Base Station Carrier Selection for Cellular WiFi Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cellular radio and WiFi networks operate independently, limiting seamless mobility and data session handoffs between them, and lack effective traffic metering and quality of service management in WiFi networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that integrate cellular radio networks with WiFi networks by selecting carriers based on quality of service, capacity, and delay tolerance, and enabling handoffs between cellular and WiFi carriers, with a scheduler at the base station controlling the selection and communication protocols, and metering WiFi carrier usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cellular radio and WiFi networks operate independently, then each network maintains its own simple architecture and operation, but seamless mobility and data session handoffs between networks are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges cellular radio network and WiFi network operations under a unified base station architecture. The base station includes both cellular radio subsystem and WiFi radio subsystem, enabling seamless handoffs and mobility management across both networks through integrated carrier selection and unified control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The base station is designed with multi-functionality to handle both cellular radio and WiFi communications. It can select carriers from both networks, manage data sessions across different radio access technologies, and provide unified QoS management, making the base station a universal access point for multiple network types.
2Speed
If cellular radio and WiFi networks operate independently, then each network maintains its own infrastructure, but the ability to perform fast and reliable mobility handoff between networks is severely limited
Solution Approach 1:
The base station pre-establishes carrier configurations and QoS parameters for both cellular and WiFi networks. When a handoff is needed, the system can quickly switch carriers based on pre-configured information, reducing handoff latency. The unified architecture allows pre-synchronization of network parameters across both radio access technologies.
3Quantity of substance
If WiFi network is used to supplement cellular capacity, then network capacity increases, but quality of service and traffic metering become difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The unified base station implementation provides centralized feedback mechanisms for monitoring and managing traffic across both cellular and WiFi carriers. The system can track QoS parameters, meter WiFi traffic, and adjust carrier selection dynamically based on real-time network conditions, ensuring effective traffic management while leveraging WiFi capacity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separate radio and protocol stacks are used for cellular and WiFi, then each technology operates independently, but effective traffic metering and QoS management in WiFi networks is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an asymmetric architecture where cellular and WiFi radio stacks remain independent at the lower levels, but the base station introduces unified higher-layer management functions. This allows independent operation of each technology while enabling centralized QoS management and traffic metering through the integrated base station controller that can selectively manage carriers from both networks.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and devices for integrating a cellular radio network with a WiFi network are disclosed. An exemplary method includes selecting, at a base station (26) having a cellular radio subsystem (32) and a WiFi radio subsystem (34), at least one of a cellular radio network carrier and a WiFi carrier to carry at least one data flow from the base station (26) to a user equipment (28). A control signal is transmitted from the base station (26) to a user equipment (28) to cause the user equipment (28) to select at least one of a cellular radio subsystem (36) of the user equipment and a WiFi radio subsystem (38) of the user equipment (28) to receive the selected at least one of the cellular radio network carrier and the WiFi carrier. Data from the at least one data flow is transmitted on the at least one selected carrier.