CN104641679A - A wireless network distribution method, equipment, and system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a wireless network distribution method, equipment and system. The offloading method of the wireless network includes: the access device receives a wireless network offload request carrying service information; if the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to a wireless local area network, selects a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service in the request; The offload instruction message is used to enable the user terminal to perform corresponding WLAN access operations according to the offload instruction message. Through the foregoing manner, the access device at the RAN side can control the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN, so that the user terminal is connected to a suitable WLAN, and user experience is improved.

Description

A wireless network distribution method, equipment, and system

technical field

The invention belongs to the technical field of wireless communication, and in particular relates to a wireless network distribution method, equipment and system.

Background technique

With the rapid growth of mobile broadband data, more and more operators deploy user terminals to access a wireless local area network (Wireless Local Access Network, WLAN) to offload service data. In order to realize the WLAN offloading of the wireless network, the current 3rd Generation Partnership Project ( ^3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP) standard regulates the interoperability between the 3GPP network and the WLAN, and one of the technologies is IP Flow Mobility (IP Flow Mobility, IFOM).

In IFOM technology, the user terminal obtains the offloading strategy of the wireless network from the autonomous network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) entity or its own pre-configured information, and initiates the offloading process of the wireless network after self-judgment, instructing 3GPP The core network entity - Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW) offloads the specified service to the WLAN, and the PDN-GW offloads according to the instructions.

This wireless network offloading solution in cooperation with IFOM and ANDSF is a user terminal control solution. Since the ANDSF entity cannot perceive the load of the 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) and WLAN and the quality of the air interface channel, using this solution may cause the terminal to access the WLAN with overload or unsatisfactory signal quality, affecting user experience.

Contents of the invention

The technical problem mainly solved by this application is to provide a wireless network distribution method, equipment, and system, so as to prevent the user terminal from connecting the user terminal to the WLAN with overload or unsatisfactory signal quality when the user requests service distribution through the user terminal, which will affect the user. experience.

In view of this, the present application provides a wireless network offloading method, device, and system, which can control the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN through the access device at the RAN end, so that the user terminal is connected to a suitable WLAN, and the user experience is improved.

In the first aspect of the present application, a wireless network offloading method is provided, including the following steps: an access device detects a wireless network offload request carrying service information; if the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to a wireless local area network, select a bearer The wireless local area network of the service capability in the request generates a corresponding offload instruction message; sends the offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding wireless local area network access operation according to the offload instruction message.

With reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect: the offload indication message includes service information requesting offload and offload instructions, and the offload instructions include successful offload service identifiers, rejected offload service identifiers, or suspended One of the business identifiers.

With reference to the first possible implementation of the first aspect, in the second possible implementation of the first aspect: if the offload instruction includes a successful offload service identifier, the offload instruction message also includes a wireless local area network that bears offload information.

With reference to the second possible implementation of the first aspect, in the third possible implementation of the first aspect: the wireless local area network information of the offload bearer includes the basic service set identifier and the service set identifier of the wireless local area network that bears offload , at least one of a medium access control address of the access point, and a channel frequency.

With reference to the first possible implementation of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation of the first aspect: if the offload instruction includes a suspended service identifier, the step of sending an offload instruction message to the user terminal After that, it also includes: the access device continues to try to find a wireless local area network capable of carrying the suspended service until it finds a wireless local area network capable of carrying the suspended service or receives the wireless network offloading of the suspended service cancelled.

With reference to the first aspect, in the fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect: after the step of sending the offload indication message to the user terminal, further include: receiving the wireless local area network information returned by the user terminal or the wireless local area network access point. Access the result message.

With reference to the fifth possible implementation of the first aspect, in the sixth possible implementation of the first aspect: the step of receiving the wireless local area network access result message returned by the user terminal or the wireless local area network access point Afterwards, the method further includes: if the access result message carries the EPS bearer identifier, initiating an operation of deleting the corresponding EPS bearer according to the EPS bearer identifier.

With reference to the first aspect or any of the first to sixth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in the seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect: the access device detects that the wireless network offload carrying service information The requesting step includes: the access device detects a wireless network offload request carrying service information sent by a user terminal or core network equipment; or the access device detects a wireless network offload request carrying service information initiated by itself.

With reference to the first aspect or any of the first to sixth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation manner of the first aspect: the access device is a wireless communication base station, a network control any of the routers or access points of the wireless LAN.

In combination with the first aspect or any of the first to sixth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in the ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect: if the business in the request is suitable for offloading to The wireless local area network, before the step of selecting a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service, further includes: the access device configures according to the wireless access network itself and/or obtains an offload policy from an automatic network discovery and selection functional entity, Judging whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network.

With reference to the first aspect or any of the first to sixth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in a tenth possible implementation manner of the first aspect: the service information includes transmission control protocol/user data packets At least one of the five-tuple of the protocol IP header, the service flow template, and the application identifier.

In a second aspect, a wireless network offloading method is provided, comprising the following steps: a user terminal sends a wireless network offloading request carrying service information to an access device; receiving an offloading instruction message returned by the access device; and according to the offloading instruction The message performs the corresponding diversion operation.

With reference to the second aspect, in the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect: the offload indication message includes service information requesting offload and offload instructions, and the offload instructions include successful offload service identifiers, rejected offload service identifiers, or suspended One of the business identifiers.

With reference to the first possible implementation of the second aspect, in the second possible implementation of the second aspect: if the offload instruction includes a successful offload service identifier, the offload instruction message also includes a wireless local area network that bears offload information; the step of performing a corresponding offload operation according to the offload instruction message includes: the user terminal accesses the wireless local area network that bears offload through an access point according to the wireless local area network offload instruction message; The ingress device sends an access result message.

With reference to the second possible implementation of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation of the second aspect: if the wireless network establishes an EPS bearer for the service requesting offload, the The step of sending an access result message by the access device includes: sending an access result message including an instruction to delete the EPS bearer to the access device, where the access result message includes an EPS bearer identifier.

In a third aspect, an access device is provided, including a detection module, a selection module, and a sending module, wherein: the detection module is used to detect a wireless network offload request carrying service information; the selection module in the offload request When the service is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network, select the wireless local area network that has the ability to carry the service in the request, generate a corresponding offloading indication message, and output the offloading indication message to the sending module; the sending module is used to send The user terminal sends the offload indication message, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding wireless local area network access operation according to the offload indication message.

With reference to the third aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the third aspect: the access device further includes a receiving module, configured to receive a wireless local area network access result message returned by the user terminal or the wireless local area network access point .

With reference to the first possible implementation of the third aspect, in a second possible implementation of the third aspect: the access device further includes a deletion module, configured to When the system bearer identifier is used, an operation of deleting a corresponding evolved packet system bearer is initiated according to the evolved packet system bearer identifier.

With reference to the third aspect or any of the first to second possible implementations of the third aspect, in the third possible implementation of the third aspect: the access device is a wireless communication base station, a network Either a controller or a wireless LAN access point.

In combination with the third aspect or any of the first to second possible implementation manners of the third aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the third aspect: the access device further includes a judging module configured to It is determined whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network according to the offloading policy preconfigured by the wireless access network itself and/or obtained from the automatic network discovery and selection functional entity.

In a fourth aspect, a user terminal is provided, including a requesting module, a receiving module, and a control module, wherein: the requesting module is used to send a wireless network offload request carrying service information to an access device; the receiving module is used to receive the requested The offload instruction message returned by the access device, and output the offload instruction message to the control module; the control module is configured to perform a corresponding offload operation according to the offload instruction message.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in the first possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect: the offload indication message includes service information requesting offload and offload instructions, and the offload instructions include successful offload service identifiers, rejected offload service identifiers, or suspended One of the business identifiers.

With reference to the first possible implementation of the fourth aspect, in the second possible implementation of the fourth aspect: if the offloading instruction includes a successful offloading service identifier, the offloading indication message also includes the wireless local area network that bears offloading Information; the control module is configured to access the wireless local area network carrying offload through an access point according to the wireless local area network offload instruction message, and send an access result message to the access device.

With reference to the second possible implementation of the fourth aspect, in the third possible implementation of the fourth aspect: if the wireless network has established an evolved packet system bearer for the service requesting offload, the control module is used to: Sending an access result message including an instruction to delete the EPS bearer to the access device, where the access result message includes an EPS bearer identifier.

In a fifth aspect, an access device is provided, including a processor and a receiver and a transmitter electrically connected to the processor, wherein: the receiver is configured to receive a wireless network offload request carrying service information, and send the The wireless network offload request is output to the processor;

The processor judges whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network according to the offload policy preconfigured by the wireless access network itself and/or obtained from the automatic network discovery and selection functional entity, when the service in the request When it is suitable for offloading to a wireless local area network, select a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service in the request, generate a corresponding offloading indication message, and output the offloading indication message to the transmitter; the transmitter is used for distributing the offloading The indication message is sent to the user terminal.

In the above technical solution, by sending a WLAN offload request carrying service information to the access device at the RAN side, the RAN side controls the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN. Since it is easier for the RAN to obtain information such as the load of the RAN and WLAN and the quality of the air interface channel, an appropriate WLAN can be selected based on these information and the service information in the offload request, so that the user terminal can access the WLAN that can carry the requested offload service On the one hand, it can effectively improve the experience of using wireless networks for users.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a network system applied to a wireless network distribution method of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a distribution method for a wireless network of the present application;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the offloading method of the wireless network of the present application;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the offloading method of the wireless network in which the user terminal initiates an offloading request to the access device of the wireless access network in this application;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the offloading method of the wireless network in which the core network equipment initiates an offloading request to the access device of the wireless access network in this application;

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the offloading method of the wireless network of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an access device in the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of an access device in the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an implementation manner of a user terminal of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the access device of the present application;

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another implementation manner of a user terminal of the present application.

Detailed ways

Referring to Fig. 1, Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a network system for the application of the distribution method of the wireless network of the present application. The network system includes a user terminal 100, an access device 200, and a core network device 300. The core network device 300 is a network service provider The bridge connecting the access network, or the access network and other access networks, is used to control the data request and processing of the core network end, and connect the network to different networks. The core network is the part of the network other than the access network and the customer premises network. The core network device 300 may include a packet data network gateway, a policy and charging function unit, a switch, and the like.

The access device 200 is used for remote access to network resources. In the embodiment of the present application, the access device 200 may be a wireless communication base station, a network controller, or an access point of a wireless local area network, and the like. The access device 200 communicates with the core network device 300, and accesses one or more wireless or wired networks through signal conversion or policy control. An access device 200 combines multiple radio remote control devices, including voice and data, over a single shared access link to a carrier or service provider docking station. The access device 200 can deploy the wireless network into multiple WLANs to offload service data according to the data offload request of the user terminal 100 through radio frequency technology. This enables the user terminal 100 to complete data transmission through the 3GPP cellular network and/or between different WLANs.

The user terminal 100 may be a terminal device including a mobile phone, a handheld computer, a notebook, or a PC. When the user terminal 100 wishes to offload services, it requests the access device 200 to offload the wireless network, so as to realize data transmission and data access through the wireless network, etc. .

This application aims to solve the technical problem that the user terminal may be connected to a WLAN with overload or unsatisfactory signal quality caused by the prior art method of controlling wireless network distribution through the user terminal, and provides a wireless network distribution method, equipment, and system. The access device on the RAN side can control the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN, so that the user terminal can be connected to the appropriate WLAN and improve the user experience.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a wireless network distribution method in this application. The wireless network distribution method in this embodiment is described from the perspective of the above-mentioned access device. The wireless network distribution method in this embodiment Methods include:

Step S101: The access device detects a wireless network offload request carrying service information.

If the user terminal wants to offload the service to the WLAN, it sends a wireless network offload request to the access device at the wireless access network side carrying the service information. The wireless network offload request is sent in the form of a message, and the request message may include service information requesting offload, such as the five-tuple of the Transmission Control Protocol/User Datagram Protocol (Transmission Control Protocol/User Datagram Protocol, TCP/UDP) IP header, the service Traffic Flow Template (TFT), application identification, etc. The quintuple refers to a set of five quantities consisting of source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and transport layer protocol number. For example: 192.168.1.1, 0000, TCP, 21.14.88.76, 80 constitute a five-tuple.

The user terminal can determine whether a certain service needs to be offloaded to the WLAN through its preconfigured offload strategy or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity, and if necessary, send a wireless network offload request message. If the service information carried in the offload request message is TFT, the message needs to be sent after the user terminal obtains the TFT from the network during the Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer establishment process. The business information contained in the message may contain multiple pieces. The message may also reuse an existing message, such as a radio resource control protocol (Radio Resource Control, RRC) connection establishment complete message, by adding a parameter to indicate a request for WLAN offloading.

In another implementation manner, the core network device may send an offload request to the access device. When a core network device such as a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW) or a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) receives a request for establishing an EPS bearer for a new service or modifying an EPS bearer Then, the core network device sends a wireless network offload request message to the access device before initiating establishment/modification of the corresponding EPS bearer or after establishment/modification of the corresponding EPS bearer. The offload request message includes service information, and for a detailed description of the service information, refer to the related description in the above-mentioned offload request message sent by the user terminal. The service information contained in the message may also contain multiple pieces. This message may also reuse an existing message, such as an EPS bearer establishment request message, and add a parameter to indicate a request for WLAN offloading.

After the access device detects these wireless network offload requests, it judges whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN according to the wireless network offload request. When the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN, step S102 is performed; otherwise, the offload request is not responded.

Step S102: If the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network, select a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service in the request.

After receiving the wireless network offload request from the user terminal, the access device at the wireless access network side judges whether the corresponding service in the offload request can be offloaded to the WLAN according to its pre-configured offload strategy and/or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity. If possible, select a suitable network, that is, a WLAN that can carry the service in the offload request.

In order to select a suitable WLAN, on the one hand, the access device may use the user terminal to report the scanned WLAN quality, load, etc., or 3GPP network measurement information to determine which WLAN (some) the user terminal is covered by, which WLAN’s air interface quality and The load is more suitable for diverting the business.

On the other hand, the access device may also interact with the WLAN to obtain information such as which WLAN (s) the user terminal is covered by, and the air interface quality and load of these WLANs, so as to select a suitable WLAN. If the WLAN is connected to the core network through the 3GPP RAN, the access device should also consider the load of the 3GPP RAN, especially the load between the 3GPP RAN and the backhaul of the core network, to select a suitable WLAN.

Step S103: Send an offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the offload instruction message.

After the access device selects a suitable WLAN, it sends a WLAN offload instruction message to the user terminal. The offload instruction message includes service information and an offload instruction requesting offload. The offload instruction includes a successful offload service identifier, a rejected offload service identifier, or a suspended service identifier. A sort of.

If the offload instruction included in the offload instruction message is the identifier of a successful offload service, the offload instruction message also includes WLAN information that bears offload. The WLAN information is the Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) or Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the specified WLAN or the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the access point (Access Point, AP) or channel frequency etc.

The service information requesting offload in the offload instruction message may be service information assigned to offload to the WLAN, such as the five-tuple of the TCP/UDP IP header corresponding to the service, TFT, application identifier or message transaction identifier, etc. If the wireless network offload request received by the access device in step S101 contains information about multiple services, each service information in the offload indication message may be the serial number of the corresponding service information in the offload request message.

If the access device refuses to offload the service in the offload request according to the policy, the offload instruction in the WLAN offload instruction message received by the user terminal is an identifier of rejecting service offload. The identifier of rejecting service diversion may also be implicitly indicated by a specific message name.

If the access device agrees to offload the service in the request to the WLAN according to the policy, but no suitable WLAN can be found temporarily, the offload instruction in the WLAN offload instruction message received by the user terminal is the suspended service identifier. The pending service identifier can also be implicitly indicated by a specific message name.

For each service in the wireless network offload request that is expected to be offloaded to the WLAN, the offload command can be one of three enumerated values {success, rejection, suspension}, or can be identified by two bits, such as 00, 01, 10 indicate success, rejection and suspension respectively.

Once the access device sends a WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier to the user terminal, the access device will continue to try to find a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service until it finds a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service or receives a pending Until the news of the cancellation of the wireless network shunt of the business. Once a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service is found, a WLAN offload indication message is sent to the user terminal.

Once the user terminal receives the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier, if the user terminal still does not receive the command to offload to the WLAN when the corresponding service ends, the user terminal sends a WLAN offload cancel message containing service information to the access device to prevent the access device from continuing to try to offload the service to the WLAN. Another method: After the access device sends the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier to the user terminal, the access device does not continue to try to find a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service; once the user terminal receives the message containing the suspended service identifier The user terminal periodically sends a WLAN offload request message to the access device before the end of the corresponding service, and the access device performs processing according to step S102 after receiving the WLAN offload request message.

The user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the WLAN offload indication message returned by the access device. After the WLAN access operation is performed, a message including the WLAN access result is sent to the access device to inform the access device whether the WLAN access is successful. When the wireless network offload request is sent by the core network device, the access device also sends the corresponding WLAN access result message to the core network device to inform the core network device whether the WLAN access is successful.

Once a service is successfully offloaded to the WLAN, if the 3GPP cellular network establishes a separate EPS bearer for the service, the access device may initiate (or the user terminal initiates) a bearer deletion process to delete the corresponding EPS bearer or a part thereof. If the bearer deletion process is to be initiated for this reason, the EPS bearer ID (Bearer ID) must be included in the WLAN access result message containing the successfully offloaded service ID. If the WLAN participating in offloading does not have a data plane anchor point with the 3GPP network to which the user terminal is connected, the corresponding entire EPS bearer is deleted. If there is a data plane anchor point between the WLAN participating in offloading and the 3GPP network to which the user terminal is connected, delete the part below the data plane anchor point. For example, if the data that participates in offloading the WLAN is connected to the Internet through the base station of the wireless access network, only the air interface part corresponding to the bearer is deleted, that is, the part of the EPS bearer between the base station and the user terminal. Include the "WLAN offload" cause value in the WLAN access result message sent by the access device to the core network device.

It should be noted that in another implementation mode, this service-based WLAN offloading can also be initiated by the access device on the RAN side. To issue services suitable for WLAN offloading, the access device at the RAN side sends a wireless network offloading request carrying these service information, and initiates the wireless network offloading process. After the access device detects the wireless network offload request initiated by itself, by selecting a suitable user terminal, a suitable service, and a suitable WLAN, it generates an offload instruction message for the corresponding service and sends it to the corresponding user terminal to instruct the corresponding user terminal to use the corresponding The business is distributed to the corresponding WLAN.

Through the description of the above embodiments, it can be understood that the present application sends a WLAN offload request carrying service information to the access device at the RAN side, and controls the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN through the RAN side. Since it is easier for the RAN to obtain information such as the load of the RAN and WLAN and the quality of the air interface channel, an appropriate WLAN can be selected based on these information and the service information in the offload request, so that the user terminal can access the WLAN that can carry the requested offload service On the one hand, it can effectively improve the experience of using wireless networks for users.

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the offloading method of the wireless network in this application. The offloading method of the wireless network in this embodiment is described from the perspective of the above-mentioned user terminal. The wireless network in this embodiment Triage methods include:

Step S201: the user terminal sends a wireless network offload request carrying service information to the access device.

If the user terminal wants to offload the service to the WLAN, it carries the service information and sends a wireless network offload request to the access device. The wireless network offload request is sent in the form of a message, and the request message may include the service information requested for offload, such as the quintuple of the TCP/UDP IP header, TFT, application identification, and the like. The quintuple refers to a set of five quantities consisting of source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and transport layer protocol number. For example: 192.168.1.1, 0000, TCP, 21.14.88.76, 80 constitute a five-tuple.

The user terminal can determine whether a certain service needs to be offloaded to the WLAN through its preconfigured offload strategy or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity, and if necessary, send a wireless network offload request message. If the service information carried in the offload request message is TFT, the message needs to be sent after the user terminal obtains the TFT from the network during the establishment of the EPS bearer. The business information contained in the message may contain multiple pieces. This message can also reuse existing messages, such as the RRC connection establishment complete message, and add parameters to indicate the request for WLAN offloading.

Step S202: Receive the offload indication message returned by the access device.

After the access device receives the wireless network offload request from the user terminal, it judges whether the corresponding service in the offload request can be offloaded to the WLAN according to the offload strategy configured by itself or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity. If possible, select a suitable network, that is, a WLAN that can carry the service in the offload request. After finding a suitable network, the access device sends an offload indication message to the user terminal.

The user terminal receives the offload instruction message returned by the access device. The offload instruction message includes service information requesting offload and an offload instruction, and the offload instruction includes one of a successful offload service identifier, a rejected offload service identifier, or a suspended service identifier.

If the offload instruction included in the offload instruction message is the identifier of a successful offload service, the offload instruction message also includes WLAN information that bears offload. The WLAN information is the BSSID or SSID of the specified WLAN or the MAC address or channel frequency of the AP.

For the specific content and form of the offload indication message, reference may be made to the relevant description of the implementation manner in FIG. 2 , which will not be repeated here.

Step S203: Execute a corresponding offloading operation according to the offloading instruction message.

The user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the WLAN offload indication message returned by the access device. After the WLAN access operation is performed, a message including the WLAN access result is sent to the access device. To notify the access device whether the WLAN access is successful. When the wireless network offload request is sent by the core network device, the access device also sends the corresponding WLAN access result message to the core network device to inform the core network device whether the WLAN access is successful.

Once the user terminal receives the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier, if the user terminal still does not receive the command to offload to the WLAN when the corresponding service ends, the user terminal sends a WLAN offload cancel message containing service information to the access device to prevent the access device from continuing to try to offload the service to the WLAN. Another method: After the access device sends the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier to the user terminal, the access device does not continue to try to find a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service; once the user terminal receives the message containing the suspended service identifier The user terminal periodically sends a WLAN offload request message to the access device before the corresponding service ends.

Once a service is successfully offloaded to the WLAN, if the 3GPP cellular network establishes a separate EPS bearer for the service, the user terminal may initiate (of course, it can also be initiated by the access device) bearer deletion process to delete the corresponding EPS bearer or its part. If the bearer deletion process is to be initiated for this reason, the EPS bearer ID (Bearer ID) must be included in the WLAN access result message containing the successfully offloaded service ID. If the WLAN participating in offloading does not have a data plane anchor point with the 3GPP network to which the user terminal is connected, the corresponding entire EPS bearer is deleted. If there is a data plane anchor point between the WLAN participating in offloading and the 3GPP network to which the user terminal is connected, delete the part below the data plane anchor point. For example, if the data that participates in offloading the WLAN is connected to the Internet through the base station of the radio access network, only the air interface part corresponding to the bearer is deleted, that is, the part of the EPS bearer between the base station and the user terminal. Include the "WLAN offload" cause value in the WLAN access result message sent by the access device to the core network device.

The wireless network distribution method of the present application can initiate a distribution request to the access device of the wireless access network through the user terminal or the core network equipment. The implementation of mutual interaction can be referred to the schematic diagrams in Figure 4 and Figure 5, wherein Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the realization process of the wireless network offload method in which the user terminal initiates an offload request to the access device of the wireless access network, and Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the implementation process of the offload method by the core network A schematic diagram of an implementation process of a wireless network offload method in which a device initiates an offload request to an access device in a wireless access network.

Referring to Figure 4, when the user terminal initiates a wireless network offload request to the access device of the wireless access network, the wireless network offload method includes the following steps:

Step 1: the user terminal sends a WLAN offload request message including service information to the access device of the wireless access network;

Step 2: the wireless access network selects a suitable WLAN network and sends a WLAN offload indication message to the terminal;

Step 3: After the user terminal accesses the designated WLAN network, it sends a WLAN access result message including an indication of whether the WLAN access is successful or not to the wireless access network.

For the detailed implementation process of the above steps, refer to the description of the implementation manner shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , and will not be repeated here.

Referring to Figure 5, when the core network device initiates a wireless network offload request to the access device of the wireless access network, the wireless network offload method includes the following steps:

Step 1: The core network device sends a WLAN offload request message containing service information to the access device of the wireless access network;

Step 2: The access device of the wireless access network selects a suitable WLAN network and sends a WLAN offload instruction message to the user terminal;

Step 3: After the user terminal accesses the designated WLAN network, it sends a WLAN access result message including an indication of whether the WLAN access is successful or not to the access device of the wireless access network.

Step 4: The access device of the wireless access network sends a WLAN offload result message including an indication of whether the WLAN offload is successful or not to the core network device.

For implementation details of the above steps, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the implementation manners shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 above, and details are not repeated here.

It is worth noting that the offloading method of the wireless network in this application also has another way of implementation. The access device at the RAN end determines whether WLAN offloading is needed according to the entire user-level offloading strategy, the load conditions of 3GPP RAN and WLAN, and the air interface channel quality. If necessary, a WLAN offload indication message is delivered to the user terminal. The indication message includes one or more WLAN network identifiers and the service offloading policy of the user terminal. The user terminal judges whether the service being transmitted or the service to be initiated is suitable for being offloaded to the WLAN according to the service offload policy issued by the access device. If appropriate, the corresponding service is offloaded to the designated or selected WLAN in the list. In this way, the access device initiates the service offloading process according to the load conditions of 3GPP RAN and WLAN and the channel quality of the air interface, and at the same time sends the WLAN offloading instruction including the service offloading strategy to the user terminal, and controls the WLAN offloading through the user terminal itself Therefore, the technical problem of connecting the user terminal to the WLAN with overload or unsatisfactory signal quality can be avoided. At the same time, when the user terminal has a service that needs to be offloaded, it does not need to send service information to the access device. The user terminal directly decides which service needs to be offloaded and which WLAN is offloaded, making the service WLAN offloading process faster and more convenient.

Please refer to FIG. 6, the flow chart of another embodiment of the offloading method of the wireless network in the present application, the offloading method of the wireless network includes:

Step S301: start;

Step S302: The user terminal judges whether the service to be offloaded is suitable for offloading to the WLAN according to the service offloading policy issued by the access device;

The access device at the RAN end determines whether WLAN offload is required based on the entire user-level offload strategy, the load conditions of 3GPP RAN and WLAN, and the quality of the air interface channel. If necessary, a WLAN offload indication message is delivered to the user terminal. The indication message includes one or more WLAN network identifiers and the service offloading policy of the user terminal.

If the user terminal wants to offload the service to the WLAN, it judges whether the service that needs to be offloaded is suitable for offloading to the WLAN according to the service offloading policy issued by the access device, and if the service that needs to be offloaded is suitable to be offloaded to the WLAN, proceed to step S303 , otherwise, go to step S305.

Step S303: Find a WLAN that can carry the service that needs to be offloaded according to the service offload strategy and the service information that needs to be offloaded;

When the offloaded service is suitable for offloading to the WLAN, select the WLAN that can carry the offloaded service according to the service information on the offloaded service and the service offload policy issued by the access device.

Step S304: Connect the service that needs to be offloaded to the corresponding WLAN;

After finding a WLAN that can carry the service that needs to be offloaded, the service that needs to be offloaded is connected to the corresponding WLAN through the access point, and the WLAN offloading process of the service is completed. Sending a WLAN access result message including an indication of whether the WLAN access is successful or not to the access device of the wireless access network.

If the access device of the wireless access network no longer needs the user terminal to perform WLAN offloading (including before receiving the WLAN access result message), it sends a WLAN offloading cancel message to the user terminal.

Step S305: Do not split the traffic.

Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an access device in this application. The access device 200 includes a detection module 11, a selection module 12, and a sending module 13, wherein:

The detection module 11 is used to detect the wireless network offload request carrying service information;

If the user terminal wants to offload the service to the WLAN, it sends a wireless network offload request to the access device at the wireless access network side carrying the service information. The wireless network offloading request is sent in the form of a message, and the request message may include service information for requesting offloading, such as the quintuple of the TCP/UDPIP header, TFT, application identifier, and the like. The quintuple refers to a set of five quantities consisting of source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and transport layer protocol number. For example: 192.168.1.1, 0000, TCP, 21.14.88.76, 80 constitute a five-tuple.

The user terminal can determine whether a certain service needs to be offloaded to the WLAN through its preconfigured offload strategy or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity, and if necessary, send a wireless network offload request message. If the service information carried in the offload request message is TFT, the message needs to be sent after the user terminal obtains the TFT from the network during the establishment of the EPS bearer. The business information contained in the message may contain multiple pieces. The message may also reuse an existing message, such as a radio resource control protocol RRC connection establishment complete message, and add a parameter to indicate a request for WLAN offloading.

In addition, an offload request may be sent to the access device through the core network device. When a core network device such as PDN-GW or PCRF receives a request to establish an EPS bearer or modify an EPS bearer for a new service, the core network device will access the The device sends a wireless network offload request message. The offload request message includes service information, and for a detailed description of the service information, refer to the related description in the above-mentioned offload request message sent by the user terminal. The service information contained in the message may also contain multiple pieces. This message may also reuse an existing message, such as an EPS bearer establishment request message, and add a parameter to indicate a request for WLAN offloading.

Another way is to initiate the WLAN offload process by the access device itself. For example, when the load on the RAN side is too heavy, the RAN side will perform WLAN offload judgment to find out services suitable for WLAN offload. The device sends a wireless network offload request carrying these service information, and initiates the wireless network offload process.

Based on the above implementation, the detection module 11 can detect a wireless network offload request carrying service information sent by a user terminal or a core network device; or detect a wireless network offload request carrying service information initiated by itself.

When the business in the offloading request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN, the selection module 12 selects a WLAN with the service capability in the bearer request, generates a corresponding offloading indication message, and outputs the offloading indication message to the sending module 13;

After the detection module 11 detects the wireless network offload request, it judges whether the corresponding service in the offload request can be offloaded to the WLAN according to the offload strategy configured by itself and/or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity. If possible, select a suitable network, that is, a WLAN that can carry the service in the offload request.

In order to select a suitable WLAN, on the one hand, the selection module 12 may use the user terminal to report the scanned WLAN quality, load, etc., or 3GPP network measurement information to determine which WLAN (some) the user terminal is covered by, which WLAN’s air interface quality and The load is more suitable for diverting the business.

On the other hand, the selection module 12 may also interact with WLANs to obtain information such as which WLAN(s) the user terminal is covered by, and the air interface quality and load of these WLANs, to select an appropriate WLAN. If the WLAN is connected to the core network through the 3GPP RAN, the selection module 12 also considers the load of the 3GPP RAN, especially the load between the 3GPP RAN and the core network backhaul, to select a suitable WLAN.

After an appropriate WLAN is selected, an offload instruction message corresponding to service offload is generated, and the offload instruction message is output to the sending module 13 .

The sending module 13 is configured to send an offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the offload instruction message;

The sending module 13 sends a WLAN offload instruction message to the user terminal, the offload instruction message includes service information requesting offload and an offload instruction, and the offload instruction includes one of a successful offload service identifier, a rejected offload service identifier, or a suspended service identifier.

If the offload instruction included in the offload instruction message is the identifier of a successful offload service, the offload instruction message also includes WLAN information that bears offload. The WLAN information is the BSSID or SSID of the specified WLAN or the MAC address or channel frequency of the AP.

The service information requesting offload in the offload instruction message may be service information assigned to offload to the WLAN, such as the five-tuple of the TCP/UDP IP header corresponding to the service, TFT, application identifier or message transaction identifier, etc. If the wireless network offload request detected by the detection module 11 contains information about multiple services, each service information in the offload indication message may be a serial number of the corresponding service information in the offload request message.

If the access device refuses to offload the service in the offload request according to the policy, the offload instruction in the WLAN offload instruction message received by the user terminal is an identifier of rejecting service offload. The identifier of rejecting service diversion may also be implicitly indicated by a specific message name.

If the access device agrees to offload the service in the request to the WLAN according to the policy, but the selection module 12 cannot find a suitable WLAN temporarily, the offload instruction in the WLAN offload instruction message received by the user terminal is the suspended service identifier. The pending service identifier can also be implicitly indicated by a specific message name.

For each service in the wireless network offload request that is expected to be offloaded to the WLAN, the offload command can be one of three enumerated values {success, rejection, suspension}, or can be identified by two bits, such as 00, 01, 10 indicate success, rejection and suspension respectively.

Once the sending module 13 sends the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier to the user terminal, the selection module 12 will continue to try to find a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service until it finds a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service or receives a suspended Until the news of the cancellation of the wireless network shunt of the business. Once the selection module 12 finds a WLAN capable of carrying the suspended service, it sends a WLAN offload indication message to the user terminal through the sending module 13 .

Once the user terminal receives the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier, if the user terminal still does not receive the command to offload to the WLAN when the corresponding service ends, the user terminal sends a WLAN offload cancel message containing service information to the access device to prevent the access device from continuing to try to offload the service to the WLAN. Another approach: after the sending module 13 sends the WLAN offload indication message containing the suspended service identifier to the user terminal, the selection module 12 does not continue to try to find a WLAN with the ability to bear the suspended service; once the user terminal receives the message containing the suspended service identifier The user terminal periodically sends a WLAN offload request message to the access device before the end of the corresponding service, and the detection module 11 performs processing in the above-mentioned manner as long as it detects the WLAN offload request message.

Please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the access device of the present application. The access device includes a detection module 11, a selection module 12, a sending module 13, a judgment module 14, a receiving module 15 and a deletion module 16, wherein :

The detection module 11 is used to detect the wireless network offload request carrying service information;

After the detection module 11 detects the wireless network offload request carrying the service information, it sends the wireless network offload request to the judging module 14, and the judging module 14 is used to discover and select functions according to the pre-configured wireless access network itself and/or from the automatic network. The offload policy obtained by the entity determines whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN. After judging that the requested service is suitable for offloading to the WLAN, the selection module 12 is notified to select the WLAN.

When the business in the offloading request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN, the selection module 12 selects a WLAN with the service capability in the bearer request, generates a corresponding offloading indication message, and outputs the offloading indication message to the sending module 13;

The sending module 13 is configured to send an offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the offload instruction message;

After performing the WLAN access operation according to the offload indication message, the user terminal sends a message including the WLAN access result to the access device, so as to inform the access device whether the WLAN access is successful.

The receiving module 15 is configured to receive the WLAN access result message returned by the user terminal or the WLAN access point.

When the wireless network offload request is sent by the core network equipment, after receiving the access result message, the receiving module 15 also sends the corresponding WLAN access result message to the core network equipment through the sending module 13, so as to notify the core network equipment whether the WLAN Access is successful.

Once a service is successfully offloaded to the WLAN, if the 3GPP cellular network establishes a separate EPS bearer for the service, the access device may initiate (or the user terminal initiates) a bearer deletion process to delete the corresponding EPS bearer or a part thereof. If the bearer deletion process is to be initiated accordingly, the WLAN access result message containing the successfully offloaded service identifier received by the receiving module 15 must include the EPS bearer identifier (Bearer ID).

The deletion module 16 is configured to initiate an operation of deleting the corresponding EPS bearer according to the EPS bearer identifier when the access result message carries the EPS bearer identifier.

If the access result message received by the receiving module 15 carries the EPS bearer identifier, the deleting module 16 initiates an operation of deleting the corresponding EPS bearer according to the EPS bearer identifier.

If the WLAN participating in offloading and the 3GPP network to which the user terminal is connected have no data plane anchor point, the deletion module 16 deletes the corresponding entire EPS bearer. If the WLAN participating in offloading and the 3GPP network connected to the user terminal have a data plane anchor point, the deletion module 16 deletes the part below the data plane anchor point. For example, if the data that participates in offloading the WLAN is connected to the Internet through the base station of the wireless access network, only the air interface part corresponding to the bearer is deleted, that is, the part of the EPS bearer between the base station and the user terminal.

Please refer to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the user terminal of the present application. The user terminal 100 includes a request module 21, a receiving module 22, and a control module 23, wherein:

The request module 21 is used to send a wireless network offload request carrying service information to the access device;

If the user terminal wants to offload services to the WLAN, it sends a wireless network offload request to the access device through the request module 21 carrying service information. The wireless network offloading request is sent in the form of a message, and the request message may include service information for requesting offloading, such as the quintuple of the TCP/UDPIP header, TFT, application identifier, and the like. The quintuple refers to a set of five quantities consisting of source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and transport layer protocol number. For example: 192.168.1.1, 0000, TCP, 21.14.88.76, 80 constitute a five-tuple.

The user terminal can judge whether a certain service needs to be offloaded to the WLAN through its preconfigured offload strategy or the offload strategy obtained from the ANDSF entity, and if necessary, send a wireless network offload request message through the request module 21 . If the service information carried in the offload request message is TFT, the message needs to be sent after the user terminal obtains the TFT from the network during the establishment of the EPS bearer. The business information contained in the message may contain multiple pieces. This message can also reuse existing messages, such as the RRC connection establishment complete message, and add parameters to indicate the request for WLAN offloading.

The receiving module 22 is configured to receive the offload indication message returned by the access device, and output the offload indication message to the control module 23;

The receiving module 22 receives the offload instruction message returned by the access device. The offload instruction message includes service information requesting offload and an offload instruction, and the offload instruction includes one of a successful offload service identifier, a rejected offload service identifier, or a suspended service identifier.

If the offload instruction included in the offload instruction message is the identifier of a successful offload service, the offload instruction message also includes WLAN information that bears offload. The WLAN information is the BSSID or SSID of the specified WLAN or the MAC address or channel frequency of the AP.

The control module 23 is configured to perform a corresponding distribution operation according to the distribution indication message.

The control module 23 performs an offload operation according to the offload instruction message. When the offload instruction contained in the offload instruction message is a successful offload service identifier, the control module 23 accesses the WLAN that bears offload through the access point according to the WLAN offload instruction message, and reports to the access point. The ingress device sends an access result message.

After successfully offloading the service to the WLAN, if the wireless network establishes an EPS bearer for the service requesting offload, the control module 23 sends an access result message including an instruction to delete the EPS bearer to the access device, and the access result message includes an EPS Bearer ID.

Please refer to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the access device of this application. The access device 200 of this embodiment includes: a processor 31, a receiver 32, and a transmitter 33; wherein,

The receiver 32 is configured to receive a wireless network offload request carrying service information, and output the wireless network offload request to the processor 31;

Processor 31, configured to select a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service in the request when the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to a wireless local area network, generate a corresponding offload instruction message, and output the offload instruction message to the transmitter 33;

The transmitter 33 is configured to send the offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the offload instruction message.

Further, the access device 200 may also include a random access memory 34 , a read-only memory 35 , a bus 36 and a network interface unit 37 . Wherein, the processor 31 is respectively coupled to the receiver 32 , the transmitter 33 , the random access memory 34 , the read only memory 35 and the network interface unit 37 through the bus 36 .

In this embodiment, when the access device 200 needs to be operated, the BIOS solidified in the read-only memory 35 or the bootloader boot system in the embedded system is started to guide the access device 200 into a normal operating state. After the network traffic processing device enters the normal operating state, the application program and the operating system are run in the random access memory 34 to receive data from the network or send data to the network, so that:

The receiver 32 receives the wireless network offload request carrying the service information, and outputs the wireless network offload request to the processor 31;

When the service in the offload request is suitable for offloading to the wireless local area network, the processor 31 selects a wireless local area network capable of carrying the service in the request, generates a corresponding offload instruction message, and outputs the offload instruction message to the transmitter 33;

The transmitter 33 is configured to send the offload instruction message to the user terminal, so that the user terminal performs a corresponding WLAN access operation according to the offload instruction message.

Wherein, the processor 31 can judge whether the service in the request is suitable for offloading to the WLAN according to the offloading strategy preconfigured by the wireless access network itself and/or obtained from the automatic network discovery and selection functional entity, and when the service in the request is suitable for offloading When arriving at the WLAN, select the WLAN capable of carrying the service in the request, generate a corresponding offload instruction message, and output the offload instruction message to the transmitter 33 .

In this embodiment, the processor 31 may be a central processing unit CPU, or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiment of the present application.

After the user terminal successfully offloads the service to the WLAN according to the offload indication message, the receiver 32 further receives the access result message returned by the user terminal or the WLAN access point, and when the access result message carries the EPS bearer identifier, the processor 31 further The operation of deleting the corresponding EPS bearer is initiated according to the EPS bearer identifier.

Please refer to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of the user terminal of the present application. The user terminal 100 of this embodiment includes: a processor 41, a receiver 42, and a transmitter 43; wherein,

The transmitter 43 is configured to send a wireless network offload request carrying service information to the access device;

The receiver 42 is configured to receive an offload indication message returned from the access device, and output the offload indication message to the processor 41;

The processor 41 is configured to perform a corresponding offloading operation according to the offloading indication message.

Further, the above user terminal 100 may further include a random access memory 44 , a read only memory 45 and a bus 46 . Wherein, the processor 41 is respectively coupled to the receiver 42 , the transmitter 43 , the random access memory 44 and the read-only memory 45 through the bus 46 . Wherein, when the user terminal 100 needs to be operated, the basic input and output system solidified in the ROM 45 or the bootloader boot system in the embedded system is started to guide the user terminal 100 into a normal operation state. After the user terminal 100 enters the normal operating state, run the application program and the operating system in the random access memory 44, and make:

The transmitter 43 sends a wireless network offload request carrying service information to the access device;

The receiver 42 receives the offload indication message returned from the access device, and outputs the offload indication message to the processor 41;

The processor 41 performs a corresponding offloading operation according to the offloading instruction message.

Wherein, the wireless network offloading request is sent in the form of a message, and the request message may include service information for requesting offloading, such as the quintuple of the TCP/UDP IP header, TFT, application identification, and the like. The quintuple refers to a set of five quantities consisting of source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, and transport layer protocol number. For example: 192.168.1.1, 0000, TCP, 21.14.88.76, 80 constitute a five-tuple.

The offload indication message includes service information requesting offload and an offload instruction, and the offload instruction includes one of a successful offload service identifier, a refused offload service identifier, or a suspended service identifier.

If the offload instruction included in the offload instruction message is the identifier of a successful offload service, the offload instruction message also includes WLAN information that bears offload. The WLAN information is the BSSID or SSID of the specified WLAN or the MAC address or channel frequency of the AP.

The processor 41 performs an offload operation according to the offload instruction message. For example, when the offload instruction contained in the offload instruction message is a successful offload service identifier, the processor 41 accesses the WLAN carrying offload through the access point according to the WLAN offload instruction message, and sends The access device sends an access result message.

After the service is successfully offloaded to the WLAN, if the wireless network establishes an EPS bearer for the service requesting offload, the processor 41 sends an access result message including an instruction to delete the EPS bearer to the access device, and the access result message includes the evolved packet system Bearer ID.

In this embodiment, the processor 31 may be a central processing unit CPU, or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiment of the present application.

According to the above-mentioned access device and user terminal, the present application also provides a network system, the network system includes the access device 200 and the user terminal 100, wherein the communication is realized between the access device 200 and the user terminal 100, please refer to 1 for the specific implementation process As well as related descriptions, for the implementation of specific functions of the access device 200 and the user terminal 100, please refer to the descriptions of related implementations in FIG. 2-FIG.

In the above technical solution, by sending a WLAN offload request carrying service information to the access device at the RAN side, the RAN side controls the offloading of the wireless network to the WLAN. Since it is easier for the RAN to obtain information such as the load of the RAN and WLAN and the quality of the air interface channel, an appropriate WLAN can be selected based on these information and the service information in the offload request, so that the user terminal can access the WLAN that can carry the requested offload service On the one hand, it can effectively improve the experience of using wireless networks for users.

In the several implementation manners provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device implementations described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be Incorporation may either be integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not implemented. In another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

If the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or part of the contribution to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium , including several instructions to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes. .

The above is only the implementation of the application, and does not limit the patent scope of the application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process conversion made by using the specification and drawings of the application, or directly or indirectly used in other related technologies fields, are all included in the scope of patent protection of this application in the same way.

Claims (24)

1. A method for offloading a wireless network, comprising:

the access equipment detects a wireless network distribution request carrying service information;

if the service in the shunting request is suitable for shunting to a wireless local area network, selecting the wireless local area network with the service capacity of bearing the request, and generating a corresponding shunting indication message;

and sending the shunting indication message to a user terminal so that the user terminal executes corresponding wireless local area network access operation according to the shunting indication message.

2. The method of claim 1,

the distribution indication message comprises service information requesting distribution and a distribution instruction, wherein the distribution instruction comprises one of a successful distribution service identifier, a refusal distribution service identifier or a suspension service identifier.

3. The method of claim 2,

if the shunting instruction comprises the successful shunting service identification, the shunting indication message also comprises wireless local area network information for bearing shunting.

4. The method of claim 3,

the wireless local area network information of the bearer offload includes at least one of a basic service set identifier, a medium access control address of an access point, and a channel frequency of the wireless local area network of the bearer offload.

5. The method of claim 2,

if the offloading instruction includes a suspended service identifier, after the step of sending an offloading instruction message to the user equipment, the method further includes:

the access device continuously tries to find the wireless local area network with the capacity of bearing the suspended service until finding the wireless local area network with the capacity of bearing the suspended service or receiving a message of canceling the wireless network shunt of the suspended service.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

after the step of sending the offloading indication message to the user equipment, the method further includes:

and receiving a wireless local area network access result message returned by the user terminal or the wireless local area network access point.

7. The method of claim 6,

after the step of receiving the wlan access result message returned by the ue or the wlan access point, the method further includes:

and if the access result message carries an evolved packet system bearer identifier, initiating an operation of deleting the corresponding evolved packet system bearer according to the evolved packet system bearer identifier.

8. The method of claims 1-7,

the step that the access equipment detects the wireless network shunting request carrying the service information comprises the following steps:

the access equipment detects a wireless network shunting request carrying service information sent by a user terminal or core network equipment; or

The access device detects a wireless network shunting request which is initiated by the access device and carries service information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the access device is any one of a wireless communication base station, a network controller or an access point of a wireless local area network.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

before the step of selecting the wireless local area network with the service bearing capability if the service in the request is suitable for being distributed to the wireless local area network, the method further includes:

and the access equipment judges whether the service in the request is suitable for being distributed to the wireless local area network or not according to a distribution strategy which is pre-configured by the wireless access network and/or is obtained from an automatic network discovery and selection functional entity.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the service information comprises at least one of a quintuple of a transmission control protocol/user data packet protocol (IP) header, a service flow template and an application identifier.

12. A offloading method for a wireless network, comprising,

a user terminal sends a wireless network shunting request carrying service information to access equipment;

receiving a distribution indication message returned by the access equipment;

and executing corresponding shunting operation according to the shunting indication message.

13. The method of claim 12,

the distribution indication message comprises service information requesting distribution and a distribution instruction, wherein the distribution instruction comprises one of a successful distribution service identifier, a refusal distribution service identifier or a suspension service identifier.

14. The method of claim 13,

if the shunting instruction comprises a successful shunting service identifier, the shunting indication message also comprises wireless local area network information for bearing shunting;

the step of executing the corresponding shunting operation according to the shunting indication message comprises the following steps:

the user terminal accesses the wireless local area network carrying the shunting through an access point according to the wireless local area network shunting indication message;

and sending an access result message to the access equipment.

15. The method of claim 14,

if the wireless network establishes an evolved packet system bearer for the service requesting the offloading, the step of sending an access result message to the access device includes:

and sending an access result message including the instruction for deleting the bearer of the evolved packet system to the access equipment, wherein the access result message contains an identifier of the bearer of the evolved packet system.

16. An access device, comprising a detection module, a selection module, and a transmission module, wherein:

the detection module is used for detecting a wireless network shunting request carrying service information;

when the service in the shunting request is suitable for shunting to a wireless local area network, the selection module selects the wireless local area network with the service capacity of bearing the request, generates a corresponding shunting indication message and outputs the shunting indication message to the sending module;

the sending module is used for sending the shunting indication message to the user terminal so that the user terminal executes corresponding wireless local area network access operation according to the shunting indication message.

17. The access device of claim 16,

the access device also comprises a receiving module used for receiving the wireless local area network access result message returned by the user terminal or the wireless local area network access point.

18. The access device of claim 17,

the access device further includes a deleting module, configured to initiate an operation of deleting a corresponding evolved packet system bearer according to the evolved packet system bearer identifier when the access result message carries the evolved packet system bearer identifier.

19. The access device according to any one of claims 16-18,

the access device is any one of a wireless communication base station, a network controller or an access point of a wireless local area network.

20. The access device according to any one of claims 16-18,

the access device further comprises a judging module for judging whether the service in the request is suitable for being distributed to the wireless local area network according to a distribution strategy which is pre-configured by the wireless access network and/or obtained from an automatic network discovery and selection functional entity.

21. A user terminal, comprising a request module, a receiving module and a control module, wherein:

the request module is used for sending a wireless network shunting request carrying service information to the access equipment;

the receiving module is used for receiving the shunting indication message returned by the access equipment and outputting the shunting indication message to the control module;

the control module is used for executing corresponding shunting operation according to the shunting indication message.

22. The user terminal of claim 21,

the distribution indication message comprises service information requesting distribution and a distribution instruction, wherein the distribution instruction comprises one of a successful distribution service identifier, a refusal distribution service identifier or a suspension service identifier.

23. The user terminal of claim 22,

if the shunting instruction comprises a successful shunting service identifier, the shunting indication message also comprises wireless local area network information for bearing shunting;

the control module is used for accessing the wireless local area network carrying the shunting through an access point according to the wireless local area network shunting indication message and sending an access result message to the access equipment.

24. The user terminal of claim 23,

if the wireless network establishes an evolved packet system bearer for the service requesting for offloading, the control module is configured to send an access result message including an instruction to delete the evolved packet system bearer to the access device, where the access result message includes an evolved packet system bearer identifier.