Handoff and source congestion avoidance spread-spectrum system and method

• US 7,187,706 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hydro Net LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Linex Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Schilling, Donald L., Garodnick, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, DON NGUYEN
• Application Number:
  US09/968,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20020094013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: 375/130, 375/140, 375/141, 375/143, 370/331, 370/332, 370/335, 370/280, 370/310.2, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/439, 455/442
• US Class Current: 375/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels

Abstract

A spread-spectrum, code-division-multiple-access (CDMA), system with a remote station (RS) communicating with a first base station (BS). The remote station receives the first BS-packet signal, and transmits a first RS-packet signal to the first base station. The first RS-packet signal is spread by a first RS-chip-sequence signal at a second frequency. The first base station receives the first RS-packet signal. The first base station stores and forwards the despread first RS-packet signal to a central office (CO). The remote station monitors control and packet transmission channels of other base stations in geographic proximity to the remote station. Each of the base stations transmit BS-packet signals. The remote station determines, based on signal metrics and available capacity, when to change from the first base station to the second base station. The second base station stores and then forwards the despread second RS-packet signal to the central office. The despread second RS-packet signal includes a source address from the second base station and the source address from the remote station. For return communications from the central office, the central office reads the source address from the second base station, and routes return packet signals, denoted herein as CO-packet through the second base station to the remote station.

Claims

1. An improvement method to a frequency division duplex (FDD) distributed-network, spread-spectrum system comprising the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a first base station (BS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a first BS-packet signal at a first frequency;

receiving at a remote station (RS) the first BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a first RS-received signal;

transmitting, using radio waves, from a second base station a second BS-packet signal at a second frequency, with the second frequency different from the first frequency;

receiving at said remote station the second BS-packet signal at the second frequency, thereby obtaining a second RS-received signal;

monitoring at said remote station a first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, and a second signal metric of the second RS-received signal; and

determining at said remote station that the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal falls below a threshold, and that the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal is above the threshold, and that the second base station has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

2. The improvement as set forth in claim 1, further including the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a third base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a third BS-packet signal spread at a third frequency, with the third frequency different from the second frequency and the first frequency;

receiving at the remote station the third BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a third RS-received signal;

monitoring at said remote station the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal and a third signal metric of third RS-received signal, and

determining at said remote station that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station or the third base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

3. The improvement as set forth in claim 2, further including the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a fourth base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a fourth BS-packet signal spread at a fourth frequency, with the fourth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency and the third frequency;

receiving at the remote station the fourth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fourth RS-receiver signal;

monitoring at said remote station a signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal and a fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal, and

determining at said remote station that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station, the third base station or the fourth base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

4. The improvement as set forth in claim 3, further including the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a fifth base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a fifth BS-packet signal spread at a fifth frequency, with the fifth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency, the third frequency and the fourth frequency;

receiving at the remote station the fifth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fifth RS-receiver signal;

monitoring at said remote station the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal, the fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal and a fifth signal metric of the fifth RS-received signal, and

determining at said remote station that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric or the fifth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station, the third base station, the fourth base station, or the fifth base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

5. The improvement as set forth in claim 4, further including the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a sixth base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a sixth BS-packet signal spread at a sixth frequency, with the sixth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency, the third frequency, the fourth frequency and the fifth frequency;

receiving at the remote station the sixth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a sixth RS-receiver signal;

monitoring at said remote station the first signal metric of the first BS-packet signal, second signal metric of the second BS-packet signal, the third signal metric of the third BS-packet signal, the fourth signal metric of the fourth BS-packet signal, the fifth signal metric of the fifth BS-packet signal and a sixth signal metric of the sixth BS-packet signal, and

determining at said remote station that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric or the fifth signal metric or the sixth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station, the third base station or the fourth base station or the fifth base station or the sixth base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

6. An improvement to a spread-spectrum system comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

a first base station (BS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal at a first frequency;

a second base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal at a second frequency, with the second frequency different from the first frequency;

a remote station (RS) for receiving the first BS-packet signal and the second BS-packet signal, and thereby determining a first RS-received signal and a second RS-received signal, respectively; and

said remote station for determining that a first signal falls below a threshold and that a second signal metric of the second RS-received signal is above the threshold, and that the second base station has available capacity, thereby deciding to change base stations.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, further including:

a third base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a third BS-packet signal spread at a third frequency, with the third frequency different from the second frequency and the first frequency;

the remote station for receiving the third BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a third RS-received signal, the remote station for monitoring the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal and a third signal metric of third RS-received signal, and

said remote station for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station or the third base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, further including:

a fourth base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a fourth BS-packet signal spread at a fourth frequency, with the fourth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency and the third frequency;

said remote station for receiving the fourth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fourth RS-receiver signal, the remote station for monitoring a signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal and a fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal, and

said remote station for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station, the third base station or the fourth base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8, further including:

a fifth base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a fifth BS-packet signal spread at a fifth frequency, with the fifth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency, the third frequency and the fourth frequency;

said remote station for receiving the fifth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fifth RS-receiver signal, the remote station for monitoring the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal, the fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal and a fifth signal metric of the fifth RS-received signal, and

said remote station for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric or the fifth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second base station, the third base station, the fourth base station, or the fifth base station, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

10. An improvement to a spread spectrum system comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

first base station (BS) means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal spread at a first frequency;

second base station means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal spread signal at a second frequency, with the second frequency different from the first frequency; and

remote station (RS) means for receiving the first BS-packet signal and the second BS-packet signal, and thereby determining a first RS-received signal and a second RS-received signal, respectively;

the RS means for monitoring a first signal metric of the first BS-packet signal, RS means for determining that the first signal metric of falls below a threshold, and that the second signal metric is above the threshold, and that the second base station has available capacity, thereby determining to change base stations.

11. The improvement as set forth in claim 10, further including:

third BS means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a third BS-packet signal spread at a third frequency, with the third frequency different from the second frequency and the first frequency;

said RS means for receiving the third BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a third RS-received signal, the RS means for monitoring the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal and a third signal metric of third RS-received signal, and

said RS means for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second BS means or the third BS means, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base station means.

12. The improvement as set forth in claim 11, further including:

fourth BS means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a fourth BS-packet signal spread at a fourth frequency, with the fourth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency and the third frequency;

said RS means for receiving the fourth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fourth RS-receiver signal, the RS means for monitoring a signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal and a fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal, and

said RS means for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second BS means, the third BS means or the fourth BS means, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base station means.

13. The improvement as set forth in claim 12, further including:

fifth BS means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a fifth BS-packet signal spread at a fifth frequency, with the fifth frequency different from the first frequency, the second frequency, the third frequency and the fourth frequency;

said RS means for receiving the fifth BS-packet signal, thereby obtaining a fifth RS-receiver signal, the RS means for monitoring the first signal metric of the first RS-received signal, the second signal metric of the second RS-received signal, the third signal metric of the third RS-received signal, the fourth signal metric of the fourth RS-received signal and a fifth signal metric of the fifth RS-received signal, and

said RS means for determining that the first signal metric falls below the threshold, and that the second signal metric or the third signal metric or the fourth signal metric or the fifth signal metric, is above the threshold, and that any of the second BS means, the third BS means, the fourth BS means, or the fifth BS means, has available capacity, thereby determining to change base station means.

14. An improvement to a distributed network comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

a first base station (BS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal;

a remote station (RS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for receiving the first BS-packet signal;

a second base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal;

said remote station for monitoring a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal, for determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, and in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, handing off communications to the second base station, by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

said second base station for receiving the RS-packet signal, and for sending the RS-packet signal to a central office (CO), with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

said central office for sending a CO-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station; and

said second base station for receiving the CO-packet signal, and for transmitting, using radio waves, the CO-packet signal to said remote station.

15. The improvement as set forth in claim 14, with said remote station including means for determining that the second base station has available capacity, in order to hand off communications to the second base station.

16. An improvement for a frequency division duplex (FDD) distributed network method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a first base station (BS) located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a first BS-packet signal;

receiving at a remote station (RS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, the first BS-packet signal;

transmitting, using radio waves, from a second base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a second BS-packet signal;

monitoring at said remote station a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal;

determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold;

handing off, in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, communications to the second base station by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

receiving at said second base station the RS-packet signal;

sending the RS-packet signal to a central office (CO), with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

sending from said central office a CO-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station;

receiving at said second base station the CO-packet signal; and

transmitting, using radio waves, the CO-packet signal to said remote station.

17. The improvement as set forth in claim 16, with the step of determining including the step of determining that the second base station has available capacity, in order to hand off communications to the second base station.

18. An improvement to a distributed network comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

first base-station (BS) means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal;

remote-station (RS) means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for receiving the first BS-packet signal;

second base-station means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal;

said remote-station means for monitoring a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal, for determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, and in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, handing off communications to the second base station, by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

said second base-station means for receiving the RS-packet signal, and for sending the RS-packet signal to central office (CO) means, with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

said central-office means for sending a CO-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station; and

said second base-station means for receiving the CO-packet signal, and for transmitting, using radio waves, the CO-packet signal to said remote station.

19. The improvement as set forth in claim 18, with said remote-station means including means for determining that the second base-station means has available capacity in order to hand off communications to the second base station.

20. An improvement to a distributed network comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

a first base station (BS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal;

a remote station (RS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for receiving the first BS-packet signal;

a second base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal;

said remote station for monitoring a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal, for determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, and in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, handing off communications to the second base station, by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

said second base station for receiving the RS-packet signal, and for sending the RS-packet signal to a destination node (DN), with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

said destination node for sending a DN-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station; and

said second base station for receiving the DN-packet signal, and for transmitting, using radio waves, the DN-packet signal to said remote station.

21. The improvement as set forth in claim 20, with said remote station including means for determining that the second base station has available capacity, in order to hand off communications to the second base station.

22. An improvement for a frequency division duplex (FDD) distributed network method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, using radio waves, from a first base station (BS) located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a first BS-packet signal;

receiving at a remote station (RS), located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, the first BS-packet signal;

transmitting, using radio waves, from a second base station, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, a second BS-packet signal;

monitoring at said remote station a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal;

determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold;

handing off, in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, communications to the second base station by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

receiving at said second base station the RS-packet signal;

sending the RS-packet signal to a destination node (DN), with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

sending from said destination node a DN-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station;

receiving at said second base station the DN-packet signal; and

transmitting, using radio waves, the DN-packet signal to said remote station.

23. The improvement as set forth in claim 22, with the step of determining including the step of determining that the second base station has available capacity, in order to hand off communications to the second base station.

24. An improvement to a distributed network comprising:

a frequency division duplex (FDD), distributed network;

first base-station (BS) means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a first BS-packet signal;

remote-station (RS) means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for receiving the first BS-packet signal;

second base-station means, located in, and part of, the FDD distributed network, for transmitting, using radio waves, a second BS-packet signal;

said remote-station means for monitoring a signal metric of the first BS-packet signal and a signal metric of the second BS-packet signal, for determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below a threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, and in response to determining that the signal metric of the first BS-packet signal falls below the threshold and that the signal metric of the second BS-packet signal is above the threshold, handing off communications to the second base station, by transmitting, using radio waves, an RS-packet signal;

said second base-station means for receiving the RS-packet signal, and for sending the RS-packet signal to destination-node (DN) means, with the RS-packet signal including a source address from the second base station;

said destination-node means for sending a DN-packet signal including a destination address for the second base station; and

said second base-station means for receiving the DN-packet signal, and for transmitting, using radio waves, the DN-packet signal to said remote station.

25. The improvement as set forth in claim 24, with said remote-station means including means for determining that the second base-station means has available capacity in order to hand off communications to the second base station.