Long term evolution architecture and mobility

• US 8,982,841 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SpiderCloud Wireless, Inc. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Murari
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US13/663,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20130294403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/165 for reducing network power consumption H04W36/18 - H04W36/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device

Abstract

A services node (SN) is provided that functions as a local, premise-based gateway that anchors and aggregates a group of radio nodes (RNs). Accordingly, the SN absorbs the functionalities of conventional mobility management entities (MMEs), as well as serving and packet data network gateways, where the SN appears as a single virtual eNB to a macrocellular core network. As a result, complexity associated with aggregating and controlling a large number of RNs (performed by the SN) is hidden from the core network. Additionally, micro-mobility between individual RNs controlled by an SN is completely handled at a local enterprise gateway level, thus significantly reducing mobility-related signaling from impacting an MME pool in the code network. Moreover local data offloading is made possible via the SN.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a local radio access network (RAN), comprising:

aggregating, with an aggregation node, communications interfaces between a plurality of radio nodes and a packet core network through the aggregation node, each respective one of the plurality of radio nodes communicatively coupled to the aggregation node and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the respective one of the plurality of radio nodes;

controlling, with the aggregation node, mobility of the UE devices associated with the plurality of radio nodes; and

acting, with the aggregation node, as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network, thereby hiding the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network, wherein the virtual enhanced eNB is connected to the packet core network via a single user plane interface and a single control plane interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregation node comprises an enterprise services node (SN) including at least an SN mobility entity.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising, determining whether to perform at least one of the following:

a handover of one of the UE devices between two radio nodes of the plurality of radio nodes, wherein the two radio nodes are connected, either to the same SN mobility entity, or to a target SN mobility entity and a source SN mobility entity, respectively;

a handover of the one of the UE devices between a radio node of the plurality of radio nodes and a macrocellular eNB radio node; and

paging of the one of the UE devices across all of the plurality of radio nodes during idle mode mobility events.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the handover of the one of the UE devices between the target SN mobility entity and the source SN mobility entity is effectuated by the source SN mobility entity sending a handover request to the target SN mobility entity, the target SN mobility entity having an internal interface with an intended target radio node served by the target SN mobility entity.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising, offloading data locally based upon policies configured into the enterprise SN, the offloading of the data locally being effectuated by inheriting at the enterprise SN, traffic flow templates associated with a particular evolved packet system bearer while preserving quality of service attributes, the inheriting of the traffic flow templates comprising one of:

implementing packet data network gateway functionality within the enterprise SN such that the enterprise SN participates in bearer establishment for all traffic not needing to pass through to the packet core network; and

implementing a 3rd Generation Partnership Project local gateway function, and establishing a second default bearer anchored at the local gateway function for offloading traffic locally.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein handover of the UE devices between a target radio node and a source radio node occurs at a level within the aggregation node without transmitting a Path Switch Request message to a mobility management entity of the packet core network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein handovers are performed relying upon X2 interfaces established between at least one of the plurality of radio nodes served by the virtual eNB and at least one eNB of a macrocellular network, the virtual eNB acting as a relay and forwarding control and user plane traffic to the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, establishing a relationship between a global cell identifier of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes and an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with one of the X2 interfaces between an enterprise services node (SN) mobility entity of the aggregation node to which the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes is attached, wherein the IP address is proxied by the aggregation node on behalf of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes, and wherein the relationship is communicated to at least one mobility management entity of the packet core network.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, communicating any change to at least one of a physical cell address of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes, the global cell identifier of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes, and the IP address associated with the one of the X2 interfaces of the SN mobility entity to the at least one mobility management entity of the packet core network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes is one of a newly added radio node, a deleted radio node, or a re-associated radio node.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining via radio admission control check, resource status of at least one of the plurality of radio nodes during initial handover into the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes as well as neighboring radio nodes resource status, the determining of the resource status of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes and the neighboring radio nodes resource status being performed by either the one of the plurality of radio nodes or the aggregation node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the mobility of the UE devices associated with the plurality of radio nodes comprises anticipatorily invoking a handover from a first radio node of the plurality of radio nodes to a second radio node of the plurality of radio nodes.

13. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

computer code for causing an aggregation node to aggregate communications interfaces between a plurality of radio nodes and a packet core network through the aggregation node, each respective one of the plurality of radio nodes communicatively coupled to the aggregation node and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the respective one of the plurality of radio nodes;

computer code for causing the aggregation node to control mobility of the UE devices associated with the plurality of radio nodes; and

computer code for causing the aggregation node to act as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network, thereby hiding the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network, wherein the virtual enhanced eNB is connected to the packet core network via a single user plane interface and a single control plane interface.

14. A system, comprising:

a local radio access network (RAN) comprising a plurality of radio nodes; and

a packet core network communicatively connected to the plurality of radio nodes via a service node (SN) comprising at least an SN mobility entity, the SN being configured to;

aggregate communications interfaces between the plurality of radio nodes and the packet core network, each respective one of the plurality of radio nodes communicatively coupled to the aggregation node and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the respective one of the plurality of radio nodes;

control mobility of the UE devices associated with at least one of the plurality of radio nodes; and

act as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network, thereby hiding the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network, wherein the virtual enhanced eNB is connected to the packet core network via a single user plane interface and a single control plane interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a source SN mobility entity determines whether to perform at least one of the following:

a handover of one of the UE devices between two radio nodes of the plurality of radio nodes, wherein the two radio nodes are connected, either to the same SN mobility entity, or to a target SN mobility entity and a source SN mobility entity, respectively;

a handover of the one of the UE devices between a radio node of the plurality of radio nodes and a macrocellular eNB radio node; and

paging of the one of the UE devices across all of the plurality of radio nodes during idle mode mobility events.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein handover of one of the UE devices between a target radio node and a source radio node occurs at a level within the SN without transmitting a Path Switch Request message to the packet core network.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the handover of the UE devices between the target SN mobility entity and the source SN mobility entity is effectuated by the source SN mobility entity sending a handover request to the target SN mobility entity, the target SN mobility entity having an internal interface with an intended target radio node served by the target SN mobility entity.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein policies configured in the SN provide for offloading data locally, the offloading of the data locally being effectuated by inheriting at the SN, traffic flow templates associated with a particular evolved packet system bearer while preserving quality of service attributes, the inheriting of the traffic flow templates comprising one of:

implementing packet data network gateway functionality within the SN such that the SN participates in bearer establishment for all traffic not needing to pass through to the packet core network; and

implementing a 3rd Generation Partnership Project local gateway function, and establishing a second default bearer anchored at the local gateway function for offloading traffic locally.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein handovers are performed relying upon X2 interfaces served by the virtual eNB established between at least one of the plurality of radio nodes and at least one eNB of a macrocellular network, the virtual eNB acting as a relay and forwarding control and user plane traffic to the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the SN establishes a relationship between a global cell identifier of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes and an Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with one of the X2 interfaces between an enterprise services node (SN) mobility entity of an aggregation node to which the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes is attached, wherein the IP address is proxied by the SN on behalf of the at least one of the radio nodes, and wherein the relationship is communicated to at least one mobility management entity of the packet core network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the SN communicates any change to at least one of a physical cell address of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes, the global cell identifier of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes, and the IP address associated with the one of the X2 interfaces of the SN mobility entity to the at least one mobility management entity of the packet core network.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes is one of a newly added radio node, a deleted radio node, or a re-associated radio node.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein either the SN or at least one of the plurality of radio nodes determines, via radio admission control check, resource status of the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes during initial handover into the at least one of the plurality of radio nodes as well as neighboring radio nodes resource status.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the SN mobility entity controls the mobility of the UE devices associated with the plurality of radio nodes by anticipatorily invoking a handover from a first radio node of the plurality of radio nodes to a second radio node of the plurality of radio nodes.