Network slicing for wlan
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsJibing Wang, Erik Richard Stauffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This document describes network slicing for WLAN in cellular networks. The techniques described enable the use of WLAN network slices (216c) with cellular networks (202) and mobility management of user equipment (102) between cellular networks (202) and WLAN networks (206). An Access and Mobility Function-Aggregation Proxy (AMF-AP) (218) connects one or more WLAN networks (206) to the cellular core network (110) of a network operator via the Access and Mobility Function (AMF) (212) in the core network (110). The AMF-AP (218) acts as a proxy and a firewall to protect the AMF (212) and other entities in the cellular core network (110) from malicious actors.
Claims20
A method of managing mobility of a user equipment between a WLAN network and a cellular network, the method comprising:
- sending, by an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) server, a measurement report request to the user equipment;
- receiving one or more measurement reports from the user equipment;
- determining to initiate a handoff of the user equipment from a first network slice in the cellular network to a second network slice in the WLAN network;
- and
- sending a handoff message to the user equipment and a base station in the cellular network, the sending being effective to cause the handoff of the user equipment from the first network slice to the second network slice.
A system comprising:
- a WLAN network;
- and
- a cellular network including an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) server, the AMF server configured to:
- send a measurement report request to a user equipment;
- receive one or more measurement reports from the user equipment;
- determine to initiate a handoff of the user equipment from a first network slice in the cellular network to a second network slice in the WLAN network;
- and
- send a handoff message to the user equipment and a base station in the cellular network, the sending being effective to cause the handoff of the user equipment from the first network slice to the second network slice.
An Access and Mobility Function-Aggregation Proxy (AMF-AP) server device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- a memory comprising instructions for an Access and Mobility Function-Aggregation Proxy application, the instructions executable by the one or more processors to configure the one or more processors to:
- relay control-plane data for a user equipment from a network slice in a WLAN network to an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) in a cellular network;
- and
- relay user-plane data for the user equipment in the network slice to the Internet via a serving gateway of the cellular network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.