Method and apparatus for improving wireless network reliability

• US 20070190996A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xuemei, Bosch, Peter, Bauer, Eric, Asthana, Abhaya
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for reconfiguring a first base station element to attempt to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals served by a second base station element in response to detection of a failure condition at a second base station element that was serving the plurality of wireless terminals prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

detecting a failure condition on a first base station element that was serving a plurality of wireless terminals prior to occurrence of the failure condition; and

in response to detection of the failure condition, triggering a second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein triggering the second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself comprises the step of:

determining a reconfiguration solution that when implemented will reconfigure the second base station element to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

reconfiguring the second base station element according to a reconfiguration solution that when implemented will reconfigure the second base station element to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reconfiguring the second base station element comprises the step of:

increasing a power level employed by the second base station element for expanding a wireless coverage area of the second base station element.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein reconfiguring the second base station element comprises the steps of:

monitoring each of the plurality of wireless terminals for determining a direction of travel associated with each of the plurality of wireless terminals; and

establishing a connection with each of the plurality of wireless terminals for which the direction of travel is toward the second base station element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the failure condition is detected by the second base station element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the failure condition is detected by the first base station element.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

in response to detecting the failure condition, generating a failure indication message adapted to trigger the second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition; and

transmitting the failure indication message toward at least one of the second base station element and a base station controller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the failure condition is associated with a wireless communication portion of the first base station element, wherein the failure indication message is generated for transmission by a wireline portion of the first base station element.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the failure condition is associated with a wireline communication portion of the first base station element, wherein the failure indication message is generated for transmission by a wireless portion of the first base station element.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

means for detecting a failure condition on a first base station element that was serving a plurality of wireless terminals prior to occurrence of the failure condition; and

means for, in response to detection of the failure condition, triggering a second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for triggering the second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself comprises:

means for determining a reconfiguration solution that when implemented will reconfigure the second base station element to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for reconfiguring the second base station element according to a reconfiguration solution that when implemented will reconfigure the second base station element to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for reconfiguring the second base station element comprises:

means for increasing a power level employed by the second base station element for expanding a wireless coverage area of the second base station element.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for reconfiguring the second base station element comprises:

means for monitoring each of the plurality of wireless terminals for determining a direction of travel associated with each of the plurality of wireless terminals; and

means for establishing a connection with each of the plurality of wireless terminals for which the direction of travel is toward the second base station element.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the failure condition is detected by the first base station element.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for, in response to detecting the failure condition, generating a failure indication message adapted to trigger the second base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element than the second base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition; and

means for transmitting the failure indication message toward at least one of the second base station element and a base station controller.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the failure condition is associated with a wireless communication portion of the first base station element, wherein the means for generating the failure indication message comprises a wireline portion of the first base station element.

19. A method, comprising the steps of:

detecting, at a first base station element, a failure condition on a second base station element that was serving a plurality of wireless terminals prior to occurrence of the failure condition; and

in response to detection of the occurrence of the failure condition on the second base station element, the first base station element attempting to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the second base station element than the first base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a input-output module for detecting, at a first base station element, an occurrence of a failure condition on a second base station element that was serving a plurality of wireless terminals prior to occurrence of the failure condition; and

a controller coupled to the receiver, the controller adapted to respond to the occurrence of the failure condition on the second base station element by triggering the first base station element to attempt to reconfigure itself to be better able to serve at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the second base station element than the first base station was able to prior to the occurrence of the failure condition.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

means for detecting an occurrence of a failure condition on a first base station element that was serving a plurality of wireless terminals prior to the occurrence of the failure condition;

means for determining a reconfiguration solution adapted to reconfigure at least one other base station element for serving at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element, wherein the reconfiguration solution depends on a geographical location of the first base station element and at least one geographical location associated with the respective at least one other base station element; and

means for implementing the reconfiguration solution for reconfiguring the at least one other base station element to attempt to serve the at least a portion of the plurality of wireless terminals previously served by the first base station element.