State change enabled by a hierarchical class of a radio access network device

• US 9,930,617 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sukumaran, Jayesh, Orloff, David, Reiger, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US15/462,775
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Enabling a changing of a state of a device based on a hierarchical class of the device is disclosed. Non-macro radio access network (RAN) devices can be comprised in a network connected to a macro RAN device via a gateway RAN device. The gateway RAN device can be connected to a field RAN device via an intermediate RAN device. A state of a field RAN device can be altered based on a criterion. In an embodiment the criterion can be use of the hierarchical class of the RAN device, e.g., a field class RAN device, by an active or idle UE. In an embodiment the criterion can be use, by an active or idle UE, of another RAN device that is a logical neighbor to the field RAN device. Altering the state can result in a power savings or improved interference characteristics of the network.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

in response to determining that;

a field radio access network device is not a gateway radio access network device having a gateway neighbor relationship with a macro radio access network device,

the field radio access network device is not an intermediate radio access network device comprising an intermediate neighbor relationship with the gateway radio access network device,

a user equipment is not affiliated with the field radio access network device, and

the user equipment is not affiliated with a neighbor radio access network device, wherein the neighbor radio access network device is a determined number of logical hops from the field radio access network device,

determining a state transition for a state of the field radio access network device; and

in response to determining that a trigger rule related to initiating the state transition has been satisfied, initiating the state transition for the state of the field radio access network device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the state transition is related to transitioning the field access point device between a first power state and a second power state.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein field radio access network device employing the first power state is associated with the field access point device consuming a different amount of power than the field access point device employing the second power state.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the determined number of logical hops between the neighbor radio access network device and the field radio access network device is one hop.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the determined number of logical hops between the neighbor radio access network device and the field radio access network device is more than one hop.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway radio access network device has a first neighbor relationship with a macro radio access network device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the macro radio access network device is an eNodeB device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway radio access network device has a second neighbor relationship with the intermediate radio access network device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein intermediate radio access network device has a first neighbor relationship with the gateway radio access network device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein intermediate radio access network device has a second neighbor relationship with the field radio access network device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the field radio access network device is a first field radio access network device, wherein the first field radio access network device has a first neighbor relationship with the neighbor radio access network device, and wherein the neighbor radio access network device is a second field radio access network device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining that a trigger rule related to the initiating of the state transition has been satisfied is based on historical use data of the field radio access network device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining that a trigger rule related to the initiating of the state transition has been satisfied is based on an input from a controller device affiliated with a user identity.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller device is a virtual controller device implemented on a server associated with a cloud computing environment.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller device is a virtual controller device implemented on a local server connected to a network comprising the field radio access network device.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, an indication of a hierarchical class of a radio access network device;

in response to determining, by the system, that the hierarchical class of the radio access network device is a field radio access network device class, determining a count comprising a first number of idle state user equipments and a second number of active state user equipments, wherein the first number of idle state user equipments are affiliated with each of the radio access network device and first neighbors of the radio access network device, and wherein the second number of active state user equipments are affiliated with each of the radio access network device and first neighbors of the radio access network device; and

in response to determining that the count is zero, initiating a state transition for the radio access network device, wherein the state transition is from a first state of the radio access network device to a second state of the radio access network device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state of the radio access network device is determined to consume a different amount of power than the second state of the radio access network device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first state of the radio access network device is determined to generate a different amount of radio frequency energy than the second state of the radio access network device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

determining a mode of a first radio access network device is not a gateway mode associated with a first neighbor relationship between the first radio access network device and a macro radio access network device;

determining the mode of the first radio access network device is not an intermediate mode associated with a second neighbor relationship between the first radio access network device and a gateway radio access network device that has a third neighbor relationship with the macro radio access network device;

determining a first number of idle state user equipments that are affiliated with the first radio access network device;

determining a second number of active state user equipments that are affiliated with the first radio access network device;

determining a third number of the idle state user equipments that are affiliated with a second radio access network device that is a neighbor to the first radio access network device;

determining a fourth number of the active state user equipments that are affiliated with the second radio access network device;

determining state transition data for the first radio access network device based on the mode, the first number, the second number, the third number, and the fourth number, wherein the state transition is from a first state of the first radio access network device to a second state of the first radio access network device; and

transitioning a state of the first radio access network device based on the state transition data.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein

the first number is zero, the second number is zero, the third number is zero, and the fourth number is zero, and

the first state of the first radio access network device causes the first radio access network device to draw a different amount of power than the second state of the first radio access network device.