Data Offload Method and User Equipment

• US 20140133298A1
• Filed: 01/20/2014
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Han, Guanglin, Zhang, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 9,642,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a data offload method and a user equipment. The data offload method includes receiving offload configuration signaling sent by a base station. The offload configuration signaling indicates to perform wireless network offload configuration. Offload configuration is performed according to the offload configuration signaling and data is offloaded according to the offload configuration.

Claims

1. A data offload method, comprising:

receiving offload configuration signaling sent by a base station, offload configuration signaling providing an indication to perform wireless network offload configuration, and performing the offload configuration according to the offload configuration signaling; and

offloading data according to the offload configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein offloading the data according to the offload configuration comprises:

receiving an adapted layer protocol data unit (AL PDU), wherein the AL PDU carries an AL PDU feature;

de-multiplexing the AL PDU; and

transmitting the de-multiplexed data to a corresponding service access point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein offloading the data further comprises, before receiving the AL PDU, identifying the received AL PDU according to the AL PDU feature and sending the identified AL PDU to an adapted layer unit.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the AL PDU feature comprises a service access point identifier, a service data stream identifier, a user equipment identifier, and an Internet protocol address or a port number.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein offloading the data according to the offload configuration comprises:

obtaining data that needs to be sent;

assembling the data into an AL PDU; and

sending the AL PDU to a corresponding service access point, wherein the AL PDU carries an AL PDU feature.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein obtaining the data that needs to be sent comprises obtaining the data according to a data sending priority from the offload configuration signaling, wherein the data sending priority comprises a service access point priority and/or a service data stream priority.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein assembling the data into the AL PDU comprises multiplexing and assembling the data into the AL PDU.

8. A data offload method, comprising:

generating offload configuration signaling which indicates to perform wireless network offload configuration; and

sending the offload configuration signaling to a user equipment.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the offload configuration signaling comprises offload allowing configuration and/or offload forbidding configuration;

wherein the offload allowing configuration comprises one or more of the following;

an identifier of a service access point allowing offload;

an identifier of a network service node for offload data; and

an identifier of a service data stream allowing offload; and

wherein the offload forbidding configuration comprises one or more of the following;

an identifier of a service access point requiring offload forbidding;

an identifier of a network service node for forbidding offload data; and

an identifier of a service data stream requiring offload forbidding.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, before generating offload configuration signaling, the method further comprises receiving offload request signaling sent by the user equipment.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the offload request signaling comprises a wireless local area network access point (WLAN AP) notification message and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN) signal quality message.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the WLAN AP notification message comprises a detected WLAN AP identifier and/or WLAN AP signal strength indication, and wherein the WLAN signal quality message comprises an identifier of a WLAN AP whose signal becomes poorer and/or a signal strength indication of a WLAN AP whose signal becomes poorer.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, before receiving offload request signaling sent by the user equipment, the method further comprises receiving a WLAN AP signal detected by the user equipment.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein, before generating offload configuration signaling, the method further comprises setting up a long term evolution LTE air interface connection with the user equipment or receiving offload capability information sent by the user equipment during or after LTE connection setup, wherein the offload capability information is used to indicate a offload support capability of the user equipment.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the offload capability information comprises information indicating whether to support wireless network offload, and a supported or unsupported radio access technology.

16. A user equipment, comprises:

an offload control unit, configured to receive offload configuration signaling sent by a base station, the offload configuration signaling including an indication to perform wireless network offload configuration, the offload control unit further configured to perform the offload configuration according to the offload configuration signaling; and

an adapted layer unit, configured to offload data according to the offload configuration.

17. The user equipment according to claim 16, wherein the adapted layer unit comprises a control module, which is configured to control the adapted layer unit to obtain the data or offload the data.

18. The user equipment according to claim 17, wherein the adapted layer unit further comprises a logical channel prioritization module, which is configured to, under control of the control module, obtain the data according to a data sending priority from the offload configuration signaling, wherein the data sending priority comprises a service access point priority and/or a service data stream priority.

19. The user equipment according to claim 17, wherein the adapted layer unit further comprises:

a multiplexing module, configured to, under control of the control module, multiplex and assemble the obtained data into an adapted layer protocol data unit (AL PDU), and to send the AL PDU to a corresponding service access point; and

a de-multiplexing module, configured to, under control of the control module, de-multiplex the received AL PDU and send the de-multiplexed data to the corresponding service access point, wherein the AL PDU carries an AL PDU feature.

20. The user equipment according to claim 19, wherein the AL PDU feature comprises a service access point identifier, a service data stream identifier, a user equipment identifier, and an Internet protocol IP address or a port number.

21. The user equipment according to claim 16, further comprising a data packet filtering unit, which is configured to identify the received AL PDU according to the AL PDU feature and to send the identified AL PDU to the adapted layer unit.