METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING UTILIZATION OF WIRELESS RESOURCES

• US 20180270806A1
• Filed: 05/24/2018
• Published: 09/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerszberg, Irwin
• Granted Patent: US 10,314,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0041 Frequency-non-contiguous
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a wireless communication node that receives instructions in a control channel directing it to utilize a spectral segment at a first carrier frequency to communicate with a mobile communication device. Responsive to the instructions, the wireless communication node receives a modulated signal in the spectral segment at a second carrier frequency from the base station, the modulated signal including communications data provided by the base station. The wireless communication node down-shifts the modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to the first carrier frequency, and wirelessly transmits the modulated signal at the first carrier frequency to the mobile communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

responsive to determining that a rate of travel of a mobile communication device of a plurality of mobile communication devices satisfies a threshold, selecting, according to a location of the mobile communication device, a wireless communication node from a plurality of wireless communication nodes in a wireless communication range of the mobile communication device, the plurality of wireless communication nodes serving to reduce utilization of wireless resources of the base station by the plurality of mobile communication devices, wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices engage in wireless communications with the base station, and wherein the plurality of mobile communication devices utilize a plurality of spectral segments operating at a first carrier frequency;

assigning a spectral segment from the plurality of spectral segments operating at a second carrier frequency to the wireless communication node to enable the wireless communication node to communicate with the mobile communication device;

modulating a signal to generate a modulated signal in the spectral segment at the second carrier frequency;

performing a first frequency shifting of the modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to a third carrier frequency; and

transmitting the modulated signal at the third carrier frequency to the wireless communication node to enable the wireless communication node to perform a second frequency shifting of the modulated signal at the third carrier frequency to the second carrier frequency and to wirelessly transmit the modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to the mobile communication device.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the modulated signal includes a reference signal to enable the wireless communication node to mitigate distortion in the modulated signal at the third carrier frequency.

3. The base station of claim 2, wherein the distortion that is mitigated is phase distortion.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency have non-overlapping frequency ranges.

5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting instructions in a control channel at the third carrier frequency directing the wireless communication node to utilize the spectral segment at the second carrier frequency for communicating with the mobile communication device.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein the spectral segment assigned to the wireless communication node differs from one or more spectral segments of the plurality of spectral segments used by the base station to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communication device.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein the modulating comprises modulating the signal according to a signaling protocol, and wherein the first frequency shifting is performed without modifying the signaling protocol.

8. The base station of claim 7, wherein the signaling protocol comprises a cellular communications protocol or a wireless access protocol.

9. The base station of claim 8, wherein the cellular communications protocol comprises a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless protocol.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a wireless communication node, instructions in a control channel to utilize a spectral segment at a first carrier frequency to communicate with a mobile communication device, the instructions being sent by a base station responsive to the base station determining that wireless communications between the mobile communication device and the base station can be redirected to the wireless communication node based on a location of the mobile communication device and a rate of travel of the mobile communication device;

receiving, by the wireless communication node, a first modulated signal in the spectral segment at a second carrier frequency from the base station, the first modulated signal including first communications data provided by the base station;

performing a first frequency shifting, by the wireless communication node, of the first modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to the first carrier frequency; and

wirelessly transmitting, by the wireless communication node, the first modulated signal at the first carrier frequency to the mobile communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the base station terminates the wireless communications with the mobile communication device responsive to sending the instructions to the wireless communication node.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first modulated signal includes a reference signal to enable the wireless communication node to mitigate distortion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the distortion that is mitigated is phase distortion.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by the wireless communication node, from the mobile communication device a second modulated signal at the first carrier frequency, the second modulated signal including second communications data provided by the mobile communication device;

performing a second frequency shifting, by the wireless communication node, of the second modulated signal at the first carrier frequency to the second carrier frequency; and

transmitting, by the wireless communication node, the second modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to the base station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second modulated signal comprises a reference signal to enable the base station to mitigate distortion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the distortion that is mitigated is phase distortion.

17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system of a base station including a processor, perform operations, the operations comprising:

responsive to determining that a rate of travel of a mobile communication device satisfies a threshold, selecting, according to a location of the mobile communication device, a wireless communication node from a plurality of wireless communication nodes in a wireless communication range of the mobile communication device, the plurality of wireless communication nodes serving to reduce utilization of wireless resources of the base station, wherein the mobile communication device engages in wireless communications with the base station, and wherein the mobile communication device utilizes a spectral segment operating at a first carrier frequency;

assigning the spectral segment operating at a second carrier frequency to the wireless communication node to enable the wireless communication node to communicate with the mobile communication device;

modulating a signal to generate a modulated signal in the spectral segment at the second carrier frequency, wherein the modulating comprises modulating the signal according to a signaling protocol;

performing a first frequency shifting of the modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to a third carrier frequency, wherein the first frequency shifting is performed without modifying the signaling protocol; and

transmitting the modulated signal at the third carrier frequency to the wireless communication node to enable the wireless communication node to perform a second frequency shifting of the modulated signal at the third carrier frequency to the second carrier frequency and to wirelessly transmit the modulated signal at the second carrier frequency to the mobile communication device.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the modulated signal includes a reference signal to enable the wireless communication node to mitigate distortion.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the distortion that is mitigated is phase distortion.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein:

the first frequency shifting comprises up-converting and the second frequency shifting comprises down-converting;

or

the first frequency shifting comprises down-converting and the second frequency shifting comprises up-converting.