Connection initiation in wireless networks including load balancing

• US 20040142691A1
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jollota, James M., Kuiken, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US10/701,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20040142691A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0861 between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include a method for establishing a wireless communication session between a base station unit and a mobile unit wherein a system controller determines which base station unit of multiple base station units is an optimal base station unit to establish the session. The method includes the system controller receiving commands from each of multiple BSUs that have received a request for wireless service from a mobile unit. The commands include information, such as a unique identifier for the sending BSU, signal strength information for the sending BSU, and channel availability for the sending BSU. The system controller directs the optimal BSU to respond to the request, and directs every other BSU to ignore the request. In at least one embodiment, Bluetooth commands are used.

Claims

1. A system for wireless communication with at least one mobile unit (MU), the system comprising:

one or more base station unit BSUs coupled to a network, wherein each of the BSUs is configured to communicate wirelessly with the MU according to a Bluetooth protocol and to automatically handoff the MU to another BSU as required when the MU moves with respect to the BSUs;

one or more network system controllers coupled to the one or more BSUs, wherein each of the one or more network system controllers is configured to;

receive a command from each of the BSUs, wherein the command indicates that the MU has sent an inquiry to the BSU to inquire whether the BSU provides a wireless service, and wherein the command includes a plurality of data relating to the BSU;

compare the pluralities of data received from each of the BSUs;

determine an optimal BSU of the BSUs to communicate with the MU;

send a command to the optimal BSU indicating that the optimal BSU should respond to the MU; and

send a command to each of the BSUs that are not optimal BSUs indicating that each of the BSUs that are not optimal BSUs should ignore the MU.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the inquiry is sent during one or more Bluetooth procedures selected from a group comprising, Inquiry, Inquiry-scan, Page, and Page-scan;

the plurality of data relating to the BSU comprises a BSU_ID, a MU_ID, a MU_RSSI, a MU_Inquiry_Type, and Radio data, wherein the Radio data comprises a radio identifier, a number of SCO channels used, a number of ACL channels used, and a number of Handoff channels used; and

wherein each of the one or more network system controllers performs load balancing in determining the optimal BSU.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the command indicating that the optimal BSU should respond to the MU comprises an Accept_MU command; and

the indicating that each of the BSUs that are not optimal BSUs should ignore the MU comprises an Ignore_MU command.

4. A lower than application level method for wireless communication using a short-range radio frequency protocol, comprising:

a mobile unit (MU) sending a request for service to a plurality of base station units (BSUs) in a wireless network;

each of the plurality of BSUs sending a command to a system controller in response to receiving the request for service, wherein the command includes data related to the BSU;

the system controller comparing data received from each of the plurality of BSUs to determine an optimal BSU to complete a connection with the MU;

the system controller sending a first command to the optimal BSU with respect to initiating service with the MU for transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU, wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU and

the system controller sending a second command to every other BSU.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the short-range radio frequency protocol comprises Bluetooth, and wherein the data related to the BSU comprises:

a BSU_ID;

a MU_ID;

a MU_RSSI;

a MU_Inquiry_Type; and

Radio data, wherein the Radio data comprises a radio identifier, a number of SCO channels used, a number of ACL channels used, and a number of Handoff channels used.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the short-range radio frequency communication comprises Bluetooth, and wherein:

the first command is an Accept_MU command that directs that a BSU to respond to a MU; and

the second command is an Ignore_MU command that directs a BSU to ignore the request for service.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

the system controller determining whether more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller;

if more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller, the system controller determining whether a received signal strength indication (RSSI) for more than one BSU that sent the command to the system controller is above a predetermined threshold; and

if an RSSI for more than one BSU is above the predetermined threshold, the system controller determining a BSU of the BSUs with a RSSI above the predetermined threshold that has a minimum number of channels in use.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the request is for network service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links (ACL) channels in use.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the request is for telephony service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of synchronous connection oriented (SCO) channels in use.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to the first command, the optimal BSU sending a response to the MU indicating that the optimal MU is fully available; and

in response to the second command, every other BSU sending a response to the MU that the responding BSU has no service available.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the short-range radio frequency communication comprises Bluetooth, and wherein:

indicating that the optimal MU is fully available comprises setting a BSU minor class load factor field to a value that indicates “

fully available”

; and

indicating that the responding BSU has no service available comprises setting a BSU minor class load factor field to a value that indicates “

no service available”

.

12. A method for wireless communication using a short-range radio frequency, comprising:

a mobile unit (MU) sending a request for service to a plurality of base station units (BSUs) in a wireless network;

each of the plurality of BSUs sending a command to every other one of the plurality of BSUs, wherein the command includes data related to a BSU sending the command; and

the plurality of BSUs using the data to negotiate which BSU is an optimal BSU to complete a connection with the MU and to transmit digital data to, or receive digital data from, the MU, wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the short-range radio frequency communication comprises Bluetooth, and wherein the data related to the BSU comprises:

a BSU_ID;

a MU_ID;

a MU_RSSI;

a MU_Inquiry_Type; and

Radio data, wherein the Radio data comprises a radio identifier, a number of SCO channels used, a number of ACL channels used, and a number of Handoff channels used.

14. A method for wireless communication using a short-range radio frequency protocol in a network comprising a plurality of base station units (BSUs) and at least one mobile unit (MU), the method comprising:

during operational communication between different BSUs in the network, exchanging mobile unit parameters between the different BSUs, wherein the different BSUs comprise a BSU that is currently communicating with the MU, and at least one BSU with which the MU will next be in communication; and

determining which of the at least one BSUs is an optimal BSU to next communicate with the MU for transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU, wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU.

15. A computer-readable medium containing lower than application level instructions that, when executed, cause a wireless network system controller to:

receive at least one command from at least one base station unit (BSU), wherein the command comprises an indication that a mobile unit (MU) has requested at least one service from the at least one BSU, and further comprises data relating to each BSU from which the system controller receives a command;

determine, based on the data, which of the at least one BSUs is an optimal BSU to respond to the request;

send a first command to the optimal BSU with respect to providing service for the MU for transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU, wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU; and

send a second command to every other BSU of the at least one BSUs.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the optimal BSU, in response to the first command, to respond to the MU to complete a connection to the MU.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the every other BSU, in response to the second command, to ignore the request of the MU.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the wireless network comprises communication using Bluetooth;

the at least one command is a Received_MU command;

the data comprises a BSU_ID, a MU_ID, a MU_RSSI, a MU_Inquiry_Type; and

Radio data, wherein the Radio data comprises a radio identifier, a number of SCO channels used, a number of ACL channels used, and a number of Handoff channels used.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the system controller to:

determine whether more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller;

if more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller, the system controller determining whether a received signal strength indication (RSSI) for more than one BSU that sent the command to the system controller is above a predetermined threshold; and

if an RSSI for more than one BSU is above the predetermined threshold, the system controller determining a BSU of the BSUs with a RSSI above the predetermined threshold that has a minimum number of channels in use.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the service requested is a network service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links (ACL) channels in use.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the service requested is a telephony service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of synchronous connection oriented (SCO) channels in use.

22. A base station unit (BSU) configured to provide wireless services to at least one mobile unit (MU) in a short-range radio wireless network, wherein the BSU is configured to:

receive a request for service from the MU;

in response to the request, send a command to a network system controller indicating that the request was received, and including data comprising a radio identifier and information regarding channel availability; and

receive a command from the system controller indicating whether the BSU should respond to the request from the MU with respect to providing service for the MU for transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU.

23. The BSU of claim 22, further configured to complete a connection to the MU in response to receiving a command from the system controller indicating the BSU should respond to the request from the MU.

24. A wireless network system controller coupled among at least one base station unit to facilitate short-range radio communication, the system controller configured to:

receive at least one command from the at least one BSU, wherein the command comprises an indication that a mobile unit (MU) has requested at least one service from the at least one BSU, and further comprises data relating to each BSU from which the system controller receives a command;

determine, based on the data, which of the at least one BSUs is an optimal BSU to respond to the request;

send a first command to the optimal BSU with respect to providing service for the MU, wherein the service included transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU, and wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU; and

send a second command to every other BSU of the at least one BSUs.

25. The system controller medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the optimal BSU, in response to the first command, to respond to the MU to complete a connection to the MU.

26. The system controller of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the every other BSU, in response to the second command, to ignore the request of the MU.

27. The system controller of claim 24, wherein:

the wireless network comprises communication using Bluetooth;

the at least one command is a Received_MU command;

the data comprises a BSU_ID, a MU_ID, a MU_RSSI, a MU_Inquiry_Type; and

Radio data, wherein the Radio data comprises a radio identifier, a number of SCO channels used, a number of ACL channels used, and a number of Handoff channels used.

28. The system controller of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the system controller to:

determine whether more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller;

if more than one BSU sent the command to the system controller, the system controller determining whether a received signal strength indication (RSSI) for more than one BSU that sent the command to the system controller is above a predetermined threshold; and

if an RSSI for more than one BSU is above the predetermined threshold, the system controller determining a BSU of the BSUs with a RSSI above the predetermined threshold that has a minimum number of channels in use.

29. The system controller of claim 28, wherein the service requested is a network service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links (ACL) channels in use.

30. The system controller of claim 28, wherein the service requested is a telephony service, and wherein determining the BSU with the minimum number of channels in use comprises determining the BSU with the minimum number of synchronous connection oriented (SCO) channels in use.

31. A method for establishing a connection between a mobile device and a base station unit (BSU) in a wireless network, the method comprising:

each BSU that receives a request for a wireless service from a mobile device sending a command to a network system controller, wherein the command includes load balancing information;

the system controller receiving the command from each of the BSUs;

based on the load balancing information, the system controller determining which of the BSUs is an optimal BSU to respond to the request;

the system controller directing the optimal BSU to respond to the request, wherein the responding includes transmitting digital data to, or receiving digital data from, the MU, and wherein the optimal BSU represents an optimal digital data path with respect to the MU; and

the system controller directing each of the other BSUs to ignore the request.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the wireless network is a personal communication services (PCS) network including Bluetooth, and wherein the command is a Received_MU command with signal strength and channel availability data for a BSU sending the command.

33. One or more generated data signals collectively conveying a wireless communication data structure in a wireless network, the data structure comprising:

at least one unique identifier for a mobile communication device;

at least one unique identifier for a base station unit;

at least one measure of a received signal strength for the at least one mobile communication device; and

at least one indication of channel availability for the at least one base station unit, wherein at least one data item in the data structure is evaluated by a network system controller to determine which one of the at least one base station units will respond to an inquiry from one of the at least one mobile communication units for digital signal communications.

34. The data structure of claim 33, further comprising:

a minimum number of handoff channels for use during a handoff from one base station unit to another; and

a minimum received signal strength for communication between a base station unit and a mobile communication device.