Telecommunication system

• US 10,231,284 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: De Pasquale, Andrea, Dominguez Romero, Francisco Javier, Le Pezennec, Yannick, Tenorio Sanz, Santiago
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US15/518,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 370230, 370315, 370294, 455 1, 455436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0098 Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A cellular telecommunications network architecture is described where certain UEs are configured to assist the network to improve coverage in regions of poor radio conditions. In certain embodiments, appropriate UEs are selected to act as a dynamic, out-of-band coverage extensions. Network performance can thereby be improved when serving users at the cell edge (or in other poor radio condition regions of a cell).

Claims

1. A system for providing an aggregator facility in a telecommunications network;

the system comprising;

a core network, CN; and

a radio access network, RAN, which is configured to provide a backhaul connection to the CN and to provide wireless communication connections to radio communication devices;

a first communication device, the first communication device having a first connection to the CN, the first connection including a wireless connection between the RAN and the first communication device;

a second communication device; and

an aggregator controller, which communicates with the RAN and the CN, and which is configured to instruct the second communication device to act as a base station entity, wherein the instruction is dependent upon performance conditions,

wherein upon instruction to act as a base station entity the second communication device is configured to start radiating an aggregator cell, act as a base station entity and provide at least one base station functionality to the first communication device, and wherein the aggregator cell enables the first communication device to establish an aggregation connection with the second communication device to thereby enable a second connection between the first communication device and the CN, wherein the second connection includes the aggregation connection.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second connection further includes a second wireless connection to the RAN.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second connection further includes a connection using at least one connection technology selected from:

optical fibre cable technologies;

a fixed line xDSL technology;

microwave backhaul technology; and

/or a Wi-Fi technology.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RAN includes at least one macro cell base station entity.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the performance conditions upon which the instruction to the second communication device to establish the second connection depends include a metric of coverage quality and/or usage of resources in the network being greater than a threshold level.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the metric is a metric of a level of interference due to the use of the first connection.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the threshold level is an estimate of a level of interference due to the use of the second connection.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instruction to establish an aggregation connection is further conditional upon performance conditions associated with the second communication device.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the performance conditions associated with the second communication device include parameters associated with the connection between the second communication device and the RAN.

10. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the performance conditions associated with the second communication device include at least one of SINR, received signal received power (RSRP), location information, and battery life.

11. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the aggregator controller is further configured to process the performance conditions associated with the second communication device and, only if the parameters are determined to indicate that the second communication device is a candidate for assignment as an aggregator, to instruct the second communication device to establish the aggregation connection to the first communication device.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication device is one of a user equipment (UE);

a dedicated aggregator device;

a machine type communication (MTC) device;

an access point;

wireless station;

or small cell station.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aggregator controller is further configured to instruct the second communication device to deactivate the aggregation connection to the first communication device in dependence upon further performance conditions.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the instruction to deactivate the aggregation connection is further conditional upon performance conditions associated with the second communication device.

15. A method for providing an aggregator facility in a telecommunications network comprising:

a core network, CN; and

a radio access network, RAN, which is configured to provide a backhaul connection to the CN and to provide wireless communication connections to radio communication devices;

the method comprising;

providing a first connection from a first communication device to the CN, the first connection having a path including a wireless connection between the RAN and the first communication device;

at a second communication device, receiving an instruction to act as a base station entity, wherein upon instruction to act as a base station entity, the second communication device starts radiating an aggregator cell, acts as a base station entity and provides at least one base station functionality to the first communication device thereby enabling the first communication device to establish an aggregation connection with the second communication device, wherein the instruction is dependent upon performance conditions, and wherein the instruction is received from an aggregator controller, which communicates with the RAN and the CN; and

at the first communication device (110;

210), establishing an aggregation connection with the second communication device (104;

204), thereby enabling a second connection between the first communication device (110;

210) and the CN, the second connection including the aggregation connection.

16. An aggregator controller for controlling an aggregator facility in a telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network has a core network, CN, and a radio access network, RAN, which is configured to provide a backhaul connection to the CN and to provide wireless communication connections to radio communication devices including at least a first communication device having a first connection to the CN and a second communication device, the first connection including a wireless connection between the RAN and the first communication device, wherein the aggregator controller comprises:

a network interface unit configured to provide an interface to the CN and a controller unit configured to;

obtain, through the network interface unit, performance condition information for a region of the telecommunications network; and

instruct, through the network interface unit and in dependence upon the performance condition information, the second communication device to act as a base station entity so as to start radiating an aggregator cell and provide at least one base station functionality to the first communication device, wherein the aggregator cell enables the first communication device to establish an aggregation connection with the second communication device thereby enabling a second connection between the first communication device and the CN, the second connection including the aggregation connection.