WO2016155543A1

WO2016155543A1 - Techniques for redirecting a mobile device to a high-speed dedicated network

Info

Publication number: WO2016155543A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/076970
Authority: WO
Inventors: Congchong Ru; Jie Mao
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2015-03-31
Filing date: 2016-03-22
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: WO2016154880A1

Abstract

A method for wireless communication is described. The method may include : receiving, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a user equipment (UE) to establish a connection with the UE; receiving an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node; comparing the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network; and sending a command to the UE to redirect the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing.

Description

TECHNIQUES FOR REDIRECTING A MOBILE DEVICE TO A HIGH-SPEED DEDICATED NETWORK

CROSS REFERENCES

The present Application for Patent claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2015/075466 to Qualcomm Incorporated et al., titled “A METHOD TO PULL UE BACK TO HIGH SPEED DEDICATED NETWORK, ” filed March 31, 2015, assigned to the assignee hereof, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure, for example, relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to techniques for redirecting a mobile device to a high-speed dedicated network.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.

By way of example, a wireless multiple-access communication system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, otherwise known as user equipments (UEs) . A base station may communicate with UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a base station to a UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from a UE to a base station) .

A dedicated wireless network may be deployed along a railway to serve the UEs being transported at a high speed, including on a high-speed train (HST) . A HST-dedicated wireless network may be isolated from a nearby non-HST wireless network except at a railway station. As a result of this isolation, the cells of the HST-dedicated wireless network may not be not configured with information concerning the cells in the non-HST wireless network, and the cells of the non-HST wireless network are not configured with information concerning the cells in the HST-dedicated wireless network. During the normal course of operation, it is expected that UEs in the non-HST wireless network may not impact the HST wireless network, and the UEs in the HST-dedicated wireless network may not establish a connection with cells of the non-HST wireless network, since the non-HST wireless network is not optimized to handle a scenario where the UEs are traveling at high speed. However, the reference signal received power (RSRP) received by a UE from a cell of the HST-dedicated wireless network and the RSRP received by a UE from a cell of the non-HST wireless network may be similar along portions of a high-speed railway. Due to the mobility of a UE, the UE may establish a connection with a cell of the non-HST wireless network. In such cases, the UE may not be able to re-establish a connection to the HST-dedicated wireless network if the cells of the non-HST wireless network are not configured with neighbor information for the HST-dedicated wireless network. Performance of the HST-dedicated wireless network and/or the UEs connected to the HST-dedicated wireless network may be diminished because the non-HST wireless network is not configured to handle UEs being transported at a high speed.

SUMMARY

Techniques to pull or re-establish a user equipment (UE) to a high-speed dedicated wireless network are described. A high-speed dedicated wireless network, such as a high-speed train (HST) wireless network, may be used for UEs being transported through a high-speed system, such as on a HST. Such UEs may drop off from the HST wireless network in some circumstances. In systems where the UE is travelling at high speed, it may be desirable to re-establish a wireless link with the HST network quickly due to this high speed. Thus, neighboring network nodes of wireless networks other than the dedicated HST wireless network may maintain both a list of neighbor network nodes (eNodeBs) for the wireless network as well as a separate list that indicates and identifies neighbor cells and frequencies for neighbor network nodes of the dedicated HST wireless network. Thus, if a UE that was previously connected with a network node of the HST wireless network sends a re-establishment request to a eNB of the wireless network other than the dedicated HST wireless network, the UE may report to that eNB the cell identification (ID) and frequency of the network node of the HST wireless network to which it was previously connected. The eNB receiving the re-establishment request may then compare the reported ID and frequency against the separate list of neighbor nodes of the HST wireless network. This neighbor list includes the identifying information for one or more neighbor network nodes of the dedicated HST wireless network. The eNB may also keep a neighbor list for the wireless network to which it belongs that is separate from this list. As a result of the comparison, if the eNB finds that the UE dropped from a network node of the HST wireless network, then the eNB sends a reconfiguration command directly to the UE to direct it back to a frequency of the HST wireless network. In the same message, eNB may also send the UE identifying information for neighboring network nodes of the HST wireless network from the separate list of HST wireless network neighbor nodes, in case the original network node from which the UE dropped is already gone.

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may include receiving, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a user equipment (UE) to establish a connection with the UE； receiving an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node； comparing the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network； and sending a command to the UE to redirect the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing. In some examples, the method may further include receiving the request to establish the connection after the UE experiences radio link failure (RLF) with the second network node.

In some examples, the first network may be a non-dedicated wireless network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN) the second network may be a high-speed dedicated wireless network.

In some examples, receiving the identity of the second network node may include receiving a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second wireless network. The identity of the second network node may be appended to the request to establish the connection with the UE.

In some examples, the identity of the at least one neighbor network node may be part of a pre-configured list of identities of neighbor network nodes.

A further method of wireless communication is described. The further method may include sending, from a user equipment (UE) , a request to a first network node of a first wireless network to establish a connection with the first network node； sending an identity of a second network node of a second wireless network, to which the UE was previously connected； and receiving, from the first network node, a command directing the UE to redirect itself to at least one neighbor network node of the second wireless network, wherein the command is based at least in part on the identity of the second network node.

In some examples, the second method may further include determining RLF has occurred with the second network node.

In some examples, receiving the command directing the UE to redirect itself may be based at least in part on the first network node comparing the identity of the second network node to a list of identities of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network.

In some examples, the list of identities of the at least one neighbor network nodes is pre-configured. In some examples, sending the identity of the second network node may include sending a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second wireless network. In some examples, the identity of the second network node may be appended to the request to establish the connection with the first network node.

An apparatus for wireless communication at an access point is described. The apparatus may include: a processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor； and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to receive, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a user equipment (UE) to establish a connection with the UE； receive an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node； compare the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network； and send a command to the UE to redirect the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing. In some examples, the second wireless network may be a high-speed dedicated wireless network.

The instructions may further be executable by the processor to receive the request to establish the connection after the UE experiences RLF with the second node.

In some examples, when the apparatus receives the identity of the second network node, the apparatus may receive a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second node. In some examples, the identity of the second network node may be appended to the request to establish the connection with the UE.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the following drawings. In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communications system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 2 shows a wireless communications system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 3 shows a communication flow diagram for wireless communications, including a high-speed wireless network and a neighboring non-high-speed wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure；

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure； and

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION

Techniques to redirect a user equipment (UE) back to a high-speed dedicated wireless network are described. A high-speed dedicated wireless network, may be used for UEs being transported through a high-speed system, such as on a high-speed train (HST) . In some cases, the UE may lose connection with the high-speed network, such as in circumstances where the UE experiences radio link failure. In such a scenarios, it may be preferable for the UE to reestablish a connection with the high-speed network as opposed to establishing a connection with a non-dedicated network.

The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some examples may be combined in other examples.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 includes network nodes 105, UEs 115, and a core network 130. The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The network nodes105 interface with the core network 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, etc. ) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the UEs 115, or may operate under the control of a network node controller (not shown) . In various examples, the network nodes 105 may communicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network 130) , with each other over backhaul links 134 (e.g., X1, etc. ) , which may be wired or wireless communication links.

The network nodes 105 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 115 via one or more network nodes antennas. Each of the network node 105 sites may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, network nodes 105 may be referred to as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB) , Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area 110 for a network node 105 may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area (not shown) . The wireless communications system 100 may include network nodes 105 of different types (e.g., macro and/or small cell base stations) . There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 for different technologies.

In some examples, the wireless communications system 100is an LTE/LTE-Anetwork. In LTE/LTE-A networks, the term evolved Node B (eNB) may be, for example, used to describe the network nodes 105, while the term UE may be, for example, used to describe the UEs 115. The wireless communications system 100 may be a Heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each eNB or network node 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, and/or other types of cell. The term “cell” is a 3GPP term that can be used to describe a network node, a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a network node, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc. ) of a carrier or network node, depending on context.

A macro cell, for example, covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell is a lower-powered network node, as compared with a macro cell, that may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc. ) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells according to various examples. A pico cell may cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell also may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , UEs for users in the home, and the like) . An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, a picoeNB, a femtoeNB or a home eNB. An eNB may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells (e.g., component carriers) .

The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the network nodes may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different network nodes may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the network nodes may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different network nodes may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

The communication networks that may accommodate some of the various disclosed examples may be packet-based networks that operate according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. A Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also use Hybrid ARQ (HARQ) to provide retransmission at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and the network nodes 105 or core network 130 supporting radio bearers for the user plane data. At the Physical (PHY) layer, the transport channels may be mapped to Physical channels.

The UEs 115 are dispersed throughout the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 115 may also include or be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE 115 may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, or the like. A UE may be able to communicate with various types of network nodes and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

The communication links 125 shown in wireless communications system 100 may include uplink (UL) transmissions from a UE 115 to a network node 105, and/or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a network node 105 to a UE 115. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Each communication link 125 may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc. ) , overhead information, user data, etc. The communication links 125 may transmit bidirectional communications using FDD (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or TDD operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources) . Frame structures for FDD (e.g., frame structure type 1) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type 2) may be defined.

In some examples of the wireless communications system 100, network node 105 and/or UEs 115 may include multiple antennas for employing antenna diversity schemes to improve communication quality and reliability between network nodes 105 and UEs 115. Additionally or alternatively, network nodes 105 and/or UEs 115 may employ multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) techniques that may take advantage of multi-path environments to transmit multiple spatial layers carrying the same or different coded data.

Wireless communications system 100 may support operation on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a component carrier (CC) , a layer, a channel, etc. The terms “carrier, ” “component carrier, ” “cell, ” and “channel” may be used interchangeably herein. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.

FIG. 2 shows a wireless communications system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In FIG. 2, UE 240 is present on a high-speed train 215 traveling along high-speed tracks 220. UE 240 may be an example of at least one of the devices 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. UE 240 is communicating with network node 205, which may be a WLAN base station of a dedicated high-speed wireless network having a coverage area 210. UE 240 may communicate with high-speed dedicated network node 205 by way of communication link 225. Communication link 225 may be an example of communication link 125 described with reference to FIG. 1.

As the UE 240 travels with the high-speed train 215, the UE 240 may lose connection with the high-speed dedicated network node 205 of the dedicated high-speed wireless network. In some examples, the loss of connection may be due to radio link failure (RLF) or other interruptions which cause a drop in the connection between the UE 240 and the high-speed dedicated network node 205.

The UE may initiate a scan of available wireless networks to which the UE can establish a connection. In some examples, the UE may identify a non-dedicated wireless network which is not part of the high-speed network, and thus UE may send a connection request to network node 230 having a coverage area 235. The network node 230 may be, for example, a base station of Wi-Fi network. The UE may request connection with network node 230 and include as part of its connection request an identifier of the dedicated high-speed network with which the UE 240 was last connected. In some examples, the connection request may include a cellular identification of the high-speed dedicated network node 205 and/or the frequency at which the UE was in communication with the high-speed network.

The non-dedicated network node 230 receives the connection request and compares the identification information (e.g., cellular identification and/or frequency) with a list of neighbor network nodes. In some examples, the list of neighbor network nodes may be a pre-configured list of network nodes. If the non-dedicated network node 230 determines there is a neighbor network node having the cellular identification and/or frequency sent by the UE 240 in the connection request, the network node 230 will command the UE 240 to reestablish connection with the high-speed dedicated network node 205. In some examples, the high-speed network to which the UE is redirect is the same high-speed network with which the UE has lost connection； however, in other cases, the UE may be redirected to another high-speed network.

FIG. 3 shows a communication flow diagram for wireless communications, including a high-speed wireless network and a neighboring non-high-speed wireless network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. High-speed dedicated network node 345 may be an example of at least one of the network nodes 105 and/or 205 described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, respectively. UE 350 may be an example of at least one of the devices 115 and/or 240 described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, respectively. Non-dedicated network node 355 may be an example of at least one of the network nodes 105 and/or 230 described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, respectively.

As indicated by arrow 305, the UE 350 is connected to high-speed dedicated network node 345. At some point, UE 350 may lose connection with the high-speed dedicated network node 345. In some examples, the UE 350 may experience RLF 310. At block 315, the UE 350 may scan for an alternative network node with which the UE 350 can establish a connection. Upon discovering non-dedicated network node 355, the UE 350 sends a connection request 320. As part of the connection request, the UE may append information related to the high-speed dedicated network node 345 with which the UE was most recently connected. The information may include a cellular identification and/or a frequency associated with the high-speed dedicated network node 345.

The non-dedicated network node 355 receives the connection request at block 325. In one example, the non-dedicated network node 355 knows the UE 350 has been connected to the high-speed network and wishes to redirect to the UE back to the high-speed network. The non-dedicated network node 355 thus compares the received connection information to a pre-configured list of neighbor network nodes at block 330. If the non-dedicated network node 355 determines the received information matches a network node in the high-speed network, the non-dedicated network node 355 sends a command 335 to the UE 350 to re-establish connection with the high-speed network. The UE 115-receives the command from the non-dedicated network node 355 and reestablishes connection 340 with the high-speed dedicated network node 345.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram 400 of an apparatus 405 for use in wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the apparatus 405 may be an example of one or more aspects of one of the

network nodes

105, 205, 345, 230, and/or 235 described with reference to FIGs. 1, 2, and 3. The apparatus 405 may also be a processor. The apparatus 405 may include a receiver 410, a redirection component 415, and a transmitter 420. Redirection component 415 may include a comparison component 425 and/or a command component 430. Each of these components may be in communication with each other.

The components of the apparatus 405 may, individually or collectively, be implemented using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed by one or more other processing units (or cores) , on one or more integrated circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) , and other Semi-Custom ICs) , which may be programmed in any manner known in the art. The functions of each unit may also be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or application-specific processors.

In some examples, the receiver 410 may include at least one radio frequency (RF) receiver, such as at least one RF receiver operable to receive transmissions over a licensed radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a radio frequency spectrum band for which apparatuses do not contend for access because the radio frequency spectrum band is licensed to some users (e.g., LTE/LTE-A users) for some uses) and/or an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a radio frequency spectrum band for which apparatuses may need to contend for access because the radio frequency spectrum band is available, at least in part, for unlicensed use (e.g., Wi-Fi use and/or LTE/LTE-A use in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band) ) . In some examples, the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band may be used for LTE/LTE-A communications, as described, for example, with reference to FIGS. 1-3. The receiver 410 may be used to receive various types of data and/or control signals (i.e., transmissions) over one or more communication links of a wireless communication system, such as one or more communication links of the wireless communications systems 100 and/or 200 described with reference to FIG. 1 and/or 2. The communication links may be established over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

In some examples, the transmitter 420 may include at least one RF transmitter, such as at least one RF transmitter operable to transmit over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The transmitter 420 may be used to transmit various types of data and/or control signals (i.e., transmissions) over one or more communication links of a wireless communication system, such as one or more communication links of the wireless communications systems 100 and/or 200 described with reference to FIG. 1 and/or 2. The communication links may be established over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

In some examples, the redirection component 415 may operate to receive information from a UE related to an attempt to connect after experiencing RLF with another network. The comparison component 425 may compare identifying information with a pre-configured list of neighbor networks in order to redirect the UE to its source network or to another high-speed network. The command component 430 may initiate a command to the UE to redirect the UE to the previous high-speed network node or to a different high-speed network node.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of an apparatus 505 for use in wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the network node may be an example of one or more aspects of

network nodes

105, 205, 345, 230, 235 and/or 405, described with reference to FIGs. 1-4. The network node 505 may be configured to implement or facilitate at least some of the network node techniques and functions described with reference to FIGs. 1-3.

The network node 505 may include a network node processor 510, a network node memory 520, at least one network node transceiver (represented by network node transceiver (s) 550) , at least one network node antenna (represented by network node antenna (s) 555) , and/or a redirection component 560. The network node 505 may also include one or more of a network node communicator 530 or a network communicator 540. Each of these components may be in communication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or more buses 535.

The network node memory 520 may include RAM or ROM. The network node memory 520 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 525 containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the network node processor 510 to perform various functions described herein related to wireless communication, including, for example, redirecting the UE to at least one of the identified neighbor networks. Alternatively, the computer-executable code 525 may not be directly executable by the network node processor 510 but be configured to cause the network node 505 (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform various functions described herein.

The network node processor 510 may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The network node processor 510 may process information received through the network node transceiver (s) 550, the network node communicator 530, and/or the network communicator 540. The network node processor 510 may also process information to be sent to the transceiver (s) 550 for transmission through the antenna (s) 555, to the network node communicator 530, for transmission to one or more other network nodes, or to the network communicator 540 for transmission to a core network 545, which may be an example of one or more aspects of the core network 130 described with reference to FIG. 1. The network node processor 510 may handle, alone or in connection with the redirection component 560, various aspects of redirecting the UE to a neighbor network node.

The network node transceiver (s) 550 may include a modem configured to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the network node antenna (s) 555 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the network node antenna (s) 555. The network node transceiver (s) 550 may, in some examples, be implemented as one or more network node transmitters and one or more separate network node receivers. The network node transceiver (s) 550 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally, via the antenna (s) 555, with one or more UEs or apparatuses, such as one or more of the

UEs

115, 240, 350, and/or 405 described with reference to FIGs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The network node 505 may, for example, include multiple network node antennas 555 (e.g., an antenna array) . The network node 505 may communicate with the core network 545 through the network communicator 540. The network node 505 may also communicate with other network nodes, such as the dedicated high-speed network node.

The redirection component 560 may be configured to perform or control some or all of the techniques or functions described with reference to FIG. 1-3 in redirecting the UE to a neighbor network.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of an apparatus 605 for use in wireless communications, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the apparatus 605 may be an example of one or more aspects of one of the

devices

115, 240, and/or 350 described with reference to FIGs. 1, 2, and 3. The apparatus 605 may also be a processor. The apparatus 605 may include a receiver 610, a connection component 615, and a transmitter 620. Connection component may further include a scanning component 635, a connection request component 630, and/or a reestablishment component 635. Each of these components may be in communication with each other.

The components of the apparatus 605 may, individually or collectively, be implemented using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed by one or more other processing units (or cores) , on one or more integrated circuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) , and other Semi- Custom ICs) , which may be programmed in any manner known in the art. The functions of each unit may also be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or application-specific processors.

In some examples, the receiver 610 may include at least one radio frequency (RF) receiver, such as at least one RF receiver operable to receive transmissions over a licensed radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a radio frequency spectrum band for which apparatuses do not contend for access because the radio frequency spectrum band is licensed to some users (e.g., LTE/LTE-A users) for some uses) and/or an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a radio frequency spectrum band for which apparatuses may need to contend for access because the radio frequency spectrum band is available, at least in part, for unlicensed use (e.g., Wi-Fi use and/or LTE/LTE-A use in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band) ) . In some examples, the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band may be used for LTE/LTE-A communications, as described, for example, with reference to FIGS. 1-3. The receiver 610 may be used to receive various types of data and/or control signals (i.e., transmissions) over one or more communication links of a wireless communication system, such as one or more communication links of the wireless communications systems 100 and/or 200 described with reference to FIG. 1 and/or 2. The communication links may be established over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

In some examples, the transmitter 620 may include at least one RF transmitter, such as at least one RF transmitter operable to transmit over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The transmitter 620 may be used to transmit various types of data and/or control signals (i.e., transmissions) over one or more communication links of a wireless communication system, such as one or more communication links of the wireless communications system 100 and/or 200 described with reference to FIG. 1 and/or 2. The communication links may be established over the licensed radio frequency spectrum band and/or the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

In some examples, the scanning component 625 may operate to scan for available networks after the apparatus 605 loses connection with a wireless network. Once an available network is discovered, the connection request component 630 may operate to send a connection request to a network node. The network node may be a non-dedicated network node, such as an access point of a Wi-Fi network. The connection component may further append to the connection request, information associated with the network node with which the apparatus 605 immediately lost connection. The information may include a cellular identification and/or frequency related to the connection between the apparatus and the source network node (e.g., the dedicated high-speed network node) . The reestablishment component 635 may also operate to receive a command from a non-dedicated network node (e.g., the same node to which the connection request was sent) to reestablish connection with the source network node.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of an apparatus 705 for use in wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 705 may be included or be part of a personal computer (e.g., a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, etc. ) , a cellular telephone, a PDA, a DVR, an internet appliance, a gaming console, an e-reader, etc. In some examples, the UE 705 may be an example of aspects of one or more of the

UEs

115, 240, 350, and/or 605 described with reference to FIG. 1, 2, 3 and 5/ The UE 705 may be configured to implement at least some of the UE or apparatus techniques and functions described with reference to FIG. 1-3.

The UE 705 may include a UE processor 710, a UE memory 715, at least one UE transceiver (represented by UE transceiver (s) 720) , at least one UE antenna (represented by UE antenna (s) 725) , or a connection component 730. Each of these components may be in communication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or more buses 735.

The UE memory 715 may include random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM) . The UE memory 715 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 740 containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the UE processor 710 to perform various functions described herein related to wireless communication, including, for example, sending a connection request to a non-dedicated network node and/or reestablishing connection with the high-speed network. Alternatively, the computer-executable code 740 may not be directly executable by the UE processor 710 but be configured to cause the UE 705 (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform various functions described herein.

The UE processor 710 may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) , a microcontroller, an ASIC, etc. The UE processor 710 may process information received through the UE transceiver (s) 720 or information to be sent to the UE transceiver (s) 720 for transmission through the UE antenna (s) 725. The UE processor 710 may handle, alone or in connection with the connection component 730, various aspects of wireless communication.

The UE transceiver (s) 720 may include a modem configured to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the UE antenna (s) 725 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the UE antenna (s) 725. The UE transceiver (s) 720 may, in some examples, be implemented as one or more UE transmitters and one or more separate UE receivers. The UE transceiver (s) 720 may support communications between the network nodes. The UE transceiver (s) 720 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally, via the UE antenna (s) 725, with one or more network nodes or apparatuses, such as one or more of the

network nodes

105, 205, 345, 230, 235, 405, and/or 505 described with reference to FIGs. 1-5. While the UE 705 may include a single UE antenna, there may be examples in which the UE 705 may include multiple UE antennas 725.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 800 for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, a network node may execute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elements of the network node to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the network node may perform one or more of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 805, the method 800 may include receiving, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a UE to establish a connect with the UE.

At block 810, the method 800 may include receiving an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node.

At block 815, the method 800 may include comparing the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network.

At block 820, the method 800 may include sending a command to the UE to redirect to the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing.

Thus, the method 800 may provide for wireless communication. It should be noted that the method 800 is just one implementation and that the operations of the method 800 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible.

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 900 for wireless communications in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the UE may execute one or more sets of codes to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform one or more of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 905, the method 900 may include sending, from a UE, a request to a first network node of a first wireless network to establish a connection with the first network node.

At block 910, the method 900 may include sending an identity of a second network node of a second wireless network to which the UE was previously connected.

At block 915, the method 900 may include receiving, from the first network node, a command directing the UE to redirect itself to at least one neighbor network node of the second wireless network, wherein the command is based at least in part on the identity of the second network node.

Thus, the method 900 may provide for wireless communication. It should be noted that the method 900 is just one implementation and that the operations of the method 900 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible.

In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods 800 or 900 may be combined. It should be noted that the methods 800 and 900 are just example implementations, and that the operations of the methods 800 and 900 may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communications systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) , etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases 0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD) , etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) . An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) , IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM^TM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) . 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP) . CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2) . The techniques described herein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications over an unlicensed and/or shared bandwidth. The description above, however, describes an LTE/LTE-A system for purposes of example, and LTE terminology is used in much of the description above, although the techniques are applicable beyond LTE/LTE-A applications.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings describes examples and does not represent the only examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The terms “example” and “exemplary, ” when used in this description, mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration, ” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and apparatuses are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations. As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or, ” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone； B alone； C alone； A and B in combination； A and C in combination； B and C in combination； or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” ) indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) .

Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD) , laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A method for wireless communications, comprising:

receiving, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a user equipment (UE) to establish a connection with the UE；

receiving an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node；

comparing the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network； and

sending a command to the UE to redirect the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the request to establish the connection after the UE experiences radio link failure (RLF) with the second network node.
The method of claim 1, wherein the second wireless network comprises a high-speed dedicated wireless network.
The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the identity of the second network node comprises:

receiving a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second wireless network.
The method of claim 4, further comprising:

appending the identity of the second network node to the request to establish the connection with the UE.
The method of claim 1, wherein the identity of the at least one neighbor network node is part of a pre-configured list of identities of neighbor network nodes.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) .
A method for wireless communications, comprising:

sending, from a user equipment (UE) , a request to a first network node of a first wireless network to establish a connection with the first network node；

sending an identity of a second network node of a second wireless network, to which the UE was previously connected； and

receiving, from the first network node, a command directing the UE to redirect itself to at least one neighbor network node of the second wireless network, wherein the command is based at least in part on the identity of the second network node.
The method of claim 8, wherein the second wireless network is a high-speed dedicated wireless network and the first wireless network comprises a non-dedicated wireless network.
The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining radio link failure (RLF) has occurred with the second network node.
The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the command is based at least in part on the first network node comparing the identity of the second network node to a list of identities of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network.
The method of claim 11, wherein the list of identities of the at least one neighbor network nodes is pre-configured.
The method of claim 8, wherein sending the identity of the second network node comprises:

sending a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second wireless network.
The method of claim 13, further comprising:

appending the identity of the second network node to the request to establish the connection with the first network node.
An apparatus for wireless communications comprising:

a processor；

memory in electronic communication with the processor； and

the processor and memory configured to:

receive, at a first network node of a first wireless network, a request from a user equipment (UE) to establish a connection with the UE

receive an identity of a second network node, wherein the UE was previously connected to the second network node；

compare the identity of the second network node with an identity of at least one neighbor network node of a second wireless network； and

send a command to the UE to redirect the UE to one of the at least one neighbor network nodes of the second wireless network based at least in part on the comparing.
The apparatus of claim 15, the processor and memory configured to:

receive the request to establish the connection after the UE experiences radio link failure (RLF) with the second network node.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second wireless network comprises a high-speed dedicated wireless network.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein processor and memory configured to receive the identity of the second network node are configured to:

receive a frequency and a cellular identification associated with the second wireless network.
The apparatus of claim 18, the processor and memory configured to:

append the identity of the second network node to the request to establish the connection with the UE.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the identity of the at least one neighbor network node is part of a pre-configured list of identities of neighbor network nodes.