AD HOC RADIO BASE STATION, SYSTEM, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAMS

Abstract

Base stations, system, methods, and computer programs are disclosed to implement two successive or simultaneous ad hoc (Long-Term Evolution) LTE cells. The successive LTE cells are set up successively on a same channel number but with different Physical Cell IDs (PCID) and Tracking Area Codes (TAC). The simultaneous LTE cells are set up simultaneously on different channel numbers, and with different PCIDs and TACs. A radio connection is set up in the ad hoc LTE cell to an LTE user apparatus, and a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) timer is set simultaneously. The following is repeated until a predetermined period of time remains before an expiry of the NAS timer: commanding the LTE user apparatus to use full buffer in all uplink messages; forcing the LTE user apparatus to send uplink messages; and receiving a reply message from the LTE user apparatus.

Description

Claims

1. An ad hoc radio base station, comprising: one or more radio transceivers configured to receive and transmit in a Long-Term Evolution, LTE, cellular radio network; andone or more processors configured to cause performance of at least the following:setting up an ad hoc LTE cell on a channel number with a Physical Cell ID, PCID, and a Tracking Area Code, TAC;setting up a radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to an LTE user apparatus using a Random Access Channel, RACH, procedure;setting a Non-Access Stratum, NAS, timer simultaneously with the setting up of the radio connection;repeating the following until a predetermined period of time remains before an expiry of the NAS timer:commanding with a Medium Access Control, MAC, control message in the radio connection the LTE user apparatus to use full buffer in all uplink messages of the radio connection;forcing the LTE user apparatus to send uplink messages in the radio connection by sending to the LTE user apparatus one of a Radio Resource Control User Equipment, RRC UE, capability request message, an NAS identity request message, or an NAS security mode command message; andreceiving a reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus;during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer:restarting the ad hoc LTE cell on the channel number with a different PCID, and a different TAC than in the previous radio connection; andcontinuing performance from the setting up of the radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus using the RACH procedure.

2. The ad hoc radio base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause performance of the following: after receiving the reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on a current uplink timing advance value of the radio connection.

3. The ad hoc radio base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause performance of the following: after receiving the reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, checking whether a predetermined amount of time starting from a previous RACH procedure has passed during the predetermined period of time, and if the predetermined amount of time has passed, transmitting a Layer 1 Physical Downlink Control Channel, L1 PDCCH, order message in the radio connection to the LTE user apparatus, and performing a new RACH procedure with the LTE user apparatus to set up the radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus.

4. The ad hoc radio base station of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause performance of the following: calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on the new RACH procedure setting up the radio connection.

5. The ad hoc radio base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause performance of the following: during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer:before restarting the ad hoc LTE cell on the channel number with the different PCID, and the different TAC than in the previous radio connection, transmitting an NAS reject message with a network failure or congestion as the cause in the radio connection to the LTE user apparatus.

6. The ad hoc radio base station of claim 1, wherein the ad hoc LTE cell is set up on the channel number using also a Global Cell ID, GCID, and the ad hoc LTE cell is restarted on the channel number also with a different GCID than in the previous radio connection.

7. A system comprising a first ad hoc radio base station and a second ad hoc radio base station, the first ad hoc radio base station comprising one or more radio transceivers configured to receive and transmit in a Long-Term Evolution, LTE, cellular radio network, and one or more processors, andthe second ad hoc radio base station comprising one or more radio transceivers configured to receive and transmit in the LTE cellular radio network, and one or more processors,wherein the one or more processors of the first ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of at least the following:setting up a first ad hoc LTE cell on a first channel number with a first Tracking Area Code, TAC;setting up a first radio connection in the first ad hoc LTE cell to an LTE user apparatus using a first Random Access Channel, RACH, procedure; andtransmitting a Radio Resource Control, RRC, release message with a redirection to a second ad hoc LTE cell in the first radio connection to the LTE user apparatus,wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of at least the following: setting up a second ad hoc LTE cell on a second channel number with a second TAC;setting up a second radio connection in the second ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus using a second RACH procedure, because the first ad hoc LTE cell transmitted the RRC release message with the redirection to the second ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus;setting a Non-Access Stratum, NAS, timer simultaneously with the setting up of the second radio connection;repeating the following until a predetermined period of time remains before an expiry of the NAS timer: forcing the LTE user apparatus to send uplink messages in the second radio connection by sending to the LTE user apparatus one of a Radio Resource Control User Equipment, RRC UE, capability request message, an NAS identity request message, or an NAS security mode command message; andreceiving a reply message in the second radio connection from the LTE user apparatus;during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer: transmitting an RRC release message with a redirection to the first ad hoc LTE cell in the second radio connection to the LTE user apparatus,and wherein the one or more processors of the first ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of at least the following:continuing performance from the setting up of the first radio connection in the first ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus using the first RACH procedure.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of the following: after receiving the reply message in the second radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on a current uplink timing advance value of the second radio connection.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of the following: after receiving the reply message in the second radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, checking whether a predetermined amount of time starting from a previous RACH procedure in the second ad hoc LTE cell has passed during the predetermined period of time, and if the predetermined amount of time has passed, transmitting a Layer 1 Physical Downlink Control Channel, L1 PDCCH, order message in the second radio connection to the LTE user apparatus, and performing a new RACH procedure with the LTE user apparatus to set up the second radio connection in the second ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of the following: calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on the new RACH procedure setting up the second radio connection.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of the following: during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer:before transmitting the RRC release message with the redirection to the first ad hoc LTE cell in the second radio connection to the LTE user apparatus, transmitting an NAS reject message with a network failure or congestion as the cause in the second radio connection to the LTE user apparatus.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors of the second ad hoc radio base station are configured to cause performance of the following: before forcing the LTE user apparatus to send uplink messages in the second radio connection by sending to the LTE user apparatus one of the RRC UE, capability request message, the NAS identity request message, or the NAS security mode command message, commanding with a Medium Access Control, MAC, control message in the second radio connection the LTE user apparatus to use full buffer in all uplink messages of the second radio connection.

13. A method for implementing two successive ad hoc cells, comprising: setting up, by using one or more radio transceivers configured to receive and transmit in a Long-Term Evolution, LTE, cellular radio network, an ad hoc LTE cell on a channel number with a Physical Cell ID, PCID, and a Tracking Area Code, TAC,setting up a radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to an LTE user apparatus using a Random Access Channel, RACH, procedure;setting a Non-Access Stratum, NAS, timer simultaneously with the setting up of the radio connection;repeating the following until a predetermined period of time remains before an expiry of the NAS timer: commanding with a Medium Access Control, MAC, control message in the radio connection the LTE user apparatus to use full buffer in all uplink messages of the radio connection;forcing the LTE user apparatus to send uplink messages in the radio connection by sending to the LTE user apparatus one of a Radio Resource Control User Equipment, RRC UE, capability request message, an NAS identity request message, or an NAS security mode command message; andreceiving a reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus;during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer: restarting the ad hoc LTE cell on the channel number with a different PCID, and a different TAC than in the previous radio connection; andcontinuing performance from the setting up of the radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus using the RACH procedure.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: after receiving the reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on a current uplink timing advance value of the radio connection.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: after receiving the reply message in the radio connection from the LTE user apparatus, checking whether a predetermined amount of time starting from a previous RACH procedure has passed during the predetermined period of time, and if the predetermined amount of time has passed, transmitting a Layer 1 Physical Downlink Control Channel, L1 PDCCH, order message in the radio connection to the LTE user apparatus, and performing a new RACH procedure with the LTE user apparatus to set up the radio connection in the ad hoc LTE cell to the LTE user apparatus.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: calculating a distance estimate to the LTE user apparatus based on the new RACH procedure setting up the radio connection.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising: during the predetermined period of time before the expiry of the NAS timer:before restarting the ad hoc LTE cell on the channel number with the different PCID, and the different TAC than in the previous radio connection, transmitting an NAS reject message with a network failure or congestion as the cause in the radio connection to the LTE user apparatus.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the ad hoc LTE cell is set up on the channel number using also a Global Cell ID, GCID, and the ad hoc LTE cell is restarted on the channel number also with a different GCID than in the previous radio connection.