Systems and methods for LTE-WAN aggregation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10555358-B2
Application number	US-201816123952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to methods and system for managing communication of packets. A transceiver node receives a plurality of IP data packets from an internet protocol (IP) network. The transceiver node separates the IP data packets into a first set and a second set of IP data packets, according to channel conditions of a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN). The transceiver node transmits, to a user device, the first set of IP data packets using a cellular network protocol of the cellular network and the second set of IP data packets using a WLAN protocol of the WLAN, causing the user device to aggregate the first set of IP data packets transmitted using the cellular network protocol with the second set of IP data packets transmitted using the WLAN protocol.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transceiver node comprising:
circuitry configured to:
receive a plurality of internet protocol (IP) data packets from an IP network;
separate the plurality of IP data packets into a first set of IP data packets and a second set of IP data packets, according to channel conditions of a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN); and
transmit, to a user device, the first set of IP data packets using a cellular network protocol of the cellular network and the second set of IP data packets using a WLAN protocol of the WLAN, causing the user device to:
receive the first set of IP data packets through the cellular network and the second set of IP data packets through the WLAN, and
combine the first set of IP data packets transmitted using the cellular network protocol and the second set of IP data packets transmitted using the WLAN protocol into a combined set of IP data packets.

2. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein the first set of IP data packets is transmitted simultaneously with the second set of IP data packets.

3. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein each of the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets is transmitted in sequence to the user device.

4. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to use a hash function to separate the IP data packets, the hash function associated with at least one of source IP address, source port number, destination IP address, destination port number, or protocol.

5. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to determine whether each of the plurality of IP data packets belongs to a flow for which there was at least another packet forwarded to the cellular network or the WLAN.

6. The transceiver node of claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:
responsive to determining that an IP data packet belongs to the flow for which there was the at least another packet forwarded to the cellular network or the WLAN, transmit the IP data packet through the same network as the at least another packet.

7. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein the channel conditions are detected according to measurements of channel activity statistics obtained from the cellular network and the WLAN.

8. The transceiver node of claim 7 , wherein the channel activity statistics comprise at least one of packet error rates, data rates or channel loading data.

9. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to compare a channel condition of the cellular network with a channel condition of the WLAN.

10. The transceiver node of claim 1 , wherein separating the plurality of IP data packets comprises distributing more IP data packets to one of the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets associated with a better channel condition.

11. A user device, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
provide, by an application on the user device, a plurality of internet protocol (IP) data packets;
separate the plurality of IP data packets into a first set of IP data packets and a second set of IP data packets, according to channel conditions of a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN); and
transmit, to a transceiver node, the first set of IP data packets using a cellular network protocol of the cellular network and the second set of IP data packets using a WLAN protocol of the WLAN, causing the transceiver node to:
receive the first set of IP data packets through the cellular network and the second set of IP data packets through the WLAN, and
combine the first set of IP data packets transmitted using the cellular network protocol and the second set of IP data packets transmitted using the WLAN protocol into a combined set of IP data packets.

12. The user device of claim 11 , wherein the first set of IP data packets are transmitted to an Long Term Evolution (LTE interface of the transceiver node via a Data Radio Bearer (DRB).

13. The user device of claim 12 , wherein the LTE interface comprises a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) circuit, a Radio Link Control (RLC) circuit, and a media access control/physical layer (MAC/PHY) circuit.

14. The user device of claim 11 , wherein the first set of IP data packets is transmitted simultaneously with the second set of IP data packets.

15. The user device of claim 11 , wherein the circuitry is configured to:
transmit the second set of IP data packets to a WLAN access point interface in the WLAN; and
transmit the second set of IP data packets from the WLAN access point interface to the transceiver node via an IPsec tunnel.

16. A transceiver node, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
receive, from a user device, a first set of internet protocol (IP) data packets through a cellular network;
receive, from the user device, a second set of IP data packets through a wireless local area network (WLAN);
combine the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets into a third set of IP data packets; and
transmit the third set of IP data packets to an IP network.

17. The transceiver node of claim 16 , wherein the first set of IP data packets is received simultaneously with the second set of IP data packets.

18. The transceiver node of claim 16 , wherein each of the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets is received in sequence.

19. The transceiver node of claim 16 , wherein combining the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets starts before receipt of all of the first set of IP data packets and the second set of IP data packets at the transceiver node.

20. The transceiver node of claim 16 , wherein the cellular network comprises a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, and wherein the IP network is different from the cellular network.

Assignees

• Avago Tech Int Sales Pte Lid

Inventors

• Li Yong
• Polacheck Shuval
• Baboescu Florin

Classifications

• H04W84/045

  using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B · CPC title

• H04W88/06

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

• H04W88/10

  adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points · CPC title

• H04W76/16 Primary

  Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title