METHOD OF CONTROLLING COMMUNICATION MODES FOR WIRELESS ENTITY AND USER EQUIPMENT, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING THE SAME

• US 20160119846A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chen, Chun-Chia, Chou, Chie-Ming
• Granted Patent: US 9,775,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• 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

A method of controlling communication modes for a wireless entity and a user equipment (UE), and a communication system using the same method. In one of the exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is directed to a method of controlling communication modes used by a wireless entity. The method would include not limited to receiving traffic loading information of a licensed spectrum used by a cellular network, detecting an interference situation of an unlicensed spectrum, selecting an operating mode from the communication modes according to the traffic loading information and the interference situation, and operating at the selected operating mode on the unlicensed spectrum.

Claims

1. A method of controlling communication modes used by a wireless entity, the method comprising:

receiving traffic loading information of a licensed spectrum used by a cellular network;

detecting an interference situation of an unlicensed spectrum; and

selecting an operating mode from the communication modes according to the traffic loading info nation and the interference situation; and

operating the wireless entity under the selected operating mode on the unlicensed spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the operating mode from the communication modes according to the traffic loading information and the interference situation comprising:

comparing a traffic loading indication for the traffic loading information with traffic loading thresholds;

comparing an interference indication for the interference situation with interference thresholds; and

receiving performance statistics of user equipments (UEs) in which the wireless entity is operated at the selected operating mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein operating at the selected operating mode on the unlicensed spectrum comprising:

transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, a wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network according to a compared result of the traffic loading indication and the interference indication and the performance statistics of the UEs.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network comprising:

transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network with a contention-based mechanism in response to the compared result being that the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being smaller than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network comprising:

contending on the unlicensed spectrum using the wireless local network; and

transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network after granting resource of the unlicensed spectrum in response to the compared result being that the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being larger than a second interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network comprising:

disabling the transmitting and receiving using the cellular network and the wireless local network in response to the traffic loading indication being smaller than a first traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein determining transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network comprising:

transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the wireless local network in response to the traffic loading indication being larger than a first traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and smaller than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being smaller than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein determining transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network comprising:

transmitting and receiving on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network with a contention-based mechanism and an interference mitigating mechanism in response to the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being larger than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds and smaller than a second interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the interference mitigating mechanism comprises a power control mechanism, a time division mechanism, a frequency division mechanism, and a dynamic frequency hopping mechanism.

10. A method of controlling communication modes used by a UE, the method comprising:

receiving a signal command, wherein the signal command indicates an operating mode of using a cellular network and a wireless local network; and

transmitting and receiving on a licensed spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network or the wireless local network according to the signal command in response to receiving the signal command.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting and receiving on the licensed spectrum or the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network or the wireless local network according to the signal command in response to receiving the signal command comprising:

activating a component carrier on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network according to the signal command.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting and receiving on the licensed spectrum or the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network or the wireless local network according to the signal command in response to receiving the signal command comprising:

transmitting a measurement report of the unlicensed spectrum according to the signal command.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting and receiving on the licensed spectrum or the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network or the wireless local network according to the signal command in response to receiving the signal command comprising:

receiving a signaling message at a scheduled time according to the signal command.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting and receiving on the licensed spectrum or the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network according to the signal command in response to receiving the signal command comprising:

disabling to access the wireless local network according to the signal command.

15. A communication system comprising:

a UE;

a base station; and

a wireless entity, wherein the wireless entity receives traffic loading information of a licensed spectrum of the base station using a cellular network, the wireless entity detects an interference situation of an unlicensed spectrum, the wireless entity selects an operating mode from communication modes according to the traffic loading information and the interference situation, the wireless entity operates at the selected operating mode on the unlicensed spectrum, and the UE transmits and receives on the licensed spectrum or the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network or a wireless local network according to a signal command corresponding to the operating mode received from the base station.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the wireless entity compares a traffic loading indication for the traffic loading information with traffic loading thresholds, compares an interference indication for the interference situation with interference thresholds, and receives performance statistics of the UE in which the wireless entity is operated at the selected operating mode.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the wireless entity transmits and receives on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network, the wireless local network, or the cellular network and the wireless local network according to a compared result of the traffic loading indication and the interference indication and the performance statistics of the UEs.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the wireless entity transmits and receives on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network with a contention-based mechanism in response to the compared result being that the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being smaller than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

19. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the wireless entity contends on the unlicensed spectrum using the wireless local network, and transmits and receives on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network after granting resource of the unlicensed spectrum in response to the compared result being that the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being larger than a second interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

20. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the wireless entity disables to transmit and receive using the cellular network and the wireless local network in response to the traffic loading indication being smaller than a first traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds.

21. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the wireless entity transmits and receives on the unlicensed spectrum using the wireless local network in response to the traffic loading indication being larger than a first traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and smaller than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being smaller than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

22. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the wireless entity transmits and receives on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network with a contention-based mechanism and an interference mitigating mechanism in response to the traffic loading indication being larger than a second traffic loading threshold of the traffic loading thresholds and the interference indication being larger than a first interference threshold of the interference thresholds and smaller than a second interference threshold of the interference thresholds.

23. The communication system of claim 22, wherein the interference mitigating mechanism comprises a power control mechanism, a time division mechanism, a frequency division mechanism, and a dynamic frequency hopping mechanism.

24. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the signal command indicates the operating mode of using the cellular network and the wireless local network.

25. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the UE activates a component carrier on the unlicensed spectrum using the cellular network according to the signal command.

26. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the UE transmits a measurement report of the unlicensed spectrum to the base station according to the signal command.

27. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the UE receives a signaling message from the base station at a scheduled time according to the signal command.

28. The communication system of claim 24, wherein the UE disables to access the wireless local network according to the signal command.

29. The communication system of claim 20, wherein the base station requests the UE to search signals using the wireless local network, offload the UE in response to signal strengths of the signals being larger than a signal strength threshold.

30. The communication system of claim 15, wherein the UE reports preference statistics of the communication modes to the base station, and the base station makes a decision of the communication modes according to the preference statistics.