Base-station-to-base-station gateway and related devices, methods, and systems

• US 9,980,201 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gunnarsson, Fredrik, Engstrm, Stefan, Masini, Gino Luca, Norrman, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin, Yemane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Peter
• Application Number:
  US15/077,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/33 containing protocol addresses or telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/00 Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a base-station-to-base-station (BS-BS) gateway in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular communication network and methods of operation thereof. In one embodiment, the BS-BS gateway receives information from a first base station which includes a hostname and a network address of the first base station. The BS-BS gateway then stores a mapping between the hostname and the network address. Thereafter, in one embodiment, the BS-BS gateway enables a second base station to address messages to the first base station using the hostname of the first base station. In this manner, changes in the network address of the first base station will not affect the ability of the second base station to address messages to the first base station. In some embodiments, the first base station is a low-power base station (LP-BS) and the second base station is a high-power base station (HP-BS).

Claims

1. A method of operation of an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a Long Term Evolution cellular communication network, the method comprising:

obtaining a network address of an X2 Gateway (X2-GW) associated with a second base station;

sending a Stream Control Transmission Protocol Initiation (INIT) message to the X2-GW, via the network address, to initiate a connection to the second base station; and

receiving a Stream Control Transmission Protocol ERROR message from the X2-GW that indicates the X2-GW is an X2-GW.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the eNB is a high-power base station and the second base station is a low-power base station.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the low-power base station is selected from the group consisting of a microcell eNB, a picocell eNB, a femtocell eNB, and a Home eNB.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

obtaining a hostname of the low-power base station.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein obtaining the hostname comprises determining a fully qualified domain name of the low-power base station based on identification information of the low-power base station.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the identification information of the low-power base station is obtained through an automatic neighbor relation process.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

sending a message to the X2-GW that is addressed to the low-power base station using a hostname of the low-power base station.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein sending the message comprises sending the message to the X2-GW via an X2 connection between the eNB and the X2-GW.

9. An evolved NodeB (eNB) for use in a Long Term Evolution cellular communication network, the eNB comprising:

a radio subsystem configured to provide wireless communication with one or more wireless devices served by the first base station;

a communication subsystem configured to communicatively couple the eNB to an X2 Gateway (X2-GW); and

a processing subsystem associated with the communication subsystem and the radio subsystem configured to;

obtain a network address of the X2-GW associated with a second base station;

send a Stream Control Transmission Protocol Initiation (INIT) message to the X2-GW, via the communication subsystem, to initiate a connection to the second base station; and

receive a Stream Control Transmission Protocol ERROR message from the X2-GW that indicates the X2-GW is an X2-GW.

10. The eNB of claim 9 wherein the eNB is a high-power base station and the second base station is a low-power base station.

11. The eNB of claim 10 wherein the low-power base station is selected from the group consisting of a microcell eNB, a picocell eNB, a femtocell eNB, and a Home eNB.

12. The eNB of claim 10 wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to:

obtain a hostname of the low-power base station.

13. The eNB of claim 12 wherein:

in order to obtain the hostname, the processing subsystem is further configured to determine a fully qualified domain name of the low-power base station based on identification information of the low-power base station.

14. The eNB of claim 13 wherein the identification information of the low-power base station is obtained through an automatic neighbor relation process.

15. The eNB of claim 12 wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to:

send a message to the X2-GW via the communication subsystem that is addressed to the low-power base station using the hostname of the low-power base station.

16. The eNB of claim 15 wherein in order to send the message to the X2-GW, the processing subsystem is further configured to send the message to the X2-GW via an X2 connection between the eNB and the X2-GW.