Managing mobility between a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN)
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsErik Richard Stauffer, Jibing Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This document describes improvements in mobility management for user equipment (110) between a cellular network (202) and a WLAN network (206). A Cellular-WLAN Mobility Function (210) is introduced to manage routing of packet data over the cellular network (202) and the WLAN network (206) to the user equipment (110). The CWMF (210) enables the transfer of packet data context between the cellular network (202) and the WLAN network (206), improved handovers between the cellular network (202) and the WLAN network (206), Quality of Service (QoS) management of the WLAN network (206), and aggregation of cellular and WLAN bandwidths to improve data throughput for user equipment 110.
Claims21
A method of managing mobility of a user equipment between a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a cellular network, the method comprising:
- sending, by a Cellular-WLAN Mobility Function (CWMF) server, a measurement report request to the user equipment via an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) and a base station;
- receiving, at the CWMF server, one or more measurement reports from the user equipment, via the base station and the AMF;
- determining, by the CWMF server and based at least in part on the one or more measurement reports, to initiate handover of the user equipment between the cellular network and the WLAN network;
- sending a first handover message to the user equipment, via the AMF and the base station;
- sending a second handover message to the base station, via the AMF, the first handover message and the second handover message being effective to cause the handover of the user equipment between the cellular network and a first WLAN access point in the WLAN network;
- transferring context for an Internet Protocol (IP) session of the user equipment, by the CWMF server, between the cellular network and the WLAN network;
- determining, by the CWMF server, to aggregate a first bandwidth in the WLAN network with a second bandwidth in the cellular network for the IP session;
- routing a first portion of data packets for the IP session to the user equipment using the first bandwidth, via the first WLAN access point in the WLAN network;
- and
- routing a second portion of the data packets for the IP session to the user equipment via the second bandwidth, via a User Plane Function (UPF) and the base station in the cellular network.
A Cellular-Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Mobility Function (CWMF) server device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- a memory comprising instructions for a Cellular-WLAN Mobility Manager application, the instructions executable by the one or more processors to configure the one or more processors to:
- send a measurement report request to a user equipment, via an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) and a base station;
- receive one or more measurement reports from the user equipment, via the base station and the AMF;
- determine, based at least in part on the one or more measurement reports, to initiate handover of the user equipment between a cellular network and a WLAN network;
- and
- send a first handover message to the user equipment, via the AMF and the base station;
- send a second handover message to the base station via the AMF,
- the sending the first handover message and the second handover message being effective to cause the handover of the user equipment between the cellular network and a first WLAN access point in the WLAN network;
- transfer context for an Internet Protocol (IP) session of the user equipment from the cellular network to the WLAN network;
- determine to aggregate a first bandwidth in the WLAN network with a second bandwidth in the cellular network for the IP session;
- route a first portion of data packets for the IP session to the user equipment using the first bandwidth, via the first WLAN access point in the WLAN network;
- and
- route a second portion of the data packets for the IP session to the user equipment via the second bandwidth, via a User Plane Function (UPF) and the base station in the cellular network.
A method of managing mobility of a user equipment between a WLAN network and a cellular network, the method comprising:
- receiving a measurement report request, from a Cellular-WLAN Mobility Function (CWMF) via a base station and an Access and Mobility Function (AMF);
- sending one or more measurement reports to the Cellular-WLAN Mobility Function (CWMF), via die base station and die Access and Mobility Function (AMF);
- receiving, by the user equipment, a handover message from the CWMF via the AMF and the base station;
- and
- performing a handover between the cellular network and a WLAN access point in the WLAN network based on handover parameters included in the received handover message;
- receiving, by the user equipment via the WLAN access point, a first portion of data packets for an Internet Protocol (IP) session from the CWMF via a first bandwidth in the WLAN network;
- and
- receiving, by the user equipment via a User Plane Function (UPF) and the base station, a second portion of the data packets for the IP session from the CWMF via a second bandwidth in the cellular network, the second bandwidth being aggregated with the first bandwidth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.