Patent Application
20070072645
This invention generally relates to telecommunications. More particularly, this invention relates to wireless communication systems.
Wireless communication systems are well known and in widespread use. Typical systems include a plurality of base stations, sometimes referred to as nodes, strategically located to provide wireless communication coverage around a selected geographic area. Each base station includes hardware and software components that facilitate operation of the base station in a known manner. Designing a wireless communication system typically includes estimating a call handling or traffic capacity for each base station and providing sufficient hardware capacity to meet those needs. There are several limitations with the traditional approach.
Typical base station arrangements have hardware components with an potential capacity that exceeds the amount required for that node. In many instances, the hardware components are strategically enabled so that only some of the potential capacity is made available for use at that base station. The supplier of the hardware components typically controls how the hardware is enabled, which dictates how much capacity is enabled and available for use at a base station. This situation introduces some economic inefficiencies because there are unused resources.
From a wireless service provider's standpoint, base stations typically have to be over-designed so that they can meet the peak capacity requirements at that node. For example, some base stations are in geographic locations that experience wide fluctuations in traffic volumes. A base station that serves a sector including a business district, for example, experiences high traffic volumes during normal business hours but very light traffic volumes during late evening hours, for example. The base station serving that sector typically has enough enabled hardware capacity to handle the peak traffic load. Much or all of that same hardware capacity goes unused for many hours of the night (or day) when the traffic load is significantly lower. Another example includes a base station that serves a sector including a sports stadium or a theater district. Such a base station typically experiences low traffic volumes other than at times corresponding to a major sporting event or the evening hours in a theater district, for example. Again, such a base station typically has enabled hardware capacity sufficient for meeting the peak traffic needs. That capacity goes largely unused most of the time, however.
It would be advantageous to hardware suppliers and wireless service providers to be able to customize how the base station capacity is utilized to avoid unused resources.
There is a need for a strategy to better use capacity of resources in wireless communication systems.
This invention provides a unique arrangement of wireless communication system capacity that is adjustable to meet traffic volume needs while avoiding unused resources.
One exemplary base station includes at least one operative component that is selectively enabled to provide an enabled call handling capacity for the base station. An authorization module controls use of the enabled capacity such that a first amount of the enabled capacity is authorized for use if a first condition exists and a second, different amount of the enabled capacity is authorized for use if a second, different condition exists.
In one example, the authorized capacity at the base station is based on an allocation of a total capacity among a plurality of nodes in a wireless communication system. In one example, a first one of the nodes has a first portion of the total capacity allocated to it if a first condition exists. If a second conditions exists, the first node has a second, different portion of the total capacity allocated to it.
One exemplary wireless communication system includes a capacity allocation module that selectively allocates portions of a total authorized capacity among a plurality of base stations that each having an enabled capacity. The capacity allocation module allocates a first authorized portion of the total capacity to at least one of the base stations if a first condition exists and a second, different authorized portion of the total capacity to that base station if a second condition exists.
In one example, the capacity allocation module increases the allocated capacity for one node while decreasing the allocated capacity for at least one other node such that the total allocated capacity among the plurality of nodes stays within an authorized total capacity limit. Such changes are dictated by preselected license terms in one example. In another example, the changes are dynamically made responsive to changes in traffic load conditions at one or more of the base stations.
One example includes changing the total authorized capacity to provide even further customization.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
Each example base station includes operative components 28 that facilitate wireless communications. One example component is a channel card having physical channel elements that define or control how much capacity the base station has for processing wireless communications (e.g., how many users or mobile stations 30 the base station can support). The example components 28 have a potential capacity based on the hardware design. In one example, each base station has an enabled capacity based on how the components 28 are configured or enabled prior to or during installation, for example. In many instances, the enabled capacity is less than the potential capacity.
Operation of each base station depends on an authorization such as that in a license agreement controlling use of the components 28. Each base station is limited to operate at the maximum authorized capacity, which may be less than the enabled capacity. In the illustrated example, the base stations 22, 24 and 26 each have a variable authorized capacity that can be changed in a preselected manner or dynamically responsive to the needs of a particular situation. The illustrated example base stations include authorization modules 29 that control how much of the capacity at each base station is authorized at a given time. In one example, the authorization modules 29 comprise software that utilize information regarding a license agreement controlling the authorized capacity at the base station, for example, for controlling the use of the enabled capacity at that base station. Given this description, those skilled in the art will realize how to program or design an authorization module to meet their particular needs.
One example includes selecting an enabled capacity for each of the base stations to meet the peak needs at that base station but strategically authorizing only portions of the enabled capacity to meet expected or actual needs under different circumstances. In some examples, a total or aggregate enabled capacity for a plurality of base stations will exceed the typical aggregate need across the base stations. As described below, the authorized capacity can be strategically allocated among the base stations to meet the needs of a variety of circumstances without using the total enabled (or potential) capacity at all of the base stations at once. A total or aggregate authorized capacity can therefore be selected to meet the highest capacity needs at each of the base stations without requiring a service provider to pay a license fee for the entire enabled capacity at each of the base stations all of the time. Instead, a strategic allocation of authorized capacity allows for avoiding over-designing a wireless communication system.
In examples where the authorized capacity is preselected and fixed, the authorization module 29 is programmed to control the authorized capacity in a preselected manner (e.g., setting the authorized capacity based on time of day or day of the week) without requiring any further input after installation, for example. In examples, where an allocation of the authorized capacity among a plurality of base stations can be dynamically adjusted, each authorization module 29 responds to a controller within a switching center such as an executive cellular processor, which dictates how the authorized capacity is allocated to each base station.
The illustrated example includes a capacity allocation module 35 that facilitates adjusting the authorized capacity at any one or all of the example base stations. In one example, the capacity allocation module 35 facilitates communicating a change in a licensed authorized capacity to the appropriate authorization module(s) 29 so that the proper amounts of enabled capacity are available to facilitate wireless communications.
In one example, the capacity allocation module adjusts an allocation of an authorized aggregate or total capacity among the base stations 22, 24 and 26. The example allocation module 35 is shown schematically for discussion purposes. In some examples, the allocation module 35 comprises hardware, software, firmware or a combination of them. In some examples, the allocation module 35 is centrally located within a mobile switching center or an executive cellular processor while in other examples, it is a distributed algorithm. Given this description, those skilled in the art will realize how to select and arrange components or functionality within a wireless communication system to meet the needs of their particular situation while achieving the benefit afforded by the example allocation module 35.
In one example, operation of the system 20 includes strategically allocating authorized capacity to various base stations or nodes within the network such that the capacity at each base station or node is adjustable to meet varying needs under different conditions.
A different condition B is shown at 46. Under this condition, which may correspond to another time of day, for example, the capacity requirement at the base station 22 exceeds that of the base stations 24 and 26. Under this condition, the capacity need at the base station 24 is significantly less than it was at 44 during condition A.
Another condition C is shown at 48, which may correspond to an evening sporting event where the base station 26 serves a cell or sector including a sports stadium. The capacity requirement for the base station 26 under the condition C far exceeds that under the conditions A and B. At the same time, the capacity requirement for the base station 26 during the condition C far exceeds the capacity requirements of the base stations 22 and 24. The capacity requirements for the base stations 22 and 24 under the condition C are both far less than condition A, for example.
The approach summarized in
One example includes authorizing a total capacity for all three base stations 22, 24 and 26 together to satisfy the determined peak capacity requirement. This is shown at 52 in
In one example, one or more of the base stations has a preset range within which the authorized capacity can be varied for that base station. This allows for maintaining some limit on a minimum and a maximum allocation at any given base station, if desired.
The disclosed example includes adjusting the allocation of the authorized total capacity among the nodes according to selected criteria. This is shown at 56 in
For example, the allocation pattern for the condition A in
One example includes changing the authorized total capacity to meet different needs. Considering
Utilizing a strategic allocation of authorized capacity as described above during one condition results in an authorized portion 64 of the capacity that is less than the enabled portion 62.
The enabled portion 62 in one example corresponds to an expected peak usage at that base station. The peak usage at each base station may change from time-to-time and the peak at each base station may never overlap with a peak at another base station. Accordingly, the total enabled capacity of all related base stations typically will exceed the total authorized capacity. Additionally, each base station typically may be allocated a portion of the authorized total capacity that is less than the enabled capacity at that base station. Preselected criteria control how the authorized capacity is determined and allocated. Such a strategy for controlling use of capacity at a base station in a wireless communication system provides more strategic control over how resources are used and how contracts for such use can be arranged.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
