METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING NON-ACCESS STRATUM PROCEDURES IN A MOBILE STATION TO ACCESS RESOURCES OF COMPONENT CARRIERS BELONGING TO DIFFERENT RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES

• US 20130044709A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adjakple, Pascal M., Watfa, Mahmoud, Olvera-Hernandez, Ulises, Wang, Peter S., Liu, Kai, Ahmad, Saad, Pelletier, Ghyslain
• Granted Patent: US 9,681,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) to perform a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation. The apparatus may include a WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity to communicate with a first and second NAS entity of a first and second core network (CN). Alternatively, the first WTRU NAS entity communicates with a first NAS entity of a first CN, and a second WTRU NAS entity communicates with a second NAS entity of a second CN. The apparatus may include a radio resource control (RRC) entity which controls a first RAT connected to the first CN and a second RAT connected to the second CN. Alternatively, the apparatus includes an RRC entity which controls a first connection using a first RAT connected to the first CN and a second connection using a second RAT connected to a second CN.

Claims

1. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the WTRU comprising:

a WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with a first NAS entity of a first core network and a second NAS entity of a second core network; and

a radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using a first RAT and a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network.

5. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the first RAT and the second RAT are different ones of:

long term evolution (LTE), (LTE-A), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), UMTS terrestrial radio access frequency division duplex (UTRA-FDD), wideband channel division multiple access (WCDMA), UMTS terrestrial radio access time division duplex (UTRA-TDD), UMTS terrestrial radio access time division duplex high chip rate (UTRA-TDD HCR), UMTS terrestrial radio access time division duplex low chip rate (UTRA-TDD LCR), high speed packet access (HSPA), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.16a, 802.16e, 802.20, code division multiple access (CDMA) 20001x, CDMA2000, and evolution-data optimized (EV-DO).

6. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is configured to select a first cell for the first RAT based on information stored in the WTRU that indicates which cells support MRA operation.

7. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is configured to select a first cell for the first RAT based on a signal received from the first core network, wherein the signal is one of a broadcast signal or a dedicated signal, and wherein the signal comprises information regarding cells of the first core network that support MRA operation.

8. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein MRA operation is triggered by one or more of the following:

the WTRU requesting a connection to an APN, the WTRU requesting a predetermined QoS, the WTRU requesting a connection to a particular IP address, the WTRU requesting voice service, the WTRU requesting data service, the WTRU requesting SMS service, or by the WTRU specifying a new establishment cause as a result of one of the following;

an overload condition, an event matching an operator policy trigger, or an indication stored in the subscriber profile.

9. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is further configured to perform a first attach method to attach to the first core network and after attaching to the first core network, then to perform a second attach method to attach to the second core network.

10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU is further configured to perform an attach method to attach to the first core network and the second core network, wherein the attach method sends a message to the first core network with parameters to attach to the second core network.

11. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the NAS entity communicates with the first NAS entity and the second NAS entity using the first RAT to perform mobility management.

12. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the first RAT operates on one or more frequencies, and the second RAT operates on one or more different frequencies.

2. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the WTRU comprising:

a WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with a first NAS entity of a first core network and a second NAS entity of a second core network;

a first radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using a first RAT; and

a second RRC entity configured to control a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network.

3. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the WTRU comprising:

a first WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with a first NAS entity of a first core network;

a second WTRU NAS entity configured to communicate with a second NAS entity of a second core network; and

a radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using a first RAT and a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network.

13. The WTRU of claim 3, wherein the first WTRU NAS entity is configured to communicate with the second WTRU NAS entity to coordinate the delivery of packet switched (PS) data.

14. The WTRU of claim 3, wherein the RRC entity is further configured to control a first instance of an RRC to manage the first RAT, and to control a second instance of an RRC to manage the second RAT.

4. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the WTRU comprising:

a first WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with a first NAS entity of a first core network;

a second WTRU NAS entity configured to communicate with a second NAS entity of a second core network; and

a first radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using a first RAT; and

a second RRC entity configured to control a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network.

15. A method of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) performing a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the method comprising:

determining a first cell of a first RAT that supports MRA operation;

attaching to a first NAS entity of a first core network via the first cell using a WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with the first NAS entity of the first core network and a second NAS entity of a second core network, and using a radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using the first RAT and a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network;

determining a second cell of the second RAT that supports MRA operation; and

attaching to the second NAS entity using the WRTU NAS entity and the RRC entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the attaching to the second cell comprises:

sending a message to the first NAS entity of the first core network with parameters to attach to the second NAS entity of the second core network; and

attaching to the second NAS entity using the WTRU NAS entity and the RRC entity.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein the attaching to the first NAS entity and the attaching to the second NAS entity are performed simultaneously.

18. A method of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) performing a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the method comprising:

determining a first cell of a first RAT that supports MRA operation;

attaching to a first NAS entity of a first core network via the first cell using a WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with the first NAS entity of the first core network and a second NAS entity of a second core network, and using a first radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using the first RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network;

determining a second cell of a second RAT that supports MRA operation; and

attaching to the second NAS entity via the second cell using the WRTU NAS entity and a second RRC entity configured to control a second connection using the second RAT, wherein the second RAT is connected to the second core network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the NAS entity communicates with the first NAS entity and the second NAS entity using the first RAT to perform session management.

20. A method of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) performing a multi-radio access technology (RAT) access (MRA) operation, the method comprising:

determining a first cell of a first RAT that supports MRA operation;

attaching to a first NAS entity of a first core network via the first cell using a first WTRU non-access stratum (NAS) entity configured to communicate with a first NAS entity of a first core network, and using a radio resource control (RRC) entity configured to control a first connection using the first RAT and a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the first RAT is connected to the first core network and the second RAT is connected to the second core network;

determining a second cell of the second RAT that supports MRA operation; and

attaching to the second NAS entity via the second cell using a second WTRU NAS entity configured to communicate with the second NAS entity of the second core network and the RRC entity.