Devices and methods for radio communication network guided traffic offload

• US 9,203,563 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Etemad, Kamran, Elliott, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Masur, Paul H
• Assistant Examiner(s): JAHANGIR, KABIR U
• Application Number:
  US13/687,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230.1, 370/235, 370/237
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1628 List acknowledgements, i.e. the acknowledgement message consisting of a list of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers H04L1/1614 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1854 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/08 Load balancing or load distribution transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 : according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 : power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 : the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/60 : Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment

Abstract

Discussed generally herein are enhanced Node Bs (eNodeBs) and User Equipment (UE) arranged for offloading UE traffic from a communications node and techniques for the same. An eNodeB can include processing circuitry arranged to obtain traffic load information of one or more WiFi access points within a coverage area of the eNodeB and produce corresponding offload guidance information, the traffic load information includes information about user equipment (UE) traffic flows on the one or more WiFi access points. The eNodeB can include a transceiver arranged to transmit the offload guidance information to one or more UEs and arranged to receive a request from at least one of the UEs to move at least some of the UE traffic flows to one of the WiFi access points.

Claims

1. An enhanced Node B (eNodeB) comprising:

processing circuitry arranged to obtain traffic load information of one or more WiFi access points within a coverage area of the eNodeB and produce corresponding offload guidance information, the traffic load information includes information about user equipment (UE) traffic flows on the one or more WiFi access points; and

a transceiver arranged to transmit the offload guidance information to one or more UEs and arranged to receive a request from at least one of the UEs to move at least some of the UE traffic flows to one of the WiFi access points,

wherein the offload guidance information includes a probabilistic offload seed, wherein the probabilistic offload seed is a randomization number which is used to determine a probability of traffic flows from the one or more UEs being offloaded to the WiFi access point.

2. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes data representative of one or more parameters related to a WiFi access point of the one or more WiFi access points, the parameters including one or more of (1) a WiFi access point identifier, (2) an offload preference level for the WiFi access point, (3) a traffic load level on the WiFi access point, (4) frequency bands allowed on the WiFi access point, or (5) a max data rate of the WiFi access point.

3. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes an offload preference level for the one or more WiFi access points that a UE of the one or more UEs can request to switch traffic flows to.

4. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes common guidance information that is eNodeB independent, the common guidance information including one or more of:

(1) a minimum quality of service class identifier, (2) an emergency indicator;

(3) a switching hysteresis value;

or (4) a policy index.

5. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the traffic flows on the eNodeB includes one or more service flows, and the offload guidance information includes a minimum quality of service class identifier indicating which service flows of the one or more service flows can apply the offload guidance information and request to switch to a specific access point.

6. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes an index to an offload policy of a plurality of offload policies on a UE of the one or more UEs.

7. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes an emergency indicator that indicates to the UE to request to switch UE traffic flows from the eNodeB to a WiFi access point of one or more WiFi access points unconditionally.

8. The eNodeB of claim 1, wherein the offload guidance information includes a switching hysteresis value, wherein the switching hysteresis value is arranged to avoid the UE repeatedly switching from and to the eNodeB or WiFi access point.

9. User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a transceiver arranged to receive offload guidance information, from an enhanced Node B (eNodeB) or a WiFi access point, when the UE has traffic on the eNodeB or WiFi access point and when the UE is in idle mode; and

a memory including one or more offload policies stored thereon, wherein the UE is arranged to request the eNodeB or WiFi access point to offload at least some of the UE'"'"'s traffic on the eNodeB or the WiFi access point to the WiFi access point or eNodeB as a function of the offload guidance information and the one or more offload policies,

wherein the offload guidance information includes a probabilistic offload seed and wherein the UE is arranged to calculate a random number as a function of the probabilistic offload seed and request to offload at least some of its traffic from the eNodeB or the WiFi access point as a function of the random number.

10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the offload guidance information includes one or more of an emergency indicator, a policy index, or a switching hysteresis value.

11. The UE of claim 9, wherein when the random number is above a threshold the UE will request the eNodeB or the WiFi access point to offload the UE'"'"'s traffic that is at or above a minimum quality of service class identifier.

12. The UE of claim 10, wherein the emergency indicator indicates that the UE is to unconditionally transmit a request to offload its traffic from the eNodeB or WiFi access.

13. The UE of claim 10, wherein the switching hysteresis value is arranged to avoid the UE repeatedly requesting to switch traffic from and to the eNodeB or WiFi access point.

14. The UE of claim 10, wherein the policy index indicates to the UE which offload policy of the one or more offload policies to implement.

15. A method for offloading user equipment (UE) traffic from an enhanced Node B (eNodeB) comprising:

obtaining, at the eNodeB, traffic load information about one or more WiFi access points; and

transmitting offload guidance information from the eNodeB to one or more UEs, the offload guidance information arranged to cause the one or more UEs to request the eNodeB to offload traffic flows of the one or more UEs with a certain probability,

wherein the offload guidance information includes a probabilistic offload seed, wherein the probabilistic offload seed is a randomization number which is used to determine a probability of traffic flows from the one or more UEs being offloaded to the WiFi access point.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving from a UE of the one or more UEs a request to move at least some UE traffic flows from the eNodeB to a WiFi access point of the one or more WiFi access points.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting offload guidance information includes transmitting an emergency indicator that indicates to offload UE traffic flows from the eNodeB to the WiFi access point with a probability of one.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting offload guidance information includes broadcasting the offload guidance information to the one or more UEs.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting offload guidance information includes unicasting the offload guidance information to a UE of the one or more UEs.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting a request for a UE of the one or more UEs to make a measurement, the measurement including one or more of a received signal strength indication, a signal to noise ratio, a percentage of missed beacons, a velocity, a position, a frame or packet error rate, or a data rate.