Apparatus, system and method of cellular-assisted wlan regulatory information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018227828-A1
Application number	US-201515746567-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 24, 2015
Priority date	Jul 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 9, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of cellular-assisted Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) regulatory information. For example, a User Equipment (UE) may include a WLAN transceiver; a cellular transceiver to receive from an Evolved Node B (eNB) a cellular message including regulatory information indicating one or more regulatory restrictions corresponding to WLAN communications over at least one WLAN frequency band, the regulatory information including at least an indication on whether or not WLAN active scanning is allowed over the WLAN frequency band; and a controller component configured to, based on the regulatory information, enable or disable the WLAN transceiver to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band.

First claim

1 .- 25 . (canceled)

26 . An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:
a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) transceiver; a cellular transceiver to receive from an Evolved Node B (eNB) a cellular message comprising regulatory information indicating one or more regulatory restrictions corresponding to WLAN communications over at least one WLAN frequency band, the regulatory information comprising at least an indication on whether or not WLAN active scanning is allowed over the WLAN frequency band; and a controller component configured to, based on the regulatory information, enable or disable said WLAN transceiver to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band.

27 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the controller component is configured to disable the WLAN transceiver to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band, when the regulatory information indicates that only WLAN passive scanning is allowed.

28 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the controller component is configured to enable the WLAN transceiver to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band, when the regulatory information indicates that WLAN active scanning is allowed.

29 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the controller component is configured to enable the WLAN transceiver to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band, when the regulatory information indicates that WLAN active scanning is allowed, and only when the UE is connected to the eNB.

30 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of one or more WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band to which the regulatory restrictions are to be applied.

31 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the regulatory information comprises at least first channel information to identify one or more first WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band, first regulatory information indicating first regulatory restrictions to be applied to the one or more first WLAN channels, second channel information to identify one or more second WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band, and second regulatory information indicating second regulatory restrictions to be applied to the one or more second WLAN channels.

32 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of a Transmit (Tx) power limitation, the controller component configured to control a Tx power of the WLAN transceiver over the WLAN frequency band based on the Tx power limitation.

33 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of a Radio-Frequency (RF) energy emission limitation in a spectral range, the controller component configured to control the WLAN transceiver based on the RF energy emission limitation.

34 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the cellular message comprises a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message addressed to the UE.

35 . The apparatus of claim 26 , wherein the at least one WLAN frequency band comprises at least a 5 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band.

36 . The apparatus of claim 26 comprising one or more antennas, a memory and a processor.

37 . A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement one or more operations at a User Equipment (UE), the operations comprising:
processing a cellular message from an Evolved Node B (eNB), the cellular message comprising regulatory information indicating one or more regulatory restrictions corresponding to WLAN communications over at least one WLAN frequency band, the regulatory information comprising at least an indication on whether or not WLAN active scanning is allowed over the WLAN frequency band; and based on the regulatory information, enabling or disabling said UE to perform a WLAN active scan over the WLAN frequency band.

38 . The product of claim 37 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of one or more WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band to which the regulatory restrictions are to be applied.

39 . The product of claim 37 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of a Transmit (Tx) power limitation, wherein the operations comprise controlling a Tx power of the UE over the WLAN frequency band based on the Tx power limitation.

40 . An apparatus of an Evolved Node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising:
a message processor configured to generate a cellular message comprising regulatory information indicating one or more regulatory restrictions corresponding to WLAN communications over at least one WLAN frequency band, the regulatory information comprising at least an indication on whether or not WLAN active scanning is allowed over the WLAN frequency band; and a cellular interface configured to send the cellular message to a User Equipment (UE) via a cellular link.

41 . The apparatus of claim 40 comprising a WLAN control interface to communicate with at least one WLAN Termination (WT) node, the regulatory information is based on at least one message from the WT node.

42 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of one or more WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band to which the regulatory restrictions are to be applied.

43 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the regulatory information comprises at least first channel information to identify one or more first WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band, first regulatory information indicating first regulatory restrictions to be applied to the one or more first WLAN channels, second channel information to identify one or more second WLAN channels within the WLAN frequency band, and second regulatory information indicating second regulatory restrictions to be applied to the one or more second WLAN channels.

44 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of a Transmit (Tx) power limitation over the WLAN frequency band.

45 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the regulatory information comprises an indication of a Radio-Frequency (RF) energy emission limitation in a spectral range.

46 . The apparatus of claim 40 , wherein the cellular message comprises a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message addressed to the UE.

47 . The apparatus of claim 40 comprising one or more antennas, a memory and a processor.

48 . A product comprising one or more tangible computer-readable non-transitory storage media comprising computer-executable instructions operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor, enable the at least one computer processor to implement one or more operations at an Evolved Node B (eNB), the operations comprising:
generating a cellular message comprising regulatory information indicating one or more regulatory restrictions corresponding to WLAN communications over at least one WLAN frequency band, the regulatory information comprising at least an indication on whether or not WLAN active scanning is allowed over the WLAN frequency band; and sending the cellular message to a User Equipment (UE) via a cellular link.

49 . The product of claim 48 , wherein the operations comprise communicating with at least one WLAN Termination (WT) node, the regulatory information is based on

Assignees

• Intel Ip Corp

Inventors

• Sirotkin Alexander
• Hareuveni Ofer
• Parron Jerome

Classifications

• H04W88/06

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

• H04W52/02

  Power saving arrangements · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W48/02 Primary

  Access restriction performed under specific conditions · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title