Cross radio access technology access with handoff and interference management using communication performance data

• US 9,907,006 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walley, John, Diab, Wael, Carmon, Rafael, Hayes, Raymond, Rath, Kamlesh, Verma, Sindhu, Chakraborty, Soumen, Nuggehalli, Pavan, Wang, Shao-Cheng, Ilyadis, Nicholas, Mese, Murat
• Primary Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/295,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/008375 based on historical data

Abstract

Systems and methods for adaptive access and handover configuration based on historical data are provided. Access and handover decisions are optimized in a multiple radio access technology environment using historical data associated with network performance. Future needs for access and handovers are predicted using historical data associated with the user and historical data associated with network performance. Performance metrics are received periodically or continuously from nodes in one or more networks at a centralized controller. The centralized multi RAT controller correlates these performance metrics and determines predicted handovers for a user device. Preparations for the predicted handovers can then be made prior to the handover event.

Claims

1. A multi radio access technology (RAT) controller coupled to a plurality of core networks that service a plurality of user equipment (UEs) and access points (APs), comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to;

receive a first and second pathway performance metric corresponding to communications between a first UE, from among the plurality of UEs, and a first and second core network, respectively, from among the plurality of core networks, the first and second pathway performance metrics being associated with a user application that is launched and run on the first UE, wherein the first pathway performance metric comprises a number of communication channels;

generate a performance profile for the user application using the first and second pathway performance metrics update the performance profile for the user application using a third pathway performance metric associated with the user application running on a second UE from among the plurality of UEs; and

after the performance profile is updated using the third pathway performance metric, cause the first UE to be serviced by the first or the second core network based on the performance profile.

2. The multi RAT controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a plurality of pathway performance metrics corresponding to communications between the first UE and the first and second core networks via a plurality of communication pathways.

3. The multi RAT controller of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first UE to communicate with the first or second core network via a communication pathway from among the plurality of communication pathways based on which pathway performance metric from among the plurality of pathway performance metrics indicates better communications performance.

4. The multi RAT controller of claim 2, wherein the plurality of communication pathways include communication pathways between the first UE and the first core network via a plurality of respective access points (APs) utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.

5. The multi RAT controller of claim 2, wherein the plurality of communication pathways include communication pathways between the first UE and the second core network via a plurality of respective evolved-node Bs (eNBs) utilizing a long term evolution (LTE) protocol.

6. The multi RAT controller of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to evaluate which of the first or second pathway performance metrics indicate better communication performance utilizing a cost function.

7. The multi RAT controller of claim 1, wherein the memory stores historical data representative of performance metrics associated with the user application of the first UE.

8. The multi RAT controller of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first UE to be serviced by the first or the second core network based on a combination of:

which of the first or second pathway performance metric indicates better communications performance; and

the historical data.

9. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

measure performance metrics for a user application of the UE, the performance metrics corresponding to communications between the UE and a plurality of network members associated with a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs), wherein the performance metrics comprise a number of communication channels;

send the performance metrics to a central management node to update a performance profile for the user application that was generated based on a third pathway performance metric associated with the user application running on another UE, wherein the performance profile separately tracks pathway performance metrics for each of a plurality of user applications of the UE; and

select a network member from among the plurality of network members for utilization of network services to support the user application based on a communication from the central management node determined based on the performance profile.

10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the performance metrics include performance metrics associated with past communications.

11. The UE of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to send the performance metrics to the central management node via a RAT module from among a plurality of RAT modules of the UE.

12. The UE of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to send an application profile for the user application to the central management node.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the communication is received from the central management node via a RAT module from among a plurality of RAT modules of the UE.

14. The UE of claim 9, wherein the performance metrics include one or more of:

network latency;

available base stations within range of the UE;

available access points within range of the UE;

a number of connected users;

a number of communication channels;

communication frequency;

communication bandwidth;

an error rate;

or

a network load.

15. A multi radio access technology (RAT) controller coupled to a plurality of core networks that service a plurality of user equipment (UEs) and access points (APs), comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, configured to;

receive a first and second pathway performance metric corresponding to communications between a UE, from among the plurality of UEs, and a first and second core network, respectively, from among the plurality of core networks, the first and second pathway performance metrics being associated with a user application among a plurality of user applications of the UE, wherein the first pathway performance metric comprises a number of communication channels;

update a performance profile for the user application using the first and second pathway performance metrics and a third pathway performance metric associated with the user application running on another UE, wherein the performance profile separately tracks pathway performance metrics for each of the plurality of user applications of the UE; and

cause the UE to be serviced by the first or the second core network based on the performance profile and which of the plurality of user applications of the UE is running on the UE.

16. The multi RAT controller of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a plurality of pathway performance metrics corresponding to communications between the UE and the first and second core networks via a plurality of communication pathways.

17. The multi RAT controller of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to communicate with the first or second core network via a communication pathway from among the plurality of communication pathways based on which pathway performance metric from among the plurality of pathway performance metrics indicates better communications performance.

18. The multi RAT controller of claim 16, wherein the plurality of communication pathways include communication pathways between the UE and the first core network via a plurality of respective access points (APs) utilizing a Wi-Fi protocol.

19. The multi RAT controller of claim 16, wherein the plurality of communication pathways include communication pathways between the UE and the second core network via a plurality of respective evolved-node Bs (eNBs) utilizing a long term evolution (LTE) protocol.

20. The multi RAT controller of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to evaluate which of the first or second pathway performance metrics indicate better communication performance utilizing a cost function.