KR200385295Y1 - Apparatus for reporting wlan capabilities of a dual mode gprs/wlan or umts/wlan wtru - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling a wireless terminal to convey dual mode capabilities, and reporting the interaction capabilities of two networks with the added capability of the wireless terminal obtaining services from either of the interactive networks.

Description

A device that reports the WLAN performance of a dual mode WPS / WLAN or WMST / WLANAN WTRU {APPARATUS FOR REPORTING WLAN CAPABILITY

The present invention relates to a WTRU with dual mode capability, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reporting the availability of dual mode capability and network interaction.

Advances in wireless local area networks (WLANs) that interact with general packet radio services / general purpose mobile telecommunication systems / 3rd generation (GPRS / UMTS / 3G) networks and now include two wireless devices in a common enclosure (E.g., cards that support the 802.11b + GPRS air interface and the 802.11b + UMTS air interface) have been developed. The device may be an individual card or may be integrated on one common card.

The wireless transmit / receive device (WTRU) then includes, but is not limited to, a user device, a mobile base, a fixed or mobile subscription device, a pager, or any other type of device capable of operating in a wireless environment. As mentioned later, a base station includes, but is not limited to, a Node-B, a site controller, an access point, or any other type of interface device in a wireless environment.

The current network cannot recognize the dual mode capabilities of the terminal. In addition, the service provided may vary rapidly based on terminal capabilities regarding processing power, memory availability, screen size, bit rate, and the like. For example, a dual mode 802 + GPRS personal digital assistant (PDA) can receive Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) messages on a GPRS or 802 network, depending on the allocated memory space of the wireless terminal. Some variations of these services may be provided. Rich multimedia services may require larger memory sizes than are available in PDAs. Therefore, the same multimedia services can be provided in a reduced color set or monochrome depending on the terminal capabilities. In addition, the possibility of network assisted handoff may be provided for such terminals indicating dual mode (WLAN / GPRS or WLAN / 3G) capabilities. There is a need for a mechanism for indicating these capabilities in conventional GPRS / UTMS networks.

In addition, in network interaction, the dual-mode wireless capability and the networks (wireless terminals communicate with these networks to be notified of the interaction capability, thereby increasing the capability of the wireless terminal to communicate with one of the two networks). There is no capability to notify a wireless terminal that depends on either network.

The present invention is characterized by a method and apparatus for enabling a wireless terminal to deliver dual mode capabilities and also to provide a method and apparatus for reporting the interactive capabilities of two networks, wherein the wireless terminal is interactive The present invention has the added capability of acquiring a service from any one of the networks. An apparatus (WTRU), comprising: a) connection requesting means configured to request a connection to the network; Connection procedure performing means configured to perform an attach procedure with the network in response to a connection with the network, wherein the connection procedure performing means is configured to provide capability information; In addition, the present invention provides the capability of a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) configured to support both wireless local area network (WLAN) and general packet wireless system / general purpose mobile telecommunication system (GPRS / UMTS) services. And a system comprising a WTRU and a core network, the system comprising: a connection requesting means configured to request a connection with the core network; Connection procedure performing means configured to perform a connection procedure with the core network, wherein the connection procedure performing means comprises a message providing means configured to provide a message informing the core network of WLAN services that the WTRU can support. And b) the core network comprises service providing means configured to provide the services that the WTRU can identify and support in response to the message. Providing a system for reporting capabilities of a device (WTRU), the system comprising a WTRU and a network, a) the WTRU being configured to establish a connection with the network; Service notification means configured to notify the network of services that the WTRU can support at that time when the connection is being established; Means for selecting one of the duplex modes for receiving services, and b) the network comprises service providing means configured to provide the provided services to the WTRU. Provides a system for reporting capabilities of a wireless transmit / receive (WTRU) capable of supporting both wireless local area network (WLAN) and general packet wireless system / general purpose mobile telecommunication system (GPRS / UMTS) services, The system includes a WTRU and a core network, and a) the WTRU is configured to establish a connection with the core network; During establishment of the connection, performance notification means configured to notify the core network of the capability to support both WLAN and GPRS / UMTS services, and b) the core network whether the WLAN interaction is supported. And means for transmitting to the WTRU a radio interworking capability information element indicative of WLAN interworking and the WLAN capabilities.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is a mechanism by which a terminal supporting both GPRS and WLAN or 3G and WLAN can report its WLAN performance to a serving GPRS / UMTS network. In addition, the present invention identifies a mechanism by which a 3G network may indicate that 3G or packet switched area services are available on a WLAN.

1 shows a simplified block diagram of a network in which UMTS and WLAN are integrated. The WTRUs 12, 14, and 16 communicate with the network on each radio link RL-1, RL-2, and RL-3. More specifically, the WTRU 12 communicates with a GSM radio access network (RAN); The WTRU 14 communicates with the 2.5 / 3G RAN and the WTRU 16 communicates with a WLAN access point (AP). WTRUs 12 and 14 may be cellular telephones, while WTRU 16 may be a laptop, PDA or other similar device having a suitable card to enable communication with a WLAN AP.

The GSM RAN communicates with a mobile switching center (MSC) having the ability to interact with a location database as is known in the art. The MSC communicates with the Visitor Location Register (VLR) to identify, authenticate, and so on the WTRU 12. The MSC also communicates with the Short Message-Gateway Mobile Switching Center / Interactive Mobile Switching Center (SMS-GMSC / IW-MSC) that provides services such as Short Message Service (SMS) data. The Home Location Register (HLR) is a database within the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) that provides routing information for mobile incoming calls and SMS data, and also through the access process and mobility management process, such as location area and routing area updates. It is responsible for maintaining user subscription information distributed to the associated VLR (VLR of FIG. 1) or GSN (GPRS Support Node).

The WLAN AP communicates with a packet data gateway / WLAN access gateway (PDG / WAG). Performance information is exchanged between the GSN and PDG / WAG. Services such as SMS data services are delivered to the PDG / WAG and thus to the WTRU 16 via the PDG / WAG and the WLAN AP. SMS data may be delivered based on the performance of the WTRU 16.

The WTRUs 12, 14 provide information about their performance when communicating with the network via the associated RAN, while including WLAN compatibility in accordance with the present invention.

2 shows an attach process combined with WLAN performance update. In the process shown in Fig. 2, in step S1, the UMTS dual mode WTRU powers up the signal connection to perform the connection process. In step S2, the connection requesting means sends a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message to the radio network controller (RNC). Admission control and availability of resources is performed by the RNC in step S3, which in turn sends an RRC connection establishment message to the dual mode WTRU in step S4. In step S5, the connection establishment means provides an RRC connection establishment complete message that provides WTRU radio access (RA) compatibility, and in step S6, the performance information providing means provides an initial direct transmission message, which accesses the message. Request and point-to-multipoint system information (PtM SI), instant messaging system information (IM SI), network (NW) performance and radio access (RA) performance. In step S7 the RNC provides an initial WTRU message (connection request including network and radio connection capability). In addition to UMTS capability, messages also include WLAN capability. In step S8, an authentication and cryptographic request and a secure mode command are performed and the WTRU is authenticated in step S9. The SGSN then provides a WTRU performance update for the WAG-PDG to the SGSN in step S10 and a connection accept message to the RNC in step S11, which is then sent to the WTRU in step S12.

The update of the WTRU capability sent to the WAG-PDG in step S10 may cause the SGSN to update the WAG, after which it may determine whether the service request can be terminated.

The purpose of the mobile station WTRU network performance information element is to provide the network with information about aspects of the WTRU related to GPRS. The content of the information elements can affect how the network handles the operation of the WTRU. The WTRU network performance information is indicative of general WTRU characteristics and is independent of the frequency band of the transport channel except for the clearly marked areas.

WTRU network performance is a Type 4 Information Element (IE) with a length of up to 10 octets.

The value portion of the WTRU network capability IE is coded as shown in FIG.

4 is a comparison between the network performance information element of the present invention and the conventional network performance IE, and FIG. 5 shows a comparison between the RAC IE and the radio access performance information element (RAC IE) of the present invention.

Mobile Station (MS) Network Performance The purpose of the IE is to provide the network with information about aspects of the mobile station (ie, WTRU) related to GPRS. Content can affect how the network handles the operation of the mobile station. The MS network performance information is indicative of general mobile station characteristics and is independent of the frequency band of the channel on which it is transmitted except in the clearly marked areas. MS network performance is a type 4 information element with a maximum length of 10 octets. The value portion of the MS network performance information element is coded as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, which shows the network performance IE in an enlarged manner, the item 1 of both the conventional and new IE, i.e., system management capabilities over the dedicated channel, is the same. The items (2) listed in the conventional and new IE, ie system management capabilities over the GPRS channel, are the same. The item 3 of the conventional IE, and the item 6 of the new information element, namely the universal multi-octet coded character set (UCS), UCS2 16 bit coding support are the same.

The item 4 of the conventional IE and the item 7 of the new IE, i. The item 5 of the conventional IE and the item 8 of the new IE, which are the support for local service area (SoLSA), are the same.

The item 6 of the conventional IE, i.e. the revision level indicator, is the same as the item 9 of the new IE. In addition to the items (4, 5) of the new IE, i.e. those provided to the WTRU, the system management capabilities over the short message system (SMS) and WLAN that identify text only, text and animation, instant messaging services and multimedia services Not provided in. Items 7 to 10 of the conventional IE are omitted from the new IE and will not be discussed here for the sake of simplicity.

4A shows the network performance IE in more detail. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the Location Request Notification Bit with a Location Services (LCS) value added (VA) is "0" when not supported (in binary format) and "1" when supported. WLAN performance is supported when its binary bit is "1" and not when it is in the "0" state. The bit or bits that identify each capability are assigned certain locations along with its IE. This also applies to RA capabilities. Also, the GPRS encryption algorithm (GEA) performance bits are "0" when not supported and "1" when supported.

The purpose of the Mobile Station Radio Access (MS RA) Performance Information Element (IE) is to provide information to the wireless portion of the network about the radio side of the mobile station (ie, WTRU). Content can affect how the network handles the operation of the mobile station. MS RA performance is a type 4 information element with a maximum length of 52 octets. The value portion of the MS RA performance information element is coded as shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

5 compares conventional and novel radio access capability IEs. The items 1 to 4 of the conventional IE, namely the connection technology type, the connection capabilities, the UMTS FDD RA description capability and the UMTS 3.84 Mcps TDD RA description capability are the same as the items 1-4 of the new IE.

Items 5 and 6 of the conventional IE are omitted from the new IE and thus will not be described here for the sake of brevity. The item 5 of the new IE does not appear in the conventional IE, but the type of remote terminal (such as PDA, laptop, telephone, etc.), memory size, screen size, processing power, technical version (such as 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, etc.), WLAN wireless access capability that identifies service profiles (such as SMS test only or text and animation), MMS, IMS, location, MBMS, and the like.

5A1-5A2 / 5B show the MS RA Performance IE in more detail. In Figs. 5A1-5A2, the connection technology type of four binary bits indicates the technology type used for the connection. Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) is a form of frequency shift keying that provides good spectral efficiency. 8PSK is a modulation technique in which a carrier exists in one of eight states. 5B shows binary bits and regions for identifying some capabilities. For example, three bit regions are used to identify the WLAN 802 RA technology, where the technology supported is identified by a specific combination of binary bits. Note that no support of WLAN 802.xx technology is represented by "000" and support for WLAN 802.11b technology is represented by "001" and the like. As another example, the CDMA 2000 RA technology capability is "0" when not supported and "1" when supported.

The dual mode WTRU provides WLAN performance reporting on its UMTS (or GPRS) network depending on whether the dual mode WTRU has WLAN / UMTS or WLAN / GPRS capability.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the WTRU is powered up, it first communicates over a UMTS channel and performs an unconnected layer (NAS) “ATTACH” process—the UMTS / WLAN performance is shown in FIG. 2. Interchanged with the network on the network.

Depending on the implementation, the user may choose to continue communicating with the UMTS network, manually convert to a WLAN channel, or perform automatic handover to the WLAN network if available.

Therefore, the present invention introduces two new IEs in conventional GPRS / UMTS performance messages between WTRUs and between networks and between networks and WTRUs. The radio access capability information element (RAC IE) can be changed to inform the network about the duplex mode of the WTRU / card, ie GPRS + WLAN or UMTS / WLAN. Radio Access Performance (RAC) is based on device type (such as PDA, laptop, cellular phone), memory size, screen size, processing power, technology version (such as 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, etc.), SMS text only or text and animation. And all aspects of WLAN performance, including service profiles, SMS, MMS, IMS, location, multicast broadcast media services (MBMS), and the like. The WLAN performance update process can be accomplished without changing the conventional " ATTACH " process. Network performance may be altered to inform dual mode WTRUs about the existence of WLAN interaction capability and the different types of services that may be provided on the WLAN network.

The wireless terminal of the present invention can deliver dual mode capabilities and can also report the interaction capabilities of two networks.

The invention may be understood with reference to the drawings, wherein like elements are designated by like numbers.

1 is a simplified schematic diagram of an integrated universal mobile telephone service (UMTS) and wireless local area network (WLAN) network.

2 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the connection process and implementing the performance of the present invention.

3 illustrates a WTRU network performance information element (IE).

4 and 5 illustrate conventional and modified network capability and radio access (RA) capability information elements (IE), respectively.

4A illustrates the modified network capability IE of FIG. 4 in more detail.

5A1-5A2 and 5B illustrate the modified RA performance IE of FIG. 5 in more detail.

FIG. 5A illustrates the manner in which FIGS. 5A1 and 5A2 are arranged;

Claims (33)

A wireless transceiver (WTRU) capable of supporting a wireless local area network (WLAN) and a general packet wireless system / general purpose mobile telecommunication system (GPRS / UMTS) network, Connection requesting means configured to request a connection to the network; Attaching process performing means configured to perform an attach procedure with the network in response to the connecting with the network, And the means for performing the access procedure comprises means for providing capability information configured to provide capability information. The method of claim 1, Means for receiving such services from the core network that the WTRU can identify and support. The method of claim 1, And the means for performing a connection process further comprises means configured to provide a radio access (RA) capability information element (IE) indicative of WLAN interworking and WLAN capabilities that the WTRU can identify. The method of claim 1, And the means for performing a connection process further comprises means configured to provide the capability to support multiple services as part of an information element (IE). The method of claim 4, wherein Wherein the multiple services, the WTRU is configured to provide the multiple services, comprises a radio access capability (RAC) IE. The method of claim 1, Means for receiving interaction and WLAN capabilities transmitted to the WTRU as part of an information element (IE). The method of claim 6, The WTRU further comprises means configured to receive a Network Performance (NW) IE from the core network. A system for reporting capabilities of a wireless transmit / receive (WTRU) configured to support both wireless local area network (WLAN) and general packet radio system / general purpose mobile telecommunication system (GPRS / UMTS) services. And a core network, The WTRU is, Connection requesting means configured to request a connection with the core network; A connection process performing means configured to perform a connection process with the core network; The means for performing the connection process includes message providing means configured to provide a message informing the core network of WLAN services that the WTRU can support, The core network comprises service providing means configured to provide the services that the WTRU can identify and support in response to the message. The method of claim 8, And the message includes the capability of the WTRU to support multiple services. The method of claim 9, And the WTRU further comprises means configured to provide a radio access capability (RAC) IE incorporating the message. The method of claim 8, And wherein the WTRU comprises means configured to provide as part of an information element (IE) the capability to support multiple services. The method of claim 8, And the core network further comprises means configured to provide interworking and WLAN capabilities to the WTRU. The method of claim 12, And the WTRU comprises means configured to select an operating mode in response to the capabilities provided by the core network. The method of claim 12, The interaction and WLAN capabilities provided to the WTRU are part of an information element (IE). The method of claim 8, And the core network further comprises means configured to provide a network performance (NW) IE to the WTRU. A system for reporting capabilities of a dual mode radio transceiver (WTRU) to a wireless communication network, comprising: a WTRU and a network, The WTRU is, Connection setting means configured to establish a connection with the network; Service notification means configured to notify the network of services that the WTRU can support at that time when the connection is being established; Means configured to select one of the dual modes for receiving services, And wherein said network comprises service providing means configured to provide provided services to said WTRU. The method of claim 16, The dual mode WTRU has the capability to communicate with a wireless local area network (WLAN) in one of the duplex modes, has a capability to communicate with a GPRS / UMTS network in another of the duplex modes, And the WTRU further comprises means configured to indicate the capabilities with a predetermined bit of an information element (IE). The method of claim 17, And the WTRU further comprises means configured to put a binary state into the predetermined bit to indicate the capability to support the services. The method of claim 17, And wherein the network comprises means for inserting binary states into a predetermined bit of the IE to identify service support capabilities including SMS capabilities over WLAN and SMS capabilities over GPRS channels. The method of claim 17, And the WTRU comprises means for inserting binary states into a predetermined bit of the IE to identify service support capabilities including SMS capabilities over WLAN and SMS capabilities over GPRS channels. The method of claim 16, And the WTRU includes means configured to notify the network of WTRU capabilities by sending an information element (IE) while a time connection is being established. The method of claim 16, The WTRU is in communication with a GPRS network when operating in a first mode; And means for communicating with the WLAN when operating in the second mode. The method of claim 16, The WTRU communicates with a UMTS network when operating in a first mode; And means for communicating with the WLAN when operating in the second mode. The method of claim 16, The WTRU is, Means removably inserted into the WTRU and configured to selectively receive a communication card for supporting one of a plurality of WLAN communication protocols; And means for providing a message to the network to identify the inserted communication card during connection with the network. The method of claim 24, The communication protocols include WLAN 802 protocols and the message identifies a protocol supported by the WTRU. The method of claim 24, Wherein the communication protocols include WLAN 802.11a and WLAN 802.11b. The method of claim 24, And the communication protocols include WLAN 802.11b and WLAN 802.16. The method of claim 16, The WTRU comprises means configured to send a message with bit positions each identifying a given WLAN communication protocol and to insert a predetermined binary state into a bit position indicating a protocol supported by the WTRU. Dual mode WTRU performance reporting system. A system for reporting capabilities of a wireless transmit / receive (WTRU) capable of supporting both wireless local area network (WLAN) and general packet radio system / general mobile telecommunication system (GPRS / UMTS) services, the system comprising: a WTRU and Including core network, The WTRU is, Connection setting means configured to establish a connection with the core network; Performance setting means, configured to notify the core network of the capability of supporting both WLAN and GPRS / UMTS services while establishing the connection; The core network, WTRU performance reporting system comprising transmission means configured to transmit a WLAN interworking and a radio access capability information element indicative of the WLAN capabilities to the WTRU to indicate whether the WLAN interaction is supported. . The method of claim 29, The WTRU further comprises transmitting means configured to send a performance report as part of an information element (IE) to the core network to provide multiple service support of the WTRU. The method of claim 29, And the WTRU comprises transmitting means configured to transmit a radio access capability (RAC) IE to the core network. The method of claim 29, And the core network comprises transmitting means configured to transmit interaction and WLAN capabilities to the WTRU as part of an information element (IE). The method of claim 29, And the WTRU comprises means configured to perform a connection process with the core network in response to establishing a connection with the core network.