In recent years, wireless technologies have been demanding higher data rates and lower latencies. The use of carrier aggregation and multi-RAT capabilities has been introduced. The use of multi-RAT, e.g., RAT aggregation, may allow reception and/or transmission over multiple RATs, e.g., simultaneously, such as LTE with WCDMA, LTE with WiFi, etc. Moreover, modern wireless networks may be heterogeneous in nature in that they support more than one radio access technology (RAT), for example, LTE, HSPA, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, etc.
With the advent of small cells, the access point (AP)/base station (BS) or other central entity of each small cell may be expected to support multiple RATs simultaneously, some of which may be for broadband communication with high data rate requirement while others may be for machine-type (M2M) communication with low data rate requirement. New RATs could be developed at different times by different parties. Incompatibility between legacy-RAT-based access points and new-RAT-based end-user devices may be apparent.
For example, in the case of M2M communication, multiple standards with different PHY/MAC designs are being developed either based on legacy standards. When consumers buy electronic devices with wireless capabilities, each of which supports at least one of these RATs (legacy and/or new), the access point/base station may not always be upgraded to support new/enhanced RATs, thus making it difficult or impossible for a legacy AP/BS and the new end-user device to communicate with each other.
A network may comprise a central base station coupled to an external communications network. The base station configures an internal communications network including a plurality of disparate devices, and recognizes and communicates with each device within the internal communications network by discovering each new devices as introduced into the internal communications network, either by obtaining protocols for each new device from a local database or from a remote database if not available at the local database. A communication link can be set up with reconfigurable or capable devices in order to exchange information possibly in another format in another band. The same communication link can be torn down after completion of the service.
A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
A detailed description of illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the various drawing Figures. Although this description provides a detailed example of possible implementations, it should be noted that the details are intended to be exemplary and in no way limit the scope of the application.
As shown in
The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network 106/107/109, the Internet 110, and/or the networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b 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 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements.
The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 103/104/105, 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 114a and/or the base station 114b 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 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In another embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell.
The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 115/116/117, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 115/116/117 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).
More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 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 114a in the RAN 103/104/105 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115/116/117 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).
In another embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115/116/117 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).
In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 IX. 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.
The base station 114b in
The RAN 103/104/105 may be in communication with the core network 106/107/109, 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 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. For example, the core network 106/107/109 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
The core network 106/107/109 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and/or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 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 112 may include wired or wireless communications networks owned and/or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 103/104/105 or a different RAT.
Some or all of the WTRUs 102a. 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities, i.e., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links. For example, the WTRU 102c shown in
The processor 118 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 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit/receive element 122. While
The transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 115/116/117. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit/receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, the transmit/receive element 122 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 122 may be configured to transmit and receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and/or receive any combination of wireless signals.
In addition, although the transmit/receive element 122 is depicted in
The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit/receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit/receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11, for example.
The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker/microphone 124, the keypad 126, and/or the display/touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker/microphone 124, the keypad 126, and/or the display/touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and/or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 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 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).
The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and/or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 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.
The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 115/116/117 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) 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 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.
The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, 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 138 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, 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.
As shown in
The core network 106 shown in
The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may be connected to the MSC 146 in the core network 106 via an IuCS interface. The MSC 146 may be connected to the MGW 144. The MSC 146 and the MGW 144 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices.
The RNC 142a in the RAN 103 may also be connected to the SGSN 148 in the core network 106 via an IuPS interface. The SGSN 148 may be connected to the GGSN 150. The SGSN 148 and the GGSN 150 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.
As noted above, the core network 106 may also be connected to the networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks that are owned and/or operated by other service providers.
The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b. 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.
Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c 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
The core network 107 shown in
The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a. 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation/deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b. 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may also provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.
The serving gateway 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The serving gateway 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to/from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The serving gateway 164 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 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.
The serving gateway 164 may also be connected to the PDN gateway 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.
The core network 107 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a. 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the core network 107 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 107 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the core network 107 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks that are owned and/or operated by other service providers.
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The air interface 117 between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the RAN 105 may be defined as an R1 reference point that implements the IEEE 802.16 specification. In addition, each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may establish a logical interface (not shown) with the core network 109. The logical interface between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and the core network 109 may be defined as an R2 reference point, which may be used for authentication, authorization, IP host configuration management, and/or mobility management.
The communication link between each of the base stations 180a, 180b, 180c may be defined as an R8 reference point that includes protocols for facilitating WTRU handovers and the transfer of data between base stations. The communication link between the base stations 180a, 180b, 180c and the ASN gateway 182 may be defined as an R6 reference point. The R6 reference point may include protocols for facilitating mobility management based on mobility events associated with each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.
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The MIP-HA may be responsible for IP address management, and may enable the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c to roam between different ASNs and/or different core networks. The MIP-HA 184 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The AAA server 186 may be responsible for user authentication and for supporting user services. The gateway 188 may facilitate interworking with other networks. For example, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. In addition, the gateway 188 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the networks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks that are owned and/or operated by other service providers.
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In view of a communications system such as the example communications system 100 set forth in connection with
Thus, the cognitive capabilities of the terminals become an important aspect to address so as to enable optimization of the radio usage. A Cognitive Pilot Channel (CPC) enables collaboration between a network and the terminals thereof. Each terminal may use CPC either in the “start-up” phase i.e. when the terminal is powered on, or, in the “ongoing” phase i.e. when the terminal is registered-to/camped-on a network. The CPC may deliver information on frequency bands allowed/available for secondary access in a geographic region. Using CPC may reduce the time it takes to sense the spectrum and may ensure that secondary systems adhere to the regulatory framework.
An out-band CPC may be a radio channel outside the component Radio Access Technologies. In the out-band CPC, the CPC may use a radio interface, and/or may use an adaptation of legacy technology with appropriate characteristics. An in-band CPC may convey information using a transmission mechanism (e.g., a logical channel) in the same radio access technologies that are used for the user data transmission, and may be allowed to bear information to both uplink and downlink.
Some of the functionalities and features of the CPC may include: helping the mobile terminal select the proper network based on conditions; providing means for sensing information exchange during spectrum sensing; and assisting in secondary system start-up, etc. A CPC procedure may be provided on the terminal side, which combines the usage of out-band and in-band CPC. CPC may be operated in a start-up phase when the terminal is switched on, where the terminal starts listening to the out-band CPC in order to obtain basic parameters (e.g., available networks at that location), may select and connect to a network. CPC may be operated in an ongoing phase where, once the terminal is connected to a network, such terminal stops listening to the out-band CPC and starts receiving the in-band CPC within the registered network.
The End-to-End Reconfigurability (E2R) project (also known as the E2R project), has developed concepts and solutions for a cognitive pilot channel (CPC) encompassing both in-band/out-band and uplink/downlink functionalities in the context of multi-RAT heterogeneous networks. The CPC may be expected to broadcast relevant information regarding frequencies, RATs, load situation, etc. based on the time, situation, and location of a corresponding terminal. Radio environment discovery mechanisms are provided regarding minimum system information needed by a terminal to select a network and frequency at power-on. Also, an operator level (level 2) CPC may be provided to help an operator to rank available RATs to be used/camped-on so that if a terminal camps on a heavily loaded network, the operator can delete the RAT information using the CPC.
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The logical interface provides signaling support for a set of control procedures that may be managed by a “Common Logical A protocol” (
The system architecture may include several devices and networks that use different RATs. RAT-agnostic utilization of devices maybe enabled by leveraging policy based re-configurability in order to reduce hardware size, simplify power management complexity and increase compatibility among legacy or new RATs. A reconfigurable access point/base station or central entity may address the incompatibility issue between legacy-RAT-based access points and new-RAT-based end-user devices. Reconfiguration on-the-fly to support the missing RAT may include missing RAT discovery, and the capability to download and install the instruction set of a discovered missing RAT. Procedures to enable missing RAT discovery and missing RAT instruction set download and installation may be provided, as will be discussed.
The CRG may include a gateway with a direct connection to the public/private IP network. The CRG may include reconfigurable software and hardware entities, support simultaneous multi-RAT operation, and provide RAT configuration guidance for reconfigurable slave devices. The CRG may transmit beacons on a common control channel (CCC).
The RRG may include a gateway with no direct connection to the public/private IP network. The RRG may include reconfigurable software and hardware entities, and may support multi-RAT operation (in some instances, simultaneous multi-RAT operation). In a Type 1 device, simultaneous multi-RAT operation may be supported. In a Type 2 device, simultaneous multi-RAT operation may not be supported. One RAT may be selected in a Type 2 device, and switching of RATs may be supported. The RAT used by the RRG may be configured by a reconfigurable master device (e.g., CRG).
A non-reconfigurable device may be included in the network. Such a device has no reconfiguration capabilities and may be a legacy device supporting one or more RATs.
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A reconfiguration handler may receive a reconfiguration request from the reconfiguration manager. In response, such handler may collect the necessary instructions from instruction databases and may also send some instruction sets to the reconfiguration manager. The handler may handle the reconfiguration of MAC, PHY and RF.
A device type detector may be used in the CRG to detect and classify user devices. The detector may manage a user association and authentication procedure via an association and authentication database, and also maintains the user capability database.
A detection and classification entity may maintain a spectrum availability database. Such entity may connect to a TVWS database and/or coexistence database and request a sensing controller for spectrum sensing operation.
A sensing controller may control the sensing toolbox for spectrum sensing operations. The controller may schedule the silent period and provide spectrum sensing results to a spectrum manager.
A policy engine may control spectrum usage based on regulations, operator/user preferences, etc.
A sensing toolbox may perform spectrum sensing operations under the control of the sensing controller.
A user capability database may maintain User ID, RF capabilities, supported MAC protocols, supported PHY processors, carrier aggregation capabilities, etc.
Other entities of the CRG are contemplated. A sensor fusion database may maintain location, band, channel, interference level, available duration, transmission power limitation, antenna limitation, etc. A local configuration instruction set database may maintain separate instructions to reconfigure MAC protocols and PHY processors. A local coexistence database may maintain spectrum usage information of neighbor networks. The neighbor networks may be synchronized with a network enhanced coexistence database. A local association and authentication database may maintain the Local association and authentication information and may be synchronized with a network association and authentication management entity. One or more reconfigurable platforms may be used to implement protocol stacks (MAC, PHY, RF) for data links and common control channels. A network enhanced coexistence database may maintain location-based RAT/spectrum information. A network association and authentication management entity may maintain application-dependent device membership verification. A network instruction set database may maintain instruction sets for different RATs.
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In the Reduced Reconfigurable Gateway Type II architecture in
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When a data transmission procedure is network-initiated, the network application may send a data request to the central reconfigurable gateway (CRG), the CRG may decide which band/channel/RAT to use for the transmission, based on user capabilities, spectrum availabilities, data categories, etc., the CRG may send a configuration for the opted band/channel/RAT configuration to the RRG via a common control channel (CCC), and both the CRG and RRG may set their reconfigurable platforms accordingly. A data link may be set up between the reconfigurable platforms of the CRG and RRG, data transmission may occur, and the data link may be subsequently torn down.
When a data transmission procedure is initiated by an end device, the RRG may send a data request to CRG via a common control channel; the CRG may decide which band/channel/RAT to use for the transmission, based on user capabilities, spectrum availabilities, data categories, etc., the CRG may send configuration for the opted band/channel/RAT to RRG via a common control channel, and both the CRG and RRG may set their reconfigurable platforms accordingly. A data link may be set up between the reconfigurable platforms of the CRG and RRG, data transmissions may occur, and the data link may be subsequently torn down.
Different types of devices may exist in the reconfigurable networks and the available RATs in the network may be changed with multiple factors, e.g., device capabilities, QoS requirement, traffic load, etc. To support the efficient operation of the reconfigurable network with different types of devices and variable RATs, a unified control protocol may be provided to connect the devices, e.g., CRG, RRGs and legacy devices. In particular, a common control channel (CCC) may be provided between the CRG and the associated RRGs and legacy devices (or between the RRG and the associated devices). The CCC may provide functionalities including: transmission of beacon and paging information, which may include multiple system information, e.g., available bands, operational bandwidth, operational RATs, etc.; enabling data link set-up and tear down; synchronization among devices; detection and notification of surrounding RATs between CRG/RRG and legacy devices; downloading and transmission of instruction sets needed for different RATs; monitoring and transmission requests from RRGs and legacy devices; and/or providing device association and authentication information; among other things.
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A legacy device receives the response and may send the association and authentication request to the CRG, which may include RAT capability, application, membership ID, etc. The CRG may perform membership verification for the legacy device with the authentication and association entity in the public/private IP network. When membership is confirmed, the CRG may register the legacy device with the enhanced coexistence database entity in the public/private IP network. The CRG may register the new legacy device with the TVWS/Shared Spectrum database entity in the public/private IP network. As may be appreciated, devices capable of operating on TVWS/Shared Spectrum may be registered with TVWS/Shared Spectrum and Enhanced Coexistence Database. A device authentication and association signaling may take place between the CRG and the legacy device via the CCC using RAT2.
For example, during an active scanning, a reduced reconfigurable gateway (RRG) may power up, scan the channels, and find no RAT1 enabled beacon (which may be the default RAT for RRGs) detected. The RRG may send a probe request on the available channel using RAT1. The CRG may receive the request and send the response on the CCC using RAT1. The RRG may send the association and authentication request to the CRG, which may include RAT capability, application, membership ID, etc. The CRG may perform membership verification for the RRG with the authentication and association entity in the public/private IP network. When membership is confirmed, the CRG may register the RRG with the enhanced coexistence database entity in the public/private IP network. The CRG may register the RRG with the TVWS database entity in the public/private IP network. Thereafter, a device authentication and association signaling may take place between the CRG and the RRG via the CCC using RAT1.
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Similarly, the CRG may use RAT4 to transmit handshaking signals (e.g., beacons, paging message, etc.) to a RAT4-enabled legacy device. The RAT4-enabled legacy device may send an association/authentication request using RAT4 (e.g., device capability, membership ID, etc.). The CRG may perform membership verification for the legacy device with the association and authentication management entity, and perform authentication/association over the air with the legacy device. When the CRG performs authentication/association over the air with legacy devices and the RRGs, the reconfigurable formation is complete.
The CCC may be maintained with a relatively low data rate to provide relatively large coverage. The CCC may be used transmit the data. The CCC may assist in establishing and maintaining data link communications including initial data link set-up and inter-RAT switching.
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Each RRG may be the controller node for a set of legacy devices with non-configurable platforms, and the RRG communicates with same using a single RAT. The CCC participates in control signaling.
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For example, the CRG may receive a request from a water utility company for data. The CRG may send a data request to the RRG (via RAT0) for meter data from a water meter device. The data request may be forwarded from the RRG to the water meter, which may be a RAT1 enabled legacy device operating in poll mode. To accommodate the communication with the water meter as well as meet the QoS requirement of the data transmission from the water meter, both the CRG and the RRG may be configured to use RAT1. The water meter may use RAT1 to send the data to the RRG upon the receipt of the data request. Thereafter, the RRG may forward the data from the water meter to the CRG using RAT1, and the CRG may send the data back to the water utility.
In another example, the CRG may obtain a request for data from a police department. The CRG sends the request to the RRG via the CCC (using RAT0). The request may be intended to be delivered to a surveillance camera, which may be a RAT2 enabled legacy device operating in poll mode. When the RRG does not have RAT2 installed, the CRG may send the instruction set for RAT2 to the RRG through the CCC. RRG may configure itself to RAT2 based on the received instruction set, forward the data request to the surveillance camera using RAT2, receive from the surveillance camera the data using RAT2, and forward the data to the CRG with RAT2 for further forwarding to the requesting police department.
In another example, the eHealth system, which may be a health monitoring device, may be a RAT3-enabled legacy device operating in push mode. Without any external request, the eHealth system may periodically deliver data to the RRG which forwards same via the CRG to a final destination such as for example a hospital or a health monitoring service.
A CRG centralizes electronic communications within a site such as a home, an office, a factory, a stadium, a park, or any other indoor or outdoor area, by employing a central gateway that may be coupled to an external communications network. The CRG configures an internal communications network, and recognizes each device within the internal communications network even if the devices are disparate and use different RATs. Accordingly, the devices can communicate with the external communications network by way of (e.g., exclusively by way of) the central gateway.
A disparate device need not have its own separate base station and separate connection to the external communications network. The CRG may function as the common base station for the disparate devices, and can efficiently arrange for the devices to communicate within the site. Moreover, the CRG may be dynamic in that it can discover new devices as they may be introduced into the network, by obtaining protocols for each new device from a local database, and/or from a remote database if not available at the local database. The CRG may effectuate a wired and/or wireless telephone line for the site, wired and/or wireless data communications for the site, a wired and/or wireless alarm system for the site, a wired and/or wireless health monitoring system for the site, a wired and/or wireless appliance monitoring system for the site, a wired and/or wireless surveillance system for the site, wired and/or wireless multimedia content systems within the site, and the like.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/788,401, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US14/25727 | 3/13/2014 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61788401 | Mar 2013 | US |