Application-based radio-access technology switching

• US 9,756,543 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nagaraj, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): YOUNG, STEVE R
• Application Number:
  US13/783,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data

Abstract

A method for application-based radio access technology (RAT) switching is provided. The method can include engaging in data communication for the application over a connection to a first RAT and measuring a connection quality metric of the connection to the first RAT. The method can further include determining a threshold connection quality metric for an application. The threshold connection quality metric can be defined for the application and can be different from a second threshold connection quality metric defined for a second application. The method can also include comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric. The method can additionally include switching from the first RAT to a second RAT and engaging in data communication for the application over the second RAT in an instance in which the quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric.

Claims

1. A method for application-based radio access technology (RAT) switching performed at a wireless communication device configurable to connect wirelessly using a plurality of RATs to one or more wireless networks, the method comprising the wireless communication device:

engaging in data communication for an application over a first connection using a first RAT, wherein the first RAT is a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT;

obtaining, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of;

(i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;

determining, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric being based at least in part on the activity being performed by the application and on the priority for the activity, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between RATs more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;

measuring a connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT;

comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric;

switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the second RAT is a cellular RAT; and

continuing the data communication for the application over the second connection using the second RAT,

wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection using the first RAT and the second connection using the second RAT in parallel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second RAT is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT, LTE-Advanced RAT, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT, or a Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000) RAT.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric comprises the connection manager operating under control of a processor implemented on the wireless communication device comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT comprises the connection manager instructing the radio interface layer, configured to control operation of one or more transceivers of the wireless communication device, to switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT comprises the radio interface layer measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and making the measured connection quality metric available to the connection manager.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold connection quality metric has a predefined association with the activity being performed by the application.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the wireless communication device:

determining, after switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT, that the activity being performed by the application has been completed;

switching the data communication for the application from the second connection using the second RAT back to the first connection using the first RAT; and

subsequently continuing the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT in response to completion of the activity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold connection quality metric defines a threshold packet error rate and an associated threshold number of packets that are sent for the application prior to calculation of a packet error rate and enforcement of the threshold packet error rate, and

wherein measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric comprise calculating the packet error rate for the first connection using the first RAT and comparing the calculated packet error rate to the threshold packet error rate after the threshold number of packets have been sent for the application on the first connection using the first RAT.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold connection quality metric comprises one or more of a threshold throughput, a threshold timeout value, a threshold latency, or a threshold jitter value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the threshold connection quality metric comprises determining the threshold connection quality metric based at least in part on a cost to send data over the second connection using the second RAT.

10. A wireless communication device comprising:

at least one transceiver configurable to transmit data to and receive data from one or more wireless networks via a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT; and

processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, the processing circuitry configured to control the wireless communication device to at least;

engage in data communication for an application over a first connection using the first RAT;

obtain, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of;

(i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;

determine, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric beingbased at least in part on the activity being performed by the application and on the priority for the corresponding activity, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between RATs more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;

measure a connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT;

compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric;

switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to a second connection using the second RAT; and

continue the data communication for the application over the second connection using the second RAT,

wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection using the first RAT and the second connection using the second RAT in parallel.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the first RAT is a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT, and wherein the second RAT is a cellular RAT.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to further control the wireless communication device to:

compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric at least in part by controlling the connection manager to compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT at least in part by controlling the connection manager to instruct the radio interface layer, configured to control operation of the at least one transceiver of the wireless communication device, to switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to further control the wireless communication device to measure the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT at least in part by controlling the radio interface layer to measure the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and to make the measured connection quality metric available to the connection manager.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the determined threshold connection quality metric has a predefined association with the activity being performed by the application.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to further control the wireless communication device to:

determine, after switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT, that the activity being performed by the application has been completed;

switch the data communication for the application from the second connection using the second RAT back to the first connection using the first RAT; and

subsequently continue the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT in response to completion of the activity.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the threshold connection quality metric defines a threshold packet error rate and an associated threshold number of packets that are sent for the application prior to calculation of a packet error rate and enforcement of the threshold packet error rate, and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to further control the wireless communication device to measure the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric at least in part by calculating the packet error rate for the first connection using the first RAT and comparing the calculated packet error rate to the threshold packet error rate after the threshold number of packets have been sent for the application on the first connection using the first RAT.

17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code comprising instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a wireless communication device configurable to connect wirelessly using a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs) to one or more wireless networks, cause the wireless communication device to:

engage in data communication for an application over a first connection using a first radio access technology (RAT);

obtain, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of;

(i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;

determine, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric being based at least in part on the activity being performed by the application and on the priority for the corresponding activity, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between RATs more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;

measure a connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT;

compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric;

switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to a second connection using a second RAT; and

continue the data communication for the application over the second connection using the second RAT, wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection using the first RAT and the second connection using the second RAT in parallel.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first RAT is a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT, and wherein the second RAT is a cellular RAT.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication device:

determines, after switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT, that the activity being performed by the application has been completed;

switches the data communication for the application from the second connection using the second RAT back to the first connection using the first RAT; and

subsequently continues the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT in response to completion of the activity.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the threshold connection quality metric defines a threshold packet error rate and an associated threshold number of packets that are sent for the application prior to calculation of a packet error rate and enforcement of the threshold packet error rate;

wherein the wireless communication device measures the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT by calculating the packet error rate for the first connection using the first RAT after the threshold number of packets have been sent for the application on the first connection using the first RAT; and

wherein the wireless communication device compares the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric by comparing the calculated packet error rate to the threshold packet error rate after the threshold number of packets have been sent for the application on the first connection using the first RAT.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication device determines the threshold connection quality metric by determining the threshold connection quality metric based at least in part on a cost to send data over the second connection using the second RAT.

22. A method for application-based access network switching performed at a wireless communication device configurable to connect wirelessly to a plurality of access networks, the method comprising the wireless communication device:

engaging in data communication for an application over a first connection to a first access network;

obtaining, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of;

(i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;

determining, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric being based at least in part on the activity being performed by the application, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between access networks more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;

measuring a connection quality metric of the first connection to the first access network based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection to the first access network;

comparing, by a processor of the wireless communication device, a measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and

in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric;

switching the data communication for the application from the first connection to the first access network to a second connection to a second access network; and

continuing the data communication for the application over the second connection to the second access network,

wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection to the first access network and the second connection to the second access network in parallel.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first access network uses a first radio access technology (RAT), and the second access network uses a second RAT.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first access network and the second access network use a common radio access technology (RAT).

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first access network and the second access network are wireless local area networks.