LOCAL WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY FOR RADIO EQUIPMENT OF A BASE STATION IN A CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20140295901A1
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Griffioen, Robert, Iun, Edwin Vai Hou
• Granted Patent: US 9,191,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to local wireless connectivity for a radio equipment of a base station in a cellular communications network. In one embodiment, the radio equipment includes a radio subsystem that transmits and receives radio signals for the cellular communications network, a local wireless interface, and a controller associated with the local wireless interface that is configured to provide access to a maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment via the local wireless interface. Remote access to the maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment via the local wireless interface allows maintenance operations to be performed without the need to physically connect to the radio equipment via a wired connection, which is difficult in many installations.

Claims

1. A radio equipment of a base station of a cellular communications network, comprising:

a radio subsystem that transmits and receives radio signals for the cellular communications network;

a local wireless interface; and

a controller associated with the local wireless interface that is configured to provide access to a maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment via the local wireless interface.

2. The radio equipment of claim 1 wherein, in order to provide access to the maintenance subsystem via the local wireless interface, the controller is further configured to provide access to the maintenance subsystem for a wireless device via a local wireless connection between the radio equipment and the wireless device established via the local wireless interface.

3. The radio equipment of claim 2 wherein the controller is further configured to control the local wireless interface to connect to a hotspot hosted by the wireless device to thereby establish the local wireless connection between the radio equipment and the wireless device.

4. The radio equipment of claim 2 wherein the controller is further configured to control the local wireless interface to create a hotspot, wherein the wireless device connects to the hotspot to thereby establish the local wireless connection between the radio equipment and the wireless device.

5. The radio equipment of claim 2 wherein, in order to provide access to the maintenance subsystem for the wireless device via the local wireless connection, the controller is further configured to:

receive a maintenance request from the wireless device via the local wireless connection; and

in response, perform one or more actions indicated by the maintenance request.

6. The radio equipment of claim 5 wherein the one or more actions are from a group consisting of:

monitoring traffic flow between the radio equipment and an associated radio equipment controller and returning resulting monitored traffic flow data to the wireless device via the local wireless connection;

obtaining a status of the radio equipment and returning the status of the radio equipment to the wireless device via the local wireless connection;

resetting the radio equipment;

providing transmit blocking;

providing transmit output control;

obtaining a state of one or more LEDs of the radio equipment and returning the state of the one or more LEDs to the wireless device via the local wireless connection;

controlling a state of the one or more LEDs of the radio equipment; and

monitoring operation of the radio equipment and providing resulting monitoring data to the wireless device via the local wireless connection.

7. The radio equipment of claim 2 wherein, in order to provide access to the maintenance subsystem for the wireless device via the local wireless connection, the controller is further configured to:

receive a physical location of the wireless device via the local wireless connection; and

store the physical location of the wireless device as a physical location of the radio equipment.

8. The radio equipment of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to enable a wireless device to access the maintenance subsystem to monitor the radio equipment via the local wireless interface.

9. The radio equipment of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to enable a wireless device to access the maintenance subsystem to monitor traffic flow between the radio equipment and an associated radio equipment controller via the local wireless interface.

10. The radio equipment of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to enable a wireless device to access the maintenance subsystem to have local control of the radio equipment via the local wireless interface.

11. A method of operation of a radio equipment of a base station in a cellular communications network, comprising:

establishing a local wireless connection to a wireless device via a local wireless interface of the radio equipment; and

enabling the wireless device to access a maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment via the local wireless connection.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing the local wireless connection to the wireless device comprises connecting to a hotspot hosted by the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing the local wireless connection to the wireless device comprises establishing a hotspot, and the local wireless connection is a result of the wireless device connecting to the hotspot.

14. A wireless device comprising:

a local wireless interface; and

a controller associated with the local wireless interface configured to access a maintenance subsystem of a radio equipment of a base station of a cellular communications network via the local wireless interface.

15. The wireless device of claim 14 wherein, in order to access to the maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment of the base station via the local wireless interface, the controller is further configured to:

access the maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment via a local wireless connection established between the wireless device and the radio equipment via the local wireless interface.

16. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein, in order to establish the local wireless connection, the controller is further configured to:

create a hotspot via the local wireless interface, where the local wireless connection is a connection to the hotspot.

17. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein, in order to establish the local wireless connection, the controller is further configured to:

connect to a hotspot hosted by the radio equipment via the local wireless interface to thereby establish the local wireless connection between the wireless device and the radio equipment.

18. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein, in order to access the maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment of the base station via the local wireless connection, the controller is further configured to send a maintenance request to the maintenance subsystem of the radio equipment of the base station via the local wireless connection.

19. The wireless device of claim 18 wherein the maintenance request is one of a group consisting of a request to reset the radio equipment, a request for the radio equipment to provide transmit blocking, a transmit output control request, and a request to control a state of one or more LEDs of the radio equipment.

20. The wireless device of claim 18 wherein:

the maintenance request is one of a group consisting of;

a request to monitor traffic flow between the radio equipment and an associated radio equipment controller, a request for a status of the radio equipment, a request for a state of one or more LEDs of the radio equipment and returning the state of the one or more LEDs to the wireless device via the local wireless connection, and a request to monitor operation of the radio equipment; and

the controller is further configured to receive requested data from the radio equipment via the local wireless connection in response to the maintenance request.

21. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein, the controller is further configured to:

obtain a physical location of the wireless device; and

send the physical location of the wireless device to the radio equipment as a physical location of the radio equipment via the local wireless connection.

22. The wireless device of claim 21 wherein the controller is further configured to update a remote database to include the physical location of the wireless device as the physical location of the radio equipment.

23. The wireless device of claim 21 wherein the controller is further configured to:

obtain a unique identifier of the radio equipment; and

update a remote database to include the unique identifier of the radio equipment and the physical location of the wireless device as the physical location of the radio equipment.

24. A wireless device comprising:

a local wireless interface; and

a controller associated with the local wireless interface configured to;

obtain a unique identifier of a radio equipment of a base station of a cellular communications network via the local wireless interface;

obtain a physical location of the wireless device; and

update a remote database to include the unique identifier of the radio equipment of the base station and the physical location of the wireless device as a physical location of the radio equipment.