Method and apparatus for performing traffic steering in wireless communication system

• US 9,980,175 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jaewook, Jung, Sunghoon
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US15/114,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-453, 4554561-4563, 455512-513, 370328-334
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0865 of different Radio Access Technologies [RATs], e.g. LTE or WiFi
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0958 based on metrics or performance parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing traffic steering from a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access network to a wireless local area network (WLAN) in a wireless communication system is provided. A user equipment (UE) receives radio access network access network (RAN) assistance information for evaluating traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to the WLAN, and attempts to acquire attributes related to the RAN assistance information from a specific WLAN. If at least one of the attributes is not acquired from the specific WLAN, the UE evaluates traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to the WLAN excluding the specific WLAN. The RAN assistance information includes a WLAN signal power threshold and a WLAN load threshold.

Claims

1. A method for performing, by a user equipment (UE), traffic steering from a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access network to a wireless local area network (WLAN) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE from an evolved NodeB (eNB) of the 3GPP access network, radio access network (RAN) assistance information for evaluating traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to the WLAN;

attempting, by the UE, to acquire attributes related to the RAN assistance information from a specific WLAN; and

if at least one of the attributes is not acquired from the specific WLAN, evaluating, by the UE, traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to the WLAN excluding the specific WLAN,

wherein the RAN assistance information includes a WLAN signal power threshold and a WLAN load threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance information is the received via a dedicated signaling or broadcast signaling.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the dedicated signaling is a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the broadcast signaling is a system information block (SIB) type 17.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAN assistance information includes at least one of a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold, a 3GPP RAN load threshold, or an indication to steer traffic to or from the WLAN.

6. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising:

a memory;

a radio frequency (RF) unit; and

a processor, operably coupled to the memory and the RF unit, that;

controls the RF unit to receive, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) of a 3^rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access network, radio access network (RAN) assistance information for evaluating traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to a wireless local area network (WLAN),

attempts to acquire attributes related to the RAN assistance information from a specific WLAN, and

if at least one of the attributes is not acquired from the specific WLAN, evaluates traffic steering from the 3GPP access network to the WLAN excluding the specific WLAN,

wherein the RAN assistance information includes a WLAN signal power threshold and a WLAN load threshold.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the RAN assistance information is received via a dedicated signaling or broadcast signaling.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the dedicated signaling is a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the broadcast signaling is a system information block (SIB) type 17.

10. The UE of claim 6, wherein the RAN assistance information includes at least one of a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold, a 3GPP RAN load threshold, or an indication to steer traffic to or from the WLAN.