WLAN Relay Aggregation for Indoor Cellular Coverage Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication networks face challenges in maintaining network coverage, reliability, and data throughput, particularly in indoor environments where cellular coverage is limited or absent, necessitating improved techniques for aggregating WLAN and cellular communication signals.
Innovation Solution
A UE communicates with a base station using WLAN cellular aggregation (WCA) by employing a WLAN terminal as a relay, which acts as a multi-hop link between the UE and the base station, allowing simultaneous use of both direct and multi-hop links for packet duplication or split transmission, enhancing reliability and data throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a UE uses only cellular communication in indoor environments, then network coverage is limited, but reliability and data throughput are compromised due to poor cellular signal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges cellular and WLAN communication systems into a unified aggregation framework. The UE aggregates packets from both cellular and WLAN sources at the PDCP layer, combining two separate communication paths into a single integrated data transmission system that leverages the strengths of both networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The PDCP layer serves as an intermediary between the cellular and WLAN layers. It receives packets from both cellular RLC and WLAN sources, processes them through mapping and routing decisions, and forwards them to the appropriate destination, acting as a mediator that coordinates the two different communication technologies.
2Reliability
If packet duplication is used across multiple links, then reliability increases, but data throughput may be reduced due to processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial duplication where not all packets need to be sent through both paths. The PDCP layer can selectively duplicate packets based on reliability conditions, using duplication only when necessary to improve reliability rather than applying it universally, thus balancing reliability gains with throughput preservation.
3Area of stationary object
If the system supports both direct and multi-hop links, then network coverage expands, but the complexity of managing multiple links increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet processing function at the PDCP layer, separating the aggregation of cellular and WLAN packets from the actual transmission. This segmentation allows independent management of each link type while maintaining overall system coordination, reducing the complexity of managing multiple simultaneous links.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques described herein include solutions for wireless local area network (WLAN) cellular aggregation (WCA). A user equipment (UE) may be configured to communicate with one or more base stations using both a direct cellular link and a multi-hop WLAN link. The multi-hop WLAN link may utilize a WLAN terminal as a relay. The WLAN terminal may communicate with the UE via a WLAN connection, and communicate with a base station via a cellular connection. The WLAN terminal may utilize endpoint mapping information when forwarding packets from the base station to the UE in downlink (DL), or from the UE to the base station in uplink (UL). The endpoint mapping information may be configured before the WCA transmissions and stored in a memory of the WLAN terminal, or may be indicated dynamically in a packet header of each WCA transmission.