US-12628218-B2 - Control of wireless connectivity based on latency

Abstract

A communication management resource associated with a mobile communication device establishes wireless connectivity between the mobile communication device and multiple wireless networks. The wireless connectivity includes multiple wireless communication links. The communication management resource determines a respective latency associated with conveyance of communications over the multiple wireless communication links. Based on the respective latencies, the communication management resource or other suitable entity selects a wireless communication link from the multiple wireless communication links in which to support communications between the mobile communication device and a remote management entity.

Inventors

• Hany A. Heikal
• Hossam H. Hmimy
• Mohamed Daoud
• Conner B. Gesbocker

Assignees

• CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220331

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method comprising: establishing wireless connectivity between a mobile communication device and multiple wireless networks, the wireless connectivity including multiple wireless communication links, the multiple wireless communication links including a first wireless communication link and a second wireless communication link, the multiple wireless networks including a first wireless network and a second wireless network; via test messages communicated from the mobile communication device over the multiple wireless communication links: i) producing a first latency value indicating a first latency associated with the mobile communication device communicating over the first wireless communication link and the first wireless network to a remote management entity, and ii) producing a second latency value indicating a second latency associated with the mobile communication device communicating over the second wireless communication link and the second wireless network to the remote management entity; and preventing handoff of the mobile communication device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network during a condition in which a magnitude of the second latency value is detected as being less than a magnitude of the first latency value.
2. 2 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication link supports first communications between the mobile communication device and the remote management entity; and wherein the second wireless communication link supports second communications between the mobile communication device and the remote management entity.
3. 3 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein producing the first latency value includes: i) communicating a first communication from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity over the first wireless network; and ii) generating the first latency value to indicate a first time difference between the mobile communication device communicating the first communication and the remote management entity receiving the first communication; and wherein producing the second latency value includes: i) communicating a second communication from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity over the second wireless network; and ii) generating a second latency value indicating a second time difference between the mobile communication device communicating the second communication and the remote management entity receiving the second communication.
4. 4 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: determining a planned trajectory of travel associated with the mobile communication device through a geographical region; and selecting amongst the multiple wireless communication links based at least in part on anticipated wireless coverage of the multiple wireless networks and corresponding prior instances of latencies associated with communicating with the remote management entity over the multiple wireless networks along the planned trajectory through the geographical region.
5. 5 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: while the mobile communication device travels along a planned travel route through a geographical region, repeating operations of: i) determining a corresponding latency associated with conveyance of communications over the multiple wireless communication links; and ii) based on determined corresponding latencies, selecting a wireless communication link from the multiple wireless communication links for communication of data from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity.
6. 6 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: while the mobile communication device is at a first location of a planned travel route of the mobile communication device through a geographical region: communicating a message from the mobile communication device over the first wireless communication link and through the first wireless network to the remote management entity; and while the mobile communication device is at a second location of the planned route: in response to detecting that the second wireless network provides a lower latency than the first wireless network by greater than a threshold value, communicating data from the mobile communication device over the second wireless communication link and through the second wireless network to the remote management entity.
7. 7 . The method as in claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple wireless networks is operated by a different wireless network service provider.
8. 8 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: switching over from communicating data from the mobile communication device over the first wireless network to the remote management entity to communicating data over the second wireless network to the remote management entity in response to detecting that a communication path through the second wireless network to the remote management entity provides a lower latency than the first wireless network.
9. 9 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: selecting a group of wireless networks amongst the multiple wireless networks that provide the lowest transmission latency in which to communicate data to the remote management entity; and establishing connectivity from the mobile communication device through each of the wireless networks in the group to the remote management entity.
10. 10 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: implementing hysteresis to determine whether to switchover from using the first wireless communication link established with the first wireless network to using the second wireless communication link established with the second wireless network to communicate with the remote management entity.
11. 11 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: controlling a time interval between performing testing latency associated with each of the multiple wireless networks based on a distance traveled by a vehicle in which the mobile communication device resides.
12. 12 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: adjusting a time interval between testing latency associated with each of the multiple wireless networks in response to detecting the mobile communication device being in an area where the multiple wireless networks are historically unreliable for providing wireless access.
13. 13 . The method as in claim 1 further comprising: receiving a range value; referencing the range value with respect to the first latency value; and wherein the condition includes the magnitude of the second latency value falling within the range value referenced with respect to the first latency value.
14. 14 . A system comprising: communication management hardware operative to: establish wireless connectivity between a mobile communication device and multiple wireless networks, the wireless connectivity including multiple wireless communication links, the multiple wireless communication links including a first wireless communication link and a second wireless communication link, the multiple wireless networks including a first wireless network and a second wireless network; via test messages communicated from the mobile communication the multiple wireless communication links: i) produce a first latency value indicating a first latency associated with the mobile communication device communicating over the first wireless communication link and the first wireless network to a remote management entity, and ii) produce a second latency value indicating a second latency associated with the mobile communication device communicating over the second wireless communication link and the second wireless network to the remote management entity; and prevent handoff of the mobile communication device from the first wireless network to the second wireless network during a condition in which a magnitude of the second latency value is detected as being less than a magnitude of the first latency value.
15. 15 . The system as in claim 14 , wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: establish the first wireless communication link with the first wireless network of the multiple wireless networks; and establish the second wireless communication link with the second wireless network of the multiple wireless networks.
16. 16 . The system as in claim 15 , wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: communicate a first communication from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity over the first wireless network; generate the first latency value to indicate a first time difference between the mobile communication device communicating the first communication and the remote management entity receiving the first communication; communicate a second communication from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity over the second wireless network; and generate the second latency value to indicate a second time difference between the mobile communication device communicating the second communication and the remote management entity receiving the second communication.
17. 17 . The system as in claim 14 , wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: determine a planned trajectory of travel associated with the mobile communication device through a geographical region; and select amongst the multiple wireless communication links based at least in part on anticipated wireless coverage of the multiple wireless networks and corresponding prior instances of latencies associated with communicating with the remote management entity over the multiple wireless networks along the planned trajectory through the geographical region.
18. 18 . The system as in claim 14 , wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: while the mobile communication device travels along a planned travel route through a geographical region, repeating operations of: i) determine a corresponding latency associated with conveyance of communications over the multiple wireless communication links; and ii) based on determined corresponding latencies, select a wireless communication link from the multiple wireless communication links for communication of data from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity.
19. 19 . The system as in claim 14 , wherein the communication management hardware is further operative to: while the mobile communication device is at a first location of a planned travel route of the mobile communication device through a geographical region: communicate a message from the mobile communication device over the first wireless communication link and through a first wireless network to the remote management entity; and while the mobile communication device is at a second location of the planned route: in response to detecting that the second wireless network provides a lower latency than the first wireless network by greater than a threshold value, communicate data from the mobile communication device over the second wireless communication link and through the second wireless network to the remote management entity.
20. 20 . The system as in claim 14 , wherein each of the multiple wireless networks is operated by a different wireless network service provider.

Description

BACKGROUND In a communication system, the latency is the time it takes to transfer data from one location to another. Wireless technology typically offers an extremely low latency (or delay) between a time that data is sent and a time of receiving that data. Typically, the latency of a wireless network may be from 200 milliseconds for 4G wireless technology and even lower such as 1 millisecond (1 ms) via 5G wireless technology. One application of wireless technology is vehicular control. For example, a vehicle can be configured to establish connectivity with a remote management resource over a wireless communication link. In such an instance, the vehicle provides information such as its location, speed, etc., over the wireless communication link to the remote management resource. The remote management resource processes the received data and provides control commands to the vehicle based on provided information BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments herein provide improved implementation of wireless access networks and expand use of limited wireless bandwidth in a network environment. More specifically, a communication management resource (such as disposed in any suitable entity) establishes wireless connectivity between a mobile communication device and multiple wireless networks; the wireless connectivity includes multiple candidate wireless communication links. The communication management resource determines a respective latency associated with conveyance of communications over the multiple candidate wireless communication links. Based on the respective latencies, the communication management resource or other suitable entity selects a wireless communication link from the multiple candidate wireless communication links to support communications (such as control communications, feedback communications, etc.) between the mobile communication device and a remote management entity. In one embodiment, the wireless connectivity includes a first wireless communication link and a second wireless communication link. The mobile communication device is in communication with the (remote) management resource via the first wireless communication link between the mobile communication device and the first wireless network; the first wireless communication link supports first communications between the mobile communication device and the management resource. The mobile communication device is in communication with the management resource via a second wireless communication link between the mobile communication device and the second wireless network; the second wireless communication link supports second communications between the mobile communication device and the management resource. In further example embodiments, when selecting a wireless network, the mobile communication device establishes a first wireless communication link with a first wireless network of the multiple wireless networks; the mobile communication device establishes a second wireless communication link with a second wireless network of the multiple wireless networks. The communication management resource can be configured to determine the latency associated with each of the wireless networks in any suitable manner. For example, in one embodiment, the mobile communication device communicates a first wireless communication from the communication device to the management resource over the first wireless network. The communication management resource generates a first latency value indicating a time difference between the communication device communicating the first wireless communication and the management resource receiving the first wireless communication. The communication management resource communicates a second wireless communication from the communication device to the management resource over the second wireless network. The communication management resource generates a second latency value indicating a time difference between the communication device communicating the second wireless communication and the management resource receiving the second wireless communication. In one embodiment, selection of the wireless communication link from the multiple candidate wireless communication links includes, via the communication management resource or other suitable entity, comparing the first latency value to the second latency value and selecting the second wireless communication link from the multiple wireless communication links for communicating data from the mobile communication device to the remote management entity in response to detecting that a magnitude of the second latency value is less than a magnitude of the first latency value. In other words, the second wireless network provides a lower latency and is more desirable to provide connectivity with the remote management entity. In still further example embodiments, the communication management resource: i) determines a planned trajectory of travel associated with the mobile communicat