Decoupling radio resource management from an access gateway

• US 8,391,153 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oswal, Anand K., Stammers, Timothy, Iyer, Jayaraman, Yegani, Parviz
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US11/707,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20070249334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/552.1, 370/236.1
• US Class Current: 370/236.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Particular embodiments provide an access gateway that facilitates communication between a plurality of access technologies. The access gateway facilitates data communication with an access terminal through a bearer path. A radio resource manager is configured to provide radio resource management functions for the communications. The radio resource manager is decoupled from the bearer path and provides control of radio transmission characteristics for the bearer path to the gateway. Because the radio resource manager is not in the bearer path, the access gateway may be access technology agnostic. Thus, the access gateway does not need to have access-specific modules based on the radio technology for each bearer path.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

logic encoded in one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to;

facilitate communications between a plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource control functions, wherein the apparatus provides information sent from an updated radio resource manager to a base transceiver station to provide radio control for one or more access terminals, and said apparatus facilitates one or more communications of media with the one or more access terminals through one or more bearer paths flowing through the apparatus, the one or more bearer paths flowing from the base transceiver station through a radio bearer to the apparatus without going through the updated radio resource manager,

wherein the updated radio resource manager is decoupled from one or more bearer paths and not co-located with the apparatus, wherein the updated radio resource manager provides radio resource control functions for communicating media through the one or more bearer paths using the plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource control functions, the radio resource control functions being provided through a control path from the base transceiver station through the updated radio resource manager to the apparatus without going through the radio bearer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is further operable to process data for the one or more access terminals through the one or more bearer paths, the data being sent through an IP-based network.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the data does not include radio-specific characteristics.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is further operable to communicate with different access technologies using the radio resource manager without using access specific modules for specific access technologies.

5. A method comprising:

updating a radio resource manager;

receiving, at an access gateway, a control message from a base transceiver station, the control message being sent in a control path from the base transceiver station through the updated radio resource manager without going through a radio bearer, the access gateway facilitating communications between a plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource control functions;

sending a request message to the updated radio resource manager in the control path to determine radio control characteristics for an access technology in the plurality of access technologies;

receiving a response message from the updated radio resource manager in the control path including the radio control characteristics for a radio resource control function associated with the access technology;

sending the radio control characteristics to the base transceiver station through the control path, wherein the base transceiver station is configured to use the radio control characteristics for a bearer path with an access terminal, the bearer path flowing through the base transceiver station and the radio bearer to the access gateway without going through the updated radio resource manager, wherein the updated radio resource manager is decoupled and not co-located with the access gateway communicating media through the bearer path; and

providing radio control for the access terminal by sending information from the updated radio resource manager to the base transceiver station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the radio control characteristics are useable to set up a radio link for the access terminal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the bearer path comprises an IP link with the base transceiver station.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving data packets from the base transceiver station through the IP link, wherein the data packets have radio specific information that is used to send data in the data packets from the access terminal to the base transceiver station removed.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the access gateway is configured to process data for the access terminal through the bearer path, the data being sent through an IP-based network.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the updated radio resource manager is configured to communicate with a base transceiver station to provide radio control for the access terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the access gateway communicates with different access technologies without using access specific modules for specific access technologies.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the updated radio resource manager is configured to communicate with a base transceiver station to provide radio control for the access terminal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the updated radio resource manager is configured to communicate with the base transceiver station though a channel through the access gateway.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the access gateway communicates with different access technologies without using access specific modules for specific access technologies.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at an access gateway, a control message from a base transceiver station, the control message being sent in a control path from the base transceiver station through an updated radio resource manager without going through a radio bearer, the access gateway facilitating communications between a plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource control functions;

means for sending a request message to the updated radio resource manager in the control path to determine radio control characteristics for an access technology in the plurality of access technologies;

means for receiving a response message from the updated radio resource manager in the control path including the radio control characteristics for a radio resource control function associated with the access technology;

means for sending the radio control characteristics to the base transceiver station through the control path, wherein the base transceiver station is configured to use the radio control characteristics for a bearer path with an access terminal, the bearer path flowing through the base transceiver station and the radio bearer to the access gateway without going through the updated radio resource manager, wherein the updated radio resource manager is decoupled and not co-located with the access gateway communicating media through the bearer path and provides radio control for the access terminal by sending information from the updated radio resource manager to the base transceiver station.

16. A system comprising:

an access gateway configured to facilitate communications between a plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource management functions, wherein the access gateway facilitates one or more communications of media with one or more access terminals through one or more bearer paths, the one or more bearer paths flowing from a base transceiver station through a radio bearer to the access gateway; and

an updated radio resource manager decoupled and not co-located with the access gateway, the radio resource control being provided through a control path from the base transceiver station through the updated radio resource manager to the access gateway without going through the radio bearer, the updated radio resource manager configured to provide radio resource management control to the base transceiver station through the control path for the one or more communications through the one or more bearer paths and provide radio control to the access gateway through the control path for communicating media through the one or more bearer paths using the plurality of access technologies requiring different radio resource management functions, and said updated radio resource manager providing radio control for the one or more access terminals by sending information from the updated radio resource manager to the base transceiver station.