Search

US-20260129515-A1 - Multi-Link Sensing Assisted Wi-Fi offload enablement

US20260129515A1US 20260129515 A1US20260129515 A1US 20260129515A1US-20260129515-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a user equipment (UE) utilizing multi-link sensing (MLS) to offload data sessions from a 3GPP network to a non-3GPP network via a WLAN when WLAN functionality is initially disabled at the UE. The method involves receiving an MLS data associated with a radio frequency (RF) environment and/or a physical environment, processing the received MLS data to determine an environmental signature, comparing the determined environmental signature against stored environmental signatures, and enabling the WLAN functionality at the UE based on the comparison to facilitate the offload of data sessions from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP via the WLAN.

Inventors

  • Inmaculada Carrion Rodrigo
  • Mohit Anand

Assignees

  • Charter Communications

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20240628

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A method for controlling a user equipment (UE) utilizing multi-link sensing (MLS) to off-load one or more data sessions from a 3GPP network to a non-3GPP network via a Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) when a WLAN functionality is initially disabled at the UE, comprising the steps of: receiving, at one or more MLS sensors of the UE, MLS information associated with one or both of a radio frequency (RF) environment and a physical environment; processing, by a computational processor, the received MLS information to determine an environmental signature; comparing the determined environmental signature against one or more previously generated environmental signatures stored in memory, the one or more previously generated environmental signatures stored in memory associated with one or more WLANs providing wireless access to the non-3GPP network; and based on a positive result from the comparing step, enabling the WLAN functionality at the UE to facilitate off-loading of at least one data session from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP network.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined environmental signature includes information associated with a topographical arrangement of substantially stationary objects in one or both of the RF environment and the physical environment.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more previously generated environmental signatures stored in memory contains data associated with one or more physical objects and radio frequency sources utilized to uniquely identify each of the one or more previously generated environmental signatures.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more previously generated environmental signatures stored in memory includes information related to a UE-to-WLAN connection associated with one or more known WLAN Access Points (APs) for off-loading of data from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP access network via the WLAN.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined environmental signature includes information associated with one or more of IoT device, an IoT Hub, a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP), a Wi-Fi Station (STA), a Wi-Fi mesh AP, a radio head as defined by a 3GPP standard, a LoRa WAN AP, a Helium AP, a Bluetooth device, a Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) IoT device, a Matter IoT device, a Near Field Communication (NFC) device, and a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) device.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing instruction to initiate migrating one or more data sessions from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP network.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the MLS information associated with one or both of the radio frequency (RF) environment and the physical environment are generated by one or both of 3GPP sensors and non-3GPP sensors.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the non-3GPP sensors are selected from the group consisting of an image camera, a video camera, a LiDAR sensor, a sonar sensor, an infrared sensor, a satellite navigation sensor, a Proximity sensor device, a New Radio Proximity Services (NR ProSe) device, an Ultra-wideband (UWB) device, an IEEE 802.11 device, and a Wi-Fi sensing device.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving one or more non-3GPP sensing data associated with one or both of a radio frequency (RF) environment and a physical environment.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-3GPP network is one or more of a DOCSIS network, an optical network, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) network, a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) Satellite network, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite network, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Satellite network, a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) Satellite network, a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) network, a Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) network, and a converged network.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, based on a negative result from the comparing step, determining the UE is not in wireless proximity to the WLAN associated non-3GPP network and disabling the WLAN functionality at the UE.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the WLAN, the UE, and a non-3GPP network modem coordinate with the non-3GPP network to migrate one or more data sessions from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP network.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein received wireless signals associated with the MLS information are received by the UE utilizing a Directional Multi Gigabit (DMG) sensing protocol.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising using range doppler functionality to determine the UE is within wireless communication proximity of the WLAN associated with the non-3GPP network.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the WLAN functionality at the UE is performed by a WLAN ON/OFF function which receives instructions from an MLS function via an MLS interface.
  16. 16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein multi-link sensing is initiated is by the UE.
  17. 17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein multi-link sensing is initiated is by an AP.
  18. 18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein multi-link sensing is initiated by a client.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a multi-link sensing responder is a dedicated MLS device situated in the RF environment.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the UE transmits a Physical layer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU) for use as an MLS signal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication networks, and more specifically, to systems and methods for offloading data sessions from 3GPP networks to non-3GPP networks using multi-link sensing technology. BACKGROUND Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) are a type of wireless network that allows devices to connect and communicate without the use of physical wired connections. One common example of a WLAN is based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, often called Wi-Fi. WLAN networks are commonly used in homes, offices, and public spaces to provide wireless internet access for user devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. WLANs connect to an access network, such as a non-3GPP access network, and provide a wireless connection for user devices to non-3GPP access networks, which together provide internet access. Non-3GPP networks refer to networks that are not based on 3GPP standards. These can include various types of wired and wireless networks, such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks, optical networks, DOCSIS networks, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite networks. These networks can provide internet access to devices and can be used for offloading data and data sessions from 3GPP networks. In the context of mobile communications, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks refer to cellular networks that are based on standards developed by the 3GPP organization. These networks, which include 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies, are designed to provide wide area coverage and support for high-speed data transmission. Offloading refers to the process of transferring data sessions from a 3GPP network to a non-3GPP network, such as a WLAN. This can be beneficial in scenarios where the 3GPP network is congested or where the non-3GPP network can provide a better quality of service. For example, a user might offload data from a cellular network to a home or office WLAN to achieve faster download speeds or to conserve cellular data usage. User Equipment (UE) is a term used in mobile telecommunications to refer to a device, such as a smartphone or tablet, that is used by an end-user to access network services. The UE includes both the hardware, such as the radio and processor, and the software that controls its operation. In some scenarios, the WLAN functionality on the UE may be disabled. This could be due to user preference, power saving measures, or other factors. When the WLAN functionality is disabled, the UE cannot connect to a WLAN and therefore cannot offload data from the 3GPP network. Multi-Link Sensing (MLS) is a technique that involves using multiple wireless links to sense the radio frequency (RF) environment. This can include sensing signals from different wireless technologies, such as WLAN and cellular, as well as sensing physical parameters such as temperature, infrared patterns, and visual data via cameras. The data obtained from MLS can be used to determine various characteristics of the environment, which can in turn be used to make decisions about network connectivity and offloading. SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present disclosure provides a method for controlling a user equipment (UE) using multi-link sensing (MLS) to offload data sessions from a 3GPP network to a non-3GPP network via a WLAN when the WLAN functionality is initially disabled at the UE. This system and method involves receiving an MLS signal associated with a radio frequency (RF) environment and/or a physical environment at a UE. The received MLS signal is processed to determine an environmental signature, which is then compared against one or more RF environmental signatures stored in memory. These stored signatures are associated with the WLAN providing wireless access to the non-3GPP network. Based on this comparison, the WLAN functionality at the UE is enabled to facilitate the offload of data sessions from the 3GPP network to the non-3GPP network in the RF environment. In one aspect of the present systems and methods, the system and method involve receiving one or more MLS signals associated with a radio frequency (RF) environment and/or a physical environment at a UE. The received MLS signal is processed to determine an environmental signature, which is then compared against one or more RF environmental signatures stored in memory. These stored signatures are associated with the WLAN providing wireless access. Based on this comparison, the UE notifies the user via one or more output devices, such as the screen and/or an auditory output, that the UE is within a WLAN functional environment. Optionally, WLAN ON/OFF functionality is provided to the user via the UE such that the user may manually activate the WLAN functionality. It will be understood that opposite is contemplated, that is the MLS functionality may be utilized to determine the UE is no longer in a WLAN functional environment such that the WLAN functionality may be deactivated. In some aspects, the RF environmental s