METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING A DEVICE ON A LICENSED SPECTRUM AND AN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM

• US 20180084547A1
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Ranjeet, Van Bosch, James
• Granted Patent: US 10,462,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0023 Interference mitigation or co-ordination direct sequence spread spectrum [DSSS] systems H04B1/7097; frequency hopping H04B1/713; allocation criteria for ingress interference avoidance H04L5/0062; frequency allocation criteria for requirements on out-of-channel emissions H04L5/0066; arrangements for removing intersymbol interference or baseband equalisers H04L25/03006; peak power aspects in multicarrier modulation H04L27/2614; power management H04W52/00; traffic scheduling H04W72/54, H04W72/541
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0083 Multi-mode cell search, i.e. where several modes or systems can be used, e.g. backwards compatible, dual mode or flexible systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• 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 and apparatus operate a device on a licensed spectrum and an unlicensed spectrum. The device can operate on a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) channel using a WWAN base station using a WWAN Radio Access Technology (RAT). At least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) base station that uses the WWAN RAT operating on a WLAN frequency can be detected. WLAN frequencies can be scanned. Information including information about the at least one WLAN base station using the WWAN RAT, the results of scanning the WLAN frequencies, and device specific information to a base station can be sent. A WLAN channel of the WLAN frequencies with a WLAN base station of the at least one WLAN base station using the WWAN RAT can be communicated on in response to sending the information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a device on a wireless wide area network channel using a wireless wide area network base station using a wireless wide area network radio access technology;

detecting at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology operating on a wireless local area network frequency;

scanning wireless local area network frequencies;

sending information including information about the at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology, the results of scanning the wireless local area network frequencies, and device specific information to a base station; and

communicating on a wireless local area network channel of the wireless local area network frequencies with a wireless local area network base station of the at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology in response to sending the information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device specific information includes a location of the device, a home base station channel number, and home base station load information.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising determining a wireless local area network base station is the home base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology operating on a wireless local area network frequency by adding weighting to home base station decision making where a base station with a higher probability of being a home base station is given more weighting than other proximal base stations.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating comprises receiving carrier aggregated data on a combination of a channel on the wireless wide area network and the channel of the wireless wide area network radio access technology operating on a wireless local area network.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein scanning the wireless local area network frequencies includes determining whether the device is idle on the wireless local area network frequencies and scanning the wireless local area network frequencies when the device is idle on the wireless local area network frequencies.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a long term evolution-based network and the wireless local area network comprises an 802.11 frequency range network.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of the channel of the wireless local area network frequencies for communicating from a network operator.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network frequencies comprise frequencies in a range of 4,915 MHz to 5,925 MHz.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology and the wireless wide area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology are base stations of a same service provider.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a first transceiver to operate the apparatus on a wireless wide area network channel using a wireless wide area network base station using a wireless wide area network radio access technology;

a second transceiver to detect at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology operating on a wireless local area network frequency; and

a controller to scan wireless local area network frequencies via the second transceiver and send information including information about the at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology, the results of scanning the wireless local area network frequencies, and apparatus specific information to a base station,

wherein the second transceiver communicates on a channel of the wireless local area network frequencies with a wireless local area network base station of the at least one wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology in response to sending the information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus specific information includes a location of the apparatus, a home base station channel number, and home base station load information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller determines a wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology is the home base station by adding weighting to home base station decision making where a base station with a higher probability of being a home base station is given more weighting than other proximal base stations.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second transceiver communicate by receiving carrier aggregated data on a combination of a channel on the wireless wide area network via the first transceiver and the channel of the wireless local area network via the second transceiver.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller determines whether the apparatus is idle on the wireless local area network frequencies and scans wireless local area network frequencies when the apparatus is idle on the wireless local area network frequencies.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller receives an indication of the channel of the wireless local area network frequencies from a network operator for the communicating.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wireless local area network frequencies comprise frequencies in a range of 4,915 MHz to 5,925 MHz.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wireless local area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology and the wireless wide area network base station using the wireless wide area network radio access technology are base stations of a same service provider.

18. A method comprising:

receiving information from a device, the information including at least one base station operating on a wireless local area network frequency using a wireless wide area network radio access technology, results of scanning wireless local area network frequencies, and device specific information;

computing a load on wireless local area network frequencies and a number of channels used on the wireless local area network frequencies based on the information received from the device;

determining a cleanest channel with a smallest load based on computing the load on wireless local area network frequencies and the number of channels used on the wireless local area network frequencies; and

configuring a base station of the at least one base station operating on the wireless local area network frequency using the wireless wide area network radio access technology to operate on the cleanest channel using the wireless wide area network radio access technology.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein receiving information comprises receiving the information from a plurality of devices in wireless communication proximity to the at least one base station.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising sending an indication of the cleanest channel to the device.