Method, system and apparatus of wireless local area network (WLAN) communication in conjunction with cellular communication

• US 9,883,421 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sirotkin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Anh Ngoc
• Application Number:
  US14/583,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• 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 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• 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: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of Wireless-Local-Area-Network (WLAN) communication in conjunction with cellular communication. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to receive WLAN load information indicating a load of at least one WLAN controlled by at least one access point (AP), and, based on the WLAN load information, to select between connecting to the AP and connecting to a cellular node.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a wireless communication radio to receive, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a first signal including wireless local area network (WLAN) information, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul, the wireless communication radio to receive, from the eNB, a second signal having updated WLAN information; and

a controller to determine whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN through connecting to an access point (AP) of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition pertaining to the WLAN information occurs, the controller to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN through disconnecting from the AP in the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition related to the updated WLAN information occurs.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on a WLAN backhaul load.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the controller is to determine to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination that a value which is based on a WLAN backhaul load is higher than a threshold.

4. The UE of claim 1, wherein the controller is to determine to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN, at least in part based on a determination that the updated WLAN information indicating that a value which is based on a WLAN backhaul load meets a criterion with respect to a threshold.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the WLAN information is to be received from the eNB as part of a radio resource control (RRC) signaling message.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication radio is to receive, from the eNB, a third signal including cellular load information associated to a load of a cellular network controlled by the eNB.

7. A method, employed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a first signal including wireless local area network (WLAN) information, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul;

determining whether to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN through connecting to an access point (AP) of the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition pertaining to the WLAN information occurs;

receiving, from the eNB, a second signal having updated WLAN information; and

determining to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN through disconnecting from the AP in the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination of whether a condition related to the updated WLAN information occurs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on a WLAN backhaul load.

9. The method of claim 7 comprising determining to offload communication from the E-UTRAN to the WLAN, at least in part based on a determination that a value which is based on a WLAN backhaul load is higher than a threshold.

10. The method of claim 7 comprising determining to offload communication from the WLAN to the E-UTRAN, at least in part based on the determination that the updated WLAN information indicating that a value which is based on a WLAN backhaul load meets a criterion with respect to a threshold.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the WLAN information is to be received from the eNB as part of a radio resource control (RRC) signaling message.

12. The method of claim 7 comprising:

receiving, from the eNB, a third signal including cellular load information associated to a load of a cellular network controlled by the eNB.

13. An apparatus of evolved NodeB (eNB) in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the eNB to;

transmit, to a user equipment (UE), wireless local area network (WLAN) information as part of a first radio resource control (RRC) signaling message, wherein the WLAN information comprises at least one of information of a WLAN channel utilization or information of a WLAN backhaul; and

transmit, to the UE, updated WLAN load information as part of a second RRC signaling message, wherein the updated WLAN load information comprises updated information of the WLAN backhaul.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the information of the WLAN backhaul is based on a WLAN backhaul load.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the eNB to transmit cellular load information corresponding to a load of a cellular network controlled by the eNB.