Patent Description:
Wireless networks may employ multiple radio access technologies (RATs) to provide access to wireless resources to a variety of wireless devices in different contexts. Such networks may be referred to as hybrid or heterogeneous networks. In some cases, a network may include <NUM> New Radio (<NUM> NR), or Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless RAT and another wireless RAT, such as Wi-Fi, e.g., according to an <NUM>. 11ax or <NUM>. 11be (Extremely High Throughput, EHT) standard. Some applications will require the use of multiple RATs in the network. Those applications may also have end-to-end requirements on latency, jitter, availability, reliability, survival time, update time, and/or service bit rate.

<CIT> describes, according to its abstract, a method of transmitting data from a terminal simultaneously using multiple radio access technologies to one or more base stations/access points.

<CIT> describes methods and systems for coexistence management. A first access point operating in an unlicensed frequency band using a first RAT receives, from a second access point operating in the unlicensed frequency band using a second RAT, information regarding operation of the second access point in the unlicensed frequency band. It is determined, using the received information, that the first access point or the second access point is using a first share of the unlicensed frequency band that is below a predetermined threshold, indicating an imbalance of usage between the first RAT and the second RAT.

For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

The invention to which this European patent application relates is defined in the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure and its advantages are best understood by referring to <FIG> of the drawings, like numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings. Although certain embodiments may be described in reference to particular illustrated examples, the disclosure herein is not limited to the particular illustrated embodiments and/or configurations and includes any and all variants of the illustrated embodiments and any and all systems, methods, or apparatuses consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, as understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

Applications may be implemented on heterogeneous wireless networks using multiple RATs. For example, there are several situations where <NUM> New Radio (<NUM>-NR) and Wi-Fi (e.g., <NUM>. 11ax or <NUM>. 11be i.e. extremely high throughput (EHT)) systems are expected to be used in the same network. In particular, certain industrial applications require devices and networks using both Wi-Fi (or upgraded to 11ax/EHT) and <NUM>-NR due to hazardous conditions that make it difficult to place cables, placement near or on rotating or moving parts of a machine, and mobility requirements. As another example, amusement parks have some devices using 11ax/EHT (such as sensors, surveillance cameras) and also deploy <NUM>-NR coverage to cover the entire park. Similarly, railways and railcars may employ heterogeneous networks to ensure continuous coverage across the journey and control devices onboard. <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate two example scenarios for how heterogeneous network deployment, but the disclosure herein may apply to any deployment of heterogeneous networks that involve traffic for an application across multiple RATs.

Further, some applications may have end-to-end requirements across multiple RATs. Some applications have stringent performance requirements. For example, deterministic periodic applications that send data periodically or deterministic aperiodic applications that send data aperiodically (e.g., safety critical information sent in response to a trigger) may have minimum performance requirements that must be guaranteed. Even non-deterministic applications may carry useful traffic and thus, include certain constraints, such as requirements based on latency, availability, mean-time-before-failure (MTBF), and service bit rate. Accordingly, several challenges may arise when attempting to maintain these traffic requirements across multiple RATs.

Applications with end-to-end latency / jitter, reliability and other requirements need to be supported in these networks. This is especially relevant as <NUM> systems, such as <NUM>. 11ax systems, are expected to be deployed in wide variety of scenarios, but may be limited in how they can support demanding applications. For example, such wireless systems may not have full-fledged access point (AP) controlled scheduled access for all times, e.g., they may use a mix of contention based (e.g., Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) or Enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA)) and scheduled access (with 11ax or EHT) and may have high overhead due to contention mechanisms. Further, exact periodic transmission may not be possible because of the lack of fixed boundaries for other ongoing transmissions and a lack of good support for pre-emption. Moreover, there is limited support for multi-AP coordination techniques and HARQ-like techniques in <NUM>. Although development of new standards continues and may attempt to address these limitations, existing and legacy devices may still lack the capabilities to guarantee the support demanded by certain applications. Despite this, the Wi-Fi ecosystem remains attractive and wireless local area network (WLAN) devices will continue to be developed and deployed.

The next generation of mobile networks, e.g., <NUM> NR, is planned to have capabilities that exceed those of <NUM>. 11ax, EHT (11be) or Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)/LTE, including capabilities related to latency and reliability. However, particular methods and algorithms may be required to implement this new technology to make it work in standalone and in the heterogeneous scenarios considered herein. Accordingly, there are many challenges to meet low latency and high reliability requirements in the heterogeneous (also referred to as a hybrid) network considered herein.

Discussed herein are solutions addressing these technical problems in heterogeneous networks. Below are described several embodiments and examples relating to improved systems, apparatuses, and methods for communications in wireless networks including more than one RAT. Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to certain configurations of wireless networks, such as the example wireless networks 100A and 100B illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. For simplicity, <FIG> illustrates wireless network 100A with a first access point (AP) 110A serving an area 115A with a first RAT, a second AP 120A serving an area 125A with a second RAT, and a destination node 130A communicatively coupled to at least second AP 120A. Likewise <FIG> illustrates wireless network 100B with a first access point (AP) 110B serving an area 115B with a first RAT, a second AP 120B serving an area 125B with a second RAT, and a destination node 130B communicatively coupled to first AP 110B and second AP 120B. In practice, wireless networks 100A and 110B may further include any additional elements suitable to support communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. Wireless networks 100A and 100B may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate the wireless devices' access to and/or use of the services provided by, or via, the wireless network.

<FIG> illustrates wireless network 100A having at least two RATs served by first AP 110A and second AP 120A. Generally, first AP 110A provides wireless communications to area 115A using a first RAT. For example, one or more wireless devices (WDs) 111A may be located in area 115A and communicate wirelessly with first AP 110A. In the deployment scenario in <FIG>, communications may occur between WD 111A and destination node 130A using the first RAT through first AP 110A and second RAT provided by second AP 120A. For example, first AP 110A and second AP 120A may be configured to communicate with one another, e.g., using a common RAT. As a particular example, first AP 110A may be an <NUM>. 11ax or EHT access point that is communicatively coupled to or integrated with a <NUM> NR user equipment and second AP <NUM> is a <NUM>-NR access point (which may also be understood as including a base station). In certain embodiments, one or more WDs 121A may be located in area 125A and communicate wirelessly with second AP 120A. In this example, WD 111A may communicate with first AP 110A using Wi-Fi, first AP 110A may communicate with second AP 120A using <NUM> network resources through the <NUM> user equipment, and second AP 120A may communicate with destination node <NUM> using the <NUM> network (or any intermediary networks such as the internet, a wireline network, PTSN, etc.). This scenario may occur when there is an application at destination node 130A that uses WD 111A, but WD 111A is served by a first RAT that is different from destination node 130A or requires a different intermediary RAT to reach destination node 130A.

<FIG> illustrates wireless network 100B having at least two RATs served by first AP 110B and second AP 120B. <FIG> differs from <FIG> in that the application at destination node 130B requires communication with both WD 111B and WD 121B, which reside in areas not covered by the same RAT, e.g., the first RAT in area 115B and second RAT in area 125B. Alternatively, both WD 111B and WD 121B may be in areas that use the same RAT, but one of WD 111B and WD 121B is not scheduled resources on that RAT, is not able to connect to that RAT, or has a better connection through another RAT. As a particular example, WD 111B may be a sensor that signals to a controller application at destination node 130B through Wi-Fi with AP 110B (and any other intermediary networks, such as a wireline network). Based on the signals from the sensor, destination node 130B may send an operation signal to an actuator (as an example of WD 121B) using second AP 120B that uses a <NUM> NR network.

Wireless networks 100A and/or 100B may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, wireless networks 100A and/or 100B may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of wireless networks 100A and/or 100B may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE <NUM> standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.

Wireless networks 100A and/or 100B may further include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices. In certain embodiments, wireless networks 100A and/or 100B may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.

As used herein, destination nodes 130A and/or 130B refer to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device, wireless access point and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the wireless network to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the wireless network. For example, destination nodes 130A and/or 130B may include an access point (APs) (e.g., radio access points or WiFi APs), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Yet further examples of destination nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and/or MDTs. In certain embodiments, destination nodes 130A and/or 130B may be implemented in any suitable manner such that destination nodes 130A and/or 130B is configured to analyze input data, e.g., from a sensor WD 111B and send commands or instructions to another equipment, such as an actuator WD 121B.

As used herein, first APs 110A/B, second APs 120A/B, and/or WDs 111A/B, 121B may include any device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. In certain embodiments, first APs 110A/B, second APs 120A/B, and/or WDs 111A/B, 121B includes a user equipment (UE) configured to communicate on an LTE or <NUM> NR network or a wireless access point configured to communicate according to one or more wireless standards, such as WiFi. Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air.

In some embodiments, first APs 110A/B, second APs 120A/B, and/or WDs 111A/B, 121B may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, first APs 110A/B, second APs 120A/B, and/or WDs 111A/B, 121B may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. Examples of first APs 110A/B, second APs 120A/B, and/or WDs 111A/B, 121B include, but are not limited to, a wireless access point, a wireless router, a wireless repeater, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless cameras, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, a laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, etc..

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate two examples of a multitude of configurations and implementations of wireless networks employing multiple RATs. As described above, those configurations may give rise to applications and uses that require transmissions using multiple RATs, some of which may be required to meet certain reliability requirements or data throughput. Although only certain configurations and implementations of a multi-RAT network are explicitly mentioned, the solutions described herein may apply equally to other multi-RAT networks and access points deployed therein.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a first AP <NUM> and a second AP <NUM> in a heterogeneous wireless network <NUM>, in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, first AP <NUM> is one of first AP 110A and/or first AP 110B and second AP <NUM> is one of second AP 120A and/or second AP 120B. First AP <NUM> may include transceiver <NUM>, scheduler <NUM> and behavior monitor <NUM>. Transceiver <NUM> may be used to send and receive transmissions, including between first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM> and between first AP <NUM> and a wireless client (not shown) such as WD 111A/B and/or between first AP <NUM> and a destination node, such as destination node 130A/B. Transceiver <NUM> may be configured to transmit wireless signals on at least a first RAT, such as Wi-Fi or a <NUM> network. In this manner, first AP <NUM> may be deployed in heterogeneous wireless network <NUM> and configured to serve traffic in the first RAT.

First AP <NUM> may use scheduler <NUM> to schedule resources on at least the first RAT for a client device. Scheduler <NUM> may follow any suitable methods or use any suitable techniques in scheduling traffic. In one example, scheduler <NUM> may schedule resources for traffic in the first RAT from a client device based on requested resources from the client device and other requests at the first AP <NUM>. As discussed further below in reference to <FIG>, there may be a mismatch between the requested resources and what is scheduled at scheduler <NUM>. This mismatch may result in higher latency, lower reliability, etc. that may impact an application controlled at another node, such as destination node 130A/B.

Behavior monitor <NUM> may monitor scheduler <NUM>, the traffic involving first AP <NUM>, and/or requests for resources to determine how first AP <NUM> is operating with respect to multi-RAT traffic. For example, behavior monitor <NUM> may determine or calculate one or more parameters that characterizes the traffic, more particularly, how the traffic is scheduled, across first AP <NUM> as part of the multi-RAT transmission path including the second RAT of second AP <NUM>. In this manner, behavior monitor <NUM> may obtain one or more performance characteristics of the traffic management and the traffic involving both first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>. The traffic management characteristics may include any suitable parameter, value, or piece of information that indicates one or more scheduling or any other traffic management behavior. These value(s) and/or indication(s) may be transmitted to second AP <NUM>, e.g., in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> may be communicated via a packet header or another portion of another signal or may be communicated as separate signaling. Particular embodiments and examples of Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> are further provided below, and in particular, in reference to <FIG>.

Similar to first AP <NUM>, second AP <NUM> may include at least transceiver <NUM> and scheduler <NUM>. Transceiver <NUM> may be configured to send and receive transmissions, including between first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM> and between second AP <NUM> and a wireless client (not shown) such as WD 121B and/or between second AP <NUM> and a destination node, such as destination node 130A/B. Transceiver <NUM> may be configured to transmit wireless signals on at least a second RAT different from the first RAT of first AP <NUM>, such as Wi-Fi or a <NUM> network. In this manner, second AP <NUM> may be deployed in heterogeneous wireless network <NUM> and configured to serve traffic in the second RAT.

Similarly, scheduler <NUM> is used by second AP <NUM> to schedule resources on at least the second RAT. Scheduler <NUM> may follow any suitable methods or use any suitable techniques in scheduling traffic. As an example, scheduler <NUM> may schedule resources for traffic in the second RAT involving a client device based on requested resources from the client device and other requests at the second AP <NUM>. In certain embodiments, scheduler <NUM> also considers Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> in scheduling resources. Scheduler <NUM> may account for any deficiencies or lack of resources at first AP <NUM> to ensure a required or preferred level of quality, reliability, and/or performance. As described further below, there are various ways that second AP <NUM> may incorporate and use Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> in scheduling resources for multi-RAT communications.

<FIG> illustrate example traffic request and allocation scenarios <NUM>-<NUM> at a wireless access point, such as first AP <NUM>, in accordance with certain embodiments. As discussed above Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> may be based on monitoring traffic at behavior monitor <NUM>. This may be based on resources are requested or preferred and what is received or scheduled at scheduler <NUM>. The eight scenarios in <FIG> illustrate example situations that may result in information that impacts the indicators sent to the other access point. In each scenario, there is a preferred resource and an observed resource. As described in further detail below, these two sets of measurements or values may be aggregated and processed to determine one or more indicators that may be included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>.

In scenario <NUM>, between times t1 and t2, the client device preferred a resource in a first frequency band, but it was scheduled in a second frequency band.

In scenario <NUM>, between t3 and t4, the client device is scheduled with a resource using a first modulation and coding scheme (MCS), MCSx, but it would have preferred a second MCS, MCSy.

In scenario <NUM>, between t5 and t7, the client device preferred to be scheduled the entire time slice(s) between t5 and t7, but is only scheduled a resource for the time slice(s) between t5 and t6.

In scenario <NUM>, between t8 and t9, the client device preferred a resource at a first frequency band with N spatial streams, but the client device is assigned a resource at a second frequency band with M spatial streams.

In scenario <NUM>, between t10 and t11, the client device is assigned a resource for the downlink direction, even though it was preferred to be an uplink resource. Further, the channel width preferred by the client device may not have been the same as what was scheduled/assigned.

In scenario <NUM>, between t12 and t13, the mode chosen for the client device is half-duplex, whereas full-duplex was preferred by the client device.

In scenario <NUM>, between t14 and t15, the client device is assigned only the <NUM> frequency band, but the client device prefers both the <NUM> and <NUM> bands.

In scenario <NUM>, between t16 and t17, a different inter-AP coordination technique or parameter is set than what is preferred by the client device.

As shown in the various example scenarios, there can be a wide variety of mismatched resource assignments, which can impact the compliance with one or more reliability, performance, and/or quality requirements. Additionally, these mismatches may be used to indicate the scheduling performance/behavior of a first AP so that a second AP may schedule resources in a suitable manner to maintain compliance with those requirements.

Turning back to <FIG>, behavior monitor <NUM> of first AP <NUM> may be configured to analyze the assignment and scheduling behavior for traffic involving multi-RAT transmissions involving second AP <NUM>. Behavior monitor <NUM> may be further configured to compute one or more performance indicators related to latency, reliability and/or throughput, which may characterize the behavior of scheduling and reliability of first AP <NUM>. Below are defined certain example performance reliability indicators that may be provided in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>, either alone or together in a transmission.

According to a first example, a throughput, latency and reliability indicator (tlr_indicator) may be determined. In particular, the tlr_indicators may be derived for 11ax for client device u for time interval (t, t-e) for direction d (i.e. uplink or downlink) as resources get assigned in an <NUM>. 11ax network. Two indicators may be derived or calculated, one for the observed or assigned resources and another for the preferred resources: <MAT> <MAT>.

Here, tlr_indicator_obs is computed accounting for resources assigned (by AP) and tlr_indicator_pref is computed accounting for resources preferred by client device (or the application running on the client device). lentimeslice[u;d,k,m,(t,t-e)]) is defined as the length of time slice k when user u is served during (t,t-e) for direction d (DL or UL) in mode m (half-duplex, full-duplex). RU(u;d,k,m,r) is defined as the resource unit (RU) r assigned to user u for time slice k in direction d (i.e. DL or UL) for mode m. MCS(u;d,k,m,r) is the MCS assigned to user u in RU r for time-slice k in direction d for mode m. ss(u;d,k,m,r) are the spatial streams (for spatial multiplexing) assigned to user u in RU r for time slice k in direction d for mode m. drate[RU, MCS, ss] is the data rate as a function of assigned RU in a given time slice, MCS and spatial streams ss in the direction d. Direction d is either downlink (DL) or uplink (UL). Mode m is either HD (half-duplex) or FD (full-duplex).

Behavior monitor <NUM> may monitor each of these values both for what is preferred by the client device and what is actually assigned, e.g., by scheduler <NUM>. Accordingly, each of tlr_indicator_obs and tlr_indicator_pref may be computed and sent to second AP <NUM>, e.g., in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, both tlr_indicator_obs and tlr_indicator_pref are included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, only one of tlr_indicator_obs and tlr_indicator_pref are included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, neither tlr_indicator_obs nor tlr_indicator_pref are Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>, but an indicator based on one or both of tlr_indicator_obs and tlr _indicator_pref is included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>.

According to a second example, a performance indicator (r_indicator) may be determined. In particular, another example indicator for the first RAT, e.g., an <NUM>. 11ax network. A FIRST performance indicator may be derived from observed parameters, for device u over time interval (t,t-e) for direction d (DL, UL): <MAT>.

A second performance indicator may be derived from preferred parameters, for device u over time interval (t,t-e) for direction d (DL, UL): <MAT>.

Here, per[u;d,(t,t-e)] is the packet error rate for user u in direction d (i.e. UL or DL) during the interval (t,t-e). The num_consecutive_pkt_losses[u;d,p,(t,t-e)] is the number of p (or more) consecutive packet losses for user u in direction d during the interval (t,t-e). The num_pkts_above_delayjitter [u;d,(t,t-e)] is the number of packets with delay or jitter above a target value for the first RAT network (e.g., the <NUM> network). For user u in direction d during (t, t-e), num_consecutive_pkts_delayed[u;d,p1,(t,t-e)] is the number of times that p1 (or more) consecutive packets are delayed above their latency / jitter targets for user u in direction d during the interval (t,t-e).

In this manner, a pair of reliability indicators may be defined for scheduling at the first AP <NUM>. In particular, in certain embodiments, behavior monitor <NUM> may monitor each constituent values for both preferred by the client and observed as assigned, e.g., by scheduler <NUM>. Accordingly, each of r_indicator_obs and r_indicator_pref may be computed and sent to second AP <NUM>, e.g., in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, both r_indicator_obs and r _indicator_pref are included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, only one of r_indicator_obs and r_indicator_pref are included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. In certain embodiments, neither r_indicator_obs and r_indicator_pref are Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>, but an indicator based on one or both of r_indicator_obs and r _indicator_pref is included in Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>.

According to a third example, delta indicators (delta_tlr_indicator and delta_r_indicator) may be determined. In particular, the following "delta" indicators may be defined, for user u during time interval (t, t-e) in the direction d (DL, UL): <MAT> <MAT>.

In this manner, instead of using two separate indicators, each of the preferred and observed indicators may be convoluted into a single delta indicator for each of the example indicators discussed above. For example, the delta indicators may measure a level of deviation from the preferred resources, which may trigger second AP <NUM> to react, e.g., by scheduling more resources, if the delta indicator is above or below a predefined threshold.

As discussed above, the indicators, such as those provided above, may be provided in Behavior Scheduling Indicators <NUM> that is transmitted to second AP <NUM>. Second AP <NUM> may be configured to efficiently schedule resources using the indicators provided about the scheduling and reliability of first AP <NUM> serving a client using the first and second RATs. There are a variety of ways second AP <NUM> may use these indicators as demonstrated by the variety of examples below. The examples below are divided into two sections (<NUM>) Efficient UL Scheduling and Reliability and (<NUM>) Efficient DL Scheduling and Reliability.

Particular embodiments include efficient uplink (UL) scheduling and reliability. In certain embodiments, as the number of users (and/or traffic load) increases in the second RAT network, an event based shaping mechanism is triggered which causes client devices to stop participating in the contention based access and second AP <NUM> runs the second RAT network in scheduled access mode as long as event based shaping is active. Some second RAT networks such as <NUM>-NR support scheduled access directly and this initial step may not be necessary when the second RAT is <NUM>-NR, but may be useful if the second RAT is an <NUM> network.

In certain embodiments, the uplink resources scheduled by second AP <NUM> are either UL PRBs (Physical Resource Blocks) in according to the 3GPP standard or RUs in an <NUM>. 11ax network. 3GPP standard systems are required to reserve PRBs for UL communication, which becomes difficult for the aperiodic scenarios considered for the heterogeneous network environment described herein. For an AP in 11ax mode, the AP may schedule some RUs for DL or UL communication and reserves certain RUs that client devices can access using an 11ax specific random access mechanism for UL communication. In normal 11ax operation, the availability of suitable UL random access and scheduled RUs have a big impact on UL performance (especially for aperiodic traffic), but an 11ax AP cannot assign too many for at least the reason that it does not know what is needed for UL operation in such aperiodic cases and could result in loss of resources if these RUs are not used properly.

In certain embodiments, second AP <NUM> uses performance indicators from Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> (such as tlr_indicator, r_indicator, or other parameters characterizing the behavior of the UL from first AP <NUM>) to estimate number of uplink PRBs or RUs that second AP <NUM> should assign at any given moment in the second RAT network for UL random and scheduled access.

In certain embodiments, second AP <NUM> uses these indicators to estimate channel width of these PRBs or RUs. These measurements may improve reliability (in addition to latency) because the second AP <NUM> may send UL data via multiple and suitable size PRBs or RUs in the second RAT network to improve its reliability and latency. This may be especially advantageous if data for that user was not experiencing good performance in the first RAT network indicated by performance indicators computed above.

In certain embodiments, the second RAT is a 11ax or EHT network. In some embodiments, the number of UL RUs are allocated in proportion to delta_r_indicator (or similar delta reliability indicator) considering all users who are sending UL data from the first RAT to the second RAT. In some embodiments, the delta_tlr_indicator and/or delta_r_indicator (or similar delta indicators) are used to determine width of the UL RUs. In some embodiments, higher weight is given to delta_tlr_indicator when determining the width of the UL RUs. In this manner, the indicators may be used to determine uplink resources for multi-RAT transmissions on the second RAT.

In certain embodiments, a fraction of these RUs are allocated to specific users and/or clients for scheduled access and other RUs are allocated for random access for UL transmission. In some embodiments, this fraction is also based, at least partially, using values of the performance indicators, e.g., the example indicators described above. If the second RAT is an EHT network, performance indicators for <NUM> as well as <NUM> band can be used as a collective pool (though with EHT specific characteristics) while doing resource allocation in these bands.

In certain embodiments, the second RAT is a <NUM>-NR (or LTE) network. In this set of embodiments, 3GPP PRBs may be considered instead of 11ax RUs. In certain embodiments, the methods for allocating the RUs as described above may be applied to PRBs, e.g., allocating the number of UL PRBs, the width of the UL PRBs, and the fraction of PRBs allocated for scheduled and random access. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the traffic indicators may be used to determine one or more other UL parameters such as UL PRBs, slot-lengths, frame structure and level of spatial diversity for aperiodic UL communication in the second RAT. For example, a higher number of UL mini-slots in the second RAT network are allocated as the UL tlr_indicator for the first RAT network increases. In this manner, end-to-end performance constraints may be met even if the first RAT is not performing well.

<NUM>-NR defines Bandwidth Parts that indicate the bandwidth over which a device is ready to receive transmission of a given numerology. In 3GPP Release-<NUM>, a device is limited to using only one active Bandwidth Part at a time, however, this constraint may be relaxed in later releases. Accordingly, the access point and device may prefer to figure out which numerologies to use at a given point of time. For example, for subcarrier spacing <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>, the max channel bandwidth may be <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM> and slot length may be <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>. In certain embodiments, second AP <NUM> uses UL performance indicators (such as tlr_indicator and r_indicator for reliability, latency and throughput) communicated via first AP <NUM> and uses these along with other second RAT related parameters to compute UL Bandwidth Parts for the client device. The client device may be a <NUM> user equipment of the second RAT network that interfaces with the first RAT via first AP <NUM> for sending UL data from the first RAT to the second RAT.

In <NUM>-NR, a UE monitors the PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) in a slot to look for an UL or DL scheduling grant from the access point, such as second AP <NUM>. <NUM>-NR also allows the configuration of the UE to monitor several PDCCHs to support traffic with low latency. But, second AP <NUM> in the second RAT would preferably decide the number of these PDCCHs. In certain embodiments, the UL performance indicators obtained from first AP <NUM> via Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> are used by second AP <NUM> to dynamically configure (and change) PDCCHs per-slot, e.g., for a <NUM>-NR UE that is interfacing with first AP <NUM> and used to communicate UL data with the second RAT via second AP <NUM>, e.g., a <NUM> network.

According to certain embodiments, for dual mode of the first RAT and the second RAT (e.g., a 11ax/EHT network and a <NUM>-NR network), dual connectivity is supported. Accordingly, the first RAT and the second RAT networks may dynamically decide split of traffic across the two RATs. In certain embodiments, the first AP <NUM> and/or the second AP <NUM> may decide this split using UL performance indicators, such as those described above. For example, UL traffic may be chosen to be sent via <NUM>-NR (the second RAT in this example) network in proportion to UL performance indicators for the RAT (e.g., r_indicator and/or tlr_indicator). In some embodiments, the number of UL packets to be duplicated across these networks may be estimated using the UL performance indicators computed earlier to improve reliability of our system.

In this manner, there traffic or behavior indicators disclosed herein may be used for scheduling resources on the second RAT more efficiently.

Particular embodiments include efficient downlink scheduling and reliability. Similar to the previous section, the traffic indicators described herein may be used by second AP <NUM> to determine the scheduling of resources on the second RAT. According to certain embodiments, the first RAT DL performance indicators (such as delta_tlr_indicator, delta_r_indicator and other parameters as described above, but for DL) are received at the second RAT, e.g., second AP <NUM> via Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>, and used to schedule resources for those users on second RAT resources.

In certain embodiments, additional weight (i.e. above what a normal DL scheduling and reliability module would decide for the second RAT) for the number of DL RUs (or PRBs) in proportion to delta_r_indicator (e.g., in relation to all users who are sending DL data from the first RAT to the second RAT. In certain embodiments, traffic indicators such as delta_tlr_indicator and delta_r_indicator (e.g., with higher weight given to delta_tlr_indicator in some embodiments) are used, at least partially, to determine the width of the DL RUs that are used for DL traffic. In some embodiments where EHT is the second RAT, <NUM> and <NUM> bands are treated as a collective pool and the obtained performance indicators are used as described herein to allocate resources in these bands.

In certain embodiments, the second RAT is a <NUM>-NR network (or LTE network). In some embodiments, one or more of the performance indicators is used to decide certain DL parameters such as DL PRBs, slot-lengths, frame structure and level of spatial diversity (in that time slice) for aperiodic DL communication in the second RAT. For example, a higher number of DL mini-slots are allocated in the second RAT network as the DL tlr_indicator for the first RAT network increases. In this manner, certain end-to-end performance constraints may be met even if the first RAT is not performing that well.

Some embodiments include an interface between the first RAT and the second RAT, e.g., between first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>. In some embodiments, the interface is used to provide inter-AP coordination between the first RAT and the second RAT based on the traffic indicators described herein. For example, enhanced inter-AP coordination methods, such as CoMP (coordinated multipoint processing), may be triggered for inter-AP and inter-RAT scenarios between the first RAT and the second RAT AP for a dual mode client that supports both RATs based on the traffic indicator, e.g., exceeding or dropping below a predetermined threshold or level. In addition to the previously described advantages, these techniques may improve reliability for where the first RAT client (e.g., in an <NUM>. 11ax network) does not have good access to reliability methods/techniques in the first RAT network (e.g., the first RAT network is not configured with HARQ and/or lacks additional 11ax RUs for high reliability). In this manner, the traffic indicators may be used to leverage the features of the second RAT (e.g., a <NUM>-NR network) along with the first RAT to improve performance. In some embodiments DL traffic indicators may be used to trigger such inter-AP inter-RAT coordination mechanisms.

As discussed above, <NUM>-NR defines Bandwidth Parts indicating the bandwidth over which a device is ready to receive transmission of a given numerology. In certain embodiments, the second RAT, e.g., using second AP <NUM>, uses DL traffic indicators (such as tlr_indicator and r_indicator for reliability, latency and throughput) communicated via first AP to determine the DL Bandwidth Parts for the client device. The client device may be a UE that interfaces with first AP <NUM> for sending DL data from the second RAT to the first RAT.

As indicated previously, a <NUM>-NR UE monitors PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) in a slot to look for an UL or DL scheduling grant from an access point, such as a base station. <NUM>-NR networks may configure the UE to monitor several PDCCHs to support traffic with low latency. But, a second AP in the second RAT may decide the number of these PDCCHs. According to certain embodiments, DL traffic indicators, e.g., those obtained via Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> obtained from first AP <NUM> (along with other second RAT parameters) are used to dynamically configure (and change) PDCCHs per-slot for the <NUM>-NR UE that is interfacing with first AP <NUM> and used to forward DL data from the second RAT to the first RAT.

In certain embodiments, a wireless device operates in a dual mode with the first RAT and the second RAT (e.g., 11ax/EHT and <NUM>-NR). In some embodiments, the traffic across the first RAT and the second RAT is dynamically split using the DL traffic indicators, such as those described above. For example, DL traffic may be chosen to be sent via <NUM>-NR (the second RAT) network in proportion to DL performance indicators for the first RAT (such as r_indicator, and/or tlr_indicator) determined at first AP <NUM>. In some embodiments, the number of DL packets to be duplicated across these networks may be estimated or computed using at least the DL traffic indicators to improve reliability.

In certain embodiments in which the first RAT is an <NUM>. 11ax network, first AP <NUM> may not work in scheduled mode in all the time slices and may work in non-scheduled mode (such as with 11n or 11ac) in some time slices. In those time slices, a device may get full channel bandwidth and it is also possible that only one device may be served in that time slice (e.g. in the absence of DL MU-MIMO with <NUM>. Such time slices may be considered in the determination of the indicators as if the RU width is full channel bandwidth in that time slice.

In certain embodiments, in which the first RAT is an EHT network, both <NUM> and <NUM> bands are considered while analyzing and computing the performance indicators that are included in Behavior Scheduling Indicators <NUM>. In some embodiments only one of <NUM> and <NUM> bands are considered.

In certain embodiments, where the first RAT is a CBRS network, LTE physical resource blocks are used instead of <NUM>. 11ax resource units for analysis and computation of the indicators at first AP <NUM>.

In certain embodiments, any suitable information (including various parameters and indicators discussed above) , network parameters, and machine learning methods (e.g., Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Support Vector Regression (SVR), or Reinforcement Learning (RL)) may be used to characterize behavior of the scheduling and reliability of first AP <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates configurations of a first access point <NUM> and a second access point <NUM>, in accordance with certain embodiments. First AP <NUM> includes one or more interfaces <NUM>, a memory <NUM> and a processor <NUM>. First AP <NUM> may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by first AP <NUM>, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. Likewise, second AP <NUM> includes one or more interfaces <NUM>, a memory <NUM> and a processor <NUM>. Second AP <NUM> may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by second AP <NUM>, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within first AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>.

Interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. In certain alternative embodiments, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may not include an antenna, but may include an interface for interfacing with an external antenna connectable to first AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM> through one of interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM>. Interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> and/or processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by first AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>, respectively. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another wireless node.

In certain embodiments, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> includes one or more of radio front end circuitry and an antenna. For example, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include one or more filters or amplifiers that is connected to transmission components. In some embodiments, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> are configured to or receive analog or digital data that is sent out to other nodes or terminal devices via a wireless connection. In some embodiments, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include circuitry configured to convert data from digital to analog and vice versa. Signals and data received may be passed to processor <NUM> and/or processor <NUM>, respectively. Accordingly, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include any suitable interfacing components for receiving and/or transmitting wireless communications.

In certain embodiments, interfaces <NUM> and/or <NUM> may also include one or more interfaces for communicating between different components of first AP <NUM> or second AP <NUM>, including any components described in <FIG> of first AP <NUM>, such as transceiver <NUM>, scheduler <NUM>, and behavior monitor <NUM> or of second AP <NUM>, such as transceiver <NUM> and scheduler <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include be any electronic circuitry, including, but not limited to microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), application specific instruction set processor (ASIP), and/or state machines, that communicatively couples to memory <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, and controls the operation of first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>, respectively. Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit, <NUM>-bit or of any other suitable architecture. Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) for performing arithmetic and logic operations, processor registers that supply operands to the ALU and store the results of ALU operations, and a control unit that fetches instructions from memory and executes them by directing the coordinated operations of the ALU, registers and other components. Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include other hardware and software that operates to control and process information. Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> executes software stored on memory <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, to perform any of the functions described herein. For example, processor <NUM> may control the operation and administration of first AP <NUM> by processing information received from memory <NUM>, or any external databases, or any other components of the wireless network in which it is deployed. In certain embodiments, processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be configured to carry out one or more functions of first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>, respectively, or any components thereof, such as transceiver <NUM>, scheduler <NUM>, behavior monitor <NUM>, transceiver <NUM> and/or scheduler <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be a programmable logic device, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, any suitable processing device, or any suitable combination of the preceding. Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> is not limited to a single processing device and may encompass multiple processing devices. In certain embodiments, processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> includes one or more of wireless transceiver circuitry, wireless signal processing circuitry, and application processing circuitry. In other embodiments, the processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments processor <NUM> includes a system on a chip. In some embodiments, processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> or components thereof may be on a single chip, separate chips, or a set of chips.

Memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may store, either permanently or temporarily, data, operational software, or other information for processor <NUM>. In certain embodiments, memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may store one or more indicators of scheduling behavior, such as Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM> or any other information used in scheduling resources for multi-RAT transmissions using first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>. Memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include any one or a combination of volatile or non-volatile local or remote devices suitable for storing information. For example, memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, or any other suitable information storage device or a combination of these devices. The software represents any suitable set of instructions, logic, or code embodied in a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the software may be embodied in memory <NUM>, a disk, a CD, or a flash drive. Memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be operable to store a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM>. In particular embodiments, the software may include an application executable by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> to perform one or more of the functions described herein. In certain embodiments, memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be or implemented as a NoSQL database. In some embodiments, processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> and memory <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be considered to be integrated.

In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by first AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM> (and first AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>) may be provided by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM>, respectively, executing instructions stored on memory <NUM> and/or <NUM>, respectively, which in certain embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processor <NUM> can be configured to perform the described functionality.

Processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>. These operations, as performed by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM>, may include processing information obtained by processor <NUM> and/or <NUM> by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by first AP <NUM> and second AP <NUM>, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.

In particular embodiments, one or more functions described herein relating to first AP <NUM>, first AP <NUM>, and/or first AP <NUM> may be implemented using one or more interfaces <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and processor <NUM>, their equivalents, or any suitable combination of hardware and software as understood by persons having skill in the art capable of carrying out one or more functions or methods described herein. Likewise, in particular embodiments, one or more functions described herein relating to second AP <NUM>, second AP <NUM>, and/or second AP <NUM> may be implemented using one or more interfaces <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and processor <NUM>, their equivalents, or any suitable combination of hardware and software as understood by persons having skill in the art capable of carrying out one or more functions or methods described herein.

<FIG> is a flowchart diagram of a first example method <NUM> in a wireless access point, in accordance with certain embodiments. Method <NUM> may begin at step <NUM>. At step <NUM>, one or more performance characteristics of traffic management and traffic of a first client device are determined. The traffic management for which the characteristics are determined involve both a first wireless access point, such as first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM> using a first RAT and a second wireless access point, such as second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>, using a second RAT. For example, the scheduling and reliability behaviors at the access point may be monitored based on the resources preferred or requested by a client device and those resources that are actually scheduled. The behaviors monitored may also include whether a certain number of packets have been dropped or other reliability characteristics as described in the sections above. For example, behavior monitor <NUM> may monitor the scheduling and reliability behavior of first AP <NUM>, including monitoring the scheduling at scheduler <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, one or more traffic indicators are calculated based on the performance characteristics of the traffic management modules and traffic of the first client device. For example, first AP <NUM> may determine one or more indicators based on behaviors monitored by behavior monitor <NUM> compiled over a certain period of time. In certain embodiments, the traffic indicators may be one or more the tlr_indicators, the r_indicator, the delta_tlr_indicator, and/or the delta_r_indicator for one or more of DL and UL resources. The indicator(s) may be computed at first AP <NUM>- and used by second AP <NUM> for scheduling decisions, as described herein.

At step <NUM>, at least one of the one or more traffic indicators are communicated to a second wireless access point. The communicated traffic indicators are configured to be used by the second wireless access point to schedule resources using the second RAT. For example, one or more of the traffic indicators may be transmitted to second AP <NUM> via Scheduling Behavior Indicators <NUM>. This may be in the form of a separate inter-AP message or signal or may be part of an existing or scheduled transmission having an additional purpose. For example, one or more indicators may be indicated to second AP using one or more header portions of a signal. In this manner, the indicators regarding the scheduling and reliability at the access point may be transmitted to another access point for use in scheduling resources on the second RAT for a client device's multi-RAT traffic.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to method <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. Method <NUM> may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in parallel or in any suitable order. While discussed as first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM> as performing certain steps, any suitable component of first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM> may perform one or more steps of the methods. Additionally, method <NUM> may include any suitable step to carry out any of the described functions of first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM>. Further, any of steps of method <NUM> may computerized and/or carried out using hardware, such as processor <NUM> of first AP <NUM>, or any other suitable system implementing one or more components of first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM>, such as any hardware or software implementing transceiver <NUM>, scheduler <NUM>, or behavior monitor <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart diagram of a second example method <NUM> in a wireless access point, in accordance with certain embodiments. Method <NUM> may begin at step <NUM>. At step <NUM>, at least one traffic indicator is received from a first wireless access point, such as first AP <NUM> and/or first AP <NUM>. Thus at least one traffic indicator is based on performance characteristics of the traffic management and traffic of a first client device involving the first wireless access point using a first RAT and a second wireless access point using a second RAT, such as second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the at least one traffic indicator includes one or more of a tlr_indicator, an r_indicator, a delta_tlr_indicator, and a delta_r_indicator for one or more of DL and UL. In certain embodiments, the indicators are transmitted in a separate signal between the access point and the first access point. In other embodiments, the indicators are contained in a signal with one or more additional purposes, e.g., as header bits of an existing or scheduled signal.

In certain embodiments, the AP is configured to extract one or more of the performance characteristics of the traffic management and the traffic of the first client between the first client device and the other wireless access point using the at least one traffic indicator. For example, the indicators may be associated with one or more parameters describing the traffic at the first access point, but must be processed to obtain said parameters. In this manner, the access point may obtain information usable to adjust the scheduling of resources.

At step <NUM>, resources for the first client device using the second RAT are scheduled based at least on the at least one traffic indicator. Scheduling resources in the second RAT may include one or more substeps. In certain embodiments, scheduling resources in the second RAT include one or more of the techniques described with respect to efficient uplink and downlink scheduling and reliability. For example, scheduling downlink resources may include one or more of:.

Accordingly, step <NUM> may involve one or more substeps, which may depend on the indicator or indicators received in step <NUM> and/or type of RAT of the second RAT.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to method <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. Method <NUM> may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in parallel or in any suitable order. While discussed as second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM> as performing certain steps, any suitable component of second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM> may perform one or more steps of the methods. Additionally, method <NUM> may include any suitable step to carry out any of the described functions of second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>. Further, any of steps of method <NUM> may computerized and/or carried out using hardware, such as processor <NUM> of second AP <NUM>, or any other suitable system implementing one or more components of second AP <NUM> and/or second AP <NUM>, such as any hardware or software implementing transceiver <NUM> or scheduler <NUM>.

Although wireless nodes are described herein with reference to their use in particular wireless environments, e.g., wireless networks using the WiFi standard or radio networks such as an LTE or <NUM> NR network, the techniques and technical improvements thereof are also applicable to any suitable multi-radio access technology environment or network, such as those including a CBRS network.

Claim 1:
A method in a first wireless access point (<NUM>) using a first radio access technology, RAT, in a heterogeneous wireless network including the first wireless access point and a second wireless access point (<NUM>) using a second RAT, the method comprising:
determining (<NUM>) one or more performance characteristics of traffic between a first client device and the first wireless access point using the first RAT and the second wireless access point using the second RAT;
calculating (<NUM>) one or more traffic indicators based on the performance characteristics of the traffic of the first client device, wherein the one or more traffic indicators comprises a first traffic indicator associated with assigned radio resources for the first client device, a second traffic indicator associated with preferred assignment of radio resources by the first client device, and
a third traffic indicator based on a difference between values of the first traffic indicator and values of the second traffic indicator; and
communicating (<NUM>) at least one of the one or more traffic indicators to the second wireless access point, wherein the communicated traffic indicators are for use by the second wireless access point to schedule radio resources of the second RAT.