Handover Timer Mechanism for WLAN Traffic Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The issue of ping-ponging traffic occurs when user equipment (UE) data is offloaded onto a WLAN, then transferred back to a 3GPP access network, leading to unstable connections.
Innovation Solution
A method for effective Packet Switching (PS) handover between a 3GPP access network and a WLAN is implemented, allowing non-voice traffic to be offloaded, using policies like Inter-System Routing Policy (ISRP) to prioritize WLAN over 3GPP networks during handovers, and employing timers or marking schemes to prevent unnecessary returns to 3GPP networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traffic is offloaded onto WLAN, then network capacity is improved and 3GPP network load is reduced, but connection stability deteriorates due to ping-ponging between WLAN and 3GPP networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a timer mechanism before traffic handover occurs. When traffic is offloaded to WLAN, a timer is started to predict potential return to 3GPP network before it actually happens. This allows the system to proactively maintain traffic on WLAN during the timer period, preventing unnecessary ping-ponging and improving connection stability while preserving network capacity benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the traffic routing decision adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically adjusts traffic routing based on real-time conditions (timer status, network availability) and historical patterns. The handover decision is not fixed but evolves based on predicted network conditions, allowing the system to optimize both stability and capacity utilization dynamically
2Productivity
If handover policies prioritize WLAN, then data transfer efficiency is improved, but control signaling overhead increases due to frequent handover decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces control signaling overhead by making handover decisions in advance based on predicted network conditions rather than reacting to each changing condition. The timer mechanism pre-determines a period during which handover decisions are frozen, eliminating the need for continuous control signaling and handover evaluations, thus reducing signaling overhead while maintaining efficient data transfer during the predetermined period
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a method for determining a handover. The method may comprise: determining, by User Equipment (UE), whether a timer is running, wherein the UE has accessed multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs); if the timer is not running, performing, by the UE, a handover of a data traffic, which has been routed onto a Wireless LAN (WLAN), to an original RAT; and if the timer is running, not performing, by the UE, the handover of the data traffic, which has been routed onto the WLAN, to the original RAT. The data traffic may be been routed onto the WLAN as a result of Circuit Switched Fall-Back (CSFB) or 3GPP RAT mobility.