Mobility in a wireless enterprise network

• US 8,873,512 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airvana LP (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Richardson, Andrew, Mahalingam, Nagi Jayaraman
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUONG, DUC T
• Application Number:
  US13/776,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20130171996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/34 Reselection control

Abstract

A method for configuring a network is described, the method comprising: receiving, from a first radio node in the network, network information associated with one or more second radio nodes in the network; generating a network relation table, the network relation table comprising network information associated with the first radio node and the one or more second radio nodes; and performing a handoff to a third radio node in the network using the network relation table.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first radio node, information identifying a second radio node in the network, wherein the second radio node is configured to communicate with the first radio node, wherein the first radio node has a communication session with a mobile device at a first time, wherein the second radio node has the communication session with the mobile device at a second time, and wherein the first radio node differs from the second radio node;

receiving, by the first radio node from the second radio node, information identifying one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within a communication range of the second radio node; and

initiating, by the first radio node, a handoff of the communication session with the mobile device, from the second radio node to one of the one or more third radio nodes, using the information received from the second radio node that identifies the one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within the communication range of the second radio node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the second radio node, a request for network information associated with the one or more third radio nodes in the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second radio node through a radio interface, information identifying the second radio node as being in the network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a network protocol to identify the second radio node as being in the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the handoff comprises one of a soft handoff or a hard handoff.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the handoff is executed through a direct communication link within the network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the handoff is initiated following a detection, by the second radio node, of one or more of (i) a need to load balance the network, (ii) a need to maintain interference and power limits within the network, and (iii) one or more measurement reports received from a handset.

8. A system comprising:

a first radio node; and

one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the first radio node to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by the first radio node, information identifying a second radio node in the network, wherein the second radio node is configured to communicate with the first radio node, wherein the first radio node has a communication session with a mobile device at a first time, wherein the second radio node has the communication session with the mobile device at a second time, and wherein the first radio node differs from the second radio node;

receiving, by the first radio node from the second radio node, information identifying one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within a communication range of the second radio node; and

initiating, by the first radio node, a handoff of the communication session with the mobile device, from the second radio node to one of the one or more third radio nodes, using the information received from the second radio node that identifies the one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within the communication range of the second radio node.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending, to the second radio node, a request for network information associated with the one or more third radio nodes in the network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the second radio node through a radio interface, information identifying the second radio node as being in the network.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

using a network protocol to identify the second radio node as being in the network.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the handoff comprises one of a soft handoff or a hard handoff.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the handoff is executed through a direct communication link within the network.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the handoff is initiated following a detection, by the second radio node, of one or more of (i) a need to load balance the network, (ii) a need to maintain interference and power limits within the network, and (iii) one or more measurement reports received from a handset.

15. One or more machine-readable hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by a first radio node to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the first radio node, information identifying a second radio node in the network, wherein the second radio node is configured to communicate with the first radio node, wherein the first radio node has a communication session with a mobile device at a first time, wherein the second radio node has the communication session with the mobile device at a second time, and wherein the first radio node differs from the second radio node;

receiving, by the first radio node from the second radio node, information identifying one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within a communication range of the second radio node; and

initiating, by the first radio node, a handoff of the communication session with the mobile device, from the second radio node to one of the one or more third radio nodes, using the information received from the second radio node that identifies the one or more third radio nodes in the network that are within the communication range of the second radio node.

16. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending, to the second radio node, a request for network information associated with the one or more third radio nodes in the network.

17. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the second radio node through a radio interface, information identifying the second radio node as being in the network.

18. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

using a network protocol to identify the second radio node as being in the network.

19. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 15, wherein the handoff comprises one of a soft handoff or a hard handoff.

20. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 15, wherein the handoff is executed through a direct communication link within the network.