Methods and apparatus for frequency transition management in a quasi-licensed wireless system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10980025-B2
Application number	US-201916427186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2019
Priority date	Jan 31, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for managing frequency reassignment within wireless access nodes so as to minimize data session disruption. In one embodiment, the frequency reassignments occur within a quasi-licensed system utilizing 3.5 GHz CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) spectrum, and a reassignment of wireless spectrum that mitigates disruption or loss of continuity to existing data sessions of users of devices associated with a CBSD/xNB is provided via notification of the associated devices (e.g., Category B Consumer Premises Equipment or CPE, such as an FWA) of the reassignment by the CBSD/xNB. In one variant, the associated devices are instructed by the CBSD/xNB to invoke a “wait and re-establish” protocol that obviates a full frequency band rescan in favor of a designated target frequency provided to the CBSD/xNB by the cognizant SAS or DP.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Computer readable apparatus comprising non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed on a computerized wireless access device with digital processor apparatus, cause the computerized wireless access device to:
generate, based at least on a determination that at least one RF (radio frequency) carrier in use by the computerized wireless access device as part of a communication session with a computerized wireless user device requires reassignment, a first information element (IE), the first IE comprising: (i) data relating to a selected new RF carrier, and (ii) reattachment criterion data, the reattachment criterion data specifying at least a suspension of one or more higher-layer functions or applications used by one or more computerized mobile devices that are in data communication with the computerized wireless user device;
transmit the first IE to the computerized wireless user device using the at least one RF carrier, the transmitted first IE configured to cause transition of operation of the computerized wireless user device to the selected new RF carrier; and
receive a reattachment request from the computerized wireless user device via at least the selected new carrier, the reattachment request having been transmitted from the computerized wireless user device after the at least one criterion specified by the reattachment criterion data has been met; and
based at least on the received reattachment request, establish wireless data communication between the computerized wireless user device and the computerized wireless access device using the selected new RF carrier.

2. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the computerized wireless access device, cause the computerized wireless access device to:
receive at least one message generated by the computerized wireless user device, the at least one message comprising data to be reported to a network communication process in data communication with the computerized wireless access device; and
transmit at least a portion of the data to be reported to the network communication process.

3. The computer readable apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the transmission of the at least the portion of the data to be reported to the network communication process comprises forwarding of the received at least one message.

4. The computer readable apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the transmission of the at least the portion of the data to be reported to the network communication process comprises generation of a second message addressed to the network communication process, the second message comprising second data to be reported to the network communication process relating to operation of the computerized wireless access device.

5. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one criterion specified by the reattachment criterion data comprises a criterion which will maintain continuity of the communication session.

6. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the computerized wireless access device, cause the computerized wireless access device to further transmit first data configured to cause the computerized wireless user device to not perform a radio frequency scan which it would otherwise perform but for receipt of the first data.

7. The computer readable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the determination that the at least one RF (radio frequency) carrier in use by the computerized wireless access device as part of the communication session with the computerized wireless user device requires reassignment comprises receipt of data from one of a SAS (Spectrum Access System) or a Domain Proxy (DP) the received data indicative of the reassignment from the at least one RF carrier to the selected new RF carrier; and
the establishment of the wireless data communication between the computerized wireless user device and the computerized wireless access device using the selected new RF carrier is performed without the computerized wireless user device having to perform a scan of a frequency band within which the selected new RF carrier is included, the first IE configured to cause the computerized wireless user device to not perform said scan.

8. A computerized method of operating a wireless access point, the computerized method comprising:
based at least on a determination that at least one RF (radio frequency) carrier in use by the computerized wireless access point requires reassignment, generating a first information element (IE), the first IE comprising: (i) data relating to a selected new RF carrier, and (ii) data relating to a temporal value;
transmitting the first IE to a computerized wireless device associated with the computerized wireless access point, the first IE configured to cause the computerized wireless device to cease operation of one or more functions or applications based on the data relating to the temporal value;
causing transition of operation of the computerized wireless access point to the selected new RF carrier; and
subsequent to the transition and after expiration of the temporal value, establishing wireless data communication between the computerized wireless device and the computerized wireless access point using the selected new RF carrier.

9. The computerized method of claim 8 , wherein:
the determination that the at least one RF (radio frequency) carrier in use by the computerized wireless access point requires reassignment comprises receiving data from one of a SAS (Spectrum Access System) or a Domain Proxy (DP), the received data indicating the reassignment from the at least one RF carrier to the selected new RF carrier; and
the transmitting the first IE to the computerized wireless device associated with the computerized wireless access point comprises transmitting via the at least one RF carrier; and
both the at least one RF carrier and the new RF carrier comprises a frequency between 3.550 and 3.700 GHz inclusive.

10. The computerized method of claim 8 , further comprising:
establishing a communication session between the computerized wireless device utilizing the at least one RF carrier prior to the determination; and
maintaining the communication session during at least the steps of (i) the generating and (ii) the transmitting.

11. The computerized method of claim 10 , further comprising maintaining the communications session during the steps of (iii) causing transition of operation, and (iv) establishing wireless data communication between the computerized wireless device and the computerized wireless access point using the selected new RF carrier.

12. The computerized method of claim 8 , further comprising enabling the computerized wireless device to register with a network spectrum allocation process using at least the selected new RF carrier between at least the computerized wireless device and the wireless access point.

13. The computerized method of claim 8 , further comprising enabling the computerized wireless device to register with a network spectrum allocation process based at least on data identifying the selected new RF carrier.

14. The computerized method of claim 8 , wherein the establishing of the wireless data communication between the computerized wireless device and the computerized wireless access point using the selected new RF carrier comprises effecting the establishing without the computerized wire

Assignees

• Charter Communications Operating Llc

Inventors

• Hmimy Hossam
• Daoud Mohamed
• Hubbard Matthew

Classifications

• H04W36/302

  due to low signal strength · CPC title

• H04W36/0072

  of resource information of target access point · CPC title

• H04W72/0453 Primary

  Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA · CPC title

• H04W28/16

  Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] · CPC title

• H04W16/14 Primary

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title