Connection initiation in wireless networks including load balancing

• US 9,357,445 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurix Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Strix Systems Incorporated (AHA Holdings Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jollota, James M., Kuiken, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US12/885,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/332, 370/342, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 370/329, 370/465, 370/251, 455/436, 455/561, 455/554, 455/41, 455/66, 455/33.2, 455/422, 455/410, 455/426, 455/444
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• 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 for wireless communications, comprising:

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

broadcasting, by each of the base station units that received the inquiry, a message comprising the inquiry and data related to the respective base station unit to each of the other base station units of the plurality of the base station units;

negotiating between each of the plurality of base station units to determine, by at least one of the base station units that received the inquiry, an optimal base station unit from the plurality of base station units to communicate with the at least one mobile unit;

determining, by the plurality of base station units that received the inquiry, the optimal base station unit from the plurality of base station units to communicate with the at least one mobile unit; and

responsive to negotiating and determining, sending by the optimal base station unit to the at least one mobile unit, a response to the inquiry indicating that the base station unit is available to provide wireless service for the at least one mobile unit,

where the optimal base station unit is determined using load balancing among the plurality of the base station units, the load balancing being determined based on a minimum number of channels in use in the optimal base station, said minimum number of channels in use in said optimum base station, wherein the minimum number of channels in use in the optimal base station unit is determined by using, depending on a type of communication requested in the inquiry from the at least one mobile unit, at least one of a minimum number of asynchronous connectionless links channels in use and a minimum number of synchronous connection oriented channels in use.

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

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal base station unit is determined by the plurality of the base station units using load balancing among base station units receiving the inquiry, wherein the optimal base station unit has a received signal strength indication from the at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

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

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

6. A system for wireless communications comprising:

at least one mobile unit; and

a plurality of base station units, wherein each base station unit of the plurality of the base station units is configured to communicate wirelessly with the at least one mobile unit, wherein each base station unit of the plurality of the base station units is configured to;

receive an inquiry from the at least one mobile unit whether the respective base station unit is configured to provide a wireless service for the at least one mobile unit situated at a corresponding location in the system,

broadcasting, by each of the base station units that received the inquiry, a message comprising the inquiry and data related to the base station unit broadcasting the message to other base station units of said plurality of the base station units;

negotiating between each of the plurality of base station units to determine, by the plurality of base station units that received the inquiry, an optimal base station unit from the plurality of base station units to communicate with the at least one mobile unit;

determining, by the plurality of base station units that received the inquiry, the optimal base station unit from the plurality of base station units to communicate with the at least one mobile unit; and

responsive to negotiating and determining, sending by the optimal base station unit to the at least one mobile unit, a response to the inquiry indicating that the base station unit is available to provide wireless service for the at least one mobile unit,

wherein the load balancing among the base station units receiving the inquiry from the at least one mobile unit is determined based on a minimum number of channels in use in the optimal base station unit, using, depending on a type of communication requested in the inquiry from the 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.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the optimal base station unit is determined using load balancing among the plurality of the base station units receiving the inquiry from the at least one mobile unit.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the optimal base station unit has a received signal strength indication from the at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless communications between the at least one mobile station and the plurality of the base station units is provided using BLUETOOTH short-range wireless protocol.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the message comprising said inquiry comprises one or more of:

an identification of the at least one mobile unit;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. The system of claim 6, wherein each base station unit of said plurality of the base station units is configured to handoff said at least one mobile unit to an optimal base station unit of said plurality of the base station units.

12. A base station unit of a system for wireless communications, comprising:

a transceiver;

a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor configured to receive, via the transceiver, an inquiry from at least one mobile unit of a system for wireless communications sent to a plurality of base station units comprised in said system, the inquiry inquiring whether a base station unit of said plurality of the base station units is configured to provide a wireless service for said at least one mobile unit situated at a corresponding location in said system,

broadcast, via the transceiver, a message comprising said inquiry and data related to said base station unit to each of the other base station units of said plurality of the base station units;

negotiate, with each of the other base station units of the plurality of base station units to determine an optimal base station unit from the plurality of base station units to communicate with the at least one mobile unit; and

responsive to being determined the optimal base station unit by the plurality of base station units, send, via the transceiver, to the at least one mobile unit, a response to the inquiry indicating that the base station unit is available to provide wireless service for the at least one mobile unit,

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 the optimal 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.

13. The base station unit of claim 12, wherein the optimal 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.

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

15. The base station unit of claim 12, wherein the optimal base station unit is determined by said plurality of the base station units using load balancing among base station units receiving said inquiry from said at least one mobile unit, wherein the optimal base station unit has a received signal strength indication from said at least one mobile unit above a predetermined threshold.

16. The base station unit 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 radio-channel allotment for use during handoff from one base station unit to another base station unit.