Managed access system with monitoring device to determine and change radio equipment

• US 9,769,666 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Salyers, Eric J., Gallagher, Shawn H., Collins, Matthew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US14/865,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/08 Hospitals, infirmaries, or the like; Schools; Prisons
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/16 Deriving transmission power values from another channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/44 in connection with interruption of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility that is geographically within a wireless communications network includes a plurality of antennas at the facility. Radio equipment is coupled to the antennas. A management access controller cooperates with the radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD. The management access controller cooperates with at least one device to determine a change in the wireless communications network and implement a corresponding change in the radio equipment.

Claims

1. A managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility, the facility being geographically within a wireless communications network, the managed access system comprising:

a plurality of directional antennas arranged at the facility;

radio equipment coupled to said plurality of directional antennas;

a plurality of monitoring devices for the wireless communications network; and

a management access controller cooperating with said radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD;

said management access controller cooperating with said plurality of monitoring devices to determine a change in the wireless communications network and implement a corresponding change in said radio equipment.

2. The managed access system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of directional antennas are arranged around a periphery of the facility.

3. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna.

4. The managed access system of claim 3 wherein said management access controller implements the corresponding change in said radio equipment as a change in a power level of at least one of said picocell radios.

5. The managed access system of claim 3 wherein said management access controller implements the corresponding change in said radio equipment as a change in a communications protocol of at least one of said picocell radios.

6. The managed access system of claim 3 wherein said management access controller implements the corresponding change in said radio equipment as a change in a frequency range of at least one of said picocell radios.

7. The managed access system of claim 1 further comprising at least one MWD geolocation device;

and wherein said management access controller cooperates with said at least one MWD geolocation device to locate the given MWD within the facility.

8. The managed access system of claim 7 wherein the at least one MWD geolocation device comprises a plurality of external geolocation devices arranged around a periphery of the facility.

9. The managed access system of claim 7 wherein the at least one MWD geolocation device comprises a plurality of internal geolocation devices arranged within a periphery of the facility.

10. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein the change in the wireless communications network comprises addition of a rogue base station;

and wherein said management access controller is configured to block communications with the rogue base station.

11. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said management access controller provides outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD using a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

12. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said management access controller provides outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD via another network other than the wireless communications network.

13. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said management access controller provides outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

14. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said management access controller provides outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD via an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

15. The managed access system of claim 1 wherein said radio equipment is operable according to at least one of an LTE, CDMA, UMTS and GSM protocol.

16. A management access controller for a managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility, the facility being geographically within a wireless communications network, the managed access system comprising a plurality of directional antennas arranged at the facility, radio equipment coupled to the plurality of directional antennas, and a plurality of monitoring devices for the wireless communications network, the management access controller comprising:

a processor and a memory coupled thereto to

cooperate with the radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD, and

cooperate with the plurality of monitoring devices to determine a change in the wireless communications network and implement a corresponding change in the radio equipment.

17. The management access controller according to claim 16 wherein the plurality of directional antennas are arranged around a periphery of the facility.

18. The managed access controller of claim 16 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and wherein said processor and memory implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a power level of at least one of the picocell radios.

19. The managed access controller of claim 16 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and wherein said processor and memory implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a communications protocol of at least one of the picocell radios.

20. The managed access controller of claim 16 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and wherein said processor and memory implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a frequency range of at least one of the picocell radios.

21. The managed access controller of claim 16 wherein the managed access system comprises at least one MWD geolocation device;

and wherein said processor and memory cooperate with the at least one MWD geolocation device to locate the given MWD within the facility.

22. The managed access controller of claim 16 wherein said processor and memory provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD via at least one of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

23. A method for operating a managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility, the facility being geographically within a wireless communications network, the managed access system comprising a plurality of directional antennas arranged at the facility, radio equipment coupled to the plurality of antennas, and a plurality of monitoring devices for the wireless communications network, the method comprising:

operating a management access controller to

cooperate with the radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD, and

cooperate with the plurality of monitoring devices to determine a change in the wireless communications network and implement a corresponding change in the radio equipment.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the management access controller comprises a processor and a memory coupled thereto.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and further comprising operating the management access controller to implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a power level of at least one of the picocell radios.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and further comprising operating the management access controller to implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a communications protocol of at least one of the picocell radios.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the radio equipment comprises a plurality of picocell radios, each coupled to a respective antenna;

and further comprising operating the management access controller to implement the corresponding change in the radio equipment as a change in a frequency range of at least one of the picocell radios.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the managed access system comprises at least one MWD geolocation device;

and further comprising operating the management access controller to cooperate with the at least one MWD geolocation device to locate the given MWD within the facility.

29. The method of claim 23 further comprising operating the management access controller to provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD via at least one of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and an Internet Protocol (IP) network.