Base station grouping for topology hiding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10986691-B2
Application number	US-202016800389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2020
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

A method for topology hiding is disclosed, comprising: receiving, at a gateway, the gateway positioned between a core network and a radio access network, a configuration information request from a base station; analyzing, at the gateway, a topology of the radio access network, the radio access network including the base station; grouping, at the gateway, the base station into a first group based on the topology; sending, from the gateway to the base station, a grouping message to indicate that the base station be placed in the first group; and terminating connections from the core network to one or more base stations in the first group at the gateway as a back-to-back proxy, thereby hiding the topology of the radio access network from the core network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, at a gateway, the gateway positioned between a core network and a radio access network, a configuration information request from a base station, wherein the base station is a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) base station having, wherein the base station is a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) base station having 5G radio capability;
analyzing, at the gateway, a topology of the radio access network, the radio access network including the base station;
grouping, at the gateway, the base station into a first group based on the topology;
sending, from the gateway to the base station, a grouping message to indicate that the base station be placed in the first group; and
terminating connections from the core network to one or more base stations in the first group at the gateway as a back-to-back proxy,
thereby hiding the topology of the radio access network from the core network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core network is a radio network controller (RNC) or a plurality of RNCs.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core network is a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) core network.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising interworking communications from the base station to the core network via an S2a or S2b protocol.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the topology further comprises determining adjacent base stations of the base station.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the topology further comprises using latitude and longitude location data of the base station.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the topology further comprises using latitude and longitude location data of the base station using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base station is a home nodeB, gNodeB, or eNodeB hidden from a core network, and wherein the adjacent base stations are nodeBs, gNodeBs or eNodeBs visible to the core network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein grouping is determining a second group of base stations, the first group of base stations each coupled to a core network via a point to point Iu protocol connection terminating at the core network, the second group of base stations each coupled to a core network via a point to point Iu protocol connection terminating at the gateway.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a user equipment (UE) handover from the first group of base stations to the second group of base stations.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a user equipment (UE) handover from the second group of base stations to the first group of base stations.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allocating a location area code (LAC), a service area code (SAC), and a routing area code (RAC) to the base station.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising allocating a location area code (LAC), a service area code (SAC), and a routing area code (RAC) to the base station from a pool of LACs, SACs, or RACs.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reallocating a location area code (LAC), a service area code (SAC), or a routing area code (RAC) from the base station to another base station in the first group.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising proxying, at the gateway, one or more interfaces for presenting the first group as a single base station toward the core network.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising proxying, at the gateway, one or more interfaces for presenting the first group as a virtual radio access network (vRAN) toward the core network.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising proxying, at the gateway, one or more interfaces for presenting the first group as a single umbrella cell toward the core network.

18. A system, comprising:
a gateway positioned between a core network and a radio access network, the radio access network including a base station, wherein the base station is a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) base station having 5G radio capability;
wherein the gateway is configured to:
receive, at the gateway, a configuration information request from the base station;
analyze, at the gateway, a topology of the radio access network;
group, at the gateway, the base station into a first group based on the topology;
send, from the gateway to the base station, a grouping message to indicate that the base station be placed in the first group; and
terminate connections from the core network to one or more base stations in the first group at the gateway as a back-to-back proxy,
thereby hiding the topology of the radio access network from the core network.

Assignees

• Parallel Wireless Inc

Inventors

• Cao Yang
• Lubenski Zeev
• Agarwal Kaitki
• Rao Prashanth
• Atri Rahul

Classifications

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/12

  Discovery or management of network topologies · CPC title

• H04W76/27 Primary

  Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states · CPC title

• H04W16/18 Primary

  Network planning tools · CPC title

• H04W36/322

  by location data · CPC title