Methods and System for Dynamic Spectrum Arbitrage with Mobility Management

• US 20140355463A1
• Filed: 05/26/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean & Company Strategy Consultants, LLC.
• Original Assignee: Rivada Networks, LLC
• Inventors: Smith, Clint, Devisetti, Nageswara Rao Deekshitha, Smith, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• 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 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation

Abstract

A dynamic spectrum arbitrage (DSA) system includes a dynamic spectrum policy controller (DPC) and a dynamic spectrum controller (DSC) that together dynamically manage the allocation and use of resources (e.g., spectrum resources) across different networks. The DSC component may include wired or wireless connections to eNodeBs, a mobility management entity (MME), and various other network components. These components may be configured to communicate and perform various mobility management operations to better manage and coordinate the handling (e.g., handoffs, hand-ins, backoff, etc.) of wireless devices as they are moved with respect to the allocated resources.

Claims

1. A dynamic spectrum arbitrage (DSA) method, comprising:

receiving in a processor a notification message identifying a successful bidder for a geographical area;

generating a grid-map structure that includes a primary grid structure that identifies telecommunication cells in the geographical area;

monitoring locations of wireless devices; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations.

2. The DSA method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying a first telecommunication network as the successful bidder in a dynamic spectrum controller (DSC) in the first telecommunication network;

monitoring locations of wireless devices comprises monitoring the locations of wireless devices attached to a first eNodeB in the first telecommunication network; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations comprises determining whether to initiate handin operations to transfer the wireless devices attached to the first eNodeB to a second eNodeB in a second telecommunication network.

3. The DSA method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying a first telecommunication network as the successful bidder in a dynamic spectrum controller (DSC) in a second telecommunication network;

monitoring locations of wireless devices comprises monitoring a location of a wireless device that subscribes to the first telecommunication network and is attached to an eNodeB in the second telecommunication network; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations comprises determining whether to initiate backoff operations to transfer the wireless device that subscribes to the first telecommunication network and is attached to the eNodeB back to the first telecommunication network.

4. The DSA method of claim 3, wherein the operation of determining whether to initiate backoff operations to transfer the wireless device that subscribes to the first telecommunication network and is attached to the eNodeB back to the first telecommunication network is performed in response to one of:

determining that resource lease period has ended;

determining that the eNodeB is congested; and

determining that the wireless device has moved outside of the geographical area.

5. The DSA method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying a first telecommunication network as the successful bidder in a dynamic spectrum controller (DSC) in the first telecommunication network, the DSA method further comprising:

using the generated grid-map structure to allocate telecommunication resources of a second telecommunication network for access and use by wireless devices of the first telecommunication network.

6. The DSA method of claim 1, wherein generating the grid-map structure that includes the primary grid structure that identifies the telecommunication cells in the geographical area further comprises:

classifying each of the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure as being one of an interior cell and a border cell.

7. The DSA method of claim 6, wherein generating grid-map structure that includes the primary grid structure that identifies the telecommunication cells in the geographical area comprises generating the grid-map structure to further include a buffer zone structure that identifies the telecommunication cells that are adjacent to the border cell.

8. The DSA method of claim 7, wherein generating the grid-map structure to include the buffer zone structure comprises generating the buffer zone structure to include multiple tiers.

9. The DSA method of claim 7, further comprising:

using the buffer zone structure to perform ping-pong avoidance operations.

10. The DSA method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving measurement reports that include eNodeB signal strength information from the wireless devices.

11. A dynamic spectrum arbitrage (DSA) system, comprising:

an eNodeB comprising an eNodeB processor;

a dynamic spectrum controller (DSC) comprising DSC processor coupled to the eNodeB via a first communication link; and

a dynamic spectrum policy controller (DPC) comprising a DPC processor coupled to the DSC via a second communication link,

wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations comprising;

receiving a notification message from the DPC identifying a successful bidder for a geographical area;

generating a grid-map structure that includes a primary grid structure that identifies telecommunication cells in the geographical area;

monitoring locations of wireless devices; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations.

12. The DSA system of claim 11, wherein the eNodeB and DSC are included in a first telecommunication network and the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that:

receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying the first telecommunication network as the successful bidder;

monitoring locations of wireless devices comprises monitoring the locations of wireless devices attached to a the eNodeB; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations comprises determining whether to initiate handin operations to transfer the wireless devices attached to the eNodeB to another eNodeB in a second telecommunication network.

13. The DSA system of claim 11, wherein the eNodeB and DSC are included in a first telecommunication network and the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that:

receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying a second telecommunication network as the successful bidder;

monitoring locations of wireless devices comprises monitoring a location of a wireless device that subscribes to the second telecommunication network and is attached to the eNodeB; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations comprises determining whether to initiate backoff operations to transfer the wireless device to another eNodeB in the second telecommunication network.

14. The DSA system of claim 13, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that the operation of determining whether to initiate backoff operations to transfer the wireless device to another eNodeB in the second telecommunication network is performed in response to one of:

determining that resource lease period has ended;

determining that the eNodeB is congested; and

determining that the wireless device has moved outside of the geographical area.

15. The DSA system of claim 11, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that receiving the notification message identifying the successful bidder for the geographical area comprises receiving a message identifying a first telecommunication network as the successful bidder, and wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations further comprising:

using the generated grid-map structure to allocate telecommunication resources of a second telecommunication network for access and use by wireless devices of the first telecommunication network.

16. The DSA system of claim 11, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that generating the grid-map structure that includes the primary grid structure that identifies the telecommunication cells in the geographical area further comprises:

classifying each of the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure as being one of an interior cell and a border cell.

17. The DSA system of claim 16, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that generating the grid-map structure that includes the primary grid structure that identifies the telecommunication cells in the geographical area comprises generating the grid-map structure to further include a buffer zone structure that identifies the telecommunication cells that are adjacent to the border cell.

18. The DSA system of claim 17, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations such that generating the grid-map structure to include the buffer zone structure comprises generating the buffer zone structure to include multiple tiers.

19. The DSA system of claim 17, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations further comprising:

using the buffer zone structure to perform ping-pong avoidance operations.

20. The DSA system of claim 11, wherein the DSC processor is configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations further comprising:

receiving measurement reports that include eNodeB signal strength information from the wireless devices.

21. A server computing device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor executable instruction to perform operations comprising;

receiving a notification message identifying a successful bidder for a geographical area;

generating grid-map structure that includes a primary grid structure that identifies telecommunication cells in the geographical area;

monitoring locations of wireless devices; and

using the locations of the wireless devices with respect to the telecommunication cells of the primary grid structure to determine whether to initiate inter-network handover operations.