Cellular base station with intelligent call routing

• US 6,173,177 B1
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LGC Wireless Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Interwave Communications International SA (Alvarion Limited)
• Inventors: Sage, Gerald F., Lu, Priscilla Marilyn, White, Timothy Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Darnell R
• Application Number:
  US09/049,606
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/561, 455/575, 455/550, 455/428, 455/445, 455/560, 455/432, 370/95.3, 370/95.1, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A base station communicates with a plurality of mobile stations over a cellular network. In one embodiment, the base station includes a transceiver configured to receive inbound information from the mobile station and transmit outbound information to the mobile station. The transceiver equalizes and decodes the inbound information and encodes the outbound information. The transceiver is coupled to a data bus for communicating the inbound and outbound information with the other elements in the base station. The transceiver is also coupled to a control bus. An trunk module is coupled to the data bus and to a mobile services center. The trunk module communicates inbound and outbound information with the mobile services center. The trunk module is also coupled to the control bus. Finally, a central processor is coupled to the control bus to control the transceiver and the trunk module. A preferred protocol is Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM).

Claims

1. A base station for communicating with a first mobile station and a second mobile station, said base station comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive first inbound information from the first mobile station and second inbound information from the second mobile station and transmit first outbound information to the first mobile station and second outbound information to the second mobile station;

a signal processor coupled to said transceiver and a data bus and configured to equalize and decode said first inbound information and said second inbound information and to encode said first outbound information and said second outbound information;

a processor coupled to said data bus and configured to receive control information from said first mobile station, said second mobile station and said data bus and to control said signal processor to route said first inbound information from said first mobile station to said data bus, route said first outbound information from said data bus to said first mobile station, route said second inbound information from said second mobile station to said data bus and route said second outbound information from said data bus to said second mobile station; and

a trunk module coupled to said data bus and adapted to couple to a foreign network and configured to selectively communicate said first inbound information, said second inbound information, said first outbound information, said second outbound information and said control information with said foreign network.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein:

said processor is a transceiver processor further coupled to said signal processor and capable of routing said first inbound information from said first mobile station to said data bus, routing said first outbound information from said data bus to the second mobile station as said second outbound information, and routing said second inbound information from said second mobile station to said data bus and routing said second inbound information to the first mobile station as said first outbound information.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein:

said transceiver includes a first transceiver configured to receive first inbound information from the first mobile station and transmit first outbound information to the first mobile station, and a second transceiver configured to receive second inbound information from the second mobile station and transmit second outbound information to the second mobile station;

said signal processor includes a first signal processor coupled to said first transceiver and a data bus and configured to equalize and decode said first inbound information and to transmit said first inbound information to said data bus, and to receive said first outbound information from said data bus and encode said first outbound information, and a second signal processor coupled to said second transceiver and said data bus and configured to equalize and decode said second inbound information and to transmit said second inbound information to said data bus, and to receive said second outbound information from said data bus and encode said second outbound information;

said processor is configured to control said first signal processor and said second signal processor in order to provide instructions to route said first inbound information from said first mobile station to said data bus, route said first outbound information from said data bus to said first mobile station, route said second inbound information from said second mobile station to said data bus and mute said second outbound information from said data bus to said second mobile station; and

said a trunk module is capable of routing said first inbound information from said data bus to said foreign network, muting said first outbound information from said foreign network to said data bus, muting said second inbound information from said data bus to said foreign network, routing said second outbound information from said foreign network to said data bus, routing said first inbound information from said data bus back onto said data bus as said second outbound information, and routing said second inbound information from said data bus back onto said data bus as said first outbound information.

4. The base station of claim 3, wherein:

said trunk module is configured to receive said first inbound information and said second inbound information from said data bus and transmit said first inbound information and said second inbound information to said foreign network, and configured to receive said first outbound information and said second outbound information from said foreign network and transmit said first outbound information and said second outbound information to said data bus.

5. The base station of claim 4, wherein;

said first inbound information includes first inbound voice/data information and first inbound control information, said first outbound information includes first outbound voice/data information and first outbound control information;

said second inbound information includes second inbound voice/data information and second inbound control information, said second outbound information includes second outbound voice/data information and second outbound control information;

said trunk module includes a time/space switch coupled to said data bus, a plurality of signal processors coupled to said time/space switch, and an interface framer coupled to said time/space switch;

said trunk module includes a transcoder rate adapter to selectively adapt said first inbound voice/data information, said first outbound voice/data information, said second inbound voice/data information and said second outbound voice/data information; and

said trunk module includes a faux Abis configured to selectively process said first inbound control information, said first outbound control information, said second inbound control information and said second outbound control information.

6. The base station of claim 5, further comprising:

a control bus coupled to said first transceiver processor, said second transceiver processor, said trunk module and said processor.

7. The base station of claim 6, wherein:

said trunk module includes an echo canceler to selectively echo cancel said first inbound voice/data information and said second inbound voice/data information; and

said module includes a faux A configured to selectively process said first inbound control information, said first outbound control information, said second inbound control information and said second outbound control information.

8. The base station of claim 3, for further processing information associated with said first mobile station including said first inbound information having first inbound voice/data information and first inbound control information, said first outbound information having first outbound voice/data information and first outbound control information, and said second mobile station including said second inbound information having second inbound voice/data information and second inbound control information, and said second outbound information having second outbound voice/data information and second outbound control information, said trunk module further comprising:

a first terminal adapted to couple to a first foreign network, a second terminal adapted to couple to a second foreign network and an interface processor coupled to said data bus and a control bus; and

a time/space switch coupled to said data bus, a plurality of signal processors coupled to said time/space switch, and an interface framer coupled to said time/space switch; and

a transcoder rate adapter to selectively adapt said first inbound voice/data information, said first outbound voice/data information, said second inbound voice/data information and said second outbound voice/data information;

wherein said processor is coupled to said control bus arid configured to selectively process said first inbound control information, said first outbound control information, said second inbound control information and said second outbound control information and to control said trunk module; and

wherein said trunk module is capable of selectively routing said first inbound information from said first terminal to said second terminal, routing said first outbound information from said second terminal to said first terminal, routing said first inbound information from said first terminal back to said first terminal as said second outbound information, and muting said second inbound information from said first terminal back to said first terminal as first outbound information.

9. The base station of claim 8, wherein:

said trunk module includes an echo canceler to selectively echo cancel said first inbound voice/data information and said second inbound voice/data information; and

said trunk module includes a faux A configured to selectively process said first inbound control information, said first outbound control information, said second inbound control information and said second outbound control information.

10. The base station of claim 3 for further processing information associated with said first mobile station including said first inbound information having first inbound voice/data information and first inbound control information, said first outbound information having first outbound voice/data information and first outbound control information, and said second mobile station including said second inbound information having second inbound voice/data information and second inbound control information, and said second outbound information having second outbound voice/data information and second outbound control information, said base station further comprising:

a plurality of trunk modules, whereby the base station switch capacity is scaled in proportion to the number of trunk modules, and each trunk module having;

a terminal adapted to couple to said foreign network, and an interface processor coupled to said data bus and a control bus;

a time/space switch coupled to said data bus, a plurality of signal processors coupled to said time/space switch, and an interface framer coupled to said time/space switch; and

a transcoder rate adapter to selectively adapt said first inbound voice/data information, said first outbound voice/data information, said second inbound voice/data information and said second outbound voice/data information and wherein;

said processor is coupled to said control bus and configured to selectively process said first inbound control information, said first outbound control information, said second inbound control information and said second outbound control information and to control said trunk modules; and

said trunk modules are capable of selectively routing said first inbound information from a selected trunk module to said data bus, muting said first outbound information from said data bus to said selected trunk module, muting said first inbound information from a selected terminal back to said selected terminal as said second outbound information, and routing said second inbound information from said selected terminal back to said selected terminal as first outbound information.

11. The base station of claim 2 or 3 for further processing communications associated with said first mobile station including said first inbound information having first inbound voice/data information and first inbound control information, and said first outbound information having first outbound voice/data information and first outbound control information, and said second mobile station including said second inbound information having second inbound voice/data information and second inbound control information, and said second outbound information having second outbound voice/data information and second outbound control information, said trunk module further comprising:

a processor coupled to said data bus and a control bus and capable of routing said first inbound voice/data information from said data bus to said foreign network, routing said second inbound voice/data information from said data bus to said foreign network, routing said first outbound voice/data information from said foreign network to said data bus, routing said second outbound voice/data information from said foreign network to said data bus, routing said first inbound voice/data information from said data bus back onto said data bus as said second outbound voice/data information, and routing said second inbound voice/data information from said data bus back onto said data bus as said first outbound voice/data information; and

wherein;

said trunk module includes a time/space switch coupled to said data bus, a plurality of signal processors coupled to said time/space switch, and an interface framer coupled to said time/space switch;

said trunk module includes an echo canceler to selectively echo cancel said first inbound voice/data information and said second inbound voice/data information; and

said trunk module includes a transcoder rate adapter to selectively adapt said first inbound voice/data information, said first outbound voice/data information, said second inbound voice/data information and said second outbound voice/data information.

12. A base station chassis capable of being configured into the base station of one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.