SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING EXTENDING FEMTOCELL COVERAGE

• US 20110092211A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: AirWalk Communications, Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Osborn, Christopher Martin Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Femtocell coverage can be extended across a coverage area by providing a cluster of femtocell access points (FAPs). Each FAP is independently registered with a core network and provisioned with a location area code common to each FAP. At hand-in from the macrocell network, an association is made between the mobile station and the hand-in FAP, which becomes an anchor FAP for the duration of the mobile station'"'"'s presence within the cluster. Calls between the mobile station and the core network are routed via a servicing FAP of the cluster and the anchor FAP.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a wireless network comprising:

providing a plurality of access points with a plurality of coverage areas, each access point configured to;

provide radio network access via an air interface to at least one mobile station; and

communicate with a core network via an IP network;

wherein at least one of the plurality of access points of the cluster is configured to perform a hand-in of a mobile station from a macrocell network comprising;

registering the mobile station at the hand-in access point with the core network, the hand-in access point defining an anchor access point for the respective mobile station; and

storing an association between the mobile station and the anchor access point within the network;

the method further comprising;

defining a cluster of the plurality of access points;

independently registering each access point of the cluster with the core network;

configuring each access point of the cluster for peer to peer communication with at least one other access point of the cluster; and

configuring the plurality of cluster access points to;

identify an anchor point for a mobile station when a communication requirement between the core network and the mobile station exists; and

establish a communication between the mobile station and the core network via the anchor access point irrespective of an access point of the cluster that is servicing the mobile station.

2. The method according to claim 1 comprising maintaining the registration of a mobile station with its respective anchor access point during mobility of the mobile station throughout the plurality of coverage areas of the access points of the cluster.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising configuring the plurality of access points of the cluster for peer to peer communication through a local area IP network, wherein establishing a communication between the mobile station and the core network comprises establishing a communication between a servicing access point and the anchor access point on the local area IP network.

4. The method according to claim 3 comprising providing one or more configuration parameters of the cluster to a first access point and distributing the one or more configuration parameters from the first access point to the access points of the cluster on the local area IP network.

5. The method according to claim 1 comprising configuring each access point of the cluster with a common location area code.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

associating a mobile station that is registered with a first access point with a second access point; and

indicating to the core network that the mobile station is associated with the second access point.

7. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

providing a measurement request to a mobile station within at least one of the coverage areas;

receiving a measurement response from the mobile station at least one access point; and

configuring at least one handoff parameter for the at least one access point dependent on the measurement response.

8. A method for establishing a communication between a core network and a mobile station on a radio access network comprising a plurality of access points, each access point configured to provide radio network access via an air interface to the mobile station, each access point configured to communicate with the core network via an IP network, and each access point being independently registered with the core network, the method comprising:

indicating to the core network an association between the mobile station and an anchor access point of the cluster;

determining a communication requirement between the core network and the mobile station;

determining a servicing access point of the cluster able to service the mobile station; and

establishing a connection path between the core network and the mobile station comprising the anchor access point and the servicing access point.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein establishing the connection path comprises:

setting up a communication between the anchor access point and the core network; and

setting up one or more legs between the anchor access point and the servicing access point.

10. The method according to claim 9 comprising setting up the one or more legs on a local area IP network.

11. The method according to claim 8 comprising determining a handoff requirement during communication between the mobile station and the core network and performing a handoff comprising:

identifying a handoff access point;

establishing one or more legs between the handoff access point and the anchor access point;

handing off the call from the servicing access point to the handoff access point;

continuing the communication on a communication path comprising the handoff access point and the anchor access point.

12. The method according to claim 8 wherein the anchor access point is an access point that performs a hand-in of the mobile station from a macrocell network to the radio access network.

13. The method according to claim 8 wherein the communication comprises an outbound call from the core network to the mobile station, wherein identifying the anchor access point comprises identifying on the core network an anchor access point at which the mobile station is registered, the method comprising providing a communication request from the core network to the anchor access point.

14. The method according to claim 13 comprising:

receiving the communication request at the anchor access point;

paging the mobile station across the plurality of access points;

identifying the servicing access point of the plurality of access points;

establishing one or more legs between the anchor access point and the servicing access point.

15. The method according to claim 8 wherein the communication comprises an inbound communication from the mobile station to the core network, the method comprising:

receiving a communication request from the mobile station at the servicing access point;

communicating with one or more of the plurality of access points to identify the anchor access point;

establishing one or more legs between the servicing access point and the anchor access point; and

setting up the call from the anchor access point to the core network.

16. The method according to claim 8 comprising storing a list of each mobile station associated with an access point at the respective access point.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of access points defining a cluster of access points, each access point of the cluster comprising a common location area code and each access point of the cluster configured to;

provide radio network access via an air interface to at least one mobile station within a coverage area;

communicate with a core network via an IP network, each access point of the cluster being independently registered with the core network;

provide peer to peer communication with at least one other access point of the cluster;

at least one of the access points of the cluster being configured to perform a hand-in of a mobile station from a macrocell network comprising;

registering with the core network an association between the mobile station and an access point of the cluster, the associated access point defining an anchor access point for the respective mobile station;

storing an association between the mobile station and the anchor access point within the cluster;

wherein at least one access point of the cluster is configured to;

determine a communication requirement for a mobile station within a coverage area of the cluster;

identify an anchor access point for the mobile station; and

establish a communication between the mobile station and the core network via the anchor access point.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the cluster access points is configured to:

provide an anchor access point for the mobile station;

receive a communication request to the mobile station from the core network;

page the mobile station across the access points of cluster;

identify a servicing access point of the access points of the cluster that is able to service the mobile station;

establish one or more legs between the anchor access point and the servicing access point.

19. The system according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the cluster access points is configured to:

receive a communication request from the mobile station, thereby defining the access point as a servicing access point;

communicate with one or more access points of the cluster to identify the anchor access point for the mobile station; and

establish one or more legs between the servicing access point and the anchor access point;

20. The system according to claim 17 wherein at least one of the cluster access points is configured to:

determine a handoff requirement during communication between the mobile station and the core network; and

perform a handoff comprising;

identifying a handoff access point of the cluster;

hand off the call to the handoff access point;

wherein the handoff access point is configured to;

establish one or more legs between the handoff access point and the anchor access point; and

continue the communication on a communication path comprising the handoff access point and the anchor access point.