TECHNIQUES FOR INTERWORKING BETWEEN HETEROGENEOUS RADIOS

• US 20100304737A1
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Taaghoi, Pouya, Jain, Puneet K., Gupta, Vivek
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Techniques for interworking between heterogeneous radios are described. An apparatus may comprise a first radio module operative to establish a first wireless link over a first wireless network with a first network device, a second radio module operative to establish a second wireless link over a second wireless network with a second network device, and a radio control module communicatively coupled to the first and second radio modules. The radio control module may be operative to send preregistration information for a mobile device to the second wireless network when connected to the first wireless network, determine whether to connect to the second wireless network, and establish the second wireless link over the second wireless network with the second network device using the preregistration information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first radio module operative to establish a first wireless link over a first wireless network with a first network device;

a second radio module operative to establish a second wireless link over a second wireless network with a second network device; and

a radio control module communicatively coupled to the first and second radio modules, the radio control module operative to send preregistration information for a mobile device to the second wireless network when connected to the first wireless network, determine whether to connect to the second wireless network, and establish the second wireless link over the second wireless network with the second network device using the preregistration information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the radio control module operative to control operations for each radio in accordance with a single radio architecture in cooperation with an interworking operations module associated with the first wireless network and the second wireless network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the radio control module operative to turn on a first transceiver for the first radio module and turn off a second transceiver for the second radio module, the first transceiver to connect to the first wireless network through the first network device when turned on, and when connected to the first wireless network, the radio control module to send the preregistration information for the mobile device to the second wireless network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the radio control module operative to determine to connect to the second wireless network, turn on a second transceiver for the second radio module and turn off a first transceiver for the first radio module, the second transceiver to connect to the second wireless network through the second network device when turned on using the preregistration information for the mobile device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the first and second wireless networks each comprising any one of a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) and a cellular telephone network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the first wireless network comprising an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless network, and the second wireless network comprising a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the first wireless network comprising a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless network, and the second wireless network comprising an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the first and second radio modules each comprising a transceiver and a communications controller, the communications controllers to communicate status information to each other and coordinate handover operations for the respective transceivers in accordance with the status information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the first and second radio modules each comprising a transceiver and a communications controller, the communications controllers to communicate status information with the radio control module, the radio control module operative to control handover operations for the transceivers via the respective communications controllers in accordance with the status information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an omni-directional antenna communicatively coupled to each of the first and second radio modules.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory to store an interworking operations module;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor to execute the interworking operations module; and

the interworking operations module when executed by the processor operative to communicate control signals between a first wireless network and a second wireless network, the interworking operations module comprising first and second network interfaces operative to emulate respective network devices for the respective first and second wireless networks, and communicate preregistration information for a mobile device to the respective first and second wireless networks.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the interworking operations module to communicate with the mobile device through the first network interface when the mobile device is connected to the first wireless network.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, the interworking operations module to communicate with the mobile device through the second network interface when the mobile device is connected to the second wireless network.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, the first wireless network interface comprising an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless network interface, and the second wireless network interface comprising a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless network interface.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, the first wireless network interface comprising a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless network interface, and the second wireless network interface comprising an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 wireless network interface.

16. A method, comprising:

establishing a first wireless link over a first wireless network between a mobile device and a first network device;

sending preregistration information for the mobile device to a second wireless network through an interworking operations module;

determining whether to connect to the second wireless network; and

establishing a second wireless link over the second wireless network between the mobile device and a second network device using the preregistration information.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising discovering the interworking operations module associated with the first wireless network and the second wireless network.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising establishing a secure connection with the interworking module associated with the first wireless network and the second wireless network.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising determining whether to send preregistration information to the second wireless network through the interworking operations module.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising performing authentication operations for the mobile device and the second wireless network.

21. The method of claim 16, comprising performing location update operations for the mobile device and the second wireless network.

22. The method of claim 16, comprising performing packet data protocol context activation for the mobile device and the second wireless network.

23. The method of claim 16, comprising determining whether to perform handover operations to handover the mobile device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network.

24. The method of claim 16, comprising performing handover operations to handover the mobile device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network using the preregistration information.

25. The method of claim 16, comprising releasing the first wireless link over the first wireless network between the mobile device and the first network device.

26. An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium containing instructions that when executed enable a system to:

establish a first wireless link over a first wireless network between a mobile device and a first network device;

discover an interworking operations module associated with the first wireless network and a second wireless network;

pre-register the mobile device with the second wireless network through the interworking operations module;

determine whether to connect to the second wireless network; and

establish a second wireless link over the second wireless network between the mobile device and a second network device.

27. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to establish a connection with the interworking module.

28. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine whether to perform pre-registration operations with the second wireless network through the interworking operations module.

29. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine whether to perform handover operations to handover the mobile device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network.

30. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to perform handover operations to handover the mobile device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network.