Local Breakout Parameter Access Service for Home NodeBs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for local IP access in Home NodeBs (HNBs) face challenges such as increased complexity, limited IP mobility, and high availability issues due to the need for core network interface terminations, which complicates handovers and power management, and may require modifications to existing control plane interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A method that emulates core network gateway control plane functions to provide local breakout parameters, allowing for simplified local breakout control without modifying existing core network interfaces or procedures, using a parameter access service function to manage local IP access traffic directly from the HNB, thereby reducing complexity and maintaining transparency to terminal devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a local gateway function is integrated into the HNB for local IP access, then local IP traffic can break out directly to home networks or Internet, but device complexity and processing load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gateway control plane functions from the HNB and relocates them to the core network (specifically the Serving Gateway). This allows the HNB to provide local IP access without implementing complex gateway functions locally. The HNB only needs to establish bearers and forward traffic, while the core network gateway handles routing, charging, and mobility management functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the core network gateway (Serving Gateway) acts as a mediator between the HNB and external networks. The gateway provides the necessary routing and control functions that would otherwise need to be implemented in the HNB, thereby simplifying the HNB while maintaining local breakout capability.
2Productivity
If core network interface terminations are added to the HNB for local gateway control, then local breakout functionality is enabled, but ease of operation and power management are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the requirement for HNB to terminate core network control interfaces by extracting these termination functions to the core network gateway. The HNB only needs to establish user plane bearers, while all control plane interactions occur between the core network nodes, simplifying HNB operation and power management.
3Productivity
If local gateway is implemented in HNB as IP router, then local IP access is achieved, but IP mobility is limited during inter-HNB handovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the core network gateway (Serving Gateway) a universal mobility anchor that serves multiple HNBs and handles mobility for local IP access sessions. The gateway can maintain sessions during handovers between different HNBs, providing both local IP access service and IP mobility support through a single multi-functional entity in the core network.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for providing access via a cellular access network to a packet data network, wherein control plane functions of a gateway device (70, 80) of a core network are emulated to the core network, and the emulated control plane functions are used to provide to the core network a set of parameters for local breakout.