U.S. patent application number 15/822491 was filed with the patent office on 2018-06-07 for method and apparatus for assisted/coordinated intra-home communications.
This patent application is currently assigned to InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc.. Invention is credited to Saad Ahmad, Rocco Di Girolamo, Martino M. Freda, Jean-Louis Gauvreau, Zinan Lin, Joseph M. Murray, Athmane X. Touag.
Application Number | 20180160473 15/822491 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43568105 |
Filed Date | 2018-06-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180160473 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Di Girolamo; Rocco ; et
al. |
June 7, 2018 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSISTED/COORDINATED INTRA-HOME
COMMUNICATIONS
Abstract
Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed that may
provide assistance across networks using different radio access
technologies. A centralized gateway (CGW) may be provided to
facilitate the assistance via client devices in the networks. The
CGW and client devices may use a common protocol and common
interface to take actions relating to the assistance.
Inventors: |
Di Girolamo; Rocco; (Laval,
CA) ; Gauvreau; Jean-Louis; (La Prairie, CA) ;
Lin; Zinan; (Basking Ridge, NJ) ; Murray; Joseph
M.; (Schwenksville, PA) ; Touag; Athmane X.;
(Chomedey Laval, CA) ; Ahmad; Saad; (Montreal,
CA) ; Freda; Martino M.; (Laval, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
InterDigital Patent Holdings,
Inc.
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
43568105 |
Appl. No.: |
15/822491 |
Filed: |
November 27, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13520989 |
Jan 7, 2013 |
9860939 |
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PCT/US11/20331 |
Jan 6, 2011 |
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15822491 |
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61292708 |
Jan 6, 2010 |
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61393205 |
Oct 14, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 88/16 20130101;
H04W 48/12 20130101; H04L 12/66 20130101; H04W 84/10 20130101; H04W
88/10 20130101; H04W 48/18 20130101; H04W 88/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 88/16 20090101
H04W088/16; H04L 12/66 20060101 H04L012/66; H04W 88/10 20090101
H04W088/10 |
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. A method of managing communications among devices, the method
comprising: broadcasting, by an access point, AP, that is
configured for communication via a first radio access technology,
RAT, and a second RAT, an indication that the AP is capable of
communicating via the first RAT and the second RAT, wherein the AP
includes a management entity that is common to the first RAT and
the second RAT; receiving, via the first RAT, an attachment request
indicative of a station, STA, that is configured to communicate via
the first RAT and the second RAT; and transmitting, responsive to
the attachment request, an attachment response via the first RAT,
wherein the attachment response indicates an operating mode change
for the STA.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein broadcasting the indication is
performed periodically.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the attachment request
indicates that the STA is configured to operate the first RAT and
the second RAT simultaneously.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the operating mode change
includes the STA switching from communicating with the AP via the
first RAT, to communicating with the AP via the second RAT.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein the operating mode change
includes activating the second RAT on the STA.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the first RAT corresponds to
2.4 GHz and the second RAT corresponds to 60 GHz.
21. An access point, AP, that is configured for communication via a
first radio access technology, RAT, and a second RAT, the AP
comprising: a management entity that is common to the first RAT and
the second RAT; a processor; and a memory comprising instructions
that when executed by the processor, cause the AP to: broadcast an
indication that the AP is capable of communicating via the first
RAT and the second RAT; receive, via the first RAT, an attachment
request indicative of a station, STA, that is configured to
communicate via the first RAT and the second RAT; and transmit,
responsive to the attachment request, an attachment response via
the first RAT, wherein the attachment response indicates an
operating mode change for the STA.
22. The AP of claim 21, wherein the instructions, when executed by
the processor, cause the AP to broadcast the indication
periodically.
23. The AP of claim 21, wherein the attachment request is further
indicative that the STA is configured to operate the first RAT and
the second RAT simultaneously.
24. The AP of claim 21, wherein the operating mode change includes
the STA switching from communicating with the AP via the first RAT,
to communicating with the AP via the second RAT.
25. The AP of claim 21, wherein the operating mode change includes
activating the second RAT on the STA.
26. The AP of claim 21, wherein the first RAT corresponds to 2.4
GHz and the second RAT corresponds to 60 GHz.
27. An access point, AP, for managing communications among devices,
the AP configured at least in part to: communicate via a first
radio access technology, RAT, and a second RAT; broadcast an
indication that the AP is capable of communicating via the first
RAT and the second RAT; receive, via the first RAT, an attachment
request indicative of a station, STA, that is configured to
communicate via the first RAT and the second RAT; and transmit,
responsive to the attachment request, an attachment response via
the first RAT, wherein the attachment response indicates an
operating mode change for the STA, wherein the AP includes a
management entity that is common to the first RAT and the second
RAT.
28. The AP of claim 27, wherein the AP is further configured to
broadcast the indication periodically.
29. The AP of claim 27, wherein the attachment request is further
indicative that the STA is configured to operate the first RAT and
the second RAT simultaneously.
30. The AP of claim 27, wherein the operating mode change includes
the STA switching from communicating with the AP via the first RAT,
to communicating with the AP via the second RAT.
31. The AP of claim 27, wherein the operating mode change includes
activating the second RAT on the STA.
32. The AP of claim 27, wherein the first RAT corresponds to 2.4
GHz and the second RAT corresponds to 60 GHz.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on, and claims priority to, U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/292,708, filed on Jan. 6,
2010, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/393,205, filed
on Oct. 14, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The telecommunication landscape, within a typical home or
office, may encompass a number of independently developed radio
access technologies and standards. These technologies were
initially designed for target applications and they perform
relatively well for these applications.
SUMMARY
[0003] Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed that
may provide assistance across networks using different radio access
technologies. A centralized gateway (CGW) may be provided to
facilitate the assistance via client devices in the networks. The
CGW and client devices may use a common protocol and common
interface to take actions relating to the assistance.
[0004] The CGW may collect information from a first client device
over a first radio access technology using a common protocol. The
CGW may fuse the information collected from the first client device
with information associated with a second client device. For
example, the information collected from the first client device may
be combined with other information received from the second device,
other devices, other networks, etc. The CGW may determine, based on
the fused information, an action to be performed by the first
client device over a second radio access technology to provide the
assistance. The assistance may be a control function and/or an
assistance service. The CGW may send an instruction, using the
common protocol, to the first client device to perform the action.
For example, the first client device may be associated with a first
network configured to operate using a first radio access
technology; and, the second client device may be associated with a
second network configured to operate using a second radio access
technology. The instruction may direct the first client device to
activate the second radio access technology and communicate with
the second client device over the second radio access technology to
provide the assistance.
[0005] A client device may provide information to the CGW over a
first radio access technology using a common protocol. For example,
the client device may be associated with a network configured to
operate using the first radio access technology. In addition, the
client device may attach to the CGW and provide one or more of: the
radio access technolog(ies) supported by the client device,
operating mode information, location information,
services/capability information, etc. The client device may receive
an instruction from the CGW to perform an action over a second
radio access technology to provide assistance across networks. The
instruction may be received over the first radio access technology
using the common protocol. The client device may perform the action
over the second radio access technology. For example, the client
device may provide assistance to another network configured to
operate using the second radio access technology.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following
description, given by way of example in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a typical home network environment;
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary CGW in communication with
capillary networks and external networks;
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary centralized gateway
connected to a plurality of capillary networks and external
networks;
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary attachment procedure;
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary coordination of a direct
link setup;
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary frequency band change;
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary system operation
diagram;
[0014] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary client protocol stack;
[0015] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary mapping of network
assistance;
[0016] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication
system;
[0017] FIG. 11 provides a further detailed view of the exemplary
wireless communication system of FIG. 10;
[0018] FIG. 12A is a system diagram of an example communications
system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be
implemented;
[0019] FIG. 12B is a system diagram of an example wireless
transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the
communications system illustrated in FIG. 12A; and
[0020] FIG. 12C is a system diagram of an example radio access
network and an example core network that may be used within the
communications system illustrated in FIG. 12A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0021] FIGS. 1-12 may relate to exemplary embodiments in which the
disclosed systems, methods and instrumentalities may be
implemented. However, while the present invention may be described
in connection with exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto
and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be used or
modifications and additions may be made to the described
embodiments for performing the same function of the present
invention without deviating therefrom.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a typical home network environment 100
with a sampling of these technologies. Access to content (e.g., web
and video) may be provided via a broadband modem through the home
owner's internet protocol (IP) backhaul connection(s) (e.g.,
digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, fiber to the home (FTTH),
satellite, etc.). Mobile services (e.g., voice and data) are
provided through the cellular network, e.g., either via a macro
cell (where coverage permits), or via a femtocell. The femtocell
may use the homeowner's IP backhaul to connect to the cellular
network.
[0023] Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Points (APs) may
provide data connectivity between PCs, laptops, and other networked
devices (e.g., printers and faxes) using WIFI technology. Bluetooth
links may be used for point-to-point technology (e.g., between
cameras and PCs, between keyboards/mice and PCs, between mobile
phones and wireless headsets). High throughput point-to-point links
may be used. A typical use case for such high-speed links is for
video distribution cable replacement (e.g., Set Top Box (STB) to
high definition television (HDTV)). Wireless sensor networks, e.g.,
for monitoring of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC)
systems, lighting systems, may be used.
[0024] Table 1 lists some features of each of radio access
technologies. Table 1 is a high level comparison of the specific
technologies in terms of four major criteria (range, peak
throughput, channel bandwidth, and operating band). The channel
bandwidth in Table 1 denotes the spectrum occupied by a typical
transmission. The specific details for each of the technologies may
be found in the relevant applicable standards.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Relevant Network Standards Throughput
Formation/ (most Typical (Peak Device Device Channel Operational
Technology typical) Range Data Rates) Requirements Discovery
Bandwidth Frequency bands WIFI IEEE <100 m 802.11a-54
Portability & Manual 22 Unlicensed bands: 802.11 Mbps mobility
selection of MHz 802.11a-5 GHz Family 802.11b-11 expected frequency
802.11b/g-2.4 Mbps channel in GHz 802.11g-54 band. 802.11n-2.4
& 5 Mbps Access Point GHz 802.11n-600 broadcast Mbps periodic
beacon frames to allow device ZigBee Maintained 70-300 m 2.4 GHz
band- Low cost, Initial 2 Unlicensed bands: by the 250 kbps low
power Channel MHz 868 MHz in ZigBee 915 MHz band- consumption, scan
by Europe, Alliance, 40 short range coordinator 915 MHz in the
Based on kbit/s Mobility device USA IEEE 868 MHz band- not Device
and Australia, and 802.15.4 20 kbit/s expected discovery by 2.4 GHz
worldwide MAC and Beacon PHY search or probe request/response
Bluetooth Maintained <10 m V1.2-1 Mbps Low power Initial 1
Unlicensed bands: by V2.0EDR-3 consumption, pairing MHz 2.4 GHz
band Bluetooth Mbps short range, requires 3.0 SIG 3.0 HS-24
Mobility not some HS Mbps Expected manual requires a intervention.
bandwidth Procedure of can 22 be long. MHz Wireless Maintained
<10 m As high as 25 High power Initial 1.76 Unlicensed bands: HD
by the Gbps allowed Channel GHz 60 GHz band Wireless scan by (large
HD coordinator available spectrum- consortium device 7 GHz) Probe
request/response mechanism for device discovery Cellular 3GPP
"Cellular" R8 WCDMA-42 Mobility -- WCDMA:5 Licensed bands WCDMA
Mbps permitted MHz each e.g. Cellular, PCS & DL & 11 for
(1900 MHz), IMT LTE Mbps UL and DL (2100 MHz), 700 UL LTE: 1.4-
MHz,.. R8 LTE-150 20 Mbps MHz each DL & 73 Mbps for UL UL and
DL Ethernet Wired Technology (likely based on IEEE 802.3)
[0025] The following observations may be made about in-home
technologies, including: 1) the range of a device may depend
greatly on the specific technology; 2) some technologies using
unlicensed spectrum operate in the 2.4 GHz band; 3) higher data
throughputs may rely on the use of the 5 GHz band and the 60 GHz
band (the latter may be useful for the transmission of video
traffic); 4) some technologies may require manual intervention
prior to network formation (e.g., channel selection for WIFI
networks); and 5) for most technologies, device discovery may be
allowed either through periodic beacons or probe/request
mechanisms.
[0026] A number of interferers may exist in a typical home
including: cordless phones (which may have 5-10 MHz bandwidth),
baby monitors, microwave ovens (some older devices emit a dirty
signal over the entire 2.4 GHz band), wireless video cameras, game
controllers and fluorescent lights, to name a few. Each of the
technologies in a home or office may be a closed network. There may
be no coordination between the network technologies. They may rely
on their own procedures for network formation, network discovery,
service discovery, and interference management. This may result in
inefficiencies.
[0027] A "wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU)" may include any
electronic device that is capable of transmitting and/or receiving
data via one or more wireless interfaces. The term WTRU may include
but is not limited to a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a
fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, or any other type of
device capable of operating in a wireless environment. A "MTC WTRU"
or a "M2M WTRU" is a WTRU capable of communicating using MTC/M2M
technology. When referred to hereafter, the terminology "base
station" may include but is not limited to a Node-B, a site
controller, an access point (AP), or any other type of interfacing
device capable of operating in a wireless environment. When
referred to hereafter, the term "network node" may include a
logical or physical entity that implements functionality in a core
network or radio access network (RAN), such as but not limited to a
base station, gateway, access server, or any other entity.
[0028] Various home/office network technologies may be referred to
as capillary networks. Assistance may be provided to a capillary
network, which may improve performance within the capillary
network. A centralized gateway (CGW) is disclosed that may
facilitate such assistance, e.g., via client devices in capillary
networks. The CGW may be referred to as a converged gateway,
centralized entity, central entity etc. A client device may be
referred to as a client.
[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary CGW 210, which may be in
communication with capillary networks 220 and external networks
230. CGW 210 may provide access to external networks 230 (e.g.,
cellular, Internet, etc.). CGW 210 may communicate with capillary
networks 220 over a common interface, such as the logical "A"
interface 215 that provides signaling support for a set of control
procedures that are managed by a "common logical A protocol." CGW
210 may collect information from capillary networks 220 and/or
external networks230 and fuse the information. CGW 210 may use the
fused information in providing assistance to capillary networks 220
and their devices. The assistance may include, or may be referred
to, as one or more of the following without limitation: assistance,
assistant service(s), network control, coordination, routing,
measurements, service, etc. The assistance may include controlling
one capillary network to assist another capillary network.
[0030] At least one device in a capillary network may be capable of
communicating over the logical A interface. A CGW may provide
assistance to capillary networks through, for example: 1)
coordination of spectrum usage (interference management); 2) node
discovery assistance; 3) inter capillary network communication; 4)
intra capillary network communication; 5) assisted service
discovery (e.g., broadcast of ongoing sessions for peer gaming); 6)
assisted load management; 7) set-up of opportunistic assistance
through mobile devices; 8) assisted location mapping, etc.
[0031] Assistant services refer to services that may rely on fused
and/or raw data stored in the centralized gateway (CGW) to assist
and coordinate capillary networks. Assistant services may reside in
both the CGW and in attached devices. Assistant services may rely
on common logical A protocol procedures for communication between
the CGW and attached devices.
[0032] A CGW may provide assistance and coordination among
different capillary networks based on fused and raw information
from the capillary networks and the external networks. The CGW may
run a common logical A protocol and communicate with client devices
within the capillary networks using a logical A interface.
Furthermore, the CGW may run the assistant services that make use
of the fused and raw data.
[0033] Capillary networks (CNs) may refer to networks managed
either directly or indirectly by the CGW. Capillary networks may
include ZigBee networks, WIFI networks, Bluetooth networks, direct
links, infrastructure networks, etc. An attached device (AD) may
refer to a device that has attached or made its presence known to
the CGW. An AD may be synchronized with the CGW, and may receive
transmitted control information. An AD may provide a capability
indication to the CGW.
[0034] A physical location may refer to a location of a device in
physical space (e.g., X, Y, Z coordinates, a room, etc.). A radio
location may refer to a location of the device with respect to the
ability to communicate, e.g., with the CGW. A coverage zone may
refer to the cover of the CGW. The coverage zone may apply in an
office environment, a commercial environment, etc.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary centralized gateway, CGW
310, connected to a plurality of capillary networks (capillary
network A 320, capillary network B 322 and capillary network C 324)
and external networks 330. Information may be collected from the
capillary networks and external networks 330 and fused in CGW 310.
CGW 310 may use the fused information to 1) provide assistance
services and network control to one of the capillary networks to
which the central entity is connected (e.g., radio frequency (RF)
measurements and characteristics, such as location information from
capillary network A 320, may be collected and fused in the central
entity to assist capillary network B 322); 2) control one of the
capillary networks in assisting another capillary network (e.g.,
location and device capability of capillary network A 320 and
capillary network B 322 may be collected and fused in the central
entity where the CGW may control a device in capillary network A
320 to assist capillary network B 322), etc.
[0036] Information collection from the capillary networks, as well
as signaling to carry control or assistance information to the
plurality of capillary networks, may be enabled by a common logical
interface, which may be referred to as the logical A interface or
common logical A interface. This interface may link the common
logical A protocol, which may reside in CGW 310 and the client
devices in the capillary networks. In CGW 310, the common logical A
protocol may be a common upper layer 311 to multiple radio access
technologies (RATs) (X, Y, and Z) and may allow communication with
a plurality of capillary networks. The logical A interface may
require modification of the MAC and PHY layer of the RATs that
support the logical A interface.
[0037] A CGW may provide assistance and coordination to capillary
networks, as well as the capability for inter-capillary network
routing. A CGW may provide communications to external networks
(e.g., cellular, Internet, etc.) through, for example, a wireless
cellular interface, a residential IP connection (e.g., through DSL,
cable, FTTH), a satellite connection, etc. A CGW may be an evolved
Wireless LAN access point, an evolved H(e)NB, a converged device
which has both functionalities (and possibly other
functionalities), etc. Mobile phones may behave as CGWs, e.g.,
where they have the multi RAT capability.
[0038] It may be necessary for each device in the capillary
networks to communicate through a physical link with the CGW.
Devices that do communicate with the CGW, may associate with the
CGW and may be referred to as attached devices (ADs). Communication
may be through the logical A interface, that may provide
synchronization, control, a data plane functionality, etc. The
control information may provide signaling between capillary network
devices and the CGW to enable CGW managed assistance and
coordination.
[0039] These functions may be achieved through dedicated channels,
that may be a separate channel for each AD, or through shared
channels, for instance using carrier sense multiple
access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA). Synchronization may provide
the capillary network devices with reference timing, an indication
of where to find the control information, etc. The control
information may provide signaling between a capillary network
device and the CGW, to enable CGW managed assistance and
coordination.
[0040] The logical A interface may be implemented using an air
interface, which may be optimized for the specific application and
conditions (e.g., home, office, industrial, etc.). It may also be
implemented by a logical A protocol, which may be a common layer
sitting on top of multiple existing RATs. The logical A interface
may be based on any other technology. For instance, if the CGW has
H(e)NB functionality and WIFI, the logical A protocol may reside on
top of the Uu interface (evolved H(e)NB interface) and a 802.11
interface.
[0041] ADs may possess at least one RAT that may be capable of
communicating with the CGW. They may possess a common logical A
protocol, which may sit on top of supported RATs, that manages
logical A interface procedures. Client versions of assistant
services may also be present in the ADs.
[0042] The CGW and the client device may use a common protocol,
such as the logical A protocol, to collect and format information
from capillary networks over multiple RATs. This may enable
standard based collection across multiple RATs. For example,
measurements collected over RAT X for a given client, using an
existing standard based approach, may be transmitted over a format
common to each RATs. The common logical A protocol may allow
decisions based on fused data from multiple capillary networks to
be sent to clients of a specific RAT and may enable new procedures
for multi-RAT clients.
[0043] When a device wants to join the network and communicate with
the CGW to take advantage of the services it offers and is capable
of multiple RAT operation, the use of the common logical A protocol
may enable the device to attach to the CGW and to inform it of its
multi-RAT capability, and other capabilities, using any available
RAT technology.
[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary attachment procedure. At 1,
client 420 may discover the network (CGW 410) by acquiring the
synchronization and control information broadcast by the network
using a given RAT technology (e.g., RAT Y). Client 420 may use any
of the RAT technologies which it can support, in this case RAT X,
RAT Y and RAT Z. At 2, client 420 may attach with CGW 410 using RAT
Y. For example, client 420 may use RAT Y to attach with the network
to get a network address, a MAC address, etc. At 3, client 420 may
use the recently activated RAT Y to send an attachment request
through the common logical A protocol. The attachment request may
include the multi-RAT capabilities of client 420. This may enable
CGW 410 to trigger the activation of another RAT at 4, or at some
later time. The attachment procedure may include capability
information that is pertinent for multi-RAT service assistance.
[0045] The attachment request may include one or more of the
following: a) each RAT supported by client 420; b) for each RAT,
what bands are supported; c) for each RAT, what other RAT it may
support simultaneously (e.g., a GSM RAT may support Bluetooth but
may not support WCDMA or LTE); d) for each RAT, whether the RAT is
active or not; e) location tracking capability; or f) TVWS
capability, whether the device is a Mode 1, Mode II, or Sensing
only device. The attachment request may include information
relating to services offered by client 420 (e.g., gaming, printing,
storage and physical location, etc.).
[0046] At 4, CGW 410 may send an attachment response, which may
indicate if the attachment request is accepted. This procedure may
be complemented with authentication and security procedures. The
attachment response may include a command to activate another RAT
as an alternative or supplemental RAT based on the capability
provided in the attachment request. This command may include the
same information carried in a secondary RAT activation request.
[0047] The common logical A protocol at the CGW, such as CGW 410,
may maintain a state machine for each client to maintain knowledge
of which RAT, with its operating band, is active at a given time.
The common logical A protocol at the client device, such as client
420, may maintain a state machine for the network in order to
maintain knowledge of which RAT is active at a given time in its
surroundings.
[0048] The logical A protocol in a CGW may broadcast the available
RAT and associated bands supported by the network. This information
may be signaled through any available RAT, e.g., in a periodic
fashion. This may enable clients to activate another RAT
autonomously without having to discover the other RATs
available.
[0049] The activation of a secondary RAT of a given device already
operating on a primary RAT may be initiated by the device itself or
by the CGW. A device may initiate the activation triggered by a
user decision or based on a device application decision (e.g., on a
cell phone operating on a cellular network, a user enables a
Bluetooth RAT to transfer files to a PC). The CGW may initiate and
instruct network devices to activate a secondary RAT in a context
of network assistance. For instance, the CGW may instruct a device
to enable a secondary RAT to perform sensing in order to assist
another network operating primarily on the secondary RAT. The CGW
may instruct two devices to enable a secondary RAT in order to
setup a direct link between these two devices on that RAT (e.g.,
the CGW coordinates 802.11n/TVWS direct link setup between a TV and
a Setup-Box attached primarily to the CGW on a 802.11/ISM
band).
[0050] Whether it is a device or a CGW initiated activation, the
common logical A protocol may define procedures to support the
secondary RAT activation. These procedures may include a device
sending a secondary RAT activation indication signal to the CGW
which may include one or more of the following: 1) a nature of the
indication (e.g., the device informing the CGW of the device's
decision, the device requesting assistance from the CGW to provide
a designation of the RAT and/or the RAT configuration, etc.); 2) a
RAT to Activate; or 3) a RAT configuration which may include the
used band, channel information, power setting, antenna setting,
etc. If the nature of the indication is to request assistance, the
CGW may send back a secondary RAT activation response with the
requested information. A secondary RAT deactivation indication and
response may be transmitted at the termination of the RAT
operation.
[0051] The common logical A protocol may define a procedure to
support the secondary RAT activation which may include the CGW
sending a secondary RAT activation request signal to a device, or a
set of devices. Before sending this request, the common logical A
protocol at the CGW may verify capabilities of the devices and
whether the RAT is already active or not, e.g., by using the state
machine for each device. The request may include one or more of the
following: 1) an activation cause, such as sensing, direct link
setup, location tracking; 2) a RAT to activate; 3) a RAT
configuration which may include the used band, channel information,
power setting, antenna setting (e.g., when activating a Bluetooth
RAT, the device may be told the channel hopping sequence.) This
feature may be used to speed up capillary network discovery.; 4) a
time to activate; 5) a device role (e.g., the CGW may request a
device to play a role of an AP or a client when enabling a WI-FI
RAT); 6) peer devices identification which may be applicable when
direct link setup or device location tracking is used; or 7) in
case of an activation for sensing, the CGW may provide measurement
configuration information (e.g., which events to monitor, when to
send back measurement reports (periodic or triggered), etc.).
[0052] The devices may accept or may reject the activation request
and may send a secondary RAT activation confirmation. When the
request is rejected, a reason may be included. A secondary RAT
deactivation request and confirmation may be required to terminate
the RAT operation. The common logical A protocol at the CGW may
dynamically maintain the state machine for each client on the
activation or deactivation of a RAT.
[0053] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary coordination of a direct
link setup between two client devices. In FIG. 5, CGW 510 may
coordinate the setup of a direct link on a secondary RAT X between
two devices, client A 520 and client B 530, that are already
attached to CGW 510 through different primary RATs, RAT Y and RAT
Z, respectively.
[0054] At A, CGW 510 may instruct client A 520 to activate RAT X
and establish communication with client 530. At B, CGW 510 may
instruct client B 530 to activate RAT X and establish communication
with client A 520. At C, client A 520 and client B 530 may activate
RAT X. At D, client A 520 may associate with client B 530 using RAT
X.
[0055] A number of procedures may be enabled by the common logical
A protocol that may result in a change of the operating mode of an
entire capillary network or of a specific capillary network device.
The term "operating mode" may refer to one or more of: 1) frequency
band of operation; 2) frequency channel of operation; 3)
transmission related parameters which may include modulation,
coding, power, and directivity; 4) capillary network media access
configuration parameters; or 5) device client role (e.g., router,
end device, coordinator, etc.) where, for example, a WIFI station
may be asked to act as a access point for load balancing or range
extension. The operating mode may be changed based on the fused
data available at CGW 510 and assistant services logic. The
decision is sent to target attached devices, which are then
responsible for initiating the operating mode change.
[0056] In FIG. 6, an exemplary frequency band change is depicted.
This is a procedure whereby the CGW may use fused data to determine
that a capillary network may change the operating frequency band.
It may be understood that a similar mechanism may be used for the
other procedures, which may include using different signaling.
[0057] Referring to FIG. 6, at 1, CGW 610 determines that it may
need to change the frequency band for capillary network A 630 based
on fused data information. A decision algorithm may rely on fused
information related to one or more of device location, capillary
network load, interference levels or spectrum availability (e.g.,
whitespace). For example, an assistance service in CGW 610 may
determine that the interference level on the current operating
frequency is high, and that a change of band may be needed to
maintain a suitable quality of service for capillary network A 630.
In another example, an assistant service in CGW 610 may determine
that the current band is experiencing congestion and may request a
band change for load balancing reasons.
[0058] At 2, CGW 610 may send a control message to an attached
client device (Client A 620) within capillary network A 630,
requesting a change of operating band. The message may include one
or more of the following: 1) new operating band and frequency; 2)
device transmission related parameters (e.g., modulation, coding,
Tx power, etc.); 3) time-related parameters (e.g., when the change
is to take effect, if this is a synchronous change, maximum time to
complete change, etc.); 4) result of a failure case (e.g., what to
do if the capillary network is not capable of performing the band
change, for instance, the capillary network may be directed to stop
operation or to continue on the current band using different
transmission parameters); or 5) type of result to return for a
success.
[0059] At 3, client A 620 may initiate a capillary network protocol
over RAT X to effect the change of the operating band. For example,
if the capillary network is a 802.15.4 ZigBee WPAN network, the
attached device, client A 620, may communicate with the WPAN
Network Manager to request a change of channel. If the operation is
successful, at 4, capillary network A 630 may change the operating
band. At 5, client A 620 may respond with an indication of a
successful operating mode change. Otherwise, the client A may
respond with an indication of a failed operating mode change.
[0060] The logical A protocol may include one or more of the
procedures described in Table 2. Secondary RAT activation and
operating mode change may use one or more of the procedures
described in Table 2.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 A interface Initialization Procedure to
initialize the A interface channel, which may potentially include a
synchronization channel, a control-plane channel, and a user-plane
channel This initialization details the mechanism to transport the
A interface synchronization, control, and user-plane data, over the
underlying RAT technologies. A interface Procedure to allow CGW to
reconfigure the A interface (for instance changing the mapping
Reconfiguration of the synchronization, control, and user-plane
data from RAT X to RAT Y). A interface Failure Procedure to recover
from an A-interface failure, as measured at the Logical A protocol.
Upon detection of an A-interface failure, the Attached Devices can
to continue communicating within their capillary networks. Failure
can be determined by monitoring a combination of the signal quality
of a synchronization channel and the received cyclic redundancy
Check (CRC) failures over an observation window, and declaring a
failure if the quality of the signal or number of CRC errors passes
a threshold [8][9]. Routing Set of procedures that allow use of the
A-interface link to route traffic between two Attached devices
within a capillary network or across two capillary networks. In one
embodiment the Common Logical A protocols in the two Attached
Devices would set up routing entries in the capillary network
devices so that data would be siphoned out over the A interface and
then siphoned back into the capillary network. At the CGW, the
Common Logical A protocol would set up the transparent link between
the two attached devices. This would be especially useful in
capillary networks that form tree topologies which have a large
depth (e.g ZigBee networks). When devices at opposite ends of this
tree need to communicate, the large depth translates into multi-hop
transmission and significant routing delays. The CGW can act as a
relay, linking outlying devices of a capillary network and reducing
the number of transmission hops. In a second embodiment, the
routing procedures are used to allow recovery from a direct link
failure. The A interface is used as a temporary bridge between the
direct link devices until a new link is established. Device Paging
Procedure used by a CGW to wake up a "sleeping" device that is not
continuously monitoring the A interface. In one embodiment, the CGW
sends a paging request for Client A through a Client B. CGW sends
the paging request to Client B (an Attached Device not in sleep
mode), which then forwards the paging request, through the
capillary network, to Client A. Device Neighbour Procedure to
establish a location map of attached devices (allows CGW to
determine which Discovery devices are in communication range). In
one embodiment, the procedure is initiated by the CGW, which tells
the Common Logical A protocol in the Attached Devices to send out
probe signals within the capillary network. The probe responses are
used to build a neighbour map for each of the Attached Devices.
This Neighbour map can be forwarded to the CGW to be used by a
fusion algorithm. Management of Procedure used by CGW to broadcast
information to Attached Devices (or devices wanting Broadcast to
Attach). The content of the broadcast information can be provided
by one or more information Assistant Services based on fused data
(for example the service data described in Section Error! Reference
source not found.) Proxy Device Attachment Procedure used by an
Attached Device to inform the CGW of a legacy device that cannot
communicate over the A interface. The Common Logical A Protocol in
the Attached Device can provide information that would be contained
in the normal Attachment procedure, For example, RAT capability,
service capability, device location, etc Capillary Network
Procedure whereby a CGW performs translation to allow
inter-capillary network Translation communication.
[0061] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary system operation diagram.
CGW 710 may collect, through the logical A-interface, information
(e.g., RF measurements, network operation measurements, traffic
rate, load, devices location, devices capabilities, etc.) from the
capillary networks 720 as well as from the external networks 730.
This information may be collected during device attachment to the
CGW. This information may be collected during ongoing device
operation, for instance upon a change or periodically. For CGW 710
to collect information, CGW 710 may control and configure devices
of capillary networks 720 to report the information. CGW 710 may
create specific databases 760 per network (e.g., capillary network
and external network) from the collected information. CGW 710 may
execute a set of data fusion algorithms 765. A data fusion
algorithm may fuse information collected from capillary networks
720 and/or external networks 730. CGW 710 may be dynamically
updated and configured with information fusion algorithms.
Exemplary information fusion database 770 may include, but is not
limited to, one or more of device location map, services/capability
repository, capillary networks coverage map, or frequencies
availability map.
[0062] CGW 710 may collect and fuse device location information
into a devices location map, e.g., from one or more capillary
networks. The fused information may be a map of multi-network
attached device locations, which may be a physical location or a
radio location. The fused information may be used by CGW 710 to
provide one or more of assistant services, such as assistant
services 780, which may include any of the assistance disclosed
herein. For example, assistant services 780 may include one or more
of: emergency location services within the home or office, device
maintenance (e.g., to know the location of a mobile device that has
malfunctioned), coordination of spectrum usage, node discovery
assistance, inter-capillary network communication, assisted service
discovery, assisted load management, set-up of opportunistic
assistance through mobile devices, assisted location mapping, etc.
This fused data may assist with spectrum management. CGW 710 may
base spectrum management decisions on the density of attached
devices, thereby avoiding assigning spectrum which may be heavily
used in certain locations.
[0063] CGW 710 may collect from capillary networks 720 capability
information and service information of devices and it may fuse this
into a creating a Services/Capability Repository. The capability
information may include radio access capabilities (e.g., supported
technologies, radio bands, receive and transmit bit rates, transmit
power limits, etc.) as well as information dealing with other
physical attributes such as power source (e.g., battery and mains),
available power (e.g., for battery operated devices), storage
capability, available storage, etc. The service information may
include an indication of the ongoing services or potential services
that may be offered by the devices in the capillary networks. The
use of a proxy device attachment procedure may allow CGW 710 to
keep track of service/capability information for devices that do
not directly communicate with CGW 710 (e.g., they have no A
interface). The proxy devices may relay the service/capability
information to CGW 710. This information may be fused with other
types of fused information including the devices location map.
[0064] The fused information may be stored in the information
fusion database 770. Information fusion database 770 may be
dynamically and periodically updated, e.g., by data fusion
algorithms 765 execution. New types of information fusion may be
added in the information fusion database.
[0065] CGW 710 may enclose a set of assistant services 780 to
control, coordinate and assist capillary networks 720. Assistant
services 780 may make use of fused information as well as the
collected raw information specific to the individual networks, such
as the information available at specific databases 760. A variety
of assistant services may be defined. CGW 710 may be dynamically
updated and configured with new assistant services. CGW 710 may
control and assist by controlling directly one capillary network.
CGW 710 may control one of the capillary networks in assisting and
controlling another capillary network.
[0066] The system architecture enables a variety of assistant
services 780. Each assistant service may make use of the
information fusion database 770 and individual capillary networks
databases in order to assist directly a capillary network and/or to
control one of the capillary networks in assisting another
capillary network. CGW 710 may request capillary network A 721, or
specific devices belonging to capillary network A 721, to sense the
operating channel with a specific sensing algorithm applicable to
capillary network B 722, in order to assist capillary network B
722. In a context of low power low complexity devices like
ZigBee/802.15.4 capillary networks, devices may spend most of their
time in a sleep mode to save power and may have limited sensing
capability. These types of networks may not perform active
RF-measurements. They may be subject to dynamic interference. In
that context, a co-located capillary network like the WI-FI
Network, capillary network A 721, may take sensing measurements to
assist a ZigBee network.
[0067] CGW 710 may collect device location information and
operating characteristics of a ZigBee network as well as a WIFI
Network, which may include the operating channel of the ZigBee
network. CGW 710 may then instruct Wi-Fi devices to perform
periodic RF-measurements on the ZigBee's operating channel with a
specific sensing algorithm applicable to ZigBee networks. These
RF-Measurements may be collected periodically at CGW 710. CGW 710
may periodically fuse the RF-Measurements per WIFI device with the
WIFI devices location map as well as the ZigBee devices location
map in order to detect high interference occurring on the ZigBee
channel. Consideration of RF-measurements may be limited to WIFI
devices collocated with the ZigBee devices. Once the interference
is detected, CGW 710 may inform the ZigBee network and/or control
the ZigBee network by instructing the ZigBee ADs, devices attached
to CGW 710 through the logical A interface, to initiate a network
channel switch.
[0068] CGW 710 may instruct the WIFI devices to monitor a valid
alternate channel for the ZigBee network. Once high interference is
detected, CGW 710 may control the ZigBee network to switch channels
to the validated alternate channel. Service discontinuity that may
occur as a result of the interference, may be reduced at the ZigBee
network.
[0069] CGW 710 may setup and control a proxy device with multi-RAT
capability by providing opportunistic network healing assistance to
a given capillary network. As CGW 710 communicates with ADs from
multiple technologies, it may ask the devices to help in the
operation of one or more capillary networks. The assistance may be
opportunistic in that there may be no guarantee that any AD is in
range of the target capillary network. The final decision of
whether to assist may be left to the AD. For instance, an AD may
decide to refrain from providing opportunistic assistance to
conserve battery power.
[0070] Still referring to FIG. 7, at 1, CGW 710 may collect
information about capillary networks 720 and external networks 730,
e.g., in terms of their connectivity, their location, their RAT
capabilities, etc. Information is gathered and fused as illustrated
at 2, 3 and 4. CGW 710 may run an application at 5 to determine a
needed assistant services 780, e.g., detect or confirm that a
device in a given capillary network (e.g., capillary network A 721)
is not connected to the capillary network, which may be referred to
as a singleton device or node. The singleton detection application
may also be triggered by some of the devices in the capillary
network informing CGW 710. At 6, CGW 710 may provide assistance to
capillary networks 720.
[0071] A network healing assistance application may be triggered by
CGW 710. Using information fusion database 770, CGW 710 may
identify a device with multi-RAT capability (e.g., a device with
RAT capability Y assuming capillary network A 721 uses RAT Y) in
the vicinity of the projected location of the singleton node. This
device may be referred to as a proxy healing device. Since this
device may not have the RAT used by capillary network A active, CGW
710 may inform the proxy healing device of its needs, possibly
using the device's current active RAT (e.g., RAT X). This may
trigger the activation of RAT Y, which is used by the singleton
node. The proxy healing device may communicate with the singleton
node or possibly neighbor nodes to reconnect the singleton node
with its neighbors. For example, capillary network A 721 may be
based on Bluetooth technology (e.g., Bluetooth may equate to RAT
Y). In a scatternet, Bluetooth nodes may be master or slave nodes.
A master node may not connect with another master node, therefore
creating a bottleneck in the capillary network. The proxy healing
device may interact with these nodes and force them to change their
role thus repairing the node permanently.
[0072] A proxy healing device may broadcast information to speed up
network formation and network joining by communicating to legacy
ZigBee networks that cannot attach to CGW 710. In such a case, the
mobile acts as a relay for control messages to/from the capillary
network.
[0073] Network healing assistance may be provided by gathering
information about a capillary network and signaling this
information to CGW 710. The information may be "filtered" at the
healing device and indications sent to CGW 710 based on the
filtered data and on certain thresholds. The AD and the capillary
network need not be limited to the cases described.
[0074] As an example, the attached device may be a smartphone that
has attached with the CGW and provided, in its capability
information, an indication that it supports ZigBee. The CGW may
then request that the attached device provide assistance to the
ZigBee network. This assistance may include one or more of: 1)
extending the reach of the CGW by transmitting sync/control channel
information as a proxy for the CGW; 2) connecting to the ZigBee
capillary network and acting as a temporary router within the
capillary network, or a gateway to the CGW.
[0075] Proxy tracking services may be provided. One or more devices
currently inactive in capillary network A 721 may be used to track
the location of a device with an unknown location or with no
location tracking capability belonging to capillary network A 721.
A request to track a device with unknown location may be handled by
CGW 710 by first identifying one or more devices with known
location or tracking location capability and with RAT capability
compatible with the device with the unknown location. The
identified devices may activate the compatible RAT and may start
scanning around to actively or passively detect the presence of the
device with the unknown location. If a device finds the device with
the unknown location, it may inform CGW 710 and provide additional
observation characteristics such as signal strength. For example,
there may be a request to find a Bluetooth enabled camera.
smartphones spread around the house or other consumer electronics
devices with a known location may be requested to activate
Bluetooth radio and scan for the camera using Bluetooth
technology.
[0076] Capillary networks services discovery assistance may be
provided. Using fused information, including information relating
to available/ongoing services on a plurality of RATs of the
capillary networks, CGW 710 may assist a device (or devices) from a
capillary network to enable a specific RAT and use a service. This
may be useful in order to share peer-to-peer applications (e.g.,
gaming). For example, upon entering a home or after turning on a
smartphone, the device may attach to CGW 710 through the common
logical A interface (e.g., WIFI). Upon attaching, the smartphone
may inform CGW 710 about its service preferences and its
capabilities. CGW 710 may fuse and use the service/capabilities
repository with the devices location map in the information fusion
database 770 and issue a directed response to the smartphone with
service offerings in its vicinity, based on the device's
preferences/capabilities. The smartphone may be made aware of the
service offerings through broadcast information by CGW 710. After a
user selects an ongoing service, like a game, CGW 710 may assist
the smartphone with the location where the game is taking place and
provide a direction and/or a distance. CGW 710 may provide a
location map on the physical home layout. While the user is moving
to the location (e.g., a room in the house) where the game is
taking place on a Bluetooth network, CGW 710 may assist the
smartphone in enabling its Bluetooth RAT, which by default may be
disabled, and configure it with the channels to use and the channel
hopping sequence. Therefore, the smartphone may have a fast
association to the Bluetooth network which may offer a fast game
start experience to the user.
[0077] A capillary network optimization assistance service may be a
service whereby a CGW may use its fused and raw data to help
optimize the performance of a capillary network (e.g., by
maximizing throughput, minimizing delay, etc.). For example, many
capillary networks may use a form of carrier sensing as part of the
medium access protocol (e.g., CSMA/CA). If a centralized entity,
such as a CGW, is present, it may be used to assist in the Media
Access Control (MAC) algorithm in a number of ways, which may
include one or more of: 1) providing a frame/slot structure to
allow slotted CSMA; 2) broadcasting a jamming signal to signal to
an attached device that a collision has occurred, which may
eliminate the need for request-to-send and clear-to-send (RTS/CTS)
transmissions; 3) signaling/broadcasting dynamic MAC parameters
(e.g., in 802.11, this may include the inter-frame spacing
parameters, the random backoff parameters after sensing a busy
channel) where the CGW may use its knowledge of the AD location and
service profile to tailor parameters in order to maximize
throughput or minimize interference; or 4) augmenting the basic
CSMA/CA algorithm by reserving a portion of the spectrum resources
to a demand assigned based access control where the CGW may manage
capacity requests from ADs, and assign capacity based on any number
of metrics, including but not limited to fairness and traffic
priority.
[0078] In addition, an assistant service may provide load
management within capillary networks. For example, a CGW may decide
to rearrange a capillary network. The CGW may decide to split a
capillary network into two, or more, smaller capillary networks and
provide inter-capillary network communication between such
networks. The throughput on each of the split networks may then be
independently maximized. This may require that the CGW be made
aware of the load in a capillary network (e.g., routing congestion,
delay statistics, throughput statistics, etc.). The CGW may
instruct specific devices to change their parent router to another
more lightly loaded router.
[0079] An interference management assistance service may use fused
information relating to measured interference, device location, and
device capability to request devices to use directed antennas,
thereby pointing energy to the desired recipient and away from
other devices that may be sharing the same band. The assistant
service may provide the necessary information to the devices (e.g.,
location, transmit power, etc.) through broadcast information
carried over the common logical A interface. The common logical A
protocol in these devices may interpret the broadcast information
and autonomously determine the direction of transmission.
[0080] The interference management assistant service may provide
for time sharing of a frequency channel. The CGW may coordinate a
time sharing of a frequency channel across K capillary networks.
The CGW may provide a usage schedule for the K capillary networks,
and the common logical A protocol in the attached devices may
control capillary network transmissions based on this schedule.
[0081] The interference management assistant service may assist in
spectrum/interference management. The interference management
assistant service may talk to a centralized spectrum manager entity
(reachable through the cellular network and/or Internet) that may
reserve or assign a spectrum across multiple bands for intra-home
use that is of "high quality" (e.g., low interference). The
spectrum manager may allocate a spectrum dynamically based on
requests from the CGW. It may make the allocation and re-allocation
decisions based on other metrics, received measurement information
from other CGWs, white space use, etc.
[0082] Once a spectrum is assigned to the CGW, the CGW may be
responsible for managing the spectrum within the home. For
instance, it may choose to assign frequency channels to individual
capillary networks based on received requests. The size and
frequency band of the assignment may be a function of the traffic
to be carried on the capillary network.
[0083] The CGW may use device location information and/or the
physical layout of the coverage zone to request devices to use
directed antennas, thereby, pointing energy to the desired
recipient and away from other devices that may be sharing the same
band. The CGW may provide the necessary information to the devices
(e.g., location, transmit power, etc.) and have the devices
autonomously determine the direction of transmission.
[0084] The CGW may also control interference by limiting the
transmit power of the devices in the capillary networks. The CGW
may set the initial transmit power of ADs based on an open loop
technique, and then change this limit dynamically as interference
conditions change. The CGW may limit the minimum transmit power of
an AD, for instance, to guarantee coverage within the capillary
network.
[0085] A session transfer assistance service may use fused data to
enable a CGW to control a session transfer between devices. For
instance, a video session may be transferred from a smartphone to a
HDTV. The session transfer assistance service may make use of the
location map, capability map, and fused load/interference
information to select the device to which to transfer a session
(e.g., target device). The CGW may be responsible for paging the
target device, setting up the intra-home path from the broadband
modem (or other such device that receives the content) and the
target device, reformatting the data to meet the service display
requirements of the target device and tearing down the link to the
smartphone.
[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates an example client protocol stack in a
client device 820. In order to support CGW network assistance
concepts, client devices may require two types of entities. First,
a client logical A protocol 830 may be needed to implement
different procedures of the logical A interface, which may include
one or more of a) device attachment to the CGW and providing
services/capabilities of devices which may allow filling-up the
services/capabilities repository in the information fusion
database; b) measurement configuration and reporting; c) RAT
activation/deactivation, where, for example, the CGW may activate
the Bluetooth RAT of the smartphone to join an ongoing game in a
Bluetooth network; or d) channel configuration/reconfiguration as
may be used in the inter-capillary network sensing assistance
service to switch a channel of a network experiencing high
interference or as may be used in the capillary networks services
discovery assistance service where the activated Bluetooth RAT is
configured with the channels information. Second, one or more
client assistant applications 840 may interact with CGW services in
order to enable CGW assistance. Client device 820 may be
dynamically updated and configured with new client assistant
applications 840. An example of a client assistant application is
illustrated in the capillary networks services discovery assistance
service. When a CGW informs a device of available games, the user
may select a game through a client assistant application with a
user interface. The client assistant application with a user
interface may display to the user the location map of the location
where the game is taking place.
[0087] FIG. 9 shows an exemplary mapping 900 of the
assistance/coordination functions and procedures described herein,
within a machine-to-machine (M2M) type capillary network 920. CGW
910 may perform centralized gateway functions as described
herein.
[0088] FIG. 10 shows an example wireless communication system 1000,
which may be configurable to perform the methods and features
described above with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The wireless
communication system 1000 includes an Evolved-Universal Terrestrial
Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 1005. The E-UTRAN 1005 may be
connected to a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network
(not depicted). The E-UTRAN 1005 includes a WTRU 1010 and several
evolved Node-Bs, (eNBs) 1020, which may be H(e)NBs and/or macro
NodeBs. The WTRU 1010 is in communication with an eNB 1020. The
eNBs 1020 interface with each other using an X2 interface. Each of
the eNBs 1020 interface with a Mobility Management Entity
(MME)/Serving GateWay (S-GW) 1030 through an S1 interface. Although
a single WTRU 1010 and three eNBs 1020 are shown in FIG. 10, it
should be apparent that any combination of wireless and wired
devices may be included in the wireless communication system
1000.
[0089] FIG. 11 is an example block diagram of an LTE wireless
communication system 1100 including the WTRU 1110, the eNB 1020,
and the MME/S-GW 1030. As shown in FIG. 11, the WTRU 1110, the eNB
1020 and the MME/S-GW 1030 which may be configured to perform the
methods and features described above with reference to FIGS.
1-9.
[0090] In addition to the components that may be found in a typical
WTRU, the WTRU 1110 includes a processor 1116 with an optional
linked memory 1122, at least one transceiver 1114, an optional
battery 1120, and an antenna 1118. The processor 1116 may
configured to generate, encode, decode, and process messages as
described above with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The transceiver 1114
is in communication with the processor 1116 and the antenna 1118 to
facilitate the transmission and reception of wireless
communications. The transceiver 1114 may be configured to generate,
transmit, and receive messages such as those described above with
reference to FIGS. 1-9. In case a battery 1120 is used in the WTRU
1110, it may power the transceiver 1114 and the processor 1116.
[0091] In addition to the components that may be found in a typical
eNB, the eNB 1020 includes a processor 1117 with an optional linked
memory 1115, transceivers 1119, and antennas 1121. The processor
1117 may be configured to perform the methods and features
described above with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The transceivers 1119
are in communication with the processor 1117 and antennas 1121 to
facilitate the transmission and reception of wireless
communications. The transceivers 1119 may be configured to
generate, transmit, and receive messages such as those described
above with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The eNB 1020 is connected to the
Mobility Management Entity/Serving GateWay (MME/S-GW) 1030 which
includes a processor 1133 with an optional linked memory 1134.
[0092] Although not shown in FIG. 10, one or more MTC servers may
be connected to the communication system 1000 of FIG. 10. Although
FIGS. 10-11 describe an LTE-based system, LTE is described purely
by way of example, and the principles described above with
reference to FIGS. 1-9 may also be applicable to architectures that
include microcell, picocell, femtocell, and/or macrocell base
stations, core networks, and/or WTRUs based on technologies such as
WiMax, Wireless Broadband (WiBro), Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
Radio Access Network (GERAN), Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11x, Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15, WLAN, UMTS/UMTS Terrestrial
Radio Access Network (UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division
Multiple Access-2000 (CDMA2000), or any other technology that
supports M2M communication.
[0093] FIG. 12A is a diagram of an example communications system
1200 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.
The communications system 1200 may be a multiple access system that
provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast,
etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 1200
may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through
the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For
example, the communications systems 1200 may employ one or more
channel access methods, such as code division multiple access
(CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division
multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier
FDMA (SC-FDMA), and the like.
[0094] As shown in FIG. 12A, the communications system 1200 may
include wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) 1202a, 1202b,
1202c, 1202d, a radio access network (RAN) 1204, a core network
1206, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 1208, the Internet
1210, and other networks 1212, though it will be appreciated that
the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base
stations, networks, and/or network elements. Each of the WTRUs
1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d may be any type of device configured to
operate and/or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of
example, the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d may be configured to
transmit and/or receive wireless signals and may include user
equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber
unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a
wireless sensor, consumer electronics, and the like.
[0095] The communications systems 1200 may also include a base
station 1214a and a base station 1214b. Each of the base stations
1214a, 1214b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly
interface with at least one of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d
to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as
the core network 1206, the Internet 1210, and/or the networks 1212.
By way of example, the base stations 1214a, 1214b may be a base
transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a
Home eNode B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless
router, and the like. While the base stations 1214a, 1214b are each
depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base
stations 1214a, 1214b may include any number of interconnected base
stations and/or network elements.
[0096] The base station 1214a may be part of the RAN 1204, which
may also include other base stations and/or network elements (not
shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network
controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 1214a and/or
the base station 1214b may be configured to transmit and/or receive
wireless signals within a particular geographic region, which may
be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may further be
divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with
the base station 1214a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in
one embodiment, the base station 1214a may include three
transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In another
embodiment, the base station 1214a may employ multiple-input
multiple output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize
multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell.
[0097] The base stations 1214a, 1214b may communicate with one or
more of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d over an air interface
1216, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g.,
radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV),
visible light, etc.). The air interface 1216 may be established
using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).
[0098] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system
1200 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more
channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA,
and the like. For example, the base station 1214a in the RAN 1204
and the WTRUs I202a, 1202b, 1202c may implement a radio technology
such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)
Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air
interface 1216 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include
communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA)
and/or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink
Packet Access (HSDPA) and/or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access
(HSUPA).
[0099] In another embodiment, the base station 1214a and the WTRUs
1202a, 1202b, 1202c may implement a radio technology such as
Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish
the air interface 1216 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or
LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). [0149] In other embodiments, the base station
1214a and the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c may implement radio
technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability
for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1.times.,
CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard
95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile
communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE),
GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.
[0100] The base station 1214b in FIG. 12A may be a wireless router,
Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may
utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in
a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a
campus, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 1214b and
the WTRUs 1202c, 1202d may implement a radio technology such as
IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In
another embodiment, the base station 1214b and the WTRUs 1202c,
1202d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to
establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another
embodiment, the base station 1214b and the WTRUs 1202c, 1202d may
utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE,
LTE-A, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG.
12A, the base station 1214b may have a direct connection to the
Internet 1210. Thus, the base station 1214b may not be required to
access the Internet 1210 via the core network 1206.
[0101] The RAN 1204 may be in communication with the core network
1206, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice,
data, applications, and/or voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)
services to one or more of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d.
For example, the core network 1206 may provide call control,
billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling,
Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and/or perform
high-level security functions, such as user authentication.
Although not shown in FIG. 12A, it will be appreciated that the RAN
1204 and/or the core network 1206 may be in direct or indirect
communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN
1204 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being
connected to the RAN 1204, which may be utilizing an EUTRA radio
technology, the core network 1206 may also be in communication with
another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM radio technology.
[0102] The core network 1206 may also serve as a gateway for the
WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d to access the PSTN 1208, the
Internet 1210, and/or other networks 1212. The PSTN 1208 may
include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old
telephone service (POTS). The Internet 1210 may include a global
system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use
common communication protocols, such as the transmission control
protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and the internet
protocol (IP) in the TCP/IP internet protocol suite. The networks
1212 may include wired or wireless communications networks owned
and/or operated by other service providers. For example, the
networks 1212 may include another core network connected to one or
more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 1204 or a
different RAT.
[0103] Some or all of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d in the
communications system 1200 may include multi-mode capabilities,
i.e., the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, 1202d may include multiple
transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks
over different wireless links. For example, the WTRU 1202c shown in
FIG. 12A may be configured to communicate with the base station
1214a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with
the base station 1214b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio
technology.
[0104] FIG. 12B is a system diagram of an example WTRU 1202. As
shown in FIG. 12B, the WTRU 1202 may include a processor 1218, a
transceiver 1220, a transmit/receive element 1222, a
speaker/microphone 1224, a keypad 1226, a display/touchpad 1228,
non-removable memory 1206, removable memory 1232, a power source
1234, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 1236, and other
peripherals 1238. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 1202 may
include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while
remaining consistent with an embodiment. [0155] The processor 1218
may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a
conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a
plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in
association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller,
Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field
Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of
integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The
processor 1218 may perform signal coding, data processing, power
control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality
that enables the WTRU 1202 to operate in a wireless environment.
The processor 1218 may be coupled to the transceiver 1220, which
may be coupled to the transmit/receive element 1222. While FIG. 12B
depicts the processor 1218 and the transceiver 1220 as separate
components, it will be appreciated that the processor 1218 and the
transceiver 1220 may be integrated together in an electronic
package or chip.
[0105] The transmit/receive element 1222 may be configured to
transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g.,
the base station 1214a) over the air interface 1216. For example,
in one embodiment, the transmit/receive element 1222 may be an
antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In
another embodiment, the transmit/receive element 1222 may be an
emitter/detector configured to transmit and/or receive IR, UV, or
visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the
transmit/receive element 1222 may be configured to transmit and
receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the
transmit/receive element 1222 may be configured to transmit and/or
receive any combination of wireless signals.
[0106] In addition, although the transmit/receive element 1222 is
depicted in FIG. 12B as a single element, the WTRU 1202 may include
any number of transmit/receive elements 1222. More specifically,
the WTRU 1202 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment,
the WTRU 1202 may include two or more transmit/receive elements
1222 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving
wireless signals over the air interface 1216.
[0107] The transceiver 1220 may be configured to modulate the
signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit/receive element
1222 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the
transmit/receive element 1222. As noted above, the WTRU 1202 may
have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 1220 may
include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 1202 to
communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11, for
example.
[0108] The processor 1218 of the WTRU 1202 may be coupled to, and
may receive user input data from, the speaker/microphone 1224, the
keypad 1226, and/or the display/touchpad 1228 (e.g., a liquid
crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode
(OLED) display unit). The processor 1218 may also output user data
to the speaker/microphone 1224, the keypad 1226, and/or the
display/touchpad 1228. In addition, the processor 1218 may access
information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory,
such as the non-removable memory 1206 and/or the removable memory
1232. The non-removable memory 1206 may include random-access
memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other
type of memory storage device. The removable memory 1232 may
include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a
secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other
embodiments, the processor 1218 may access information from, and
store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU
1202, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).
[0109] The processor 1218 may receive power from the power source
1234, and may be configured to distribute and/or control the power
to the other components in the WTRU 1202. The power source 1234 may
be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 1202. For example, the
power source 1234 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g.,
nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride
(NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and
the like.
[0110] The processor 1218 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset
1236, which may be configured to provide location information
(e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of
the WTRU 1202. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from
the GPS chipset 1236, the WTRU 1202 may receive location
information over the air interface 1216 from a base station (e.g.,
base stations 1214a, 1214b) and/or determine its location based on
the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby
base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 1202 may
acquire location information by way of any suitable
location-determination method while remaining consistent with an
embodiment.
[0111] The processor 1218 may further be coupled to other
peripherals 1238, which may include one or more software and/or
hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality
and/or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals
1238 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite
transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs or video), a
universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television
transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth.RTM. module, a
frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a
media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, and
the like.
[0112] FIG. 12C is a system diagram of the RAN 1204 and the core
network 1206 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN
1204 may employ an EUTRA radio technology to communicate with the
WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c over the air interface 1216. The RAN 1204
may also be in communication with the core network 1206.
[0113] The RAN 1204 may include eNode-Bs 1240a, 1240b, 1240c,
though it will be appreciated that the RAN 1204 may include any
number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment.
The eNode-Bs 1240a, 1240b, 1240c may each include one or more
transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c
over the air interface 1216. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 1240a,
1240b, 1240c may implement MEMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B
1240a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless
signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 1202a.
[0165] Each of the eNode-Bs 1240a, 1240b, 1240c may be associated
with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle
radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling
of users in the uplink and/or downlink, and the like. As shown in
FIG. 12C, the eNode-Bs 1240a, 1240b, 1240c may communicate with one
another over an X2 interface.
[0114] The core network 1206 shown in FIG. 12C may include a
mobility management gateway (MME) 1242, a serving gateway 1244, and
a packet data network (PDN) gateway 1246. While each of the
foregoing elements are depicted as part of the core network 1206,
it will be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned
and/or operated by an entity other than the core network
operator.
[0115] The MME 1242 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 1242a,
1242b, 1242c in the RAN 1204 via an Si interface and may serve as a
control node. For example, the MME 1242 may be responsible for
authenticating users of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, bearer
activation/deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway
during an initial attach of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, and the
like. The MME 1242 may also provide a control plane function for
switching between the RAN 1204 and other RANs (not shown) that
employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.
[0116] The serving gateway 1244 may be connected to each of the
eNode Bs 1240a, 1240b, 1240c in the RAN 1204 via the Si interface.
The serving gateway 1244 may generally route and forward user data
packets to/from the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c. The serving gateway
1244 may also perform other functions, such as anchoring user
planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when
downlink data is available for the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c,
managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c, and
the like.
[0117] The serving gateway 1244 may also be connected to the PDN
gateway 1246, which may provide the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c with
access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 1210, to
facilitate communications between the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c and
IP-enabled devices.
[0118] The core network 1206 may facilitate communications with
other networks. For example, the core network 1206 may provide the
WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c with access to circuit-switched networks,
such as the PSTN 1208, to facilitate communications between the
WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c and traditional land-line communications
devices. For example, the core network 1206 may include, or may
communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem
(IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the core network
1206 and the PSTN 1208. In addition, the core network 1206 may
provide the WTRUs 1202a, 1202b, 1202c with access to the networks
1212, which may include other wired or wireless networks that are
owned and/or operated by other service providers.
[0119] Although features and elements are described above in
particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any
combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the
methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program,
software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium
for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of
computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted
over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage
media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are
not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory
(RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices,
magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks,
magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and
digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with
software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for
use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host
computer.
* * * * *