Intelligent Backhaul Management System

• US 20130089042A1
• Filed: 10/01/2012
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: COMS IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: CBF Networks, Inc. (COMSovereign Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Negus, Kevin J., Duffy, Kevin J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0469 taking special antenna structures, e.g. cross polarized antennas into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A intelligent backhaul system is disclosed to manage and control multiple intelligent backhaul radios within a geographic zone. The intelligent backhaul system includes multiple intelligent backhaul radios (IBRs) that are able to function in both obstructed and unobstructed line of sight propagation conditions, one or more intelligent backhaul controllers (IBCs) connecting the IBRs with other network elements, and an intelligent backhaul management system (IBMS). The IBMS may include a private and/or public server and/or agents in one or more IBRs or IBCs.

Claims

1. An intelligent backhaul radio with intelligent backhaul management system agent comprising:

a plurality of receive RF chains;

one or more transmit RF chains;

an antenna array comprising a plurality of directive gain antenna elements, wherein each directive gain antenna element is couplable to at least one receive RF or transmit RF chain;

a modem comprising one or more modulator cores and comprising one or more demodulator cores, wherein each of the one or more modulator cores is coupled to at least one of the one or more transmit RF chains and each of the one or more demodulator cores is coupled to at least one of the plurality of receive RF chains;

an interface bridge configured to couple the intelligent backhaul radio to a data network;

a media access controller coupled to the modem and the interface bridge, the media access controller configured to exchange data to and from the data network via coupling to at least the interface bridge and configured to exchange data to and from at least one associated other intelligent backhaul radio;

a radio resource controller, the radio resource controller configured at least to set or cause to be set a certain RF carrier frequency or channel bandwidth for at least one of the receive RF or transmit RF chains or to select or cause to be selected at least one mapping between one or more of the directive gain antenna elements and one or more of the receive RF or transmit RF chains; and

an intelligent backhaul management system agent capable of communicating with at least the radio resource controller, the intelligent backhaul management system agent configured to set or cause to be set certain operational parameters, wherein at least one of said certain operational parameters relates to said certain RF carrier frequency or channel bandwidth for at least one of the receive RF or transmit RF chains or to said mapping between one or more of the directive gain antenna elements and one or more of the receive RF or transmit RF chains,

wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent is configured to exchange the at least one of said certain operational parameters by communication with at least one of a server or other one of other intelligent backhaul management system agents.

2. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more wireless adapters.

3. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 2 wherein at least one wireless adapter is interoperable with other wireless devices based on one or more standard specifications of IEEE 802.11.

4. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 3 wherein at least one wireless adapter is configured as a public or private access point.

5. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 3 wherein at least one wireless adapter exchanges traffic with one or more wireless devices within a wireless access network.

6. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 5 wherein the wireless devices include one or more of smartphones, tablets, or laptop computers.

7. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 2 wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent can exchange the at least one of said certain operational parameters by communication with a wireless device that exchanges traffic with at least one of the one or more wireless adapters.

8. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 wherein one or more of the couplings between each of the one or more modulator cores and the one or more transmit RF chains and each of the one or more demodulator cores and the plurality of receive RF chains comprise a channel multiplexer.

9. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 wherein the at least one of said certain operational parameters is based upon or derived from at least one service level agreement stored at or accessible from at least one of the server or other one of the other intelligent backhaul management system agents.

10. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 7 wherein the at least one of said certain operational parameters is based upon or derived from at least one service level agreement stored at or accessible from the wireless device that exchanges traffic with at least one of the one or more wireless adapters.

11. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent is further configured either to set or cause to be set or to measure or cause to be measured certain additional operational parameters, wherein at least one of said certain additional operational parameters relates to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index parameter, a transmit power control (TPC) value, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) or signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR), a superframe timing parameter, an observed interferer parameter, a location parameter, an antenna configuration parameter, or an antenna orientation parameter;

and wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent can exchange the at least one of said certain additional operational parameters by communication with at least one of the server or other one of the other intelligent backhaul management system agents.

12. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 11 further comprising:

one or more wireless adapters.

13. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 12 wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent can exchange the at least one of said certain additional operational parameters by communication with a wireless device that exchanges traffic with at least one of the one or more wireless adapters.

20. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 wherein the interface bridge comprises one or more Ethernet interfaces to couple the interface bridge to the data network, the interface bridge multiplexing and buffering the one or more Ethernet interfaces.

21. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of network interfaces, at least one of the plurality of network interfaces coupled to the data network; and

a switch coupled to the plurality of network interfaces,

wherein the interface bridge is coupled to the switch via at least one of the plurality of network interfaces or via at least one of one or more internal ports of the switch.

22. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 1 wherein the at least one of said certain operational parameters is based upon or derived from at least one service level agreement.

14. An intelligent backhaul radio with intelligent backhaul management system agent comprising:

a plurality of receive RF chains;

one or more transmit RF chains;

an antenna array comprising a plurality of directive gain antenna elements, wherein each directive gain antenna element is couplable to at least one receive RF or transmit RF chain;

a modem comprising one or more modulator cores and comprising one or more demodulator cores, wherein each of the one or more modulator cores is coupled to at least one of the one or more transmit RF chains and each of the one or more demodulator cores is coupled to at least one of the plurality of receive RF chains;

an interface bridge configured to couple the intelligent backhaul radio to a data network;

a media access controller coupled to the modem and the interface bridge, the media access controller configured to exchange data to and from the data network via coupling to at least the interface bridge and configured to exchange data to and from at least one associated other intelligent backhaul radio; and

an intelligent backhaul management system agent capable of communicating with at least the media access controller, the intelligent backhaul management system agent configured to set or cause to be set certain policies or configuration parameters, wherein at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters relates to association with certain of a plurality of possibly associable other intelligent backhaul radios,

wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent is configured to exchange the at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters by communication with at least one of a server or other one of other intelligent backhaul management system agents.

15. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 14 further comprising:

one or more wireless adapters.

16. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 15 wherein the intelligent backhaul management system agent can exchange the at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters by communication with a wireless device that exchanges traffic with at least one of the one or more wireless adapters.

17. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 14 wherein the at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters causes the media access controller to associate with or favor association with certain designated ones of the plurality of possibly associable other intelligent backhaul radios.

18. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 17 wherein the at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters is based upon at least one of reported traffic flows over certain other intelligent backhaul radio links, reported link performance metrics at certain other intelligent backhaul radios, instant interference and RF spectrum coordination considerations, desired redundancy, fail-over or load balancing goals, localized data network congestion, or data network access cost considerations.

19. The intelligent backhaul radio of claim 18 wherein the at least one of said certain policies or configuration parameters is based upon or derived from at least one service level agreement.