Traffic steering between cellular networks and wireless local area networks (wlans) using user equipment (ue) throughput estimates
AssigneeKYOCERA Corporation
InventorDavid COMSTOCK
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A user equipment (UE) device determines to switch core network access from a cellular radio access network (RAN) to a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAN for data traffic associated with a packet data network (PDN) at least partially based on a comparison between QoS information of the PDN received from the core network and UE data throughout estimate
Claims15
A method comprising:
- exchanging data between a user equipment (UE) device and a packet data network over a first connection between the UE device and the packet data network, the first connection including a cellular wireless portion through a cellular radio access network (RAN);
- receiving a quality of service (QoS) parameter indicative of a QoS level for the first connection;
- determining, at the UE device, an estimated throughput value indicative of data throughput through a second connection between the UE device and the packet data network, the second connection including a wireless local area network (WLAN) wireless portion through a WLAN RAN;
- and
- determining, based at least on the QoS parameter and the estimated throughput value, whether to switch from the first connection to the second connection.
The method of 3, wherein the UE device is connected to a plurality of packet data networks (PDNs) through a plurality of PDN connections through the EPC, the EPC establishing each PDN connection by providing an entry point and an exit point for data traffic associated with each PDN, the UE device exchanging data with each PDN through the associated PDN connection of a plurality of PDN connections.
A user equipment (UE) device comprising:
- a first transceiver configured to communicate with a cellular radio access network (RAN) to establish a cellular wireless portion of a first connection to a packet data network (PDN);
- the first transceiver comprising a receiver configured to receive a signal comprising a quality of service (QoS) parameter indicative of a QoS level for the first connection, the QoS parameter generated within a core network connecting the cellular RAN to the PDN;
- a second transceiver configured to communicate with a wireless local area network RAN;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine an estimated throughput value indicative of data throughput through a second connection between the UE device and the packet data network, the second connection including a wireless local area network (WLAN) wireless portion through the WLAN RAN;
- and
- determine, based at least on the QoS parameter and the estimated throughput value, whether to switch from the first connection to the second connection.
The UE device of 11, wherein the UE device is connected to a plurality of packet data networks (PDNs) through a plurality of PDN connections through a core network, the core network establishing each PDN connection by providing an entry point and an exit point for data traffic associated with each PDN, the UE device exchanging data with each PDN through the associated PDN connection of a plurality of PDN connections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.