HK1218034B - Wireless local area network (wlan) selection rules - Google Patents

Description

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) selection rules

Cross-reference to related applications

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/816,662, filed April 26, 2013, entitled “Advanced Wireless Communication Systems and Techniques,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the technical field of wireless local area network (WLAN) selection.

Background Art

The background description provided in this disclosure is intended to generally present the context of the present disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors (to the extent described in this background section) and aspects of the specification that might not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated in this disclosure, the approaches described in this section are not prior art with respect to the claims in this disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

In some cases, a user equipment (UE) of a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network may wish to connect to a WLAN. In some cases, entities of the 3GPP network may provide one or more WLAN selection rules to the UE, and the UE may use these WLAN selection rules to select a WLAN with which it may associate or connect. However, in some cases, such as during a signal reassociation procedure (e.g., a power-up procedure or a loss-of-signal recovery procedure), the UE may not be connected to the 3GPP network. Therefore, entities of the 3GPP network may not be able to provide the WLAN selection rules to the UE during the reassociation procedure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To assist in this description, like reference numerals refer to like structural elements. The embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example and not by way of limitation.

FIG1 schematically illustrates a high-level example of a network including UEs and base stations according to various embodiments.

FIG2 schematically illustrates a high-level example of a network including a UE, multiple public land mobile networks (PLMNs), and multiple WLANs, according to various embodiments.

FIG3 illustrates a process that may be performed by a UE during a power-up procedure, according to various embodiments.

FIG4 illustrates an alternative example of a process that may be performed by a UE during a power-up procedure, according to various embodiments.

FIG5 illustrates an example of a process that may be performed by a UE during a signal loss recovery procedure of the UE according to various embodiments.

FIG6 schematically illustrates an exemplary system that can be used to implement various embodiments described in this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes an apparatus, method, and storage medium for identifying WLAN selection preference rules to be used by a UE during a reassociation process (e.g., a signal loss recovery process or a power-on process). In an embodiment, the WLAN selection preference rules may be pre-provisioned by the UE's Home PLMN (HPLMN).

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application, wherein like numbers refer to like parts in the drawings, and embodiments that can be implemented are shown in the drawings by way of example. It should be understood that other embodiments may be used and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be considered in a limiting sense.

Various operations can be described as multiple discrete actions or operations that are performed in sequence in a manner that is most helpful for understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations must be based on a sequence. Specifically, these operations may not be performed in the order shown. The described operations may be performed in an order different from the described embodiments. In additional embodiments, various additional operations may be performed and/or the described operations may be omitted.

For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A and/or B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A, B and/or C" mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The specification may use the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in multiple embodiments," each phrase referring to one or more of the same or different embodiments. In addition, the terms "including," "having," etc. used with respect to the embodiments of the present disclosure are synonymous.

As discussed in this disclosure, the term "module" may be used to refer to one or more physical or logical components or elements of a system. In some embodiments, a module may be a separate circuit, while in other embodiments, a module may include multiple circuits.

FIG1 schematically illustrates a wireless communication network 100 (hereinafter referred to as “network 100”) in accordance with various embodiments. Network 100 may include a UE 110 communicatively coupled to an access node 105. In some embodiments, network 100 may be an access network of a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, such as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). In these embodiments, access node 105 may be an eNodeB (eNB, also referred to as an evolved NodeB) configured to wirelessly communicate with UE 110 using a wireless protocol (e.g., a 3GPP LTE wireless protocol). In other embodiments, network 100 may be a WLAN, such as a WiFi network described by one or more Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, and access node 105 may be a WiFi access point (AP). In some embodiments, network 100 may include both a WiFi AP and an LTE eNB in communication with UE 110.

As shown in FIG1 , UE 110 may include a transceiver module 122, which may also be referred to as a multi-mode transceiver chip. Transceiver module 122 may be configured to transmit and receive signals using one or more protocols (e.g., LTE and/or WiFi). Specifically, transceiver module 122 may be coupled to one or more of UE 110's multiple antennas 125 to wirelessly communicate with other components of network 100 (e.g., access node 105 or another UE). Antenna 125 may be powered by a power amplifier 130, which may be a component of transceiver module 122 (as shown in FIG1 ) or may be coupled to transceiver module 122. In one embodiment, power amplifier 130 may power all transmissions on antenna 125. In other embodiments, multiple power amplifiers may be present on UE 110. Using multiple antennas 125 may allow UE 110 to employ transmit diversity techniques, such as spatially orthogonal resource transmit diversity (SORTD), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO).

In some embodiments, transceiver module 122 may include a communication module 120 (which may be referred to as a broadband module). Communication module 120 may include both transmitter circuitry 145 and receiver circuitry 150. Transmitter circuitry 145 is configured to cause antenna 125 to transmit one or more signals from UE 110, and receiver circuitry 150 is configured to process signals received by antenna 125. In other embodiments, communication module 120 may be implemented in separate chips or modules, e.g., one chip includes receiver circuitry 150 and another chip includes transmitter circuitry 145. In some embodiments, the transmitted or received signals may be WLAN signals transmitted to or received from a WLAN AP. In other embodiments, these signals may be cellular signals transmitted to or received from a 3GPP eNB. In some embodiments, transceiver module 122 may include or be coupled to a WLAN selection module 155 to select a WLAN from one or more available WLANs, as described below.

Similar to UE 110, access node 105 may include a transceiver module 135. Transceiver module 135 may also be coupled to one or more of multiple antennas 140 of access node 105 to wirelessly communicate with other components of network 100 (e.g., UE 110). Antenna 140 may be powered by a power amplifier 160, which may be a component of transceiver module 135 (as shown in FIG1 ), or may be a separate component of access node 105. In one embodiment, power amplifier 160 may power all transmissions on antenna 140. In other embodiments, there may be multiple power amplifiers on access node 105. Using multiple antennas 140 may allow access node 105 to employ transmit diversity techniques, such as SORTD, MIMO, or FD-MIMO. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 135 may include a transmitter circuit 165 and a receiver circuit 170, wherein the transmitter circuit 165 is configured to cause the antenna 140 to transmit one or more signals from the access node 105, and the receiver circuit 170 is configured to process the signals received by the antenna 140. In other embodiments, the transceiver module 135 may be replaced by a transmitter circuit 165 and a receiver circuit 170 that are separate from each other (not shown). In some embodiments, although not shown, the transceiver module 135 may include a communication module, such as the communication module 120 including the receiver circuit 170 and the transmitter circuit 165.

2 shows a high-level example of a wireless network 200 that may include one or more 3GPP networks and WLAN networks. The coverage areas of the various 3GPP networks and WLAN networks may be represented by the generally circular elements in FIG.

Network 200 may include a UE 205, which may be similar to UE 110 of FIG. 1 . UE 205 may be within the coverage area of one or more 3GPP networks and a WLAN network. Specifically, UE 205 may be within the coverage area of an HPLMN 210, which may be a 3GPP network as described above. HPLMN 210 may include an eNB 215, which may be similar to the eNB and access node 105 described above with respect to FIG. eNB 215 may be coupled to an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) 220 of HPLMN 210. ANDSF 220 may be configured to provide one or more WLAN selection preference rules to UE 205. For example, ANDSF 220 may be configured to provide one or more WLAN selection preference rules, such as Inter-System Mobility Policy (ISMP) rules, Inter-System Routing Policy (ISRP) rules, or WLAN Selection Policy (WLANSP) rules, to UE 205. In some embodiments, when the UE 205 is initially coupled with the HPLMN 210, the ISMP rules, ISRP rules, or WLANSP rules may be provisioned to the UE 205, and the UE 205 may then store the provisioned rules in a storage device of the UE 205, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM), a universal SIM (USIM), a non-volatile storage device of the UE 205, or some other storage device of the UE 205. As discussed in the present disclosure, the provisioned WLAN selection preference rules may be described as pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules.

In some cases, UE 205 may also be within the coverage area of another 3GPP network, such as a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN) 225. Similar to HPLMN 210, VPLMN 225 may include eNB 230 coupled to ANDSF 235. Similar to ANDSF 220, ANDSF 235 may be configured to provide one or more WLAN selection preference rules to UE 205, such as ISMP rules, ISRP rules, and WLANSP rules to UE 205. As shown in FIG2 , in some cases, ANDSF may be within the coverage area of a PLMN, such as ANDSF 220 within the coverage area of HPLMN 210. In other embodiments, ANDSF may be outside the coverage area of a PLMN, such as ANDSF 235 and VPLMN 225.

In an embodiment, HPLMN 210 may be the home network of UE 205. Specifically, the user of UE 205 may have an agreement or contract with the operator of HPLMN 210. Therefore, if the eNB 215 of HPLMN 210 is available, UE 205 may be configured to automatically connect to the eNB 215. In contrast, VPLMN 225 may be a roaming network for UE 205. Specifically, VPLMN 225 may be operated by a mobile operator different from the mobile operator of HPLMN 210. If HPLMN 210 is unavailable, UE 205 may be configured to connect to the eNB 230 of VPLMN 225. In some embodiments, the mobile operator of HPLMN 210 may have a contract with the mobile operator of VPLMN 225. In some embodiments, the mobile operator of HPLMN 210 may be the same entity as the mobile operator of VPLMN 225. Although the coverage areas of HPLMN 210 and VPLMN 225 are shown as at least partially overlapping, in some embodiments, the coverage areas of HPLMN 210 and VPLMN 225 may not overlap. Although only a single VPLMN 225 is shown in FIG2 , in some embodiments, network 200 may include multiple VPLMNs.

In addition to the HPLMN 210 and the VPLMN 225, the UE 205 may also be within the coverage area of one or more WLANs (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 WiFi network described above). Specifically, the UE 205 may be within the coverage area of a known WLAN 240 and configured to couple with an AP 245 of the known WLAN 240, which may be similar to the AP and access node 105 described above with respect to FIG. The known WLAN 240 may be, for example, a WLAN operated by a user of the UE 205, such as a WLAN at the user's home or office. Alternatively, the known WLAN 240 may be a WLAN at an enterprise or other location that the user of the UE 205 has selected to connect to or has otherwise indicated that it is a preferred WLAN of the user of the UE 205.

Network 200 may also include an additional WLAN 250 with an additional AP 255, which may be similar to the AP and access node 105 of FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, WLAN 250 may not be known to UE 205, but may be discovered during the discovery process of UE 205. WLAN 250 may be, for example, a WLAN of a neighbor of the user of UE 205, or a WLAN operated by a mobile operator with which the user of UE 205 does not have a contract or pre-existing relationship. As shown in FIG. 2 , the coverage areas of known WLAN 240 and WLAN 250 may overlap with each other, and in some cases may overlap with the coverage areas of one or both of HPLMN 210 and VPLMN 225. For example, the coverage area of HPLMN 210 may completely overlap with the coverage area of known WLAN 240. In other embodiments, the coverage areas of one or more of HPLMN 210, VPLMN 225, known WLAN 240, and WLAN 250 may not overlap with each other.

In some embodiments, UE 205 may receive one or more WLAN selection preference rules from a PLMN (e.g., HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225). Specifically, UE 205 may receive the WLAN selection preference rules from ANDSF 220 or 235 of HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225. The WLAN selection preference rules may be one or more of WLANSP rules, ISMP rules, and/or ISRP rules. When UE 205 is connected to a PLMN, the WLAN selection preference rules of the PLMN may be considered "active." That is, UE 205 may be configured to apply the WLAN selection preference rules of the PLMN to select the WLAN to which UE 205 should connect. In some embodiments, as described above, UE 205 may be pre-provisioned with the WLAN selection preference rules by HPLMN 210, and the WLAN selection preference rules may be stored by UE 205, for example, in a SIM card, USIM card, or non-volatile storage device of UE 205.

After the HPLMN 210 provides the WLAN selection preference rules in this manner, the UE 205 may enter a situation where the UE 205 cannot register with any PLMN or WLAN. The UE 205 may then initiate a signal reassociation process. For example, the UE 205 may be turned off and then turned on again, which may cause the UE 205 to enter a signal reassociation process, such as during a power-up process. During the power-up process, the UE 205 may not be registered with any PLMN or WLAN, and therefore, the UE 205 may not have active WLAN selection preference rules, such as active WLANSP rules, active ISMP rules, or active ISRP rules.

Alternatively, UE 205 may not be powered off, but may have otherwise lost connection to an available WLAN or PLMN. For example, the user of UE 205 may have entered an elevator or parking garage, or some other situation where PLMN and WLAN signals are unavailable. In this case, UE 205 may enter a signal reassociation process (e.g., a signal loss recovery process) to attempt to reconnect to the PLMN and/or WLAN, but UE 205 may not have an active WLAN selection preference rule, such as an active WLANSP rule, an active ISMP rule, or an active ISRP rule.

As a solution to the above situation (i.e., WLAN selection preference rules may not be considered active during the power-up process or signal loss recovery process), in some embodiments, during the power-up process or signal loss recovery process before UE 205 connects to the PLMN or WLAN, UE 205 may consider one or more pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules received from HPLMN 210 as active. For example, in some embodiments, during the power-up process or signal loss recovery process, one or more of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules (e.g., WLANSP rules, ISMP rules, or ISRP rules) received from HPLMN 210 may be considered active rules by UE 205, as described in detail below.

FIG3 illustrates an exemplary process that may be used by a UE (e.g., UE 205) during its power-up process. Initially, at 300, UE 205 may identify whether UE 205 has been pre-provisioned with one or more HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules by HPLMN 210. As described above, the WLAN selection preference rules may be stored in a storage device of UE 205 (e.g., the UE's non-volatile memory, SIM, USIM, or some other storage device). The WLAN selection preference rules may be, for example, WLANSP rules, ISMP rules, and/or ISRP rules.

Then, at 305, UE 205 may identify whether UE 205 has received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from a VPLMN (e.g., VPLMN 225). For example, during a power-up process, UE 205 may connect to VPLMN 225, and specifically to eNB 230 of VPLMN 225. After connecting to VPLMN 225, UE 205 may receive one or more WLAN selection preference rules from VPLMN 225, and specifically from ANDSF 235 of VPLMN 225. The WLAN selection preference rules may be, for example, WLANSP rules, ISMP rules, and/or ISRP rules.

If UE 205 has not yet received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from VPLMN 225, then at 310, UE 205 may use one or more of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules received from HPLMN 210. For example, UE 205 may not yet be connected to a PLMN (e.g., HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225). Therefore, during the power-up process, UE 205 may not have received WLAN selection preference rules from HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225. Therefore, UE 205 may default to using the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules identified at 300.

In some embodiments, if UE 205 is already connected to a VPLMN (e.g., VPLMN 225) and has received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from VPLMN 225, then at 315, UE 205 may check a configuration flag to identify whether UE 205 is configured to use the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules identified at 300 or the WLAN selection preference rules received from VPLMN 225. In some embodiments, the configuration flag may be based on a user setting, a setting of the manufacturer of UE 205, an indication received by UE 205 from HPLMN 210, an indication received by UE 205 from VPLMN 225, an indication received by UE 205 from one or more WLANs, or some other setting.

If the configuration flag indicates that the UE 205 is configured to use the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules identified at 300, then at 310, the UE 205 may use the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules to select a WLAN to which the UE 205 should connect. If the configuration flag indicates that the UE 205 is configured not to use the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules identified at 300, then at 320, the UE 205 may use one or more of the WLAN selection preference rules received from the VPLMN 225 to select a WLAN to which the UE 205 should connect. The UE 205 may then connect to the selected WLAN at 325. For example, the UE 205 may connect to the known WLAN 240 or the WLAN 250 based on the WLAN selection preference rules used.

FIG4 illustrates an alternative process that may be used by UE 205 during the power-up process of UE 205. First, at 400, UE 205 may identify whether UE 205 has been pre-provisioned with one or more WLAN selection preference rules by HPLMN 210. Specifically, the identification at 400 may be similar to the identification at 300 described above. Next, at 405, UE 205 may identify whether UE 205 has received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from VPLMN 225. Specifically, the identification at 405 may be similar to the identification at 305 described above. As described above with respect to element 310, if UE 205 has not received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from VPLMN 225, then at 410, UE 205 may use one or more of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules to select a WLAN to which UE 205 should connect.

If the UE 205 has received one or more WLAN selection preference rules from the VPLMN 225, the UE 205 may identify whether the VPLMN 225 is a preferred VPLMN at 415. For example, the UE 205 may analyze a list or table of preferred VPLMNs to identify whether the VPLMN 225 is a preferred VPLMN. In some embodiments, the list of preferred VPLMNs may be based on an indication from the HPLMN 210, user settings, previous connection history with the VPLMNs, or some other criteria.

If VPLMN 225 is identified as a preferred VPLMN at 415, UE 205 may be configured to use the one or more WLAN selection preference rules received from the VPLMN to select a WLAN to which UE 205 should connect at 420. If VPLMN 225 is not identified as a preferred VPLMN at 415, UE 205 may be configured to use the one or more pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules to select a WLAN to which UE 205 should connect at 410. UE 205 may then connect to the selected WLAN at 425. For example, UE 205 may connect to known WLAN 240 or WLAN 250 based on the WLAN selection preference rules used.

Although two different power-up procedures are described above, which may use different configuration flags or settings to select between one or more pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules and one or more WLAN selection preference rules received from the VPLMN 225, the above embodiments are merely examples of using these configuration flags or settings. In other embodiments, additional or alternative flags may be used in conjunction with or in place of the above flags or settings.

FIG5 illustrates an exemplary process that may be used by a UE (e.g., UE 205) to identify a default WLAN selection preference rule, which may be used by the UE 205 to select a WLAN to which the UE 205 should connect, during a signal loss recovery process that may be performed by the UE 205. As described above, the UE 205 may lose signal connectivity with both the PLMN and the WLAN due to a network failure, the UE 205 being temporarily located in a location such as an elevator or a parking garage, or for some other reason. Once the UE 205 is able to connect to the WLAN and/or the PLMN, the UE 205 may initiate the signal loss recovery process.

First, at 500, UE 205 may identify whether UE 205 is in the coverage area of a PLMN (e.g., HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225). In some embodiments, the PLMN may be the PLMN (RPLMN) to which UE 205 was most recently registered. In some embodiments, the PLMN may additionally or alternatively be an equivalent PLMN (EPLMN). The EPLMN may be a PLMN that is not the same as the HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225, but rather a PLMN that has a contract with the HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225 to provide the services of the HPLMN 210 or VPLMN 225, respectively.

If the UE 205 is not in the coverage area of the PLMN, then at 505, the UE 205 may identify whether the UE 205 is in the coverage area of a known WLAN (eg, the known WLAN 240).

If UE 205 is not in the coverage area of a PLMN and UE 205 is in the coverage area of a known WLAN (eg, known WLAN 240), UE 205 may identify as a default WLAN selection preference rule that UE 205 should select the known WLAN at 510 as the WLAN to which UE 205 should connect.

If UE 205 is not in the coverage area of a PLMN and UE 205 is not in the coverage area of a known WLAN, then at 515, UE 205 may identify one or more of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules as default WLAN selection preference rules that UE 205 should use to select a WLAN to which UE 205 should connect. Specifically, as described above, UE 205 may identify the pre-provisioned WLANSP rules, ISMP rules, or ISRP rules that UE 205 received from the HPLMN 210 (e.g., HPLMN 210) before UE 205 lost connection with the HPLMN as the default WLAN selection preference rules.

If UE 205 is within the coverage area of a PLMN and is not within the coverage area of a known WLAN, UE 205 may continue to connect to the PLMN. In some embodiments, the PLMN may be the RPLMN of UE 205, which may indicate that the RPLMN is the PLMN to which UE 205 is registered. The RPLMN may be the same as the HPLMN 210, the VPLMN 225, or some other PLMN. UE 205 may receive one or more WLAN selection preference rules from the RPLMN. UE 205 may then identify one or more of the WLAN selection preference rules from the RPLMN or the EPLMN of the RPLMN as default WLAN selection preference rules. At 525, UE 205 may use the identified default WLAN selection preference rules to identify a WLAN to which UE 205 may connect.

If the UE 205 is within the coverage area of the PLMN and the UE 205 is within the coverage area of a known WLAN, then at 530, the UE 205 may identify whether the UE 205 is configured to connect to the known WLAN 240. If the UE 205 is configured to select the known WLAN 240, then the UE 205 may identify as a default WLAN selection preference rule that the UE 205 should select the known WLAN as the WLAN to which the UE 205 should connect at 535.

If the UE is not configured to select a known WLAN, UE 205 may continue to connect to the PLMN as described above. UE 205 may receive one or more WLAN selection preference rules from the RPLMN. UE 205 may then identify one or more of the WLAN selection preference rules from the RPLMN or its EPLMN as default WLAN selection preference rules. At 525, UE 205 may use the identified default WLAN selection preference rules to identify a WLAN to which UE 205 may connect. UE 205 may then use the identified default WLAN selection preference rules to connect to the selected WLAN, e.g., known WLAN 240 or WLAN 250.

Although not shown in FIG. 5 , in some embodiments, UE 205 may identify one or more pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules and determine whether to use the RPLMN (or EPLMN) WLAN selection preference rules or the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules at 525. For example, as described above with respect to FIG. 4 , UE 205 may identify whether the RPLMN is the preferred VPLMN. Additionally or alternatively, as described above with respect to FIG. 3 , UE 205 may identify whether a configuration flag of UE 205 indicates use of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules or the RPLMN (or EPLMN) WLAN selection preference rules. Additionally or alternatively, UE 205 may identify the relative priority of the pre-provisioned HPLMN WLAN selection preference rules or the RPLMN (or EPLMN) WLAN selection preference rules, or one or more additional or alternative selection criteria.

Although, as described above, at 500, UE 205 can identify whether UE 205 is in the coverage area of an HPLMN, VPLMN, the nearest RPLMN, or EPLMN, and can connect to the nearest RPLMN, in some embodiments, at 520, UE 205 can identify that UE 205 is in the coverage area of a known WLAN 240. In some embodiments, known WLAN 240 can support connectivity to HPLMN 210, so UE 205 can select HPLMN 210 and not return to the nearest RPLMN that UE 205 accessed via the WLAN connection. Specifically, if UE 205 is in the coverage area of both an RPLMN (which can be, for example, VPLMN 225) and an HPLMN 210, UE 205 can be configured to automatically select HPLMN 210 instead of the nearest RPLMN. The home operator (i.e., the operator of HPLMN 210) can control whether UE 205 that supports this option performs this behavior through configuration. If the HPLMN 210 cannot be discovered, the UE 205 may return to its nearest RPLMN at 500 (if available).

In some embodiments, the RPLMN can be indicated to UE 205 via an entry in an ANDSF Management Object (MO), such as from the ANDSF of the RPLMN. In some embodiments, the ANDSF MO can also indicate whether to use the HPLMN 210 or the nearest RPLMN. In some embodiments, the nearest RPLMN information can be stored in non-volatile memory of UE 205, in the SIM card of UE 205, or in the USIM of UE 205.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as a system using any suitable hardware and/or software to perform the desired configuration. FIG6 schematically illustrates an exemplary system 600 that may be used to implement various embodiments described in the present disclosure. For one embodiment, FIG6 illustrates the exemplary system 600 having one or more processors 605, a system control module 610 coupled to at least one of the processor(s) 605, a system memory 615 coupled to the system control module 610, a non-volatile memory (NVM)/storage device 620 coupled to the system control module 610, and one or more communication interfaces 625 coupled to the system control module 610.

In some embodiments, the system 600 can function as the UE 110 or 205 described in the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the system 600 can function as the access node 105, the eNB 215 or 230, the AP 245 or 255, or the ANDSF 220 or 235 described in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the system 600 can include one or more computer-readable media (e.g., system memory or NVM/storage 620) having instructions and one or more processors (e.g., processor(s) 605) coupled to the one or more computer-readable media and configured to execute the instructions to implement modules that perform the actions described in the present disclosure.

For one embodiment, system control module 610 may include any suitable interface controller to provide any suitable interface to at least one of processor(s) 605 and/or any suitable device or component in communication with system control module 610 .

The system control module 610 may include a memory controller module 630 to provide an interface to the system memory 615. The memory controller module 630 may be a hardware module, a software module, and/or a firmware module.

System memory 615 can be used, for example, to load and store data and/or instructions for system 600. For one embodiment, system memory 615 can include any suitable volatile memory, such as suitable DRAM. In some embodiments, system memory 615 can include double data rate type four synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR4 SDRAM).

For one embodiment, the system control module 610 may include one or more input/output (I/O) controllers to provide interfaces to the NVM/storage device 620 and the communication interface(s) 625 .

For example, the NVM/storage device 620 may be used to store data and/or instructions. The NVM/storage device 620 may include any suitable non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory) and/or may include any suitable non-volatile storage device(s) (e.g., one or more hard disk drives (HDDs), one or more compact disk (CD) drives, and/or one or more digital versatile disk (DVD) drives). In some embodiments, the NVM/storage device 620 may be coupled to the communication module 120, and the communication module 120 may be configured to store data, such as received WLAN selection preference rules, in the NVM/storage device 620.

NVM/storage device 620 may include storage resources that are physically part of the device on which system 600 is installed, or that are accessible to the device without being part of the device. For example, NVM/storage device 620 may be accessed over a network via communication interface(s) 625.

Communication interface(s) 625 can provide an interface for system 600 to communicate over one or more networks and/or with any other suitable devices. System 600 can wirelessly communicate with one or more components of a wireless network according to any of one or more wireless network standards and/or protocols. In some embodiments, communication interface(s) 625 can include transceiver module 122 or 135.

For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 605 may be packaged together with the logic of one or more controllers of the system control module 610 (e.g., the memory controller module 630). For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 605 may be packaged together with the logic of one or more controllers of the system control module 610 to form a system-in-package (SiP). For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 605 may be integrated on the same die with the logic of one or more controllers of the system control module 610. For one embodiment, at least one of the processor(s) 605 may be integrated on the same die with the logic of one or more controllers of the system control module 610 to form a system-on-chip (SoC).

In some embodiments, processor(s) 605 may include, or otherwise be coupled with, one or more of: a graphics processing unit (GPU) (not shown), a digital signal processor (DSP) (not shown), a wireless modem (not shown), a digital camera or multimedia circuitry (not shown), sensor circuitry (not shown), display circuitry (not shown), and/or GPS circuitry (not shown).

In various embodiments, system 600 may be, but is not limited to, a server, a workstation, a desktop computing device, or a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computing device, a handheld computing device, a tablet computer, a netbook, a smartphone, a game console, etc.). In various embodiments, system 600 may have more or fewer components and/or a different architecture. For example, in some embodiments, system 600 includes one or more of the following: a camera, a keyboard, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen (including a touchscreen display), a non-volatile memory port, multiple antennas, a graphics chip, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a speaker.

Example

Example 1 may include an apparatus to be used in a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a communication module to receive a wireless local area network (WLAN) selection preference rule from a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and store the WLAN selection preference rule in a non-volatile storage medium; and a WLAN selection module to select a WLAN based at least in part on the WLAN selection preference rule during a power-up process of the UE and before the UE associates with the public land mobile network (PLMN).

Example 2 may include the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule is a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule of the HPLMN.

Example 3 may include the apparatus of Example 2, wherein the WLAN selection module is to select the WLAN based at least in part on the priority indication of the WLANSP rule.

Example 4 may include the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the communication module is to receive the WLAN selection preference rule from an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) of the HPLMN.

Example 5 may include the apparatus of any of Examples 1-4, wherein the communication module further receives an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule from a visited PLMN (VPLMN) during a power-up process of the UE.

Example 6 may include the apparatus of Example 5, wherein: if the configuration flag provides an indication to use the WLAN selection preference rule, the WLAN selection module is to select the WLAN based on the WLAN selection preference rule; and wherein, if the configuration flag does not provide an indication to use the WLAN selection preference rule, the WLAN selection module is to select the WLAN based on the ISMP rule of the VPLMN or the ISRP rule of the VPLMN.

Example 7 may include the apparatus of Example 5, wherein: if the VPLMN is a preferred VPLMN, the WLAN selection module selects the WLAN based on the ISMP rule of the VPLMN or the ISRP rule of the VPLMN; and if the VPLMN is not a preferred VPLMN, the WLAN selection module selects the WLAN based on the WLAN selection preference rule.

Example 8 may include the apparatus of any one of Examples 1-4, wherein the communication module is a baseband module, and the apparatus further includes a multi-mode transceiver chip, the multi-mode transceiver chip including the baseband module, a WLAN selection module, and a power management unit that controls power provided to the baseband module and the WLAN selection module.

Example 9 may include a method comprising: accessing, during a reassociation procedure for a user equipment, a wireless local area network (WLAN) selection preference rule initially provided to the UE by a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) of the UE; selecting, during the reassociation procedure for the UE, a WLAN based at least in part on the WLAN selection preference rule; and associating, by the UE, with the selected WLAN.

Example 10 may include the method of Example 9, wherein the reassociation process is a power-on process.

Example 11 may include the method of Example 9, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule is a HPLMN WLAN Selection Policy (WLANSP) rule, an Inter-System Mobility Policy (ISMP) rule, or an Inter-System Routing Policy (ISRP) rule.

Example 12 may include the method of Example 11, further comprising selecting the WLAN based at least in part on a priority indication of a WLANSP rule, an ISMP rule, or an ISRP rule of the HPLMN.

Example 13 may include the method of Example 9, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule is a WLAN selection preference rule of an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) of the HPLMN.

Example 14 may include the method of any one of Examples 9-12, further comprising: during the power-up process, the UE receives a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule of a visited PLMN (VPLMN).

Example 15 may include the method of Example 14, further including: if the configuration flag indicates that the WLAN selection preference rule is used, the UE selects the WLAN based on the WLAN selection preference rule; and if the configuration flag indicates that the WLAN selection preference rule is not used, the UE selects the WLAN based on the WLANSP rule, ISMP rule, or ISRP rule of the VPLMN.

Example 16 may include the method of Example 14, further comprising: if the VPLMN is not the preferred VPLMN of the UE, selecting the WLAN by the UE based on the WLAN selection preference rule; and if the VPLMN is the preferred VPLMN, selecting the WLAN by the UE based on the WLANSP rule, ISMP rule, or ISRP rule of the VPLMN.

Example 17 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: identify availability of a public land mobile network (PLMN) during a signal loss recovery procedure for the UE; identify availability of a known wireless local area network (WLAN) for the UE during a signal loss recovery procedure for the UE; identify a default WLAN selection preference rule for the UE based at least in part on the availability of the PLMN and the availability of the WLAN; select a WLAN based at least in part on the default WLAN selection preference rule; and associate with the WLAN.

Example 18 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of Example 17, wherein if the PLMN is not available and a known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to select the known WLAN.

Example 19 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of Example 17, wherein if the PLMN is unavailable and the WLAN is known to be unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to select the WLAN based on a WLAN selection preference rule of a home PLMN (HPLMN) of the UE.

Example 20 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of Example 19, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule of the home PLMN is a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule of an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) of the HPLMN.

Example 21 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of Example 17, wherein, if a PLMN is available and a known WLAN is not available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to: associate with the PLMN; receive a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule from the PLMN; and select the WLAN based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule.

Example 22 may include the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of Example 17, wherein, if a PLMN is available and a known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to: identify whether the UE is configured to associate with a known WLAN; if the UE is configured to associate with a known WLAN, select the known WLAN; and if the UE is not configured to associate with a known WLAN, associate with the PLMN; receive a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule from the PLMN; and select the WLAN based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule.

Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising: means for identifying availability of a public land mobile network (PLMN) during a signal loss recovery procedure for the UE; means for identifying availability of a known wireless local area network (WLAN) for the UE during a signal loss recovery procedure for the UE; means for identifying a default WLAN selection preference rule for the UE based at least in part on the availability of the PLMN and the availability of the WLAN; means for selecting a WLAN based at least in part on the default WLAN selection preference rule; and means for associating with the WLAN.

Example 24 may include the apparatus of Example 23, wherein if the PLMN is not available and a known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to select the known WLAN.

Example 25 may include the apparatus of Example 23, wherein if the PLMN is not available and the WLAN is known to be unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to select the WLAN based on a WLAN selection preference rule of a home PLMN (HPLMN) of the UE.

Example 26 may include the apparatus of Example 25, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule of the home PLMN is a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule of an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) of the HPLMN.

Example 27 may include the apparatus of Example 23, wherein, if a PLMN is available and a known WLAN is not available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to: be associated with the PLMN; receive a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule from the PLMN; and select the WLAN based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule.

Example 28 may include the apparatus of Example 23, wherein, if a PLMN is available and a known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule is to: identify whether the UE is configured to associate with a known WLAN; if the UE is configured to associate with a known WLAN, select the known WLAN; and if the UE is not configured to associate with a known WLAN, associate with the PLMN; receive a WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule, an inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule, or an inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule from the PLMN; and select the WLAN based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule.

Although certain embodiments have been shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is expressly intended that the embodiments described herein be limited only by the claims.

Where the disclosure recites an element with the article "a" or "first" or its equivalent, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, and neither requires nor excludes two or more such elements. Furthermore, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second, or third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between such elements without indicating or implying a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a specific position or order of such elements, unless otherwise specifically stated.

Claims (25)

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Communication module, used for: The Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) receives a first WLAN selection preference rule, wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule is the WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule of the HPLMMN. The first WLAN selection preference rule is stored in a non-volatile storage medium; and During power-up, receive one or more second WLAN selection preference rules from the visited PLMN (VPLMN); and WLAN selection module, used for: During the power-on process and before the device has registered with any PLMN, the WLAN to be connected to is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; If the configuration flags provide an indication to use the first WLAN selection preference rule, then the WLAN is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; and If the configuration flag does not provide an indication to use the first WLAN selection preference rule, then the WLAN is selected based on the second WLAN selection preference rule. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the WLAN selection module selects the WLAN based on the priority indication of the WLANSP rule. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module receives the first WLAN selection preference rule from the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) of the HPLMN. 4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the second WLAN selection preference rule includes a WLANSP rule, an Inter-System Mobility Policy (ISMP) rule, or an Inter-System Routing Policy (ISRP) rule. 5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the communication module is a baseband module, and the apparatus further comprises a multi-mode transceiver chip, the multi-mode transceiver chip comprising the baseband module, the WLAN selection module, and a power management unit, the power management unit controlling the power supplied to the baseband module and the WLAN selection module. 6. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Communication module, used for: Receive a first WLAN selection preference rule from the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule is the WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule of the HPLMMN. The first WLAN selection preference rule is stored in a non-volatile storage medium; and During power-up, receive one or more second WLAN selection preference rules from the visited PLMN (VPLMN); and WLAN selection module, used for: During the power-on process and before the device has registered with any PLMN, the WLAN to be connected to is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; If the VPLMN is a preferred VPLMN, then the WLAN is selected based on the second WLAN selection preference rule; and If the VPLMN is not a preferred VPLMN, then the WLAN is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule. 7. A method for wireless communication, comprising: During the reassociation process of the user equipment (UE), the first WLAN selection preference rule provided to the UE by the UE's home public land mobile network (HPLMN) is accessed, wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule is the WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule of the HPLMN. During the reassociation process, the UE receives one or more second WLAN selection preference rules from the visited PLMN, i.e., the VPLMN; During the reassociation process of the UE, when the UE has not yet registered with any PLMN, the WLAN to be connected to is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; If the configuration flag indicates that the first WLAN selection preference rule is used, then the UE selects the WLAN based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; If the configuration flag indicates that the first WLAN selection preference rule is not used, then the UE selects the WLAN based on the second WLAN selection preference rule; and The UE is associated with the selected WLAN. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the reassociation process is a power-on process. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule further includes the inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rule or the inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rule of the HPLMN. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: selecting the WLAN based on the priority indication of the WLANSP rule, ISMP rule, or ISRP rule of the HPLMMN. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule includes the WLAN selection preference rule of the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) of the HPLMMN. 12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, wherein the second WLAN selection preference rule includes a WLAN selection policy WLANSP rule, an inter-system mobility policy ISMP rule, or an inter-system routing policy ISRP rule. 13. A method for wireless communication, comprising: During the reassociation process of the user equipment (UE), the first WLAN selection preference rule provided to the UE by the UE's home public land mobile network (HPLMN) is accessed, wherein the first WLAN selection preference rule is the WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rule of the HPLMN. During the reassociation process, the UE receives one or more second WLAN selection preference rules from the visited PLMN, i.e., the VPLMN; During the reassociation process of the UE, when the UE has not yet registered with any PLMN, the WLAN to be connected to is selected based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; If the VPLMN is not the UE's preferred VPLMN, then the UE selects the WLAN based on the first WLAN selection preference rule; and If the VPLMN is a preferred VPLMN, then the UE selects the WLAN based on the second WLAN selection preference rule. 14. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A device for identifying the availability of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) during signal loss recovery of a User Equipment (UE); A device for identifying the availability of a known wireless local area network (WLAN) of the UE during the signal loss recovery process of the UE; The apparatus is used to identify the UE's default WLAN selection preference rule based on the availability of the PLMN and the availability of the WLAN; A device for selecting the WLAN to connect to based on the default WLAN selection preference rules; and Devices used in association with the WLAN. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the PLMN is unavailable but the known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule will select the known WLAN. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the PLMN is unavailable and the known WLAN is unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule will select the WLAN based on the WLAN selection preference rule of the UE's home PLMN, i.e., the HPLMN. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule of the home PLMN is the WLAN selection policy WLANSP rule, the inter-system mobility policy ISMP rule, or the inter-system routing policy ISRP rule of the access network discovery and selection function ANDSF of the HPLMMN. 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the PLMN is available but the known WLAN is unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule will: Associated with the PLMN; Receive WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rules, inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rules, or inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rules from the PLMN; and The WLAN is selected based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule. 19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the PLMN is available and the known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule will: Identify whether the UE is configured to be associated with the known WLAN; If the UE is configured to be associated with the known WLAN, then the known WLAN is selected; and If the UE is configured not to be associated with the known WLAN, then: Associated with the PLMN; Receive WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rules, inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rules, or inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rules from the PLMN; and The WLAN is selected based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule. 20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions configured to, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: During the signal loss recovery process of the UE, the availability of the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) is identified; During the signal loss recovery process of the UE, the availability of the UE's known wireless local area network (WLAN) is identified; The UE's default WLAN selection preference rule is identified based on the availability of the PLMN and the availability of the known WLANs; The desired WLAN connection is selected based on the default WLAN selection preference rules; and Associated with the WLAN. 21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 20, wherein if the PLMN is unavailable but the known WLAN is available, the default WLAN selection preference rule will select the known WLAN. 22. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 20, wherein if the PLMN is unavailable and the known WLAN is unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule will select the WLAN based on the WLAN selection preference rule of the UE's home PLMN, i.e., the HPLMN. 23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 22, wherein the WLAN selection preference rule of the home PLMN is the WLAN selection policy WLANSP rule, the inter-system mobility policy ISMP rule, or the inter-system routing policy ISRP rule of the access network discovery and selection function ANDSF of the HPLMMN. 24. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 20, wherein if the PLMN is available but the known WLAN is unavailable, the default WLAN selection preference rule will be: Associated with the PLMN; Receive WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rules, inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rules, or inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rules from the PLMN; and The WLAN is selected based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule. 25. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in claim 20, wherein, If the PLMN is available and the known WLAN is available, then the default WLAN selection preference rule will be: Identify whether the UE is configured to be associated with the known WLAN; If the UE is configured to be associated with the known WLAN, then the known WLAN is selected; and If the UE is configured not to be associated with the known WLAN, then: Associated with the PLMN; Receive WLAN selection policy (WLANSP) rules, inter-system mobility policy (ISMP) rules, or inter-system routing policy (ISRP) rules from the PLMN; and The WLAN is selected based on the WLANSP rule, the ISMP rule, or the ISRP rule.