SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR LONG TERM EVOLUTION AND WIRELESS LOCAL AREA INTERWORKING

• US 20150327139A1
• Filed: 12/24/2014
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander, Choi, Hyung-Nam, Himayat, Nageen, Burbidge, Richard, Fong, Mo-Han
• Granted Patent: US 9,467,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0865 of different Radio Access Technologies [RATs], e.g. LTE or WiFi
• 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 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• 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

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe systems, devices, and methods for long-term evolution and wireless local area interworking. Various embodiments may include utilizing access network selection and traffic steering rules based on radio access network assistance parameters. Other embodiments may be described or claimed.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a first radio to communicate via an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN);

a second radio to communicate via a wireless local area network (WLAN); and

control circuitry coupled with the first and second radios, the control circuitry to

receive, in a broadcast system information block or a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message dedicated to the UE, radio access network (RAN) assistance parameters for access network selection and traffic steering between the EUTRAN and the WLAN, wherein the RAN assistance parameters include a WLAN identifier that corresponds to the WLAN, a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value, and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold value;

transmit traffic over the EUTRAN via the first radio;

determine that a measured cell receive level value of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRP threshold or a measured cell quality value of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRQ threshold; and

steer traffic to the WLAN via the second radio based on said determination that the measured RSRP of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRP threshold or the measured RSRQ of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRQ threshold.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance parameters are first RAN assistance parameters in the RRC connection reconfiguration message, and the control circuitry is further to:

receive second RAN assistance parameters in the system information block;

discard the second RAN assistance parameters; and

save the first RAN assistance parameters.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is to receive the RAN assistance parameters in an information element in the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the RAN assistance parameters include a timer value and the control circuitry is to:

set a timer with the timer value;

start the timer upon entering an RRC idle mode; and

discard the RAN assistance parameters received in RRC connection reconfiguration message upon expiration of the timer.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance parameters further include a WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold, and the control circuitry is further to:

determine that a WLAN channel utilization is less than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and a beacon RSSI is greater than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold; and

steer traffic to the WLAN via the second radio based further on said determination that the WLAN channel utilization is less than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, the WLAN downlink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, the WLAN uplink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and the beacon RSSI is greater than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold.

6. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a first radio to communicate via an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN);

a second radio to communicate via a wireless local area network (WLAN); and

control circuitry coupled with the first and second radios, the control circuitry to receive, in a broadcast system information block or a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message dedicated to the UE, radio access network (RAN) assistance parameters for access network selection and traffic steering between the EUTRAN and the WLAN, wherein the RAN assistance parameters include a WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold, and a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold;

transmit traffic over the WLAN via the second radio;

determine a WLAN channel utilization is greater than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, or a beacon RSSI is less than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold; and

steer traffic to the EUTRAN via the first radio based on said determination that the WLAN channel utilization is greater than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, the WLAN downlink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, the WLAN uplink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, or the beacon RSSI is less than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the RAN assistance parameters further include a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold value, and the control circuitry is further to:

determine a measured cell receive level value of the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRP threshold and a measured cell quality value of the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRQ threshold; and

steer traffic to the EUTRAN via the first radio based on said determination that the measured cell receive level value corresponding to the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRP threshold and the measured cell quality value corresponding to the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRQ threshold.

8. The UE of claim 6, further comprising:

multi-mode baseband circuitry coupled with the first and second radios.

9. Enhanced node B (eNB) circuitry comprising:

control circuitry to determine a set of RAN assistance parameters for each of a plurality of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) served by the eNB, wherein individual sets of the RAN assistance parameters include first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) thresholds for steering traffic from an EUTRAN to a wireless local area network (WLAN), second EUTRAN thresholds for steering traffic from a WLAN to an EUTRAN, first WLAN thresholds for steering traffic from an EUTRAN to a WLAN, and second WLAN thresholds for steering traffic from a WLAN to an EUTRAN; and

to generate dedicated or broadcast signaling messages that include the RAN assistance parameters for each of the plurality of PLMNs; and

a wireless transceiver to transmit the dedicated or broadcast signaling messages to one or more user equipments (UEs) in the EUTRAN cell.

10. The eNB circuitry of claim 9, further comprising:

a transceiver to receive a first RAN assistance parameter of the set of ran assistance parameters from a network node, wherein the first RAN assistance parameter is a WLAN identifier.

11. The eNB circuitry of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is to generate system information blocks that include the RAN assistance parameters and the wireless transceiver is to transmit the system information blocks.

12. The eNB circuitry of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is to generate a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message that includes the RAN assistance parameters, and the wireless transceiver is to transmit the RRC connection reconfiguration messages.

13. The eNB circuitry of claim 9, wherein the first EUTRAN thresholds include a first reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold or a first reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold, and the second EUTRAN thresholds include a second RSRQ threshold or a second RSRQ threshold.

14. The eNB circuitry of claim 9, wherein the first WLAN thresholds include a first channel utilization threshold, a first WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a first WLAN uplink backhaul rate, or a first WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the second WLAN thresholds include a second channel utilization threshold, a second WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a second WLAN uplink backhaul rate, or a second WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

process a system information message or a radio resource control (RRC) message to determine radio access network (RAN) assistance parameters;

determine conditions of first and second access networks;

determine that the conditions of the first and second access networks satisfy access network selection and traffic steering (ANSTS) rules for a predetermined period of time based on the RAN assistance parameters; and

steer traffic from the first access network to the second access network based on said determination that the conditions of the first and second access networks satisfy the ANSTS for the predetermined period of time.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the RAN assistance parameters include first evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) thresholds for steering traffic from an EUTRAN to a wireless local area network (WLAN), second EUTRAN thresholds for steering traffic from a WLAN to an EUTRAN, first WLAN thresholds for steering traffic from an EUTRAN to a WLAN, and second WLAN thresholds for steering traffic from a WLAN to an EUTRAN.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first access network is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), the second access network is a wireless local area network (WLAN), the RAN assistance parameters include a WLAN identifier that corresponds to the WLAN, a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value, and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold value, and the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to:

determine that a measured cell receive level value of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRP threshold or a measured cell quality value of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRQ threshold; and

steer traffic to the WLAN based on said determination that the measured RSRP of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRP threshold or the measured RSRQ of the EUTRAN is less than the RSRQ threshold.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the RAN assistance parameters further include a WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold, and the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to:

determine that a WLAN channel utilization is less than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and a beacon RSSI is greater than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold; and

steer traffic to the WLAN based further on said determination that the WLAN channel utilization is less than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, the WLAN downlink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, the WLAN uplink backhaul rate is greater than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, and the beacon RSSI is greater than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first access network is a wireless local area network (WLAN), the second access network is an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), the RAN assistance parameters include a WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold, and a WLAN beacon received signal strength indicator (RSSI) threshold;

and the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to;

determine a WLAN channel utilization is greater than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, a WLAN downlink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, a WLAN uplink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, or a beacon RSSI is less than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold; and

steer traffic to the EUTRAN based on said determination that the WLAN channel utilization is greater than the WLAN channel utilization threshold, the WLAN downlink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN downlink backhaul rate threshold, the WLAN uplink backhaul rate is less than the WLAN uplink backhaul rate threshold, or the beacon RSSI is less than the WLAN beacon RSSI threshold.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the RAN assistance parameters further include a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value and a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold value, and the instructions, when executed, further cause the UE to:

determine a measured cell receive level value of the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRP threshold and a measured cell quality value of the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRQ threshold; and

steer traffic to the EUTRAN based on said determination that the measured cell receive level value corresponding to the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRP threshold and the measured cell quality value corresponding to the EUTRAN is greater than the RSRQ threshold.