Radio network control

• US 20070140172A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson Evdo, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson Evdo, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palnati, Prasasth, Garg, Deepak
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/10 Reselecting an access point controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

The radio node controller of one subnet sends a communication to an access terminal over a control channel through the infrastructure of another subnet. The radio node controller maintains an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of the first subnet to a coverage area of the second subnet and when the access terminal uses a carrier in the first subnet that cannot be used in the second subnet. In a radio access network including a first and a second subnet, in which the first subnet includes both a first radio node controller and radio nodes that are configured in accordance with one 1xEV-DO standard and the second subnet includes radio nodes configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard, the first radio node controller maintains an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from the coverage area of the first subnet to the coverage area of the second subnet.

Claims

1. A method comprising

in a radio access network including subnets, in which at least one of the subnets includes a radio node controller,

enabling the radio node controller of one subnet to send a communication to an access terminal over a control channel through the infrastructure of another subnet.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the communication comprises packets.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the infrastructure includes a radio node controller.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the access terminal is in an idle state.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the communication sent over the control channel comprise a paging message.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the communication sent over the control channel comprise a UATI_Assignment message.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the communication sent over the control channel comprise a TrafficChannelAssignment message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising

notifying, by the access terminal, the radio node controller of sectors that are visible to the access terminal

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising

notifying, by the access terminal, the radio node controller of information about pilot strengths of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

10. The method of claims 8 or 9 in which the notification is sent as a route update message.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising

determining, based on the pilot strengths, to which sectors to send a communication over the control channel to the access terminal.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising

enabling the radio node controller to send a communication to the access terminal over a control channel via sectors chosen based on their pilot signal strengths as reported by the access terminal, where at least one chosen sector is located in a different subnet than the radio node controller.

13. A method comprising,

in a radio access network including a first and a second subnet, in which the first subnet includes a first radio node controller,

enabling the first radio node controller to maintain an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of the first subnet to a coverage area of the second subnet and when the access terminal uses a carrier in the first subnet that cannot be used in the second subnet.

14. The method of claim 13 in which each of the carriers comprises an operating frequency.

15. The method of claim 13 in which radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with one 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

16. The method of claim 15 in which radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev-A standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with the 1EV-DO Rev-0 standard.

17. A method comprising

in a radio access network including a first and a second subnet, in which the first subnet includes both a first radio node controller and radio nodes that are configured in accordance with one 1xEV-DO standard and the second subnet includes radio nodes configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard,

enabling the first radio node controller to maintain an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from the coverage area of the first subnet to the coverage area of the second subnet.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the radio nodes of the first subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev-A standard and the radio nodes of the second subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev-0 standard.

19. An apparatus comprising

a processor,

memory, including software to provide instructions to the processor to send packets to an access terminal over a control channel through the infrastructure of a subnet that is not the one to which the apparatus belongs.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the software provides further instructions to the processor to receive notification from the access terminal of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the software provides further instructions to the processor to receive notification from the access terminal of information about pilot strengths of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 in which the software provides further instructions to the processor to determine, based on the pilot strengths, to which sectors to send a communication over the control channel to the access terminal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 in which the software provides further instructions to the processor to enable the apparatus to send a communication to the access terminal over a control channel via sectors chosen based on their pilot signal strengths as reported by the access terminal, where at least one chosen sector is located in a different subnet than the apparatus.

24. An apparatus comprising means for sending a communication to an access terminal over a control channel through an infrastructure of a subnet that is not the one to which the apparatus belongs.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising means for receiving notification from the access terminal of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising means for receiving notification from the access terminal of information about pilot strengths of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 further comprising means for determining, based on the pilot strengths, to which sectors to send a communication over the control channel to the access terminal.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 further comprising means for sending a communication to the access terminal over a control channel via sectors chosen based on their pilot signal strengths as reported by the access terminal, where at least one chosen sector is located in a different subnet than the apparatus.

29. A system comprising,

a packet data serving node connected to a network;

at least two subnets, each subnet including,

at least one radio node controller connected to the packet data serving node and,

at least one radio node connected to a radio node controller in the same subnet,

in which the radio node controllers are enabled to send a communication to an access terminal over a control channel through the infrastructure of another subnet.

30. The system of claim 29 in which the radio node controllers receive notification from the access terminal of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

31. The system of claim 29 in which the radio node controllers receive notification from the access terminal of information about pilot strengths of sectors that are visible to the access terminal.

32. The system of claim 31 in which the radio node controllers determine, based on the pilot strength, to which sectors to send a communication over the control channel to the access terminal.

33. The system of claim 32 in which the radio node controllers send a communication to the access terminal over a control channel via sectors chosen based on their pilot signal strengths as reported by the access terminal, where at least one chosen sector is located in a different subnet than the radio node controller.

34. An apparatus comprising,

a processor,

memory, including software to provide instructions to the processor to maintain an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet where the apparatus is located to a coverage area of a second subnet and when the access terminal uses a carrier in the first subnet that cannot be used in the second subnet.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 connected to a network in which each of the carriers comprises an operating frequency.

36. The apparatus of claim 34 connected to a network in which radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1EV-DO standard.

37. An apparatus comprising means for maintaining an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet where the apparatus is located to a coverage area of a second subnet and the access terminal uses a carrier in the first subnet that cannot be used in the second subnet.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 connected to a network in which each of the carriers comprises an operating frequency.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 connected to a network in which radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

40. A system comprising,

a packet data serving node connected to a network;

at least two subnets, each subnet including,

at least one radio node controller connected to the packet data serving node and,

at least one radio node connected to a radio node controller in the same subnet,

in which a first radio node controller located in a first subnet maintains an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet to a coverage area of a second subnet and when the access terminal uses a carrier in the first subnet that cannot be used in the second subnet.

41. The system of claim 40 in which each of the carriers comprises an operating frequency.

42. The system of claim 40 in which radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

43. An apparatus comprising

a processor,

memory, including software to provide instructions to the processor to maintain an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet where the apparatus is located to a coverage area of a second subnet and radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

45. The apparatus of claims 43 or 44 in which radio nodes of the first subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev-A standard and radio nodes of the second subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 standard.

44. An apparatus comprising means for maintaining an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet where the apparatus is located to a coverage area of a second subnet and radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

46. A system comprising,

a packet data serving node connected to a network;

at least two subnets, each subnet including,

at least one radio node controller connected to the packet data serving node and,

at least one radio node connected to a radio node controller in the same subnet,

in which a first radio node controller located in a first subnet maintains an open traffic channel with an access terminal when the access terminal moves from a coverage area of a first subnet to a coverage area of a second subnet and radio nodes in the first subnet are configured in accordance with a 1xEV-DO standard and radio nodes in the second subnet are configured in accordance with another 1xEV-DO standard.

47. The system of claim 46 in which radio nodes of the first subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev-A standard and radio nodes of the second subnet are configured in accordance with the 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 standard.