MESHED GPS TIME SYNCHRONIZED NETWORK

• US 20170150463A1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Yi, Chen, Ye
• Granted Patent: US 10,021,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of base stations coupled in a mesh network. A first base station of the plurality of base stations includes a first antenna to receive a primary timing synchronization signal and a first interface to a wired packet-switched communication link. The first base station is configured to transmit backup timing synchronization information based on the primary timing synchronization signal. A second base station of the plurality of base stations has a second interface to the wired packet-based communication link and is configured to utilize the second timing synchronization signal sent from the first base station responsive to a failure of the primary timing synchronization signal at the second base station.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving backup timing synchronization information at a first base station transmitted over a wired packet-switched communication link from a second of a plurality of base stations coupled to the first base station in a mesh network including the wired packet-switched communication link; and

generating a timing signal in the first base station synchronized with the first base station using the backup timing synchronization information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, the backup timing synchronization information is based on a primary timing synchronization signal the second base station received from a satellite.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the first base station:

sending a request that requests the backup timing synchronization information be sent from one or more of the plurality of base stations.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the request is sent over the packet-based wired communication link in response to a failure associated with a primary timing synchronization signal of the first base station.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending the backup timing synchronization information from the second base to the first base station without a request for the backup timing synchronization information.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the first base station receiving a second backup timing synchronization information from another one of the plurality of the plurality of base stations.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the first base station utilizing the first and second backup timing synchronization information to generate the timing signal.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the first base station receiving timing synchronization signals from all of the plurality of base stations coupled in the mesh network.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second base stations are base stations for macro cells.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of base stations are for serving small cells.

11. A system comprising:

a plurality of base stations coupled in a mesh network;

a first base station of the plurality of base stations including a first antenna to receive a primary timing synchronization signal and a first interface to a wired packet-based communication link, the first base station configured to transmit backup timing synchronization information based on the primary timing synchronization signal; and

a second base station of the plurality of base stations having a second interface to the wired packet-based communication link and configured to utilize the backup timing synchronization information sent from the first base station responsive to a failure associated with receipt of the primary timing synchronization signal at the second base station.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a third base station of the plurality of base stations configured to transmit second backup timing synchronization information based on receipt of the primary timing synchronization signal by the third base station.

13. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the first, second, and third base stations provide radio coverage for respective first, second, and third macro cells.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the first base station provides radio coverage for a small cell.

15. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the first base station and the third base station transmit the first and second backup synchronization information responsive to a request by the second base station.

16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the second base station utilizes the first and second backup timing synchronization information to generate a synchronized timing signal synchronized with the first and third base station.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of base stations coupled in a mesh network; and

a first and second antenna associated respectively with a first and second of the plurality of base stations to receive a transmitted primary timing synchronization signal;

wherein at the first and second base stations of the plurality of base stations supply first and second backup timing synchronization information, based on the primary timing synchronization signal, over the mesh network on a periodic basis to a third of the plurality of base stations.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the mesh network utilizes a packet switched wired communication link coupled to each of the plurality of base stations.

19. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the first and second of the plurality of base stations supply the first and second backup timing synchronization information to the third base station in response to a request for backup timing synchronization information by the third base station.

20. The system as recited in claim 17 wherein the first and second base stations supply the first and second backup timing synchronization information to the third base stations without a request for backup timing synchronization information by the third base station.