Method and apparatus for operating a device on a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum

• US 10,499,430 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Ranjeet, Van Bosch, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Saumit
• Application Number:
  US15/649,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20190021115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/201 Frame classification, e.g. bad, good or erased frame indication per se H04L1/0082
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0042 intra-user or intra-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus operate a device on a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum. The device can operate on a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) band via a WWAN base station using a WWAN Radio Access Technology (RAT). The device can connect to a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) base station using the WWAN RAT on a WWAN RAT WLAN band operating on a WLAN frequency and can connect to a WLAN access point using a WLAN RAT on a WLAN RAT band operating on a WLAN frequency. The WWAN RAT WLAN band can be determined to be the same band as the WLAN RAT band. A signal metric of the WWAN RAT WLAN band or the WLAN RAT band can be compared to a threshold. Whether to disable communications on the WWAN RAT WLAN band or the WLAN RAT band can be determined based on comparing the signal metric of the WWAN RAT WLAN band or the WLAN RAT band to a threshold. Communications of the WWAN RAT WLAN band or the WLAN RAT band can be disabled if the communications on the WWAN RAT WLAN band or the WLAN RAT band should be disabled.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a device on a wireless wide area network band via a wireless wide area network base station using a wireless wide area network radio access technology;

connecting, by the device, to a wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology on a wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band operating on a wireless local area network frequency;

connecting, by the device, to a wireless local area network access point using a wireless local area network radio access technology on a wireless local area network radio access technology band operating on a wireless local area network frequency;

determining the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is the same band as the wireless local area network radio access technology band;

comparing a signal metric of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to a threshold;

determining whether to disable communications on one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band based on comparing the signal metric of the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to a threshold;

disabling communications of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled;

monitoring a location of the device; and

enabling communication of the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band that has had its communications disabled if the location of the device has changed,

wherein the signal metric comprises a wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate,

wherein the method further comprises computing the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band,

wherein comparing the signal metric of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to the threshold comprises comparing the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band to the threshold,

wherein determining comprises determining communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled if the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band exceeds the threshold, and

wherein disabling communications comprises disabling wireless local area network radio access technology communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band exceeds the threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the signal metric comprises a band quality indicator,

wherein the method further comprises computing the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band, and

wherein determining comprises determining the communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band should be disabled if the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is below the threshold, and

wherein disabling communications comprises disabling communications of the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band if the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is below the threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein disabling comprises disabling communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band and maintaining communications on the other of the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface to enable and disable the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving carrier aggregated data on a combination of the wireless wide area network band and the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a long term evolution-based network and the wireless local area network comprises an 802.11 frequency-based network.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network frequencies comprise frequencies in a range of 4,915 MHz to 5,925 MHz.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology and the wireless wide area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology are base stations of a same service provider.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is the same band as the wireless local area network radio access technology band comprises determining the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is at least part of the same band as the wireless local area network radio access technology band.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein comparing the signal metric comprises comparing a signal metric of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and a first threshold,

wherein the method further comprises comparing a signal metric of wireless local area network radio access technology communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band to second threshold,

wherein determining comprises determining whether to disable communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band based on comparing the signal metric of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the first threshold,

wherein the method further comprises determining whether to disable communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band based on comparing a signal metric of wireless local area network radio access technology communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band to second threshold,

wherein disabling communications comprises disabling communications of the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band if the communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band should be disabled, and

wherein the method further comprises disabling communications of the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a first transceiver that operates on a wireless wide area network band via a wireless wide area network base station using a wireless wide area network radio access technology;

a second transceiver that connects to a wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology on a wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band operating on a wireless local area network frequency;

a third transceiver that connects to a wireless local area network access point using a wireless local area network radio access technology on a wireless local area network radio access technology band operating on a wireless local area network frequency; and

a controller that

determines the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is the same band as the wireless local area network radio access technology band,

compares a signal metric of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to a threshold,

determines whether to disable communications on one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band based on comparing the signal metric of the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to a threshold,

disables communications of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled,

monitors a location of the device, and

enables communication of the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band that has had its communications disabled if the location of the device has changed,

wherein the signal metric comprises a wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate, and

wherein the controller

computes the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band,

compares the signal metric of one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band to the threshold by comparing the wireless local area network radio access technology communication data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band to a threshold,

determines communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled if the data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band exceeds the threshold, and

disables communications wireless local area network radio access technology communications on the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the data error rate on the wireless local area network radio access technology band exceeds the threshold.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the signal metric comprises a band quality indicator, and

wherein the controller

computes the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band,

determines the communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band should be disabled if the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is below the threshold, and

disables communications of the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band if the band quality indicator of wireless wide area network radio access technology communications on the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band is below the threshold.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller disables communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band and maintains communications on the other of the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band if the communications on the one selected from the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band and the wireless local area network radio access technology band should be disabled.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a user interface that enables and disables the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller receives carrier aggregated data on a combination of the wireless wide area network band and the wireless wide area network radio access technology wireless local area network band.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a long term evolution-based network and the wireless local area network comprises an 802.11 frequency-based network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the wireless local area network frequencies comprise frequencies in a range of 4,915 MHz to 5,925 MHz.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology and the wireless wide area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology are base stations of a same service provider.