Techniques for wireless network discovery and selection support

• US 10,334,514 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Minh Trang T
• Application Number:
  US15/589,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

Techniques for wireless network discovery and selection support are described. In one embodiment, for example, an evolved packet core (EPC) node may comprise a processor circuit to implement an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) according to a management object that includes a branch comprising one or more policies to select a wireless local area network (WLAN), the processing circuitry to receive capabilities information and location information for a user equipment (UE) and determine access network information for the UE based on the capabilities information and the location information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

processing circuitry; and

non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions for execution by the processing circuitry to cause user equipment (UE) to;

identify a plurality of available wireless local area networks (WLANs);

select a WLAN from among the plurality of available WLANs based on WLAN selection criteria specified by a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule comprised in an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) management object (MO) for the UE, the WLAN selection criteria contained in a selection criteria sub-branch of a WLANSP branch of the ANDSF MO; and

establish packet data network (PDN) connectivity via the selected WLAN.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions for execution by the processing circuitry to cause the UE to identify the plurality of available WLANs based on received access network information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, the non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions for execution by the processing circuitry to cause the UE to:

send an access network information request over an S14 interface connection; and

receive the access network information over the S14 interface connection in response to the access network information request.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the WLANSP branch to include a ValidityArea node specifying one or more location conditions for the WLANSP rule.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a PreferredRoamingPartnerList node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a MinBackhaulThreshold node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a RequiredProtoPortTuple node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a SPExclusionList node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a MaximumBSSLoadValue node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, the ANDSF MO to comprise an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) branch that is distinct from the WLANSP branch.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, the ANDSF MO to comprise a home network preference branch containing an S2aConnectivityPreference leaf comprising a value to indicate whether a home operator of the UE prefers the UE to use S2a procedures to establish PDN connections over WLANs.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one radio frequency (RF) transceiver; and

at least one RF antenna.

13. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by processing circuitry to cause user equipment (UE) to:

identify a plurality of available wireless local area networks (WLANs);

select a WLAN from among the plurality of available WLANs based on WLAN selection criteria specified by a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule comprised in an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) management object (MO) for the UE, the WLAN selection criteria contained in a selection criteria sub-branch of a WLANSP branch of the ANDSF MO; and

establish packet data network (PDN) connectivity via the selected WLAN.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, storing instructions for execution by the processing circuitry to cause the UE to identify the plurality of available WLANs based on received access network information.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, storing instructions for execution by the processing circuitry to cause the UE to:

send an access network information request over an S14 interface connection; and

receive the access network information over the S14 interface connection in response to the access network information request.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the WLANSP branch to include a ValidityArea node specifying one or more location conditions for the WLANSP rule.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a PreferredRoamingPartnerList node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a MinBackhaulThreshold node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a RequiredProtoPortTuple node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a SPExclusionList node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

21. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, one or more of the WLAN selection criteria defined by a MaximumBSSLoadValue node comprised in the selection criteria sub-branch of the ANDSF MO.

22. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the ANDSF MO to comprise an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) branch that is distinct from the WLANSP branch.

23. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the ANDSF MO to comprise a home network preference branch containing an S2aConnectivityPreference leaf comprising a value to indicate whether a home operator of the UE prefers the UE to use S2a procedures to establish PDN connections over WLANs.