Multi-RAT carrier aggregation for integrated WWAN-WLAN operation

1. A Multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Carrier Aggregation (MRCA) module comprising:

a control signaling module in an NodeB that includes a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio integrated with a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio, wherein the control signaling module is configured to communicate WWAN control signaling and WLAN control signaling from the NodeB via a WWAN radio connection of the wireless device, wherein the control signaling module is configured to send control plane messages via radio resource control (RRC) signaling between the eNodeB containing the MCRA module and a wireless device containing the MRCA module via the WWAN radio connection between the eNodeB and the wireless device; and

a WLAN interface module configured to interface between the WWAN radio and the WLAN radio in the NodeB to communicate the control signaling communicated via the WWAN radio connection with the WLAN radio.

2. The MRCA module of claim 1 , wherein the MRCA module is configured to operate in the wireless device that is one of a mobile wireless device, a fixed wireless device, a mobile station (MS), a user equipment (UE), a base station (BS), a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio equipment (RRE), a remote radio unit (RRU), and combinations thereof.

3. The MRCA module of claim 1 , wherein the control plane messages are used to perform at least one of initiate data offload from the WWAN radio to the WLAN radio, terminate data offload, and control the data offload to the WLAN radio.

4. The MRCA module of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN interface module comprises:

a WLAN radio monitoring module configured to setup and monitor the WLAN radio on a control plane in communication with a WLAN device driver;

a WLAN receive module configured to communicate packets received by the WLAN radio to the WLAN device driver; and

a WLAN transmit module configured to communicate packets from the WLAN device driver to the WLAN radio for transmission.

5. A method for Multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Carrier Aggregation (MRCA) wireless wide area network (WWAN) assisted wireless local area network (WLAN) discovery and association, comprising:

identifying, via a WWAN radio connection between a dual mode UE and a dual mode eNodeB, when a WLAN radio connection is to be established between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB;

configuring, via the WWAN radio connection, the WLAN radio connection between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB; and

monitoring, via the WWAN radio connection, a link quality of the WLAN radio connection and a quality of service (QoS) of data packets to be communicated between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein identifying when a WLAN radio connection is to be established further comprises exchanging, via the WWAN radio connection, a WLAN carrier aggregation capability between the dual mode wireless device and the dual mode eNodeB.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein identifying when a WLAN radio connection is to be established further comprises determining when a WLAN access point at the dual mode eNodeB is to be turned on based, at least in part on at least one of:

a communication load on the WWAN;

a communication load on a core network associated with the WWAN; and

a number of dual mode UEs that can support carrier aggregation that are located within a coverage area of the dual mode eNodeB.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises communicating WLAN discovery assistance information from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE via the WWAN radio connection.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises sending a WLAN configuration request from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE via the WWAN radio connection.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein sending the WLAN configuration request further comprises sending, from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE via the WWAN radio connection:

a WLAN network information element that includes information about each WLAN access point attached to the dual mode eNodeB;

a network identifier element that is at least one of a service set identification (SSID) and a Homogenous Extended Service Set identification (HESSID) to identify a WLAN access point at the eNodeB;

a radio parameter element that includes at least one of a channel identifier of the WLAN radio connection, a frequency band of each WLAN radio connection, and a maximum data rate of each WLAN radio connection; and

a request measurement element that includes a flag indicating a request for a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the WLAN radio connection, a signal to noise ratio of the WLAN radio connection, and a percent of missed beacons for each WLAN access point at the dual mode eNodeB.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises:

identifying priority information for each WLAN access point at the dual mode eNodeB when multiple WLAN access points exist;

turning a WLAN radio on at the dual mode UE; and

collecting WLAN radio pre-association metrics.

12. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises receiving a WLAN configuration response at the dual mode eNodeB from the dual mode UE via the WWAN radio connection.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein receiving the WLAN configuration response further comprises receiving, at the dual mode eNodeB from the dual mode UE, via the WWAN radio connection at least one of:

a status of the WLAN radio at the dual mode device, wherein the status includes at least one of a status of busy, a status of not available for carrier aggregation, and a status of available for carrier aggregation;

pre-association measurement information for at least one WLAN access point in the dual mode eNodeB;

a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement for the WLAN radio in the dual mode UE;

a percentage of missed beacons for the WLAN radio in the dual mode UE; and

a signal to noise ratio for the WLAN radio in the dual mode UE.

14. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises sending a WLAN configuration acknowledgment from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE via the WWAN radio connection.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein sending the WLAN configuration acknowledgement further comprises sending, from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE, via the WWAN radio connection, at least one of:

a status association flag indicating whether a WLAN association should be established between the dual mode eNodeB and the dual mode UE;

a WLAN identification comprising a basic service set identification (BSSID) of at least one WLAN radio at the dual mode eNodeB with which association is to be established;

a mode of connection comprising at least one of an infrastructure mode and a WiFi direct mode; and

a reason code indicating a reason for declining association.

16. The method of claim 5 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises initiating the WLAN radio connection between the WLAN radio of the dual mode UE and the WLAN access point of the dual mode eNodeB.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein initiating the WLAN radio connection further comprises initiation of the WLAN radio connection between the WLAN radio of the dual mode UE and a selected WLAN access point of the dual mode eNodeB, wherein the WLAN access point is selected, at least in part, based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measurement between the WLAN radio of the dual mode UE and each WLAN access point of the dual mode eNodeB.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein configuring the WLAN radio connection further comprises dynamically associating the WLAN radio of the dual mode UE with a different WLAN access point of the dual mode eNodeB when an RSSI measurement changes due to a movement of the dual mode UE and results in a different WLAN access point having a desired RSSI measurement.

19. The method of claim 5 , further comprising sending, via the WWAN radio connection, a WLAN disable offload request from the dual mode eNodeB to the dual mode UE, wherein the WLAN disable offload request is sent, at least in part, based on:

a lack of data to transmit on the WLAN radio connection;

a WLAN radio connection link quality lower than a selected threshold; and

a WLAN QoS less than a desired threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the WLAN disable offload request includes a WLAN identification that is a basic service set identification (BSSID) of the WLAN access point with which offloading is to be disabled.

21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

redirecting, at the dual mode UE, WLAN traffic flows to the WWAN radio connection; and

sending, via the WWAN radio connection, a WLAN disable offload response from the dual mode mobile wireless device to the dual mode eNodeB.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein sending the WLAN disable offload response includes:

a WLAN identification that is a basic service set identification (BSSID) of the WLAN access point with which offloading is to be disabled; and

a status offloading indicator that indicates a status of the offloading operation as one of on and off.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising terminating the WLAN radio connection between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB to disassociate the WLAN access point and the WLAN radio.

24. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions adapted to be executed to implement the method for Multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Carrier Aggregation (MRCA) wireless wide area network (WWAN) assisted wireless local area network (WLAN) discovery and association, comprising:

exchanging, via a WWAN radio connection between a dual mode UE and a dual mode eNodeB, a WLAN carrier aggregation capability of the dual mode UE;

configuring, via the WWAN radio connection, the WLAN radio connection between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB; and

monitoring, via the WWAN radio connection, a link quality of the WLAN radio connection and a quality of service (QoS) of data packets to be communicated between the dual mode UE and the dual mode eNodeB.

25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising mapping a quality of service (QoS) class identifier (QCI) associated with each service flow in the WWAN that is to be offloaded to the WLAN radio connection, wherein each service flow is mapped based on the link quality and QoS of the data packets.