Apparatus and method for management of resources in cellular networks
First Claim
1. A method for maintaining a connection between a mobile communications unit and a cellular communications network, the method comprising the steps of:
- predicting a route of the unit through cells of the network by comparing a plurality of stored previous routes to an actual route of the unit, wherein the actual route includes cells the unit has crossed during the connection to the network and a predicted next cell that the unit will enter; and
actively reserving one or more resources of the network for use by the unit based at least in part on the predicted route.
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Abstract
Wireless networks require efficient mobility management to cope with frequent mobile handoff and rerouting of connections. The invention treats this problem by developing a hierarchical prediction engine that employs approximate pattern matching and Kalman filtering techniques to yield an accurate prediction of both the immediate next cell to be entered by the mobile and the overall or global route of the mobile unit in the wireless cellular network. The prediction of the mobile'"'"'s future movement is used by the network to reserve resources, relieve congestion, reduce latency, and optimize the establishment of routes in the wireless cellular network.
298 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for maintaining a connection between a mobile communications unit and a cellular communications network, the method comprising the steps of:
- predicting a route of the unit through cells of the network by comparing a plurality of stored previous routes to an actual route of the unit, wherein the actual route includes cells the unit has crossed during the connection to the network and a predicted next cell that the unit will enter; and
actively reserving one or more resources of the network for use by the unit based at least in part on the predicted route. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- predicting a route of the unit through cells of the network by comparing a plurality of stored previous routes to an actual route of the unit, wherein the actual route includes cells the unit has crossed during the connection to the network and a predicted next cell that the unit will enter; and
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15. A system for predicting a route through a network by a network user during a connection between the network and the user, the system comprising:
- a profile of the network user containing a record of selected routes taken by the user for past connections to the network, wherein each of the routes in the record represents a plurality of routes resembling the recorded route, a memory containing a history of the cells through which the user has traveled during the connection, a sensor for providing a trajectory of the user during the present connection, a prediction engine responsive to the profile, the memory and the trajectory for predicting a sequence of network cells through which the user will pass for the remaining duration of the connection to the network, where the prediction is based on (1) determining an actual route of the user and (2) selecting a recorded route that best resembles the actual route from which the predicted sequence of network cells is determined.
- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for predicting the routing of a mobile communications unit through a communication network of cells, including the steps of:
- (i) creating a profile of the mobile communication unit'"'"'s movement through the cells in the network during a connection of the unit to the network, the profile including an identification of the cells through which the unit has moved, (ii) predicting the next cell the unit will enter during the connection, and (iii) selecting as a predicted route one of several previous routes taken by the unit that best matches an actual path of the unit determined from steps (i) and (ii).
- View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A method for reserving a resource along a predicted route of a mobile unit in a cellular communication network such that the unit maintains a constant channel assignment through one or more adjacent cells in an actual path of the unit, including the steps of (i) estimating the unit'"'"'s time of arrive (ETA) into a predicted next cell, (ii) reserving the resource within the predicted next cell for a time period based at least in part on the ETA of the unit into the predicted next cell, and (iii) releasing the reserved resource if the unit does not arrive at the predicted next cell within a time period derived from the ETA.
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34. A method for predicting a route of a mobile unit through a cellular communications network to which the mobile unit is connected, the method comprising the steps of:
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predicting a next cell of the network the mobile unit will enter;
recording the mobile unit'"'"'s actual route, which includes cells of the network through which the unit has passed and the predicted next cell;
comparing the actual route to one or more previous routes and generating from the comparison a measurement that quantifies a degree of resemblance between the actual route and each of the previous routes to which the actual route is compared; and
selecting one of the stored routes as the predicted route for the present connection that best resembles the actual route based on an evaluation of the measurement. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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Specification