Mobility Management Device Authentication Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Communication scenarios involving terminal devices accessing networks with different authentication methods often result in errors or abnormalities due to varying authentication procedures across networks, leading to registration failures.

Innovation Solution

A mobility management device selects a first authentication device based on information from a terminal device, such as a home network identifier and routing indicator, to facilitate successful registration without discovering a second authentication device when it is not available, using configuration information and network storage devices to determine a suitable authentication method.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the mobility management device discovers the second authentication device of the second network, then the authentication can be performed according to the second network's procedure, but the terminal device may be rejected when the second authentication device is not deployed in the second network

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication reliabilityVSAvoidregistration success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a configuration information as an intermediary that mediates between the mobility management device and the authentication device selection process. The configuration information contains pre-configured mapping relationships between home network identifiers and authentication device types, allowing the mobility management device to determine the appropriate authentication device without directly discovering the second authentication device of the second network, thus avoiding rejection while maintaining authentication reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the mapping relationships between home network identifiers and authentication device types in the configuration information before the terminal device attempts to register. This allows the mobility management device to proactively determine the correct authentication device based on the terminal device's home network identifier, preventing authentication failures before they occur

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the mobility management device sends registration reject information when the second authentication device is not found, then the authentication failure is detected, but the terminal device cannot register with the first network

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication failure detection accuracyVSAvoidnetwork access reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional approach by not sending registration reject information when the second authentication device is not found. Instead, it uses the configuration information to alternatively determine a first authentication device from the first network, thereby maintaining network access reliability while still accurately detecting authentication scenarios through the configuration lookup process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the mobility management device supports external credentials from different networks, then more terminal devices can access the first network, but the authentication device selection becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexternal credential supportVSAvoidauthentication device selection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by using the home network identifier as a key parameter to lookup the corresponding authentication device type in the configuration information. This transforms the complex problem of selecting authentication devices for multiple networks into a simple parameter-based lookup operation, maintaining adaptability while reducing selection complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The configuration information serves as a universal solution that handles authentication device selection for multiple different networks and credential types. By establishing a general mapping relationship between home network identifiers and authentication device types, the system achieves multi-functionality in supporting external credentials from various networks without increasing operational complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4727187A2Communication method and communication device
Publication Date: 2026.04.15 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4727187A2 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4727187A2 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4727187A2 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and a communication device. The communication method includes: A mobility management device obtains first information of a terminal device, where the first information includes a home network identifier and/or a routing indicator that are/is of the terminal device, the first information indicates the mobility management device to select a second authentication device of a second network, a credential of the terminal device belongs to the second network, and the second authentication device is not deployed in the second network. The mobility management device selects a first authentication device based on the first information, where the first authentication device and the mobility management device belong to a first network. According to the method, in this application, the terminal device can be enabled to perform authentication when the second authentication device is not deployed in the second network.