Autonomous LTE-WLAN Interface Setup and Information Exchange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016302122-A1
Application number	US-201615027006-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 10, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A node of a radio access network, RAN, receives ( 402 ), from a WLAN Termination, WT, an Extended Service Set Identifier, ESSID, and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier, BSSID, for one or more WLAN access points controlled by the WT. The node maintains ( 404 ) a mapping between the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs and corresponding WLAN access points of the WT. Responsive to receiving a measurement report from a UE, the measurement report indicating an ESSID and/or a BSSID, the node associates ( 406 ) the UE with a WLAN access point, based on said mapping. An interface may be established ( 408 ) between the node and the WT.

First claim

1 - 32 . (canceled)

33 . A method, in a radio access network node of a wireless communication network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a Wireless Local-Area Network Termination (WT), an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) for one or more Wireless Local-Area Network (WLAN) access points controlled by the WT; maintaining a mapping between the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs and corresponding WLAN access points of the WT; and responsive to receiving a measurement report from a user equipment (UE), the measurement report indicating an ESSID and/or a BSSID, associating the UE with a WLAN access point, based on said mapping.

34 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising establishing an interface between the radio access network node and the WT that controls the associated WLAN access point.

35 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising identifying a Transport Network Layer (TNL) address corresponding to the WT and associating the TNL address to the WT in the mapping.

36 . The method of claim 35 , wherein TNL addresses for one or more WTs neighboring the radio access network node are preconfigured in the radio access network node.

37 . The method of claim 35 , further comprising performing a Domain Name System (DNS) query to obtain TNL addresses for the one or more WTs neighboring the radio access network node.

38 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising requesting the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs from the WT.

39 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising sending a setup request message to the WT, wherein the setup request message comprises an interface access point transaction identifier that uniquely identifies the setup transaction and a unique global network access node identifier that identifies the radio access network node with a radio access network.

40 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising sending a configuration update message to the WT, wherein the configuration update message comprises a list of cells served by the radio access network node and a list of neighboring cells for the radio access network node.

41 . A method, at a wireless local area network termination (WT) controlling one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points, the method comprising:
sending, to a radio access network node, an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) for one or more WLAN access points controlled by the WT; and responsive to receiving a request from the radio access network node, establishing an interface to the radio access network node.

42 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising sending a setup response message to the radio access network node responsive to receiving the request, wherein the setup response message comprises a WT identifier.

43 . The method of claim 42 , wherein the setup response message comprises the ESSID and/or the BSSID.

44 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising sending a parameter to a user equipment to assist the user equipment in identifying the WLAN access point.

45 . A radio access network node configured to maintain a mapping for establishing an interface between the radio access network node and a wireless local area network termination (WT), the radio access network node comprising a processing circuit configured to:
receive, from the WT, an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) for one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points controlled by the WT; maintain a mapping between the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs and corresponding WLAN access points of the WT; and responsive to receiving a measurement report from a user equipment (UE) the measurement report indicating an ESSID and/or a BSSID, associate the UE with a WLAN access point, based on said mapping.

46 . The radio access network node of claim 45 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to establish an interface between the radio access network node and the WT that controls the associated WLAN access point.

47 . The radio access network node of claim 45 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to identify a Transport Network Layer (TNL) address corresponding to the WT and to associate the TNL address to the WT in the mapping.

48 . The radio access network node of claim 47 , wherein TNL addresses for one or more WTs neighboring the radio access network node are preconfigured in the radio access network node.

49 . The radio access network node of claim 47 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to perform a Domain Name System (DNS) query to obtain TNL addresses for the one or more WTs neighboring the radio access network node.

50 . The radio access network node of claim 45 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to request the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs from the WT.

51 . The radio access network node of claim 45 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to send a setup request message to the WT, and wherein the setup request message comprises an interface access point transaction identifier that uniquely identifies the setup transaction and a unique global network access node identifier that identifies the radio access network node with a radio access network.

52 . The radio access network node of claim 45 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to send a configuration update message to the WT, wherein the configuration update message comprises a list of cells served by the radio access network node and a list of neighboring cells for the radio access network node.

53 . A wireless local area network termination (WT) controlling one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points and configured to send information for establishing an interface between a radio access network node and the WT, the WT comprising a processing circuit configured to:
send, to the radio access network node, an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) for one or more WLAN access points controlled by the WT; and responsive to receiving a request from the radio access network node, establish the interface to the radio access network node.

54 . The WT of claim 53 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to send a setup response message to the radio access network node responsive to receiving the request, wherein the setup response message comprises a WT identifier.

55 . The WT of claim 54 , wherein the setup response message comprises the ESSID and/or the BSSID.

56 . The WT of claim 53 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to send a parameter to a user equipment to assist the user equipment in identifying the WLAN access point.

57 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for maintain a mapping for establishing an interface between a radio access network node and a wireless local area network termination (WT), the computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed on a processing circuit of the radio access network node, cause the processing circuit to:
receive, from the WT, an Extended Service Set Identifier (ESSID) and/or a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) for one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points controlled by the WT; maintain a mapping between the ESSIDs and/or the BSSIDs and co

Assignees

• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Masini Gino Luca
• Centonza Angelo
• Da Silva Icaro L J
• Mestanov Filip
• Tan Bergström Mattias
• Teyeb Oumer

Classifications

• H04W36/14 Primary

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W24/10

  Scheduling measurement reports {; Arrangements for measurement reports} · CPC title

• H04L61/1511

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/6063

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W92/20

  between access points · CPC title