WLAN mobility for LTE/WLAN aggregation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10257753-B2
Application number	US-201515568981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	May 26, 2015
Publication date	Apr 9, 2019
Grant date	Apr 9, 2019

Abstract

A network device (e.g., an evolved Node B (eNB), user equipment (UE) or the like) can operate wireless local area network (WLAN) mobility between groups of WLAN access points (APs) in LTE/WLAN aggregation based on control by the eNB and further between WLAP APs within a particular group based on control by the UE. A long term evolution (LTE) link can communicate a first set of WLAN data related to a first set of WLAN access points (APs) that enables the UE to generate a WLAN mobility operation from a first WLAN AP to a second WLAN AP within the first set of WLAN APs based on a determination generated by the UE. The UE can be prompted by the eNB to also select another WLAN AP of the second set of WLAN APs coupled to a different WLAN Termination or logic node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for a user equipment (UE) device, coupled to a heterogeneous network of a radio access network (RAN), comprising:
a memory storing executable instructions that execute one or more computer executable components; and
a processor configured to execute the executable instructions for the one or more executable components comprising:
a long term evolution (LTE) communication component configured to receive a set of wireless local area network (WLAN) data related to a first set of WLAN access points (APs) that enables a WLAN mobility operation among the first set of WLAN APs; and
a WLAN component configured to communicatively couple to a first WLAN AP of the first set of WLAN APs, generate a determination of whether a second WLAN AP satisfies a communication criteria more than the first WLAN AP, and, in response to the determination, initiate the WLAN mobility operation to switch from being communicatively coupled to the first WLAN AP to being communicatively coupled to the second WLAN AP by utilizing the set of WLAN data;

wherein the LTE communication component is further configured to communicate a suspend command to an evolved NodeB (eNB) to stop traffic via a first WiFi network of the first WLAN AP and communicate a resume command to the eNB to resume traffic via a second WiFi network of the second WLAN AP.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the set of WLAN data comprises WLAN identifiers identifying one or more WLAN APs of the first set of WLAN APs that support a LTE/WLAN aggregation protocol.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the set of WLAN data further comprises one or more WLAN AP priorities of the first set of WLAN APs or one or more WLAN authentication/security keys of the first set of WLAN APs.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the LTE communication component is further configured to communicatively couple to the eNB during the WLAN mobility operation while switching from being communicatively coupled to the first WLAN AP to being communicatively coupled to the second WLAN AP, via a WLAN Termination (WT).

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the LTE communication component is further configured to notify the eNB of the WLAN mobility operation from the first WLAN AP to the second WLAN AP via a radio resource control (RRC) connection, after a successful connection to the second WLAN AP.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a status reporting component configured to report WLAN measurements of one or more WLAN APs of the first set of WLAN APs to an eNB that is communicatively coupled to the first set of WLAN APs via a WLAN Termination (WT), and report WLAN measurements of a second set of WLAN APs supporting LTE/WLAN aggregation with a different set of WLAN data than the set of WLAN data related to the first set of WLAN APs.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the LTE communication component is further configured to receive an indication from the eNB to initiate mobility from the first set of WLAN APs to a second set of WLAN APs that support LTE/W LAN aggregation with a different set of WLAN data than the set of WLAN data related to the first set of WLAN APs.

8. A system for an evolved NodeB (eNB) communicatively coupled to a heterogeneous network of a radio access network (RAN), comprising:
a memory storing executable instructions that execute one or more computer executable components; and
a processor configured to execute the executable instructions for the one or more executable components comprising:
a long term evolution (LTE) communication component configured to receive a first set of wireless local area network (WLAN) measurement data related to a first plurality of WLAN access points (APs) and a second set of WLAN measurement data related to a second plurality of WLAN APs; and
a WLAN component configured to generate a determination of whether the second plurality of WLAN APs satisfies a criteria more than the first plurality of WLAN APs with respect to a user equipment (UE) device based on the first set of WLAN measurement data and the second set of WLAN measurement data, and, in response to the determination, initiate a WLAN mobility operation to switch from being communicatively coupled to the first plurality of WLAN APs to being communicatively coupled to the second plurality of WLAN APs.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the WLAN component is further configured to communicate, in response to the determination, WLAN identifiers of WLAN APs associated with the second plurality of WLAN APs that support LTE/WLAN aggregation and enable the UE device to select a WLAN AP from the second plurality of WLAN APs to connect with.

10. The system of claim 8 , further comprising an activation component configured to activate LTE/WLAN aggregation by moving at least one bearer to a WLAN to enable communications in LTE and the WLAN simultaneously.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the LTE component is further configured to configure measurements to be communicated from the UE device of the first plurality of WLAN APs and the second plurality of WLAN APs based on at least one of a request, a period, or an event trigger comprising a predetermined threshold, via an radio resource channel (RRC).

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the WLAN component is further configured to communicate to a WLAN Termination logical node, in response to the determination, at least one WLAN identifier of WLAN APs associated with the second plurality of WLAN APs that support LTE/WLAN aggregation and WLAN authentication/security keys associated with the second plurality of WLAN APs to enable the UE device to select a WLAN AP from the second plurality of WLAN APs to connect with.

13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a buffer component configured to buffer in the memory downlink WLAN PDUs in response to initiating the WLAN mobility operation between the first plurality of WLAN APs and the second plurality of WLAN APs.

14. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a tunnel component configured to switch a general packet radio service tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) tunnel from a first WLAN Termination logical node associated with the first plurality of WLAN APs to a second WLAN Termination logical node associated with the second plurality of WLAN APs in response to a notification of the WLAN mobility operation from the UE device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable media comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system for an evolved NodeB (eNB) comprising one or more processors to perform operations in a heterogeneous network of a radio access network (RAN) for WLAN mobility in LTE/WLAN aggregation, comprising:
communicating, via a long term evolution (LTE) link, a first set of wireless local area network (WLAN) data related to a first set of WLAN access points (APs) that enables a user equipment (UE) device to generate a WLAN mobility from a first WLAN AP to a second WLAN AP of the first set of WLAN APs based on a determination by the UE device;
indicating, via a WLAN Termination logical node link, a second set of WLAN data that enables a WLAN Termination logical node to configure a second set of WLAN APs for a WLAN connection with the UE device; and
prompting, via the long term evolution link, the UE device to select another WLAN mobility from the second WLAN AP of the first set of WLAN APs to another WLAN AP of the second set of WLAN APs.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the first set of WLAN data comprises a WLAN identifier identifying the second WLAN AP of the first set of WLAN APs, and t

Assignees

• Intel Ip Corp

Inventors

• Sirotkin Alexander Sasha
• Himayat Nageen

Classifications

• H04W72/1215

  for collaboration of different radio technologies · CPC title

• H04W36/0061 Primary

  of neighbour cell information · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W36/30

  by measured or perceived connection quality data · CPC title

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title