Method, system and apparatus of wireless local area network (WLAN) communication in conjunction with cellular communication

• US 10,397,830 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Anh Ngoc M
• Application Number:
  US15/846,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of Wireless-Local-Area-Network (WLAN) communication in conjunction with cellular communication. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to receive WLAN load information indicating a load of at least one WLAN controlled by at least one access point (AP), and, based on the WLAN load information, to select between connecting to the AP and connecting to a cellular node.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a memory and a processor configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to:

receive, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a signal including wireless local area network (WLAN) information, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul; and

determine whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN through connecting to an access point (AP) of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition pertaining to the WLAN information occurs, wherein the apparatus is configured to cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a comparison between a value, which is based on a WLAN backhaul load, and a threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on the WLAN backhaul load.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN information is based on a WLAN available bandwidth.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination that the value, which is based on the WLAN backhaul load, is higher than the threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the UE to receive updated WLAN information from the eNB, and to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN through disconnecting from the AP of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition related to the updated WLAN information occurs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN, at least in part based on a determination that the updated WLAN information indicates that a WLAN value, which is based on the WLAN backhaul load, meets a criterion with respect to a WLAN threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the UE to receive the WLAN information from the eNB as part of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to cause the UE to receive from the eNB cellular load information associated to a load of a cellular network controlled by the eNB.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a wireless communication radio to receive the WLAN information from the eNB.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising one or more antennas.

11. A product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

receive, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a signal including wireless local area network (WLAN) information, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul; and

determine whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN through connecting to an access point (AP) of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition pertaining to the WLAN information occurs, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a comparison between a value, which is based on a WLAN backhaul load, and a threshold.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on the WLAN backhaul load.

13. The product of claim 11, wherein the WLAN information is based on a WLAN available bandwidth.

14. The product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination that the value, which is based on the WLAN backhaul load, is higher than the threshold.

15. The product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the UE to receive updated WLAN information from the eNB, and to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN through disconnecting from the AP of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition related to the updated WLAN information occurs.

16. The product of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the UE to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN, at least in part based on a determination that the updated WLAN information indicates that a W-LAN value, which is based on the WLAN backhaul load, meets a criterion with respect to a WLAN threshold.

17. The product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the UE to receive the WLAN information from the eNB as part of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message.

18. An apparatus comprising a memory and a processor configured to cause an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) to:

transmit to a user equipment (UE) wireless local area network (WLAN) information as part of a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling message, the WLAN information configured to assist the UE in determination whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN based on a threshold, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul; and

transmit to the UE updated WLAN information as part of a second RRC signaling message, the updated WLAN information comprises at least one of updated information of the WLAN channel utilization or updated information of the WLAN backhaul.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on a WLAN backhaul load.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the WLAN information is based on a WLAN available bandwidth.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 comprising a wireless communication radio, and one or more antennas.

22. A product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) to:

transmit to a user equipment (UE) wireless local area network (WLAN) information as part of a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling message, the WLAN information configured to assist the UE in determination whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN based on a threshold, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul; and

transmit to the UE updated WLAN information as part of a second RRC signaling message, the updated WLAN information comprises at least one of updated information of the WLAN channel utilization or updated information of the W LAN backhaul.

23. The product of claim 22, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on a WLAN backhaul load.