Virtual cells for radio access network (RAN) sharing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10681630-B2
Application number	US-201816150461-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2018
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods herein provide for the aggregation of a plurality of wireless base stations for access by a Mobile Central Office (MCO) communicating with user equipment (UEs) through a network. In one embodiment, a communication system includes a first plurality of wireless base stations, each being operable to communicate with UEs. The system also includes a base station aggregator operable to aggregate the wireless base stations into a virtual base station, and to interface with the MCO. The base station aggregator is further operable to process a request from the MCO for access to communications provided by the virtual base station, to grant the request, to intermediate on behalf of the MCO, and to exchange communications between the MCO and a UE subscribing to the MCO and operating within the coverage of the virtual base station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication system, comprising:
N real wireless base stations, each having at least one antenna and each being operable to communicate with one or more user equipment (UEs) within a respective N cell coverage areas, wherein N is greater than one; and
a base station aggregator operable to aggregate the N real wireless base stations and their respective cell coverage areas into a virtual base station having a network coverage area comprising a combination of two or more of the N cell coverage areas, and to interface with a Mobile Central Office (MCO), the MCO being operable to communicate with subscribing UEs through a network.

2. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the base station aggregator is further operable to process a request from the MCO for access to at least a portion of communications provided by the virtual base station, to grant the request, to intermediate on behalf of the MCO, and to exchange communications between the MCO and a first of the subscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station.

3. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the base station aggregator is further operable to process a message from the MCO that a second of the subscribing UEs has moved into communication coverage provided by the virtual base station, and to exchange communications between the MCO and the second subscribing UE when the second subscribing UE has moved into the communication coverage of the virtual base station.

4. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the network comprises another plurality of real wireless base stations;
the other plurality of real wireless base stations operates according to Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless protocols;
at least one of the plurality of real wireless base stations of the virtual base station operates according to a second generation (2G) wireless protocol, a third generation (3G) wireless protocol, or a combination thereof; and
the base station aggregator is further operable to translate between the wireless protocol of the other plurality of real wireless base stations and the wireless protocol of the virtual base station.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the base station aggregator is further operable to hand over transmit power control of the plurality of real wireless base stations of the virtual base station to the MCO to reduce transmission power of the first subscribing UE.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the base station aggregator is further operable to hand off communications of the first UE to the MCO when the first UE moves into communication coverage of the network.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the base station aggregator is further operable to interface with another MCO, the other MCO being operable to communicate with its subscribing UEs via another network; and
the base station aggregator is further operable to process a request from the other MCO for access to at least a portion of communications provided by the virtual base station, to grant the request, to intermediate on behalf of the other MCO, and to exchange communications between the other MCO and from a first of its subscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 1 , wherein:
the network comprises another plurality of real wireless base stations, each having at least one antenna and each antenna having a cell coverage area; and
the base station aggregator is further operable to aggregate at least a portion of the other plurality of real wireless base stations and their antenna's cell coverage areas into another virtual base station having a network coverage area comprising two or more cell coverage areas.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the respective N cell coverage areas is associated at least in part with the location of each of the N real wireless base station's antenna.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the respective N cell coverage areas are substantially non-overlapping coverage areas.

11. A method of wireless base station aggregation, comprising:
operating N real wireless base stations, each having at least one antenna and each being operable to communicate within a respective N cell coverage areas, with a plurality of user equipment (UEs);
aggregating the N real wireless base stations into a virtual base station having a network coverage area comprising at least two of the N real wireless base station's N cell coverage areas;
interfacing with a Mobile Central Office (MCO), the MCO being operable to communicate with one or more subscribing UEs within the virtual base stations network coverage area via one of the real base stations and its cell coverage area;
processing a request from the MCO for access to at least a portion of communications provided by the virtual base station;
granting the request;
intermediating on behalf of the MCO; and
exchanging communications between the MCO and a first of the subscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station,
wherein N is greater than one.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
processing a message from the MCO that a second of the subscribing UEs has moved into communication coverage provided by the virtual base station; and
exchanging communications between the MCO and the second subscribing UE when the second subscribing UE has moved into the communication coverage of the virtual base station.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the network comprises another plurality of real wireless base stations;
the other plurality of real wireless base stations operates according to Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless protocols;
at least one of the plurality of real wireless base stations of the virtual base station operates according to a second generation (2G) wireless protocol, a third generation (3G) wireless protocol, or a combination thereof; and
the method further comprises translating between the wireless protocol of the other plurality of real wireless base stations and the wireless protocol of the virtual base station.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
handing over transmit power control of the first plurality of real wireless base stations to the MCO to reduce transmission power of the first subscribing UE.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
handing off communications of the first UE to the MCO when the first UE moves into communication coverage of the network.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
interfacing with another MCO, the other MCO being operable to communicate with subscribing UEs via another network;
processing a request from the other MCO for access to at least a portion of communications provided by the virtual base station;
granting the request;
intermediating on behalf of the other MCO; and
exchanging communications between the other MCO and a first its subscribing UEs operating within the virtual base station.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the network comprises another plurality of real wireless base stations, each having at least one antenna and each antenna having a cell coverage area; and
the method further comprises aggregating at least a portion of the other plurality of real wireless base stations and their antenna's cell coverage areas into another virtual base station having a network coverage area comprising two or more cell coverage areas from the other plurality of real wireless base stations.

18. A non-transitory computer

Assignees

• Cable Television Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Mckibben Bernard
• Poletti Mark J
• Mun Kyung
• Rice Daniel

Classifications

• H04W16/32

  Hierarchical cell structures · CPC title

• Y02D70/122

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04W52/0209 Primary

  in terminal devices · CPC title

• Y02D70/00

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D70/1262

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic