METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF MOVABLE WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20080045222A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Niemi, Kevin, Mountney, Scott, Verstegen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

The invention can provide a movable wireless network that is capable of operating in a multiple network environment. The movable wireless network has a coverage area and includes a detector that detects a network event when the coverage area of the movable wireless network overlaps with a coverage area of another wireless network. The invention can further include a controller that changes an operational state of the movable wireless network when the detector detects the network event so that the movable wireless network is able to operate within the coverage area of the other wireless network.

Claims

1. A movable wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices, the movable wireless network further comprising:

a memory for storing other wireless network data including a coverage area of each of a plurality of other wireless networks and related network data; and

a controller that changes an operational state of the movable wireless network responsive to a network event so that the movable wireless network operates with another wireless network according to said other wireless network data stored in the memory, the changed operational state corresponding to one of a mobile country code or of a mobile network code and its associated mobile country code.

2. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, further comprising a detector for detecting the network event by sensing at least two of a power, phase, frequency, interference, frequency plan, frequency portfolio, mobile network code and mobile country code of another wireless network.

3. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network by changing at least two of a power, antenna selection, antenna direction, phase, frequency, frequency plan, mobile network code, and mobile country code of the movable wireless network to avoid interfering with the other wireless network.

4. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1 further comprising a position sensor of at least one of a global positioning system (GPS), LORAN, compass, gyroscope, and altimeter, the position sensor for determining the position of the moveable wireless network for comparison by said controller with stored other wireless network position data.

5. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network when the network event occurs based on said other wireless network data stored in the memory, said network data stored in the memory comprising position data representing coverage area and physical location for each of a plurality of stationary wireless networks.

6. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 5, wherein said related network data stored in the memory further includes operational mode information of stationary wireless networks, and the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network so that the movable wireless network operates in conjunction with a stationary wireless network responsive to the network event.

7. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 6, wherein the operational mode information of the stationary wireless networks includes at least one of an owner, operator, mobile network code and mobile country code of the stationary wireless network.

8. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 2, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network when a network event occurs based on operational mode information of another wireless network received from the other wireless network, said detector detecting communications in a relevant spectrum of the other wireless network and the change in operational state including a change of one of a mobile country code or a mobile network code and its associated mobile country code to be the same as that of the other wireless network.

9. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, the movable wireless network being located on one of a ship, car, truck, bus, aircraft or train, the movable network approaching the other wireless network at a non-zero velocity, the movable wireless network further comprising a detector for detecting the network event by detecting communications in a relevant spectrum of the approached wireless network.

10. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, a wireless communication device of said moveable wireless network receiving uninterrupted service before and after said network event.

11. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, wherein the other wireless network is a stationary wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices, a wireless communication device of said stationary wireless network being capable of communicating with a wireless communication device of said moveable wireless network after said network event.

12. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 1, wherein the other wireless network is a movable wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices, a wireless communication device of said other wireless movable network being capable of communicating with a wireless communication device of said moveable network after said network event.

13. A movable wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices having a coverage area, the moveable wireless network further comprising:

a memory for storing position data including a coverage area of each of a plurality of other wireless networks and related network data; and

a controller that changes an operational state of the movable wireless network when a detector detects a network event of overlapping coverage area so that the movable wireless network operates within the coverage area of the other wireless network according to said related network data stored in the memory, the changed operational state corresponding to one of a mobile country code or of a mobile network code and its associated mobile country code.

14. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13 further comprising a detector for detecting the network event by sensing at least one of a power, phase, frequency, interference, frequency plan, frequency portfolio, mobile network code and mobile country code of the other wireless network.

15. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network by changing at least two of a power, antenna selection, antenna direction, phase, frequency, frequency plan, mobile network code, and mobile country code of the movable wireless network.

16. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13 further comprising a position sensor of at least one of a global positioning system (GPS), a LORAN, compass, gyroscope, and altimeter, the position sensor for determining a present position of said movable wireless network.

17. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network when the network event occurs based on network data stored in the memory, wherein the related network data stored in the memory includes physical location, coverage area and operational state information of other wireless networks, and the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network to conform to the stored operational state information of a determined other wireless network so that the movable wireless network operates in conjunction with the other wireless network that has triggered the network event.

18. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13, wherein the controller changes the operational state of the movable wireless network to conform to that of an identified other wireless network when a network event occurs, the controller responsive to received operational mode information of the other wireless network from the other wireless network compares said received operational mode information with related network data for the other wireless network stored in memory.

19. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 14, wherein the movable wireless network is located on one of a ship, car, truck, bus, aircraft or train, the movable wireless network approaching the other wireless network at a non-zero velocity and the detector detecting the network event by detecting communications in a relevant spectrum of the approached wireless network.

20. The movable wireless network as recited in claim 13, further comprises a network interface coupled to the controller, the network interface for permitting the controller to communicate with and to control operational states of the movable wireless network to conform with operational states of the other wireless network.

21. A method of operating of a movable wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices, the movable wireless network further comprising:

storing position data including a coverage area and related network data of each of a plurality of other wireless networks in a memory of the movable wireless network and

changing an operational state of the movable wireless network based on a network event of overlapping coverage areas so that a wireless communication device of the movable wireless network operates with a wireless communication device of the other wireless network according to the related network data, the changed operational state corresponding to one of a mobile country code or of a mobile network code and its associated mobile country code.

22. A method for withdrawing a movable wireless network comprising one or more wireless communication devices from a stationary wireless network, comprising:

storing position data including a coverage area and related network data of each of a plurality of stationary and moveable wireless networks in a memory of the movable wireless network and

withdrawing the movable wireless network from at least one of said stationary wireless and movable networks upon detection of a network event of overlapping network coverage areas by changing an operational state of the movable wireless network such that said movable and said one of said stationary and other movable wireless network continue to operate separately from one another.

23. A movable wireless network, comprising:

a memory for storing other wireless network position data and related network data including operational state information of a plurality of other wireless networks currently being operated, said other wireless network position data comprising coverage area and physical position, said operational state information comprising frequencies and power of each said other wireless networks; and

a controller that changes an operational state of the movable wireless network based on a network event caused by proximity of the moveable wireless network to another wireless network having stored position data and related network data such that, when the network event occurs, the movable wireless network operates with the other wireless network according to the related network data stored in the memory, the operational state of said movable wireless network changing based on the related network data stored in the memory.

24. A movable wireless network as recited in claim 23, the movable wireless network further comprising a detector for detecting the existence of another wireless network by detecting communications in a relevant spectrum:

said memory for further storing rules associated with said other wireless networks for transmit power and frequency within each network;

the controller for comparing data associated with said detected communications in the relevant spectrum with predetermined data stored in memory to determine the occurrence of a network event of overlapping networks, for determining the another wireless network and for changing the operational state of the movable wireless network to merge with the another wireless network such that interference between said overlapping networks is alleviated.

25. A movable network as recited in claim 24, further comprising a detector for detecting the present position of the movable network:

the memory for storing data representing a known coverage area of the another wireless network of a plurality of such other networks besides said movable network;

the controller for determining a correspondence between said detected position of the movable network with predetermined data stored in memory of the known coverage area of the another wireless network, for determining the occurrence of a network event of overlapping networks, for determining the another wireless network with which the movable network is overlapping and for changing the operational state of the movable wireless network to merge with the another wireless network such that interference between said overlapping networks is alleviated.