Aggregation of carriers of a cellular radio network with carriers of an auxiliary network

• US 8,995,299 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Comeau, Adrien Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Qureshi, Asfar M
• Application Number:
  US13/779,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20140241183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/237, 370/238, 370/331, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A method and devices for integrating a cellular radio network with a WiFi network are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method includes selecting, at a base station having a cellular radio subsystem and a WiFi radio subsystem, at least one of a cellular radio network carrier and a WiFi carrier to carry at least one data flow from the base station to a user equipment. The method further includes transmitting, from the base station to a user equipment, a control signal to cause the user equipment to select at least one of a cellular radio subsystem of the user equipment and a WiFi radio subsystem of the user equipment to receive the selected at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier. Data from the at least one data flow is transmitted on the at least one selected carrier.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting at least one data flow to a user equipment, the method comprising:

at a base station having a first cellular radio subsystem configured to transmit data flows on cellular radio network carriers and a first WiFi radio subsystem configured to transmit data flows on WiFi carriers, selecting at least one of a cellular radio network carrier and a WiFi carrier to carry the at least one data flow from the base station to the user equipment;

transmitting to the user equipment, from at least one of the first cellular radio subsystem and the first WiFi radio subsystem of the base station;

a control signal identifying at least one of a second cellular radio subsystem and a second WiFi radio subsystem of the user equipment to receive a data flow to be transmitted over the selected at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier; and

data from the at least one data flow on the at least one selected carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier is based at least in part on a quality of service, QoS, associated with transmission of data on the WiFi carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier is based at least in part on a capacity of the WiFi carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier is based at least in part on a delay tolerance of data to be transmitted on an available one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising metering, at the base station, use of the WiFi carrier when the WiFi carrier is selected.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising effectuating, at the base station, a handoff of the user equipment from the cellular radio network carrier to the WiFi network carrier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein effectuating the handoff of the user equipment from the cellular radio network carrier to the WiFi network carrier includes:

establishing communication of a data flow between the base station and the user equipment on the cellular radio network carrier;

establishing communication of the data flow between the base station and the user equipment on the WiFi carrier; and

discontinuing communication of the data flow between the base station and the user equipment on the cellular radio network carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the WiFi carrier is selected, effectuating, at the base station, a hand off of the user equipment from the selected WiFi carrier to a second WiFi carrier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the WiFi carrier is selected, transmitting, from the base station to a backhaul connection using a first protocol, data received on the selected WiFi carrier; and

when the cellular radio network carrier is selected, transmitting, from the base station to the backhaul connection using the first protocol, data received on the selected cellular radio network carrier.

10. A base station comprising:

a memory configured to store;

data to be transmitted to a user equipment;

a first cellular radio subsystem configured to transmit data flows on cellular radio network carriers, the data flows including at least some of the data to be transmitted to the user equipment;

a first WiFi radio subsystem configured to transmit data flows on WiFi carriers; and

a scheduler configured to;

select at least one of a cellular radio network carrier and a WiFi carrier upon which to transmit a data flow to the user equipment; and

cause at least one of the first cellular radio subsystem and the first WiFi radio subsystem to transmit a control signal to the user equipment, the control signal identifying at least one of a second cellular radio subsystem and a second WiFi subsystem of the user equipment to receive the transmitted data flow.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the scheduler is further configured to:

when the WiFi carrier is selected, transmit data received on the selected WiFi carrier by the WiFi radio subsystem to a backhaul connection in a first protocol; and

when the cellular radio carrier is selected, transmit data received on the selected cellular radio carrier by the cellular radio subsystem to the backhaul connection in the first protocol.

12. The base station of claim 11, further comprising an adaptation unit to convert data received on the selected WiFi carrier to the first protocol.

13. The base station of claim 10, wherein the scheduler is further configured to effectuate a handoff of the user equipment from the selected cellular radio network carrier to one of the WiFi carriers.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the scheduler is further configured to effectuate a handoff of the user equipment from the one of the WiFi carriers to a second one of the WiFi carriers.

15. The base station of claim 10, wherein the scheduler is further configured to meter use of the selected WiFi carrier.

16. The base station of claim 10, further comprising an adaptation unit to convert data carried on the selected WiFi carrier to a different protocol before transmitting the data on a backhaul connection.

17. The base station of claim 10, wherein the selecting of at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier is based on a quality of service, QoS, associated with the cellular radio network carrier and a QoS of the WiFi carrier.

18. The base station of claim 10, wherein the selecting of at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier is based on a capacity of the cellular radio network carrier and a capacity of the WiFi carrier.

19. A user equipment comprising:

a memory configured to store;

a control signal received from at least one of a first cellular radio subsystem and a first WiFi radio subsystem of a base station;

a second cellular radio subsystem configured to receive data carried by a cellular radio network carrier;

a second WiFi radio subsystem configured to receive data carried by a WiFi carrier; and

a processor including a switch, the switch configured to;

select, based on the control signal, at least one of the second cellular radio subsystem and the second WiFi radio subsystem to receive data transmitted to the user equipment from at least one of the first cellular radio subsystem and the first WiFi radio subsystem of the base station, the control signal identifying the at least one of the second cellular radio subsystem and the second WiFi subsystem to be selected to receive the data.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, further comprising an adaptation unit to adapt data on the WiFi carrier to a protocol useable by an application program of the user equipment.