Method for network offloading, base station, and terminal

• US 9,642,067 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Hai, Liu, Qiming, Chen, Jiangnan, Ma, Xinyou
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, LAN-HUONG
• Application Number:
  US14/526,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20150043516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention provides a network offloading method, a base station, and a terminal, which solves the problem of low user experience of a terminal. Specific steps may include: receiving access point state information of a wireless local area network; and if it is determined, according to stored state information of a network currently accessed by a terminal, that data offloading needs to be performed for the terminal, and it is determined, according to the access point state information, that the terminal is allowed to access the wireless local area network, sending offloading instruction information to the terminal, where the offloading instruction information includes identification information of the wireless local area network, so that the terminal makes the terminal access the wireless local area network according to the identification information of the wireless local area network, and performs data transmission using the wireless local area network.

Claims

1. A method for network offloading, comprising:

receiving, by a network device, access point state information of a wireless local area network from a control point based on the control point determining that ratios at which all access points corresponding to the control point are allowed to be used are greater than a preset value, wherein the access point state information comprises information regarding a ratio at which an access point is allowed to be used, load information of the access point, and/or interference information of the access point;

determining, by the network device, that data offloading is to be performed for a terminal connected to a network based on stored state information of the network to which the terminal is connected;

determining, by the network device, whether or not the terminal is allowed to access the wireless local area network based on the information regarding the ratio at which the access point is allowed to be used, the load information of the access point, and/or the interference information of the access point; and

sending, by the network device, in response to determining that the data offloading is to be performed and that the terminal is allowed to access the wireless local area network, offloading instruction information to the terminal, wherein the offloading instruction information comprises identification information of the wireless local area network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control point is configured to control the access point of the wireless local area network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access point state information is received periodically from the control point.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein before receiving the access point state information, the method further comprises:

acquiring, according to position information of the terminal, access point identification information corresponding to the position information;

sending the access point identification information to the control point periodically.

5. A base station, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive access point state information of a wireless local area network from a control point based on the control point determining that ratios at which all access points corresponding to the control point are allowed to be used are greater than a preset value, wherein the access point state information comprises information regarding a ratio at which an access point is allowed to be used, load information of the access point, and/or interference information of the access point;

a transmitter, configured to send offloading instruction information to a terminal connected to a network if it is determined, according to stored state information of the network to which the terminal is connected, that data offloading needs to be performed for the terminal and it is determined, according to the information regarding the ratio at which the access point is allowed to be used, the load information of the access point, and/or the interference information of the access point, that the terminal is allowed to access the wireless local area network, wherein the offloading instruction information comprises identification information of the wireless local area network.

6. The base station according to claim 5, wherein the control point configured to control the access point of the wireless local area network.

7. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the control point is a wireless local area network control point (WLAN AC).

8. The base station according to claim 5, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the access point state information periodically from the control point.

9. The base station according to claim 5, wherein the base station further comprises:

a processor, configured to acquire, according to position information of the terminal, access point identification information corresponding to the position information;

wherein the transmitter is further configured to periodically send the access point identification information to the control point configured to control the access point of the wireless local area network, wherein the access point identification information is configured to instruct the control point to send access point state information corresponding to the access point identification information to the base station.

10. The base station according to claim 5, wherein the access point is a wireless local area network access point (WLAN AP).