Switching of users between co-existence wireless systems

• US 9,226,306 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhou, Yan, Radulescu, Andrei Dragos, Tinnakornsrisuphap, Peerapol, Sundararajan, Jay Kumar, Meylan, Arnaud, Yavuz, Mehmet
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US13/785,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20140113631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/517, 455/447, 455/418, 455/411, 455/444, 455/414.1, 455/450, 455/434, 455/522, 455/424, 370/328, 370/338, 370/331, 370/252, 370/336
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/028 Dynamic adaptation of the update intervals, e.g. event-triggered updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

Techniques for switching user equipments (UEs) between wireless systems are disclosed. A UE may be located within the coverage of a plurality of wireless systems and may communicate with a first wireless system among the plurality of wireless systems. The plurality of wireless systems may include a WLAN system and a cellular system and/or may be part of a small cell. Metrics of the UE for the plurality of wireless systems may be determined. The metrics may be related to one or more of efficiency, service charge, service subscription, application type, or buffer size. Whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another wireless system may be determined based on the metrics. In one design, switching priorities of the UE for the plurality of wireless systems may be determined based on the metrics and may be used to determine whether to switch the UE.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication using multiple co-existence wireless systems having overlapping coverage and which form part of a small cell, comprising:

identifying, by a small cell controller for the small cell, a user equipment (UE) located within coverage of the multiple co-existence wireless systems and communicating with a first wireless system of the multiple co-existence wireless systems;

determining, by the small cell controller, metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, the metrics being related to efficiency, or service charge, or service subscription, or application type, or buffer size, or a combination thereof; and

determining, by the small cell controller, whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, wherein a switching priority of the UE for each wireless system indicates a priority of switching the UE from the first wireless system to said each wireless system; and

wherein the determining whether to switch the UE comprises determining whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

switching the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities if the first wireless system experiences congestion.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein congestion at the first wireless system is determined based on available transmit power, or received signal strength indicator (RSSI), or available resource blocks, or available orthogonal codes, or available channel elements at a base station in the first wireless system, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise at least one performance metric related to efficiency of the UE for each of the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one performance metric related to efficiency of the UE comprises supported physical layer rate, or link budget, or supported security protocol, or supported system bandwidth, or supported operating modes for another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the UE has a higher priority for switching from the first wireless system to a second wireless system if the UE has higher efficiency for the second wireless system than the first wireless system.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

switching the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems if the UE has poor efficiency on the first wireless system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise at least one metric related to service charge to the UE for communication with the first wireless system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is assigned a higher priority for switching from the first wireless system to a second wireless system if the UE has higher service charge on the first wireless system than the second wireless system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise at least one metric related to service subscription of the UE on each of the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is assigned a higher priority for switching from the first wireless system to a second wireless system if the UE has service subscription on the second wireless system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise at least one metric related to application type of at least one active application of the UE on the first wireless system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one active application of the UE on the first wireless system comprises a real-time application, or an application allowed only on the first wireless system, or both, and wherein the UE is assigned a lower priority for switching from the first wireless system to another wireless system if the UE has an active real-time application, or an active application allowed only on the first wireless system, or both.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise at least one metric related to at least one buffer size of the UE.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one buffer size of the UE comprises a transmit buffer size of a transmit buffer used to store traffic data being sent by the UE, or a receive buffer size of a receive buffer used to store traffic data received by the UE, or both, and wherein the UE is assigned a higher priority for switching from the first wireless system to another wireless system if the transmit buffer size exceeds a first size, or the receive buffer size exceeds a second size, or both.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple co-existence wireless systems comprise a wireless local area network (WLAN) system and a cellular system.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple co-existence wireless systems are part of a small cell designated to switch UEs between the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication using multiple co-existence wireless systems having overlapping coverage and which form part of a small cell, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

identify, by a small cell controller for the small cell, a user equipment (UE) located within coverage of the multiple co-existence wireless systems and communicating with a first wireless system of the multiple co-existence wireless systems;

determine, by the small cell controller, metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, the metrics being related to efficiency, or service charge, or service subscription, or application type, or buffer size, or a combination thereof; and

determine, by the small cell controller, whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, wherein a switching priority of the UE for each wireless system indicates a priority of switching the UE from the first wireless system to said each wireless system; and

determine whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor is configured to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities if the first wireless system experiences congestion.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication using multiple co-existence wireless systems having overlapping coverage and which form part of a small cell, comprising:

means for identifying, by a small cell controller for the small cell network entity, a user equipment (UE) located within coverage of the multiple co-existence wireless systems and communicating with a first wireless system of the multiple co-existence wireless systems;

means for determining, by the small cell controller, metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, the metrics being related to efficiency, or service charge, or service subscription, or application type, or buffer size, or a combination thereof; and

means for determining, by the small cell controller, whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, wherein a switching priority of the UE for each wireless system indicates a priority of switching the UE from the first wireless system to said each wireless system; and

wherein the means for determining whether to switch the UE comprises means for determining whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for switching the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the switching priorities if the first wireless system experiences congestion.

25. A a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

code for causing at least one processor to identify, by a small cell controller for a small cell, a user equipment (UE) located within coverage of a multiple co-existence wireless systems having overlapping coverage and forming part of the small cell and communicating with a first wireless system of the multiple co-existence wireless systems;

code for causing the at least one processor to determine, by the small cell controller, metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems, the metrics being related to efficiency, or service charge, or service subscription, or application type, or buffer size, or a combination thereof; and

code for causing the at least one processor to determine, by the small cell controller, whether to switch the UE from the first wireless system to another one of the multiple co-existence wireless systems based on the metrics of the UE for the multiple co-existence wireless systems.