Techniques to support integrated bluetooth/3GPP radio access technologies

• US 9,503,842 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US14/671,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20160286340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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 84/12 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

An integrated Radio Access Technology (RAT) architecture may include 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Bluetooth links. Configuration information for the Bluetooth link may be provided over the 3GPP link to assist in the setting up and/or usage of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link. Bearer traffic that may normally be transmitted over the 3GPP link may be offloaded to the BLE link in a manner that is seamless and transparent to the 3GPP core network elements (e.g., the serving gateway (SGW) and packet data network gateway (PGW)).

Claims

1. User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a first radio component to form a radio link using licensed frequency spectrum;

a second radio component to implement a Bluetooth link using unlicensed frequency spectrum; and

processing circuitry to;

receive, via the link using licensed frequency spectrum, parameters relating to discovery and pairing protocols regarding the Bluetooth link, wherein the parameters include

per evolved packet system (EPS) bearer Bluetooth Tunneling Protocol (BLTP) and Bearer identifiers;

control the second radio component, based on the received parameters, to form the Bluetooth link;

encapsulate the packets using the per EPS bearer BLTP and Bearer identifiers to identify a particular packet as belonging to a particular EPS bearer; and

transmit the encapsulated packets over the Bluetooth link to offload data transfer from the link using licensed frequency spectrum to the Bluetooth link.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the parameters relating to the discovery and pairing protocols are received, via the link using licensed frequency spectrum, using radio resource control (RRC) layer signaling.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the parameters relating to the discovery protocol additionally include an indication of an advertising start time and advertising interval applicable to a Bluetooth discovery process.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol additionally include a Bluetooth 128-bit temporary key (TK).

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol additionally include an indication of a Bluetooth short term key (STK) generation technique.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the BLTP is associated with a per-UE Access Address.

7. User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a first radio component to form a radio link using licensed frequency spectrum;

a second radio component to implement a Bluetooth link using unlicensed frequency spectrum; and

processing circuitry to;

receive, via the link using licensed frequency spectrum, parameters relating to discovery and pairing protocols regarding the Bluetooth link, wherein the parameters include

per evolved packet system (EPS) bearer Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) service Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs); and

encapsulate the packets using the per EPS bearer GATT service to identify a particular packet as belonging to a particular EPS bearer; and

transmit the encapsulated packets over the Bluetooth link to offload data transfer from the link using licensed frequency spectrum to the Bluetooth link.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the parameters relating to the discovery and pairing protocols are received, via the link using licensed frequency spectrum, using radio resource control (RRC) layer signaling.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the parameters relating to the discovery protocol additionally include an indication of an advertising start time and advertising interval applicable to a Bluetooth discovery process.

10. The UE of claim 7, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol additionally include a Bluetooth 128-bit temporary key (TK).

11. The UE of claim 7, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol additionally include an indication of a Bluetooth short term key (STK) generation technique.

12. The UE of claim 7, wherein the UE is associated with a plurality of GATT services.

13. An integrated access point comprising:

a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) access point; and

an evolved NodeB (eNB) that provides an air interface for a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), the eNB being coupled to the BLE access point via a low latency interface, the eNB to;

transmit, to User Equipment (UE), parameters used in protocols associated with wireless communications performed using the BLE access point, the parameters including per evolved packet system (EPS) bearer Generic Attribute Profile (GATT) service Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs);

wherein the BLE access point is to;

establish a BLE link with the UE based on the transmitted parameters; and

receive, over the established BLE link, BLE packets that encapsulate WWAN packets using the per EPS bearer GATT service to identify a particular packet as belonging to a particular EPS bearer.

14. The integrated access point of claim 13, wherein the received BLE packets include information identifying bearer traffic flows associated with the WWAN.

15. The integrated access point of claim 13, wherein the parameters relate to BLE discovery and pairing protocols.

16. The integrated access point of claim 15, wherein the parameters are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) layer signaling.

17. The integrated access point of claim 15, wherein the parameters relating to the discovery protocol include an indication of an advertising start time and advertising interval applicable to a BLE discovery process.

18. The integrated access point of claim 15, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol include a BLE 128-bit temporary key (TK).

19. The integrated access point of claim 13, wherein the parameters relating to the pairing protocol additionally include an indication of a Bluetooth short term key (STK) generation technique.

20. The integrated access point of claim 13, wherein the UE is associated with a plurality of GATT services.