Connection initiation in wireless networks including load balancing

• US 7,835,325 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aurix Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jollota, James M., Kuiken, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu; Michael T
• Application Number:
  US11/621,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/332, 370/343, 370/328, 370/338, 370/346, 370/349, 370/465, 455/41, 455/414, 375/225, 375/133, 375/219, 375/356
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0861 between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include a method for establishing a wireless communication session between a base station unit and a mobile unit wherein a system controller determines which base station unit of multiple base station units is an optimal base station unit to establish the session. The method includes the system controller receiving commands from each of multiple BSUs that have received a request for wireless service from a mobile unit. The commands include information, such as a unique identifier for the sending BSU, signal strength information for the sending BSU, and channel availability for the sending BSU. The system controller directs the optimal BSU to respond to the request, and directs every other BSU to ignore the request. In at least one embodiment, Bluetooth commands are used.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving from at least one mobile unit of a system for wireless communications by a plurality of base station units comprised in said system an inquiry whether said each base station unit is configured to provide a wireless service for said at least one mobile unit situated at a corresponding location in said system, wherein each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units is configured to communicate wirelessly with said at least one mobile unit;

sending by each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units a message comprising said inquiry and data related to said each base station unit to at least one system controller comprised in said system;

determining by said at least one system controller of said system without assistance from said at least one mobile unit an optimum base station unit out of said plurality of the base station units to communicate with said at least one mobile unit situated at said corresponding location; and

sending by said at least one system controller an accept command to said optimum base station unit to complete a connection of said optimum base station with said at least one mobile station, and an ignore command to other base station units of said one or more base station units, such that said optimum base station is configured to send to said at least one mobile station an indication of being fully available and said other base station units are configured to send to said at least one mobile station an indication of service being unavailable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said optimum base station unit is determined by said at least one system controller using load balancing among said plurality of the base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said load balancing among said base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit is determined based on a minimum number of channels in use in said optimum base station unit by using, depending on a type of communication requested in said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit, a minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links channels in use or a minimum number of synchronous connection oriented channels in use.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said optimum base station unit has a received signal strength indication from said at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless communications between said at least one mobile station and said plurality of the base station units is provided using BLUETOOTH short-range wireless protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said message comprising said inquiry comprises one or more of:

an identification of the at least one mobile unit;

an identification of said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a unique identifier for each radio with said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many synchronous connection oriented channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many asynchronous connectionless links channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how man allocated handoff channels are in use for said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of a minimum acceptable level of said received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units; and

a system-wide a radio-channel allotment for use during handoff from one base station unit to another base station unit.

7. A system controller, comprising:

a transceiver, configured to receive, from each base station unit of a plurality of base station units comprised in a system for wireless communications, a message comprising an inquiry from at least one mobile unit to said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units whether said each base station unit is configured to provide a wireless service for said at least one mobile unit situated at a corresponding location in said system, and data related to corresponding each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units, said system controller being comprised in said system for the wireless communications; and

a processor, configured to determine without assistance from said at least one mobile unit an optimum base station unit out of said plurality of the base station units to communicate with said at least one mobile unit situated at said corresponding location,

wherein said transceiver is further configured to send an accept command to said optimum base station unit to complete a connection of said optimum base station with said at least one mobile station, and to send an ignore command to other base station units of said plurality of the base station units, such that said optimum base station is configured to send to said at least one mobile station an indication of being fully available and said other base station units are configured to send said at least one mobile station an indication of service being unavailable.

8. The system controller of claim 7, wherein said transceiver is configured to determine said optimum base station unit using load balancing among said plurality of the base station units base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit, wherein said optimum base station unit has a received signal strength indication from said at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

9. The system controller of claim 8, wherein said transceiver is configured to determine said load balancing among said base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit based on a minimum number of channels in use in said optimum base station unit, using, depending on a type of communication requested in said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit, a minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links channels in use or a minimum number of synchronous connection oriented channels in use.

10. The system controller of claim 7, wherein said wireless communications between said at least one mobile station and said plurality of the base station units is provided using BLUETOOTH short-range wireless protocol.

11. The system controller of claim 7, wherein said message comprising said inquiry comprises one or more of:

an identification of the at least one mobile unit;

an identification of said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a unique identifier for each radio with said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many synchronous connection oriented channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many asynchronous connectionless links channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many allocated handoff channels are in use for said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of a minimum acceptable level of said received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units; and

a system-wide a radio-channel allotment for use during handoff from one base station unit to another base station unit.

12. The method, comprising:

receiving from at least one mobile unit of a system for wireless communications by a plurality of base station units comprised in said system an inquiry whether said each base station unit is configured to provide a wireless service for said at least one mobile unit situated at a corresponding location in said system, wherein each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units is configured to communicate wirelessly with said at least one mobile unit;

sending by each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units a message comprising said inquiry and data related to said each base station unit to at least one system controller comprised in said system; and

determining by at least one system controller of said system without assistance from said at least one mobile unit an optimum base station unit out of said plurality of the base station units to communicate with said at least one mobile unit situated at said corresponding location,

wherein said determining by said at least one system controller comprises;

determining whether more than one base station units of said plurality of the base station units sent said message to the at least one system controller;

determining, if said more than one base station units of said plurality of the base station units sent said message, whether a received signal strength indication from said at least one mobile unit for each of said more than one base station units that sent said message to the at least one system controller is above a predetermined threshold; and

determining, if said received signal strength indication is above the predetermined threshold for two or more base station units of said more than base station units, said optimum base station unit out of said plurality of the base station units with the received signal strength indication above the predetermined threshold from said two or more base station units using a number of channels in use, such that said optimum base station unit has a minimum number of channels in use.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining of said optimum base station unit is provided by said at least one system controller using load balancing among said plurality of the base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said optimum base station unit is determined using load balancing among said plurality of the base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said load balancing among said base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit is determined based on a minimum number of channels in use in said optimum base station unit by using, depending on a type of communication requested in said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit, a minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links channels in use or a minimum number of synchronous connection oriented channels in use.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said optimum base station unit has a received signal strength indication from said at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said message comprising said inquiry comprises one or more of:

an identification of the at least one mobile unit;

an identification of said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

a unique identifier for each radio with said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many synchronous connection oriented channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many asynchronous connectionless links channels per radio are in use in said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of how many allocated handoff channels are in use for said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units;

an indication of a minimum acceptable level of said received signal strength for said at least one mobile unit measured by said each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units; and

a system-wide a radio-channel allotment for use during handoff from one base station unit to another base station unit.

17. The method of claimed 12, wherein said wireless communications between said at least one mobile station and said plurality of the base station units is provided using BLUETOOTH short-range wireless protocol.