information so that it can be searched or accumulated, and stores it as a child subscriber profile database 300C. The child integrated data management device 116 can hold the latest subscriber profiles of all subscribers that are common to the parent integrated data management device 150. When a subscriber uses a communication service, the child integrated data management device 116 acquires necessary information from the child subscriber profile database 300C and provides an appropriate service to the subscriber. The storage unit can store the child subscriber profile database 300C and the location information update file 400. The child subscriber profile database 300C is configured in the same manner as the subscriber profile database 300. Details of the location information update file 400 of the child integrated data management device 116 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4. Details of the creation of the location information update file 400 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0038] The child integrated data management device 116 is the child integrated data management device 116a (#UDR a ) and the child integrated data management device 116b after switching (#UDR b ) can be provided. The "a" of the child integrated data management device 116 indicates the state before switching, and the "b" indicates the state after switching. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the state before switching and the state after switching, the "a" and "b" may be omitted. Conventionally, when the sale of a product or service is terminated, the integrated data management device transfers the subscriber profile from the old device to the new device. According to the present disclosure, when the sale of a product or service is terminated, it is not necessary to transfer the subscriber profile, and the connection destination of the user data management device is simply switched from the child integrated data management device 116a to the child integrated data management device 116b. The terminal device 102 can use the network service without being aware of the switching between the child integrated data management devices 116.

[0039] In addition, in the past, the integrated data management device set the subscriber identification numbers of the subscribers it accommodates in advance. According to the present disclosure, the parent integrated data management device 150 and all of the subordinate child integrated data management devices 116 set the subscriber identification numbers of all of the subscribers.

[0040] (Mobility management device 112) The mobility management device 112 is a network element that provides the function of AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function). The mobility management device 112 manages the location registration of the terminal device 102, calling, handover between base stations, and the like.

[0041] (User data management device 114) The user data management device 114 is a network element that provides a UDM (User Data Management) function. The user data management device 114 stores and manages subscriber data, session information, location information of the terminal device 102, and authentication information for AKA (Authentication and Key Agreement) authentication of the terminal device 102. AKA authentication refers to a method of authentication / encryption key delivery exchanged between the SIM of the terminal device 102 and the carrier network. The user data management device 114 is not connected to the parent integrated data management device 150, but is connected to the child integrated data management device 116.

[0042] The user data management device 114 can switch the connected child integrated data management device 116 from an old device (child integrated data management device 116a) to a new device (child integrated data management device 116b) when a product / service ends its sales (End of Sale: EOS) or when maintenance / support ends (End of Life: EOL). When switching, the user data management device 114 suspends the transmission of a location registration request signal to the first child integrated data management device 116a in advance. After switching, the user data management device 114 starts transmitting a location registration request signal to the second child integrated data management device 116b at any timing.

[0043] Conventionally, the mobility management device 112 has previously set the identifier of the user data management device 114 to which the location registration request signal is to be transmitted in association with the subscriber identification number. For example, the mobility management device 112 has previously set user data management devices with identifiers #UDM1 to #UDM4 for the subscriber identification numbers "****a" to "****e", and has previously set #UDM5 to #UDM10 for the subscriber identification numbers "****f" to "****z". When a location registration request signal is transmitted from the terminal device 102 using the subscriber identification number "****a", the location registration request signal is transmitted to one of the user data management devices 114 #UDM1 to #UDM4 selected by round robin, and the selected user data management device 114 transmits the location registration request signal to the preset integrated data management device #1 that contains the subscriber identification number "****a".

[0044] According to the present disclosure, the child integrated data management device 116 holds subscriber profiles corresponding to the subscriber identification numbers of all subscribers. The mobility management device 112 can arbitrarily select one user data management device 114 from all user data management devices 114, for example, by round robin, and transmit a location registration request signal to the selected user data management device 114. The mobility management device 112 does not need to set in advance the identifier of the user data management device 114 to which the location registration request signal is to be transmitted in association with the subscriber identification number. Furthermore, the location registration request signal is transmitted from the user data management device 114 to the child integrated data management device 116 arbitrarily selected, for example, by round robin. The user data management device 114 does not need to set in advance the child integrated data management device 116 to which the location registration request signal is to be transmitted in association with the subscriber identification number.

[0045] <Subscriber profile sharing> 2 shows a flow of a process 200 for sharing a subscriber profile database 300 between a parent integrated data management device 150 and a subordinate child integrated data management device 116 in a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is assumed that customer information is stored in a memory unit of the customer management device 160 prior to the process. The customer management device 160 has various information required for managing network services provided by a mobile communication carrier to users. The customer information stores various information related to user contracts for each subscriber identification number of a user who subscribes to a network service provided by a mobile communication carrier.

[0046] In step S202, the customer management device 160 reads data relating to a service order from a user and transmits it to the parent integrated data management device 150. The service order data includes the subscriber identification number of the user who has subscribed to the network service and user contract information.

[0047] Next, in step S204, the parent integrated data management device 150 creates a subscriber profile database 300 shown in Fig. 3 based on the received service order data (subscriber identification number, user contract information) and stores it in the storage unit. After storing the subscriber profile database 300, the parent integrated data management device 150 transmits a notification to the customer management device 160 that the contract procedure based on the service order data has been completed. The subscriber profile database 300 manages various information related to user contracts for each subscriber identification number of all users who subscribe to network services provided by the telecommunications carrier.

[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates a data structure of a subscriber profile database 300 stored in a storage unit of a parent integrated data management device 150 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The subscriber profile database 300 may include items of subscriber identification numbers of all subscribers, service contents subscribed to by the subscribers (data communication, emergency call origination, voice, SMS contract status, etc.), telephone numbers corresponding to all subscriber identification numbers, and location information of the terminal device 102. The subscriber profile database 300 may further include items of detailed information of a contract plan, authentication information used for user authentication, etc. The subscriber identification number is an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is generally composed of 15 digits, but is written as "****a" or the like for convenience of explanation in this disclosure. The location information of the subscriber profile database 300 created in response to a service order is set with an identifier of a mobility management device in which the terminal device is located.

[0049] In the example of FIG. 3, the terminal device corresponding to the subscriber identification number "****a" has a "#AMF 11 The mobile station 110 is located under the control of a mobility management device 112 to which the identifier "." is assigned.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 2, in step S204, the parent integrated data management device 150 creates the subscriber profile database 300 shown in FIG. 3, and then all of the child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n ) a database 300 of subscriber profiles.

[0051] Next, in step S206, the child integrated data management device 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n ) each receive the subscriber profile database 300 and store it in a storage unit as a subscriber profile database 300C. This allows all child integrated data management devices 116 under the parent integrated data management device 150 to hold a common subscriber profile database 300C.

[0052] Next, in step S208, the child integrated data management device 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n When the child integrated data management device 116 determines that the location information has been changed based on a location registration request signal from the terminal device 102, it creates a location information update file 400 for the subscriber identification number whose location information has been changed. The child integrated data management device 116 transmits the created location information update file 400 to the parent integrated data management device 150 periodically, for example at 15-minute intervals.

[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a data structure of a location information update file 400 stored in the storage unit of the child integrated data management device 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The location information update file 400 is composed only of information associated with the subscriber identification number of the terminal device 102 whose location information has been changed, and does not include information on the subscriber identification number corresponding to the terminal device 102 whose location information has not been changed. The location information update file 400 includes at least an item of the subscriber identification number associated with the terminal device 102 whose location information has been changed, and the changed location information related to this subscriber identification number. As shown in FIG. 4, the location information update file 400 may include an item of the service content subscribed to by the user (data communication, emergency call, voice, SMS contract, etc.). The location information update file 400 may further include an item of the telephone number corresponding to the subscriber identification number, detailed information of the contract plan, authentication information used for authenticating the user, etc.

[0054] In the example of FIG. 4, the terminal device corresponding to the subscriber identification number "****a" is "#AMF 31 In other words, in step S208, the terminal device 102 is located under the control of a mobility management device to which the identifier "#AMF" is assigned. 11 " (step S202), the mobility management device "#AMF 31". Since there was no change in the mobility management device in which the terminal devices corresponding to the subscriber identification numbers "****b" to "****d" are located, information on these subscriber identification numbers is not included in the located area information update file 400.

[0055] Returning to FIG. 2, in step S210, the parent integrated data management device 150 refers to the location information update file 400 and updates the subscriber profile database 300 of the parent integrated data management device. In detail, the parent integrated data management device 150 reflects the location information corresponding to the subscriber identification number contained in the location information update file 400 in the subscriber profile database 300 created in step S204, and creates the latest subscriber profile database 300. In this example, the location information "#AMF" corresponding to the subscriber identification number "****a" in the subscriber profile database 300 is updated. 11 " to the location information "#AMF 31 The parent integrated data management device 150 also updates the database 300 of the latest updated subscriber profiles to all the child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n ) to

[0056] Next, in step S212, the child integrated data management device 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR n When the child subscriber profile database 300C receives the updated subscriber profile database 300, it overwrites the subscriber profile database 300C stored in the storage unit in step S206. In this step, only the subscriber profiles whose location information has been updated are updated. That is, in this example, the location information "#AMF" corresponding to the subscriber identification number "****a" in the child subscriber profile database 300C is overwritten. 11 ", and the area information "#AMF 31 By updating, the child subscriber profile database 300C and the parent subscriber profile database 300 can share the same information.

[0057] Thereafter, the processes from step S208 to step S12 are periodically repeated. As a result, even if there is a change in the identifier of the mobility management device 112 in which the terminal device 102 is located, the subscriber profile can be shared between the parent integrated data management device 150 and the multiple child integrated data management devices 116. In addition, the subscriber profile can be shared between all the child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR1 to #UDR2) under the parent integrated data management device 150. n ), the same processing (the processing of steps S206, S208, and S212 in FIG. 2) is performed.

[0058] According to the present disclosure, the parent integrated data management device 150 and all subordinate child integrated data management devices 116 can share the latest database 300 of subscriber profiles related to all subscribers. Therefore, when transferring the integrated data management device, it is not necessary to transmit a reset signal from the integrated data management device to the mobility management device 112 as in the past. In the past, when the mobility management device 112 receives a reset signal and receives a location registration request signal, it instructs all terminal devices 102 to transmit a location registration request signal, and all terminal devices 102 transmit a location registration request signal to the integrated data management device according to the transmission instruction. According to the present disclosure, the child integrated data management device 116 manages the movement of the terminal devices 102 in the presence information update file 400, and the child integrated data management device 116 can periodically grasp which terminal devices 102 have moved. Therefore, the child integrated data management device 116 does not transmit a reset signal to the mobility management device 112 in the first place. According to the present disclosure, even after switching, location registration request signals are not transmitted from the terminal devices to the child integrated data management device 116 all at once.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the parent integrated data management device 150 does not directly receive a location registration request signal from the terminal device 102. The child integrated data management device 116 that receives the location registration request signal creates a location information update file 400 that includes the subscriber identification number whose location information has changed and the location information after the change. The parent integrated data management device 150 updates the subscriber profiles including all subscribers based on the location information update file 400, and transmits the updated subscriber profiles of all subscribers to the child integrated data management device 116, thereby holding the latest subscriber profiles common to the parent integrated data management device 150 and the child integrated data management device 116.

[0060] <Creating an area information update file> Fig. 5 shows details of the process of step S208 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows a detailed flow of a process 500 for creating the location information update file 400 in the child integrated data management device 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] The terminal device 102 transmits a location registration request signal at any timing, such as when the terminal device 102 is powered on, when the terminal device 102 moves to a new area, or at a predetermined interval. Prior to processing, the location registration request signal is transmitted to the mobility management device 112 via the base station 104 (FIG. 1), and is then transmitted to the user data management device 114 selected as the destination of the location registration request signal, for example, selected by round robin. This location registration request signal from the mobility management device 112 includes a subscriber identification number (for example, "****a") read from the SIM of the terminal device 102 and an identifier of the mobility management device 112 in whose area the terminal device 102 is located (for example, #AMF 31 The user data management device 114 transmits a location registration request signal to the selected child integrated data management device 116 (e.g., #UDR1) selected, for example, by round robin. This location registration request signal includes a subscriber identification number ("****a") and an identifier (#AMF) of the mobility management device 112 in whose area the terminal device 102 is located. 31 ) and

[0062] In step S502, the child integrated data management device 116 (here, #UDR1) receives a location registration request signal from the terminal device 102 via the user data management device 114 or the like.

[0063] Next, in step S504, the child integrated data management device 116 that has received the location registration request signal refers to the database 300C of subscriber profiles of all subscribers stored in the storage unit, and retrieves the identifier (#AMF) of the mobility management device 112 included in the location information of the database 300C of the subscriber profiles. 11 ) is the identifier (#AMF 31 ) and determine whether it is different.

[0064] Next, in step S506, if the identifiers of the mobility management devices are different, the child integrated data management device 116 determines that the location information has changed, that is, that the terminal device 102 has moved between mobility management devices 112. When the child integrated data management device 116 determines the movement, it copies various information (service contents, etc.) of the corresponding subscriber identification number and creates a location information update file 400 in which the location information has been updated based on the copied information. The location information update file 400 includes only various information corresponding to the subscriber identification number whose location information has been updated. Note that since the multiple child integrated data management devices 116 each receive a location registration request signal from a different terminal device 102, the contents of the location information update file 400 held by the multiple child integrated data management devices 116 are different from each other.

[0065] According to the present disclosure, when the mobility management device 112 in which the terminal device 102 is located changes due to movement, a location information update file 400 including location information of the destination is created. The location information update file 400 is periodically transmitted from the child integrated data management device 116 to the parent integrated data management device 150. The parent integrated data management device 150 buffers the location information update file 400 until a new location information update file 400 is transmitted. When a new location information update file 400 is received from the child integrated data management device 116, the parent integrated data management device 150 updates the buffered old location information update file with the new location information update file. In this embodiment, the location information is determined to have changed when the identifier of the mobility management device 112 changes, but the change in location information may be determined by the identifier of the base station 104. In this case, the subscriber profile database 300 and the location information update file 400 store the identifier of the base station 104 as the location information.

[0066] <Switching child integrated data management devices> FIG. 6 shows a flow of a process 600 for switching a connection from a user data management device from a first child integrated data management device 116a to a second child integrated data management device 116b in a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Prior to this process 600, all child integrated data management devices 116 share and hold the latest subscriber profile database 300C for all subscribers by the process 200 described in FIG. 2. In addition, all child integrated data management devices 116 may hold a location information update file 400. In the illustrated example, the first child integrated data management device is the child integrated data management device 116a before the switch, and the second child integrated data management device is the child integrated data management device 116b after the switch. The first child integrated data management device 116a has a communication route established between the parent integrated data management device 150 and the user data management device 114, while the second child integrated data management device 116b has no communication route established between the parent integrated data management device 150 and the user data management device 114. The child integrated data management device 116b used after switching does not share the subscriber profile database 300C with the other child integrated data management devices 116.

[0067] First, in step S602, a communication route is established between the first child integrated data management device 116a and the second child integrated data management device 116b.

[0068] Next, in step S604, the first child integrated data management device 116a transmits the user data to all the user data management devices 114 (UDM 11 ~#UDM nn ) to prohibit the transmission of a location registration request signal addressed to the first child integrated data management device 116a.

[0069] Conventionally, even during a transfer, a location registration request signal was transmitted in a round robin manner from the terminal device 102 to the integrated data management device via the mobility management device 112 and the user data management device 114. According to the present disclosure, an instruction to prohibit transmission of a location registration request signal is sent to the user data management device 114 before switching. Therefore, during switching, a location registration request signal is not transmitted from the terminal device 102 to the child integrated data management device 116 via the mobility management device 112 and the user data management device 114.

[0070] Next, in step S606, all the user data management devices return an acknowledgment (ACK) to the first child integrated data management device 116a in response to the location registration request signal transmission prohibition instruction.

[0071] Next, in step S608, upon receiving the acknowledgment (ACK), the first child integrated data management device 116a transmits a request to prohibit transmission of the database 300 containing the subscriber profiles of all subscribers, and the location information update file 400 held by the first child integrated data management device 116a, to the parent integrated data management device 150. The parent integrated data management device 150 stores the received location information update file 400 of the first child integrated data management device 116a in a memory unit.

[0072] Next, in step S610, when the parent integrated data management device 150 receives the request to prohibit transmission of the subscriber profile database 300 of all subscribers, it transmits an acknowledgment (ACK) to this usage prohibition request to the first child integrated data management device 116a. When the parent integrated data management device 150 receives the acknowledgment to the request to prohibit transmission of the subscriber profile database 300, it does not transmit the subscriber profile database 300 to the first child integrated data management device 116a. Furthermore, the first child integrated data management device 116a transfers the acknowledgment (ACK) to the received usage prohibition instruction to the second child integrated data management device 116b.

[0073] In step S612, when the second child integrated data management device 116b receives an acknowledgment (ACK) to the instruction to prohibit use of the subscriber profile database 300 via the first child integrated data management device 116a, it establishes a direct communication route between the second child integrated data management device 116b and the parent integrated data management device 150. Furthermore, it starts up the second child integrated data management device 116b (for example, starts up an application for switching processing).

[0074] Next, in step 614, the second child integrated data management apparatus 116b is started up, and the second child integrated data management apparatus 116b is connected to all the user data management apparatuses 114 (UDM 11 ~#UDM nn ) to establish a communication route.

[0075] Next, in step 616, the second child integrated data management device 116b sends a request to the parent integrated data management device 150 to send the database 300 of all subscriber profiles.

[0076] Next, in step S618, the parent integrated data management device 150 transmits the data to all the child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR a Excluding #UDR1~#UDR n 2), the subscriber profile database 300 is transmitted to the second child integrated data management device 116b at the same time as the subscriber profile database 300 is transmitted to the first child integrated data management device 116c (step S210 in FIG. 2).

[0077] Next, in step S620, the second child integrated data management device 116b, which is the switching destination, stores the received subscriber profile database 300 in the storage unit as the child subscriber profile database 300C. Also, the second child integrated data management device 116b transmits a request to transmit a location registration request signal to all user data management devices 114 in order to cancel the instruction to prohibit transmission of the location registration request signal transmitted to the user data management device 114 in step S604.

[0078] Next, in step S622, all the user data management devices 114 return an acknowledgment (ACK) to the second child integrated data management device 116b in response to the request to transmit the location registration request signal.

[0079] Thereafter, the processes from step S208 to step S212 shown in FIG. 2 are repeated.

[0080] First, in step S208, the second child integrated data management device 116b receives a location registration request signal from the terminal device 102 at any timing, and creates a location information update file 400 for a subscriber identification number whose location information has changed. The terminal device 102 transmits a location registration request signal at any timing, such as when it moves to a new area and its location information changes. The second child integrated data management device 116b determines that the location information has changed when the identifier of the mobility management device 112 in which the terminal device 102 is located is different from the location information before the switch, and creates the location information update file 400. Then, the second child integrated data management device 116b transmits the location information update file 400 to the parent integrated data management device 150 (step S208 in FIG. 2).

[0081] Next, in step S210, the parent integrated data management device 150 refers to the location information update file 400 to update the subscriber profile database 300, and updates all the child integrated data management devices 116 (#UDR a Excluding #UDR1~#UDR n ) to

[0082] Next, in step S212, the child integrated data management device 116 updates the child side subscriber profile database 300C based on the updated subscriber profile database 300.

[0083] Next, in step S210, when the parent integrated data management device 150 receives the location information update file 400, it updates the location information in the subscriber profile database 300 based on the location information update file 400, and transmits the updated subscriber profile database 300 to all child integrated data management devices 116 under its control (excluding the child integrated data management device 116a before the switch).

[0084] Next, in step S212, when the child integrated data management device 116 receives the updated subscriber profile database 300, it overwrites the subscriber profile database 300C held in the storage unit with the database 300.

[0085] According to the present disclosure, the communication system 100 divides the integrated data management devices into a parent and child hierarchy and holds a database 300 of the subscriber profiles of all subscribers common to the parent and child. When the location information of the terminal device of the subscriber changes, the child integrated data management device 116 creates a location information update file 400 including the location information of the subscriber identification number of the changed terminal device and notifies the parent integrated data management device 150. This location information update file 400 is periodically transmitted to the parent integrated data management device 150, and the common subscriber profile can be updated based on the location information update file 400. As a result, all child integrated data management devices 116 can commonly hold the latest subscriber profiles of all subscribers. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in a certain child integrated data management device 116 or maintenance and support are terminated, the terminal device 102 can start communication using the new child integrated data management device 116 by simply switching the connection to a new child integrated data management device 116 without performing a transfer process of the subscriber's subscriber profile.

[0086] According to the present disclosure, a reset signal is not transmitted from the integrated data management device to the mobility management device 112 at the time of switching, so that location registration request signals are not transmitted from the terminal device 102 to the child integrated data management device all at once based on the reset signal. The location registration request signal is transmitted from the terminal device 102 to the child integrated data management device 116 via the mobility management device 112 and the user data management device 114 at any timing, such as when the location information is updated. Therefore, no burst traffic of location registration request signals is generated from the mobility management device 112 to the second child integrated data management device 116b. According to the present disclosure, location information for the relevant subscriber identification number that is not in an unmatched state is not transmitted from the child integrated data management device to the parent integrated data management device, so that the processing load of the parent integrated data management device can be reduced.

[0087] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-mentioned embodiment of the invention is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, within the scope of solving at least a part of the above-mentioned problems or achieving at least a part of the effects, any combination of the embodiments and modifications is possible, and any combination or omission of each component described in the claims and specification is possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100…Communication systems 102...Terminal device 104...Base station 112...Mobility management devices 112...Mobility management device 114...User data management device 116…Child integrated data management device 150…Parent integrated data management device 160…Customer management device 300…Subscriber profile database 400... Location information update file

Claims

1. 1. A method implemented in a system, comprising: The system includes a hierarchical parent profile management device and a child profile management device, said parent profile manager holds subscriber profiles for all subscribers; the child profile management device holds the subscriber profile acquired from the parent profile management device as a child subscriber profile; The method includes, by the child profile management device: A method comprising: when location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device differs from location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device, transmitting a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal to the parent profile management device.

2. The method includes, by the child profile management device: acquiring the subscriber profile, the location information of which has been updated based on the location information update file, from the parent profile management device; updating the child subscriber profile based on the subscriber profile whose location information has been updated; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The child profile management device further receiving, from the terminal device, a location registration request signal including a subscriber identification number read from the terminal device and location information of the terminal device; determining whether location information of the location registration request signal is different from location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number; creating a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when it is determined that the location information of the location registration request signal is different from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number; The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is produced by:

4. The method includes, by the parent profile management device: updating the location information of the subscriber profile with location information corresponding to the subscriber identification number in the location information update file based on the location information update file acquired from the child profile management device; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

5. The method includes: transmitting the location information update file to the parent profile management device; obtaining the updated subscriber profile from the parent profile management device; updating the child subscriber profile based on the subscriber profile whose location information has been updated; The method according to claim 2, further comprising repeating the steps of:

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the created location information update file is periodically transmitted from the child profile management device to the parent profile management device.

7. the child profile management device comprises a first child profile management device in which a communication route with the parent profile management device and a communication route with a user data management device are established, and a second child profile management device in which a communication route with the parent profile management device and a communication route with the user data management device are not established; The method comprises: When a communication route between the first child profile management device and the second child profile management device is established, transmitting an instruction to prohibit transmission of a location registration request signal from the first child profile management device to the user data management device; The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

8. The method comprises: When a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the parent profile management device, and a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the user data management device, transmitting, by the parent profile management device, the subscriber profiles of all the subscribers to the second child profile management device; acquiring, by the second child profile management device, the subscriber profiles of all the subscribers from the parent profile management device and storing them as child subscriber profiles; transmitting a transmission request instruction for a location registration request signal to the user data management device by the second child profile management device; The method of claim 7 further comprising:

9. The method comprises: creating, by the second child profile management device, a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location information of the location registration request signal when location information of the location registration request signal from the terminal device differs from location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device; The method of claim 8 further comprising:

10. The method comprises: transmitting a request to prohibit use of the subscriber profile to the parent profile management device by the first child profile management device; when a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the parent profile management device and a communication route is established between the second child profile management device and the user data management device, the second child profile management device transmits a request for transmitting the subscriber profile to the parent profile management device. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

11. 1. A system comprising: The system includes a hierarchical parent profile management device and a child profile management device. said parent profile manager holds subscriber profiles for all subscribers; the child profile management device holds the subscriber profile acquired from the parent profile management device as a child subscriber profile; The child profile management device includes: When location information of a location registration request signal from a terminal device differs from the location information of the child subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber identification number of the terminal device, a location information update file including the subscriber identification number and the location registration request signal is sent to the parent profile management device.

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