Application-based radio-access technology switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756543-B2
Application number	US-201313783098-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2013
Priority date	Mar 1, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A method for application-based radio access technology (RAT) switching is provided. The method can include engaging in data communication for the application over a connection to a first RAT and measuring a connection quality metric of the connection to the first RAT. The method can further include determining a threshold connection quality metric for an application. The threshold connection quality metric can be defined for the application and can be different from a second threshold connection quality metric defined for a second application. The method can also include comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric. The method can additionally include switching from the first RAT to a second RAT and engaging in data communication for the application over the second RAT in an instance in which the quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for application-based radio access technology (RAT) switching performed at a wireless communication device configurable to connect wirelessly using a plurality of RATs to one or more wireless networks, the method comprising the wireless communication device:
engaging in data communication for an application over a first connection using a first RAT, wherein the first RAT is a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT;
obtaining, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of: (i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;
determining, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric being based at least in part on the activity being performed by the application and on the priority for the activity, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between RATs more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;
measuring a connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT;
comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and
in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric:
switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to a second connection using a second RAT, wherein the second RAT is a cellular RAT; and
continuing the data communication for the application over the second connection using the second RAT,

wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection using the first RAT and the second connection using the second RAT in parallel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second RAT is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAT, LTE-Advanced RAT, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT, or a Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000) RAT.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric comprises the connection manager operating under control of a processor implemented on the wireless communication device comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and
switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT comprises the connection manager instructing the radio interface layer, configured to control operation of one or more transceivers of the wireless communication device, to switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT comprises the radio interface layer measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and making the measured connection quality metric available to the connection manager.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold connection quality metric has a predefined association with the activity being performed by the application.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the wireless communication device:
determining, after switching the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to the second connection using the second RAT, that the activity being performed by the application has been completed;
switching the data communication for the application from the second connection using the second RAT back to the first connection using the first RAT; and
subsequently continuing the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT in response to completion of the activity.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold connection quality metric defines a threshold packet error rate and an associated threshold number of packets that are sent for the application prior to calculation of a packet error rate and enforcement of the threshold packet error rate, and
wherein measuring the connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT and comparing the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric comprise calculating the packet error rate for the first connection using the first RAT and comparing the calculated packet error rate to the threshold packet error rate after the threshold number of packets have been sent for the application on the first connection using the first RAT.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold connection quality metric comprises one or more of a threshold throughput, a threshold timeout value, a threshold latency, or a threshold jitter value.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the threshold connection quality metric comprises determining the threshold connection quality metric based at least in part on a cost to send data over the second connection using the second RAT.

10. A wireless communication device comprising:
at least one transceiver configurable to transmit data to and receive data from one or more wireless networks via a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT; and
processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, the processing circuitry configured to control the wireless communication device to at least:
engage in data communication for an application over a first connection using the first RAT;
obtain, from an application layer by a connection manager between the application layer and a radio interface layer, indications of: (i) the application, (ii) an activity being performed by the application, the activity being one of a plurality of activities for the application, and (iii) a priority for the activity;

determine, by the connection manager, a threshold connection quality metric for the application, the threshold connection quality metric beingbased at least in part on the activity being performed by the application and on the priority for the corresponding activity, wherein each of the plurality of activities for the application is associated with a distinct threshold connection quality metric, and threshold connection quality metrics for activities having higher priorities cause switching between RATs more readily than threshold connection quality metrics for activities having lower priorities;
measure a connection quality metric of the first connection using the first RAT based at least in part on the data communication for the application over the first connection using the first RAT;
compare the measured connection quality metric to the threshold connection quality metric; and
in an instance in which the measured connection quality metric does not satisfy the threshold connection quality metric:
switch the data communication for the application from the first connection using the first RAT to a second connection using the second RAT; and
continue the data communication for the application over the second connection using the second RAT,

wherein the wireless communication device maintains the first connection using the first RAT a

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Nagaraj Suresh

Classifications

• H04W36/30 Primary

  by measured or perceived connection quality data · CPC title

• H04W36/14

  Reselecting a network or an air interface · CPC title

• H04W36/302 Primary

  due to low signal strength · CPC title

• H04W36/00838

  Resource reservation for handover · CPC title

• H04W36/1446

  wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed · CPC title