Trusted Network Entity Bootstrapping Wi-Fi Direct Connection

Solution Overview

Problem

Current WLAN direct communication mechanisms require significant signaling overhead and battery power consumption for ProSe communication between UEs, especially in critical scenarios, due to the need for control signaling exchanges before user plane data transmission.

Innovation Solution

A mechanism where a trusted network entity sends a request message to UEs, generates Wi-Fi keys based on responses, and sends setup requests to establish a Wi-Fi direct connection without performing Wi-Fi direct discovery, group owner negotiation, or IP allocations, allowing UEs to connect directly with minimal signaling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional WLAN direct out-of-band provisioning mechanisms are used, then secure connection establishment is achieved, but signaling overhead and battery power consumption increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecure connection establishmentVSAvoidbattery power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The network side performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing authentication contexts and security parameters before the actual Wi-Fi direct connection is needed. The network authenticates UEs and prepares connection parameters in advance, so when direct communication is required, the UEs can skip the lengthy authentication exchange and directly establish the connection using pre-configured security parameters, significantly reducing signaling overhead and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The network side acts as an intermediary that mediates between UEs for connection establishment. Instead of UEs performing complete peer-to-peer authentication and configuration exchanges, the network intermediary provides simplified connection parameters and authentication tokens, reducing the signaling burden on UEs while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If conventional WLAN direct out-of-band provisioning mechanisms are used, then secure connection establishment is achieved, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecure connection establishmentVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The network side performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing authentication contexts and security parameters before the actual Wi-Fi direct connection is needed. The network authenticates UEs and prepares connection parameters in advance, so when direct communication is required, the UEs can skip the lengthy authentication exchange and directly establish the connection using pre-configured security parameters, significantly reducing signaling overhead and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The network side acts as an intermediary that mediates between UEs for connection establishment. Instead of UEs performing complete peer-to-peer authentication and configuration exchanges, the network intermediary provides simplified connection parameters and authentication tokens, reducing the signaling burden on UEs while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If Wi-Fi direct discovery and group owner negotiation are performed, then connection establishment is achieved, but connection setup time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection establishmentVSAvoidconnection setup time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The network side performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing authentication contexts and security parameters before the actual Wi-Fi direct connection is needed. The network authenticates UEs and prepares connection parameters in advance, so when direct communication is required, the UEs can skip the lengthy authentication exchange and directly establish the connection using pre-configured security parameters, significantly reducing signaling overhead and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and removes the time-consuming discovery and group owner negotiation procedures from the connection establishment process. By using network-authenticated pre-configured connections, the patent eliminates the need for UEs to perform discovery broadcasts and negotiation exchanges, directly establishing connections through simplified network-provided parameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10897706B2Bootstrapping Wi-Fi direct communication by a trusted network entity

Publication Date: 2021.01.19 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication system such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE). Embodiments herein provide a method for establishing a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct connection between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE. The method includes sending, by a trusted network entity, a request message to each of the first UE and the second UE. Further, the method includes receiving, by the trusted network entity, a response message from each of the first UE and the second UE. Further, the method includes generating, by the trusted network entity, at least one Wi-Fi key based on the response message. Further, the method includes sending, by the trusted network entity, a setup request message to each of the first UE and the second UE, wherein the setup request message comprises the at least one of a Wi-Fi key, a group owner identifier, and network data to establish the Wi-Fi direct connection between the first UE and the second UE.