System, method and computer program product for establishing a private cellular network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020021997-A1
Application number	US-201916502613-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 3, 2019
Priority date	Jul 15, 2018
Publication date	Jan 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for converting a conventional cellular network e.g. having nodes equipped with conventional modems operating in accordance with a cellular communication protocol e.g. LTE and storing first orthogonal sequences, into a private cellular network, including coupling an (e.g. external) device to only nodes sought for the private cellular network, the device storing second orthogonal sequences not hard-coded in the modems, the device storing a one-to-one correspondence enabling translation of each second orthogonal sequence, to one of the first sequences. at least when in a private network supporting mode, a device associated with a transmitting node sought for the private network, uses a processor to determine which first orthogonal sequence is being used, translate that sequence using the one-to-one correspondence into a second orthogonal sequence, and use the translated sequence to transmit a synchronization signal.

First claim

1 . A method for converting a conventional cellular network into a private cellular network, wherein the conventional network includes nodes equipped with conventional modems operating in accordance with a cellular communication protocol, the method comprising all or any subset of the following:
coupling a device to each node in the conventional network, which is desired to belong to the private cellular network, and not to any nodes in the conventional network, which are not desired to belong to the private cellular network; wherein the device stores second orthogonal sequences which differ from the first orthogonal sequences hence are not hard-coded in the conventional modems, and
wherein the device stores a one-to-one correspondence enabling translation of each of the second orthogonal sequences, to one of the first sequences hard-coded in the modems,
and wherein, at least when in a private network supporting mode, a device associated with a transmitting node desired to belong to the private network, uses a processor to determine which of the first orthogonal sequences is being used, translate the first orthogonal sequence being used using the stored one-to-one correspondence into one of the second orthogonal sequences, and use the translated sequence to transmit a synchronization signal, thereby to transmit a synchronization signal which uses one of the second orthogonal sequences, that are not hard-coded in protocol modems, thereby to transmit a synchronization signal which is noticeable and understandable to modems associated with the external device but not to modems not associated with the external device such that only modems associated with the external device can synchronize themselves to the private network and modems not associated with the external device cannot synchronize themselves to the private network.

2 . The method according to claim 1 wherein a non-private network supporting mode is also provided, in which a modem, when transmitting, uses the hard-coded sequence, not the non-hard-coded sequence in one-to-one correspondence therewith, to transmit synchronization signals.

3 . The method according to claim 1 wherein a combined mode which supports both a private network and a public network is provided, and wherein a modem, when transmitting, uses, in parallel, both a hard-coded sequence, and the non-hard-coded sequence in one-to-one correspondence therewith, to transmit synchronization signals.

4 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the external devices includes Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) functionality and wherein the device and the standard PSS and SSS have the same networking information.

5 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the external device includes Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) functionality, and wherein the device and the standard PSS and SSS have the same PCI.

6 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the external device is configured for conversion of non-standard over-the-air control signals carrying LTE networking information, to standard signals that carry the same LTE networking information carried in the non-standard control signals, and wherein the LTE networking information carried by every specific LTE control signal is typically not changed by the external device.

7 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the functionality is stored in a board/module/add-on housed in a mechanical member added to each modem, where the modem has an antenna and includes a board housing the modem and the antenna, and wherein the mechanical member is external to the board and includes an additional antenna.

8 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the functionality is stored in a board/module/add-on housed in a mechanical member added to each modem where the modem has an antenna and includes a board housing the modem and the antenna and wherein the mechanical member is mounted on the board intermediate to the modem and the antenna.

9 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the network information not changed by the external devices comprises a PCI parameter (Physical Cell ID parameter) as set by the network.

10 . The method according to claim 9 wherein the external device is configured to extract the PCI and then translate the non-standard PSS/SSS to standard PSS/SSS that carry the same PCI.

11 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the external device synchronizes itself through non-standard PSS SSS to a base station in the conventional network, thereby to maintain a capability to transmit standard PSS SSS, to a conventional modem coupled thereto, synchronously.

12 . The method according to claim 1 wherein the non-standard sequence transmission is from the same family as the standard transmission and therefore the conventional modem sees the non-standard transmission as white noise and wherein a modem (or any LTE user equipment device) associated with the external device e.g. coupled thereto, identifies only the external device's transmission and does not identify that some control signals, are coming from different sources.

13 . A system for converting a conventional cellular network into a private cellular network, wherein the conventional network includes nodes equipped with conventional modems operating in accordance with a cellular communication protocol, the system comprising:
a device, configured to be in data communication with individual nodes, thereby to enable the device to be in data communication with any individual node in the conventional network, which is desired to belong to the private cellular network, and not to nodes in the conventional network, which are not desired to belong to the private cellular network; wherein the device includes a processor coupled to computer memory and stores second orthogonal sequences which differ from the first orthogonal sequences hence are not hard-coded in the conventional modems, and
wherein the device stores a one-to-one correspondence enabling translation of each of the second orthogonal sequences, to one of the first sequences hard-coded in the modems,
and wherein, at least when in a private network supporting mode, the processor when in data communication with a transmitting node, determines which of the first orthogonal sequences is being used, translates the first orthogonal sequences being used, using the stored one-to-one correspondence, into one of the second orthogonal sequences, and uses the translated sequence to transmit a synchronization signal, thereby to transmit a synchronization signal which uses one of the second orthogonal sequences, that are not hard-coded in protocol modems, thereby to transmit a synchronization signal which is noticeable and understandable to modems associated with the external device but not to modems not associated with the external device such that only modems associated with the external device can synchronize themselves to the private network and modems not associated with the external device cannot synchronize themselves to the private network.

14 . The system according to claim 13 wherein the device comprises an external device, configured to be coupled to nodes.

15 . A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for converting a conventional cellular network into a private cellular network, wherein the conventional network includes nodes equipped with conventional modems operating i

Assignees

• Elta Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Shoshan Yaakov
• Giloh Benjamin
• Sherman Itay

Classifications

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04J11/0086

  Search parameters, e.g. search strategy, accumulation length, range of search, thresholds (code acquisition in DSSS H04B1/7075) · CPC title

• H04W16/12 Primary

  Fixed resource partitioning · CPC title

• H04J11/0073 Primary

  Acquisition of primary synchronisation channel, e.g. detection of cell-ID within cell-ID group · CPC title