US 11,706,614 B2
Direct SMF control plane with gNB
Irfan Ali, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/377,944.
Prior Publication US 2023/0018399 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 12/037 (2021.01); H04W 36/00 (2009.01); H04W 80/08 (2009.01); H04W 76/12 (2018.01); H04W 12/0431 (2021.01); H04W 12/041 (2021.01); H04W 36/08 (2009.01); H04W 80/06 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 12/037 (2021.01) [H04W 12/041 (2021.01); H04W 12/0431 (2021.01); H04W 36/0038 (2013.01); H04W 36/08 (2013.01); H04W 76/12 (2018.02); H04W 80/06 (2013.01); H04W 80/085 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are effective to cause a computing device to perform operations, comprising:
perform a handover from a source gNB to a target gNB in a network wherein the source gNB has a first control plane connection to at least one SMF via a N3-C interface and a second control plane connection to an AMF via an N2 interface of the AMF, comprising:
determine to handover to a target gNB by the source gNB;
send a handover request to the target gNB by the source gNB;
send information, to the target gNB by the source gNB, regarding the at least one SMF and at least one UPF to which the source gNB is communicating to support a PDU session on behalf of a UE to the target gNB;
send a handover command to the UE to detach from the source gNB and to attach to the target gNB;
in response to detachment of the UE from the source gNB and attachment to the target gNB:
move a second control plane connection over the N2 interface between the AMF and the source gNB to be between the target gNB and the AMF; and
move the control plane connection over the N3-C interface between the at least one SMF and the source gNB to be between the target gNB and the at least one SMF;
wherein the target gNB communicates with the at least one SMF through the first control plane, and the target gNB communicates with the AMF through the second control plane.