System and method for load based optimization in communication networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9398473-B2
Application number	US-201113332804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2011
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing load based optimizations in communication networks are provided. A network device that provides network management and exchanges control messages with other network devices in the communication network can be modified to masquerade as a radio access transceiver to obtain radio access transceiver load information. The network device can be modified to include a radio-related interface and can communicate messages with the radio access transceivers to setup a radio access transceiver connection for exchange of load information. The radio access transceiver load information can then be used in the core network to provide optimizations for the loaded radio access transceivers. The optimizations can include modifying packet flows to decrease the bandwidth needed and switching one or more packet flows to another radio access transceiver.

First claim

We claim:

1. A network device comprising:
a first interface configured to communicate with a gateway in a cellular communication network;
a radio-related interface configured to communicate with at least one base station in the cellular communication network, wherein the radio-related interface is a same type of interface used by the at least one base station to communicate load information with other base stations in the radio access network; and
a functionality module configured to:
provide a mobility management device functionality that communicates control plane messages between the at least one base station and the gateway and manages mobility of a plurality of user equipments coupled to the at least one base station in the cellular communication network;
communicate to the at least one base station using the radio-related interface an indication that the functionality module is using a resource block used by the at least one base station, thus causing the at least one base station to regard the functionality module as another base station;
obtain load information associated with the at least one base station and the resource block via the radio-related interface, the load information being sent to the functionality module by the at least one base station as a result of the at least one base station regarding the functionality module as another base station;
periodically receive the load information associated with the at least one base station and the resource block and determine whether the information indicative of the load information should be sent to the gateway based on whether at least one threshold associated with the load information is exceeded; and
when the at least one threshold associated with the load information is exceeded, communicate the information indicative of the load information associated with the at least one base station and the resource block to the gateway to allow the gateway to modify contents of one or more packet flows destined to pass through the at least one base station to reduce the load of the at least one base station.

2. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to send, over the radio-related interface, a failure message in response to a handover request message from one of the at least one base station, thereby avoiding being selected as a candidate for a handover of the user equipment.

3. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the radio-related interface comprises an X2 interface.

4. The network device of claim 3 , wherein the functionality module is configured to communicate, over the X2 interface, an X2 setup request message and a resource status request message to the at least one base station to request the load information associated with the at least one base station.

5. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to:
receive, from the at least one base station, a resource status response message with the load information associated with the at least one base station, and
provide the load information associated with the at least one base station to the gateway when a predetermined condition is met.

6. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to receive the load information associated with the at least one base station periodically and prioritize packet flow optimizations at the gateway based on the periodic load information.

7. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the mobility management device functionality is configured to receive, from the at least one base station via the radio-related interface, physical resource block load information and determine, from the physical resource block load information, the load information associated with the at least one base station.

8. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to establish communication with the at least one base station via the radio-related interface using a discovery mechanism used by base stations to discover other base stations in the radio access network.

9. The network device of claim 8 , further comprising a control plane interface configured to provide control-plane communication with the at least one base station, and wherein the functionality module is configured to communicate with the at least one base station via the control plane interface to obtain an identity of the at least one base station, and use the identity of the at least one base station to establish the communication with the at least one base station.

10. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to send, over the radio-related interface, a configuration update message in response to a handover request message from one of the at least one base station, thereby avoiding being selected as a candidate for a handover of the user equipment.

11. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module is configured to send, to the gateway, instructions to selectively modify packet flows to alleviate loading conditions in the at least one base station.

12. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the modifications to the packet flows can include one or more of video optimization, TCP optimization, or HTTP optimization.

13. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the resource block includes a physical resource block.

14. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the functionality module of the network device is further configured to:
establish an X2 signaling connection with the at least one base station over the radio-related interface;
manage retransmissions to the plurality of user equipments coupled to the at least one base station;
handle a bearer activation/deactivation process;
authenticate the plurality of user equipments by communicating with a home subscriber server;
enforce user equipment roaming restrictions; and
choose a gateway for a user equipment of the plurality of user equipments at the initial attachment of the user equipment and at the time of an intra-LTE handover of the user equipment.

15. A method comprising:
communicating control plane messages, at a mobility management device, between at least one base station and a gateway in a cellular communication network and managing, at the mobility management device, mobility of a plurality of user equipments coupled to the at least one base station in the cellular communication network;
communicating, by the mobility management device, with the at least one base station over a radio-related interface, wherein the radio-related interface is a same type of interface used by the at least one base station to communicate load information with other base stations in a radio access network, thereby causing the at least one base station to regard the mobility management device as another base station;
indicating, by the mobility management device, to the at least one station that the mobility management device is using a resource block used by the at least one base station, thereby masquerading the mobility management device as a base station;
receiving, at the mobility management device, load information associated with the at least one base station and the resource block over the radio-related interface from the at least one base station, the load information being sent to the mobility management device by the at least one base station as a result of the at least one base station regarding the mobility management device as another base station;
periodically receiving the load information associated with the at least one base station and the resource block and determine whethe

Assignees

• Goerke Thomas
• Grayson Mark
• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Goerke Thomas
• Grayson Mark

Classifications

• H04L12/26

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04W8/02

  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 title

• H04L43/00

  Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks · CPC title