Wireless communication system, base station, and terminal

• US 9,137,641 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kojima, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US13/748,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20130242843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication system including: a terminal, and a base station that forwards a traffic flow to the terminal, wherein the terminal includes a plurality of first wireless interfaces, and a first processor that selects a first wireless interface from among the plurality of first wireless interfaces, the first wireless interface from which to transmit a response packet in response to a multicast packet or broadcast packet, based on first information indicating the operational states of the plurality of first wireless interfaces, and the preferability of link aggregation on the traffic flow that follows the response packet.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a first wireless communication apparatus wirelessly coupled to a terminal via a first wireless interface and being able to perform link aggregation with the terminal;

the terminal including the first wireless interface and a second wireless interface;

a second wireless communication apparatus wirelessly coupled to the terminal via the second wireless interface and being unable to perform link aggregation with the terminal;

a hub apparatus coupled to the first wireless communication apparatus via a first network, the second wireless communication apparatus via a second network, and a third communication apparatus via a third network respectively; and

the third communication apparatus configured to communicate with the terminal via the hub apparatus and via at least one of the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus,

wherein

the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface belong to same multicast domain,

the third communication apparatus multicasts a first packet to the same multicast domain,

the hub apparatus forwards the first packet to the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus, and

the terminal is configured to transmit a first second packet to the third communication apparatus in response to the first packet, the second packet requesting the third communication apparatus to transmit a traffic flow to the terminal, the second packet being transmitted from the terminal via one of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface that is selected based on whether to request to apply link aggregation to the requested traffic flow regardless of which of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface has been used for receiving the first packet.

2. The wireless communication system according to the claim 1, wherein the one of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface is selected further based on operational states of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface.

3. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first wireless communication apparatus receives a first signal indicating operational states of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface from the terminal,

the first wireless communication apparatus determines whether to discard the second packet or not based on the first signal, and

the terminal receives the first packet via the second wireless communication apparatus when the first wireless communication apparatus determines to discard the first packet.

4. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal receives, from the first wireless communication apparatus, a second signal indicating a preferability of link aggregation for the traffic flow.

5. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the second packet is transmitted to the third communication apparatus via the first wireless communication apparatus when link aggregation is applied to the traffic flow.

6. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

it is determined whether to request to apply link aggregation to the requested traffic flow or not, based on a protocol of the requested traffic flow.

7. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the traffic flow is multicasted from the third communication apparatus.

8. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface belong to same broadcast domain.

9. A wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal further includes a memory configured to store route information defining routes from the terminal to destinations, each route indicates a correspondence of each destination with a wireless interface that is selected from the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface for the destination, and

the one of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface is selected without depending on the route information.

10. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a specific wireless interface configured to wirelessly couple to a terminal via a first wireless interface, the terminal including the first wireless interface and a second wireless interface, the specific wireless interface being used for performing link aggregation with the terminal in a wireless communication system including the wireless communication apparatus, wherein the wireless communication system further includes another wireless communication apparatus wirelessly coupled to the terminal via the second wireless interface, the other wireless communication apparatus being unable to perform link aggregation with the terminal, the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface belonging to same multicast domain; and

a processor configured to;

receive a first signal indicating operational status of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface from the terminal,

determine whether to discard a first packet or not based on the first signal, the first packet beinq multicasted from a third communication apparatus to the same multicast domain, the first packet being forwarded to the wireless communication apparatus and the other wireless communication apparatus by a hub apparatus, the hub apparatus being coupled to the wireless communication apparatus via a first network, the other wireless communication apparatus via a second network, and the third communication apparatus via a third network respectively, the terminal receiving the first packet via the other wireless communication apparatus when the wireless communication apparatus determines to discard the first packet,

wherein the terminal is configured to transmit a second packet to the third communication apparatus in response to the first packet, the second packet requesting the third communication apparatus to transmit a traffic flow to the terminal, the second packet being transmitted from the terminal via one of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface that is selected based on whether to request to apply link aggregation to the requested traffic flow regardless of which of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface has been used for receiving the first packet.

11. A terminal comprising:

a first wireless interface configured to wirelessly couple to a first wireless communication apparatus, the first wireless communication apparatus being able to perform link aggregation with the terminal;

a second wireless interface configured to wirelessly couple to a second wireless communication apparatus, the second wireless communication apparatus being unable to perform link aggregation with the terminal, the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface belonging to same multicast domain; and

a processor configured to;

receive a first packet that is multicasted from a third communication apparatus to the same multicast domain, the first packet being forwarded to the first wireless communication apparatus and the second wireless communication apparatus by a hub apparatus, the hub apparatus being coupled to the first wireless communication apparatus via a first network, the second wireless communication apparatus via a second network, and the third communication apparatus via a third network respectively,

transmit a first second packet to the third communication apparatus in response to the first packet, the second packet requesting the third communication apparatus to transmit a traffic flow to the terminal, the second packet being transmitted from the terminal via one of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface that is selected based on whether to request to apply link aggregation to the requested traffic flow regardless of which of the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface has been used for receiving the first packet.