Network based speed dependent load balancing

• US 9,226,197 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Zhi, Brisebois, Arthur Richard, Chen, Ye, Lei, Hongyan, Liu, Cheng P., Tong, Yonghui
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/059,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20150111594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 455/444, 455/441, 455/436, 455/418, 455/419
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/324 by mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/026 Route selection considering the moving speed of individual devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies

Abstract

A mobile device mobility state is included in device reporting to a radio access network for mobility event and load balancing purposes. Respective load conditions and respective coverage areas of a first set of devices of a first network and a second set of devices of a second network are analyzed. In addition, a mobility state of a mobile device, a first signal strength associated with the first set of devices, and a second signal strength associated with the second set of devices are also analyzed. The mobility state is a function of a movement pattern of the mobile device and a speed at which the mobile device is being moved. Network traffic of the mobile device is routed to a set of network devices selected from the first set of devices and the second set of devices, as a result of the analysis.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a system comprising a processor, respective load conditions and respective coverage areas of a first set of devices of a first network and a second set of devices of a second network, a mobility state of a mobile device, a first signal strength associated with the first set of devices, and a second signal strength associated with the second set of devices, wherein the mobility state is a function of a movement pattern of the mobile device and a speed at which the mobile device is determined to be moving;

determining, by the system, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network to reduce a number of signaling messages to be sent by the system to the first set of devices of the first network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network to reduce the number of signaling messages to be sent by the system to the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network; and

routing, by the system, based upon the determining, network traffic of the mobile device to a set of devices selected from either the first set of devices or the second set of devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing comprises sending the number of signaling messages to the first set of devices or the second set of devices in accordance with the determining.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first set of devices are micro cell enabled devices and the second set of devices are macro cell enabled devices, and the routing comprises routing the network traffic of the mobile device to the second set of devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a network traffic coverage area of the second set of devices at least partially overlaps another network traffic coverage area of the first set of devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the mobile device, a measurement report comprising the mobility state, the first signal strength, and the second signal strength.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of devices comprises a micro cell device, and determining, by the system, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network comprises:

determining the speed satisfies a first speed level condition; and

choosing the micro cell device as a potential target cell to route the network traffic of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second set of devices comprises a metro cell device, and determining, by the system, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network further comprises:

determining the speed satisfies a second speed level condition;

bypassing the micro cell device as the potential target cell to route the network traffic of the mobile device; and

choosing the metro cell device as the potential target cell to route the network traffic of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining, by the system, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network comprises bypassing the first set of devices in response to the first signal strength being determined to be below a predefined level.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving respective cell-type information from the first set of devices and the second set of devices, wherein a first cell-type of the first set of devices is different from a second cell-type of the second set of devices.

10. A system, comprising:

a memory device that stores executable instructions; and

a processor device that executes the executable instructions to perform operations, comprising;

analyzing respective load conditions and respective coverage areas of a first set of devices of a first network and a second set of devices of a second network, a mobility state of a mobile device, a first signal strength associated with the first set of devices, and a second signal strength associated with the second set of devices, wherein the mobility state is a function of a movement pattern of the mobile device and a speed at which the mobile device is determined to be moving;

determining, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network to reduce a number of signaling messages to be sent by the system to the first set of devices or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network to reduce the number of signaling message to be sent by the system to the second set of devices; and

routing, based upon the determining, network traffic of the mobile device to a set of network devices selected from either the first set of devices or the second set of devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise receiving respective cell-type information from the first set of devices and the second set of devices, wherein a first cell-type of the first set of devices is different from a second cell-type of the second set of devices.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first set of devices comprises a micro cell device, and determining, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network comprises:

determining the speed satisfies a first speed level condition; and

choosing the micro cell device as a potential target cell to route the network traffic of the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second set of devices comprises a metro cell device, and determining, by the system, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network further comprises:

determining the speed satisfies a second speed level condition;

bypassing the micro cell device as the potential target cell to route the network traffic; and

choosing the metro cell device as the potential target cell to route the network traffic.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the routing comprises sending the number of signaling messages to the first set of devices or the second set of devices in accordance with the determining.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first set of devices are macro cell enabled devices and the second set of devices are micro cell enabled devices, and the routing comprises routing the network traffic of the mobile device to the second set of devices.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the mobile device, a measurement report comprising the mobility state, the first signal strength, and the second signal strength.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device that stores executable instructions that, in response to execution by a processor of a system, cause the system to perform operations, comprising:

analyzing respective load conditions and respective coverage areas of a first set of devices of a first network and a second set of devices of a second network, a mobility state of a mobile device, a first signal strength associated with the first set of devices, and a second signal strength associated with the second set of devices, the mobility state is a function of pattern data representing a movement pattern of the mobile device and speed data representing the speed at which the mobile device is determined to be moving;

determining, based upon the analyzing, whether to bypass the first set of devices of the first network in preference to the second set of devices of the second network to reduce a number of signaling messages to be sent by the system to the first set of devices of the first network or to bypass the second set of devices of the second network in preference to the first set of devices of the first network to reduce the number of signaling messages to be sent by the system to the second set of devices of the second network; and

routing, based upon the determining, network traffic of the mobile device to a set of devices selected from either the first set of devices or the second set of devices.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the routing comprises sending the number of signaling messages to the set of network devices.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the first set of devices are micro cell enabled devices and the second set of devices are macro cell enabled devices, and the routing comprises routing the network traffic of the mobile device to the second set of devices.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the mobile device, a measurement report comprising the mobility state, the first signal strength, and the second signal strength.