METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF SERVICE THAT A USER EXPERIENCES WHEN MEDIA IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH WLAN

• US 20150341830A1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Sangsoo
• Granted Patent: US 10,536,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00222 between different packet switched [PS] network technologies, e.g. transferring data sessions between LTE and WLAN or LTE and 5G
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services.

Systems and methods provide a service that effectively transmits or receives data simultaneously using a 3GPP system, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), and a non-3GPP system, such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), in a network where the 3GPP system and the non-3GPP system coexist. Particularly, this is a technology of selecting an access network through which data is to be transmitted based on a user'"'"'s preference and a network condition so as to improve the quality of a service that a user experiences during data transmission.

Claims

1. A method for a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising:

obtaining first control information for selecting a network among a first network and a second network to transmit or receive a data packet;

transmitting the first control information to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW);

receiving, from the PGW, a response to the first control information; and

transmitting or receiving the data packet through one of the first network or the second network based on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting or receiving the data packet comprises:

determining whether the response received from the PGW includes second control information; and

when the received response includes the second control information, transmitting or receiving the data packet through one of the first network or the second network, based on the first and second control information included in the received response.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first control information includes selection information associated with the network through which to transmit or receive the data packet, the network including one of the first network or the second network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selection information includes one of:

an IP flow descriptor associated with the first network, or

an IP flow descriptor associated with the second network.

6. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving a data packet; and

a controller configured to;

obtain first control information for selecting a network among a first network and a second network to transmit or receive a data packet,

transmit the first control information to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW),

receive a response to the first control information from the PGW, and

transmit or receive the data packet through one of the first network or the second network based on the response.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine whether the response received from the PGW includes second control information; and

when the received response includes the second control information, control to transmit or receive the data packet through one of the first network or the second network, based on the first and second control information included in the received response.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the first control information includes selection information associated with the network through which to transmit or receive the data packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selection information includes one of:

an IP flow descriptor associated with the first network, or

an IP flow descriptor associated with the second network.

11. A method for a network device to connect to a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising:

receiving, from the UE, a connection request message including first control information;

transmitting the first control information to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW); and

receiving a response to the first control information from the PGW,

wherein the first control information is for determining one of a first network or a second network through which a data packet is to be transmitted.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

13. A network device comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving a data packet; and

a controller configured to;

receive a connection request message including first control information from the UE,

transmit the first control information included in the connection request message to a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), and

receive a response to the first control information from the PGW,

wherein the first control information is for determining one of a first network or a second network through which a data packet is to be transmitted.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

15. A method for a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), the method comprising:

receiving, from a User Equipment (UE), first control information for determining a network through which a data packet is to be transmitted or received; and

transmitting a response message in response to the first control information,

wherein the first control information is for determining one of a first network or a second network through which the data packet is to be transmitted.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to receiving, from a network device, the first control information included in a connection request message that the network device received from the UE, transmitting a second response to the network device

18. A Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting and receiving a data packet; and

a controller configured to;

receive, from a User Equipment (UE), first control information for determining a network through which a data packet is to be transmitted or received, and

transmit a response message to the first control information,

wherein the first control information is for determining one of a first network and a second network through which the data packet is to be transmitted.

19. The PGW of claim 18, wherein the first network includes an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network (E-UTRAN) network, and the second network includes a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network.

20. The PGW of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to:

in response to receiving, from a network device, the first control information included in a connection request message that the network device received from the UE, transmit a second response to the network device.