Controlling performance of a wireless device in a heterogeneous network

• US 10,517,014 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grayson, Mark, Patil, Santosh Ramrao, Pularikkal, Gangadharan Byju, Gaonkar, Kedar K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Weibin
• Application Number:
  US15/791,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20190124543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method of controlling performance of a wireless device is performed by a node that is in electronic communication with a cellular network. The node includes a processor, a non-transitory memory, and a network interface. The method includes receiving a performance value characterizing a performance of a communication channel between a wireless device and a wireless access point. In some implementations, the wireless device and the cellular network are associated with different radio access technologies (RATs). The method includes determining whether the performance value breaches a performance criterion for the wireless device. The method includes adjusting a first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from a base station of the cellular network and a second amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the wireless access point. In some implementations, the combined first and second amounts of data satisfy the performance criterion for the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a node that is in electronic communication with a cellular network, the node including a network interface, a non-transitory memory, and one or more processors coupled with the network interface and the non-transitory memory;

receiving a performance value characterizing a performance of a communication channel between a wireless device and a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point and the cellular network are associated with different radio access technologies, and wherein receiving the performance value includes receiving a block acknowledgement that indicates whether frames are successfully being transmitted over the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point;

determining whether the performance value breaches a performance criterion for the wireless device; and

adjusting a first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from a base station of the cellular network and a second amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the wireless access point, wherein the combined first and second amounts of data satisfy the performance criterion for the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether a percentage of dropped frames indicated by the block acknowledgement breaches a threshold percentage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the performance value indicates an error rate associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the error rate associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold error rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the performance value indicates a data throughput associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the data throughput associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold throughput.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the performance value indicates a quality of service level associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the quality of service (QoS) level associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold QoS.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

adjusting the first amount of data includes increasing the first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the base station of the cellular network; and

adjusting the second amount of data includes decreasing the second amount of data transmitting to the wireless device from the wireless access point.

7. A node that is in electronic communication with a cellular network, the node comprising:

a processor provided to execute computer readable instructions included on a non-transitory memory; and

a non-transitory memory including computer readable instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the network node to;

receive a performance value characterizing a performance of a communication channel between a wireless device and a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point and the cellular network are associated with different radio access technologies, and wherein receiving the performance value includes receiving a block acknowledgement that indicates whether frames are successfully being transmitted over the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point;

determine whether the performance value breaches a performance criterion for the wireless device; and

adjust a first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from a base station of the cellular network and a second amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the wireless access point, wherein the combined first and second amounts of data satisfy the performance criterion for the wireless device.

8. The node of claim 7, wherein the block acknowledgement indicates whether frames are successfully being transmitted from the wireless access point to the wireless device.

9. The node of claim 7, wherein the block acknowledgement indicates whether frames are successfully being transmitted from the wireless device to the wireless access point.

10. The node of claim 7, wherein determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether a percentage of dropped frames indicated by the block acknowledgement breaches a threshold percentage.

11. The node of claim 7, wherein:

the performance value indicates an error rate associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the error rate associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold error rate.

12. The node of claim 7, wherein:

the performance value indicates a data throughput associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the data throughput associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold throughput.

13. The node of claim 7, wherein:

the performance value indicates a quality of service level associated with the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point; and

determining whether the performance value breaches the performance criterion includes determining whether the quality of service (QoS) level associated with the communication channel breaches a threshold QoS.

14. The node of claim 7, wherein:

adjusting the first amount of data includes increasing the first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the base station of the cellular network; and

adjusting the second amount of data includes decreasing the second amount of data transmitting to the wireless device from the wireless access point.

15. The node of claim 7, wherein the node receives the performance value from one or more of the wireless access point and the wireless device.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by a node with a processing device, cause the node to perform or cause performance of:

receiving a performance value characterizing a performance of a communication channel between a wireless device and a wireless access point, wherein the wireless access point and a cellular network are associated with different radio access technologies, and wherein receiving the performance value includes receiving a block acknowledgement that indicates whether frames are successfully being transmitted over the communication channel between the wireless device and the wireless access point;

determining whether the performance value breaches a performance criterion for the wireless device; and

adjusting a first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from a base station of the cellular network and a second amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the wireless access point, wherein the combined first and second amounts of data satisfy the performance criterion for the wireless device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

adjusting the first amount of data includes increasing the first amount of data transmitted to the wireless device from the base station of the cellular network; and

adjusting the second amount of data includes decreasing the second amount of data transmitting to the wireless device from the wireless access point.