Patent Application
20220408235
Currently, macro cells and femtocells provide radio access network (RAN) coverage for Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., devices that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over a network). Femtocells are used for in-building coverage in situations where the macro cells cannot penetrate indoors, such as in multiple dwelling units (MDUs), offices, and malls where there are challenging deployments. In some situations, the macro cells and femtocells provide different features which may not support particular IoT devices (e.g., Cat-M IoT devices, narrowband (NB)-IoT devices, and/or the like). The Cat-M IoT devices include connected vehicles, wearable devices, trackers, alarm panels, and/or the like. The NB-IoT devices include meters, sensors, and/or the like. The particular IoT devices may be unable to locate network services (e.g., rendering the particular IoT devices useless to customers) even though the particular IoT devices may be deployed within network coverage. This may occur when there is overlapping network coverage between a macro cell and a femtocell and/or when a femtocell fails to support features of the particular IoT devices. However, the overlapping network coverage may not be resolved without removing one of the coverage layers, causing customers to be impacted with throughput limitations as well as increased network interference where the overlapping occurs.
The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.
Current techniques for providing network coverage to particular IoT devices consume computing resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, communication resources, and/or the like), networking resources, and/or other resources associated with handling customer complaints caused by inoperable IoT devices, attempting to correct the inoperable IoT devices, creating network outages to serve the inoperable IoT devices, and/or the like.
Some implementations described herein provide femtocell and macro cell interference connectivity solutions that eliminate increased network interference where overlapping occurs for IoT devices. For example, an IoT device may maintain a list of cells (e.g., femtocells and/or macro cells) that fail to support features of the IoT device (e.g., features for which the IoT is seeking) and may scan a designated frequency band to identify strongest cells (e.g., femtocells and/or macro cells) in the designated frequency band. The IoT device may analyze signals from the identified strongest cells that are not included in the list and may determine, based on the analyzed signals, a subset of the identified strongest cells that support features of the IoT device. The IoT device may select a particular cell of the subset of the identified strongest cells that support features of the IoT device and may attach to the particular cell.
In some implementations, a backend network device may receive, from a femtocell associated with an IoT device, a list of neighbor cells (e.g., femtocells and/or macro cells) of a designated frequency band, and may determine a subset of the list of neighbor cells that support features of the IoT device. The backend network device may cause identifiers of cells, included in the subset of the list of neighbor cells that support features of the IoT device, to be provided to the IoT device so that the IoT device may select and attach to a cell from the subset of the list of neighbor cells.
In this way, femtocell and macro cell interference connectivity solutions may be provided for IoT devices. For example, a femtocell and a backend network device (e.g., a server device) may autonomously identify scenarios when an IoT device cannot connect to an appropriate network and may create a feedback loop to determine a configuration of a deployment area associated with the IoT device. The feedback loop may enable the IoT device to identify and attach to a femtocell that supports features of the IoT device or to a macro cell if the femtocell does not support the features of the IoT device. Thus, implementations described herein may conserve computing resources, networking resources, and other resources that would have otherwise been consumed by handling customer complaints caused by inoperable IoT devices, attempting to correct the inoperable IoT devices, creating network outages to serve the inoperable IoT devices, and/or the like.
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In some implementations, the IoT device 115 may be served by a femtocell 105 that is a roaming public land mobile network (PLMN) and may add an identifier of the serving femtocell 105 to the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 based on the serving femtocell 105 being a roaming PLMN.
The list of cells may provide a level of intelligence to the IoT device 115 that enables the IoT device 115 to scan for other frequencies of other femtocells 105 or other macro cells that support features of the IoT device 115. Without the list of cells, the IoT device 115 may only search for and be served by a femtocell 105 or a macro cell 110 with a strongest signal. However, if the femtocell 105 or the macro cell 110 fails to support features of the IoT device 115, the IoT device 115 will not receive service from the femtocell 105 of the macro cell 110. Thus, the list of cells provides a femtocell and macro cell interference connectivity solution that eliminates increased network interference where overlapping occurs for IoT devices, such as the IoT device 105.
In some implementations, the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 may be stored in a memory of the IoT device 115. In some implementations, the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 may be reset when the IoT device 115 is powered off or when a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) of the IoT device 115 is replaced. Alternatively, or additionally, the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 may be reset after a predetermined time period (e.g., in hours, days, and/or the like).
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However, if the identifier of the particular identified strongest cell is not included in the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115, the IoT device 115 may decode the signal received from the particular identified strongest cell. In this way, the IoT device 115 only utilizes computing resources to decode signals from the identified strongest cells that are not included in the list of cells and that support features of the IoT device 115.
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In some implementations, the IoT device 115 may determine that a particular cell, of the first subset of the one or more of the identified strongest cells that support features of the IoT device 115, is a roaming PLMN. The IoT device 115 may add an identifier of the particular cell to the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 based on the particular cell being a roaming PLMN.
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In some implementations, once the IoT device 115 attaches to the selected cell, the IoT device 115 may provide the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 to a network device (e.g., the server device 120) associated with the IoT device 115. For example, the IoT device 115 may provide the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 to a network device via capability information message. The capability information message may include, for example, the following syntax:
Where PCI1, PCI2, and PCI5 are a list of physical cell identifiers (PCIs) included in the list of cells. The network device may store the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 and/or may share the list of cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 with other IoT devices 115 similar to the IoT device 115.
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In some implementations, the server device 120 may analyze the list of the neighbor cells and may identify neighbor cells that fail to support features of the IoT device 115 and are inappropriate for use by the IoT device 115. The server device 120 may not include identifiers of such neighbor cells in the subset of the list of neighbor cells that support features of the IoT device 115. In some implementations, the server device 120 may analyze the list of the neighbor cells and may identify neighbor cells that are roaming PLMNs. The server device 120 may not include identifiers of such neighbor cells in the subset of the list of neighbor cells that support features of the IoT device 115.
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Where PCI3, PCI4, and PCI6 are a list of PCIs included in the subset of the list of neighbor cells.
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In this way, femtocell and macro cell interference connectivity solutions may be provided for the IoT device 115. For example, the femtocell 105 and the server device 120 may autonomously identify scenarios when the IoT device 115 cannot connect to an appropriate network and may create a feedback loop to determine a configuration of a deployment area associated with the IoT device 115. The feedback loop may enable the IoT device 115 to identify and attach to a femtocell 105 that supports features of the IoT device 115. Thus, implementations described herein may conserve computing resources, networking resources, and other resources that would have otherwise been consumed by handling customer complaints caused by inoperable IoT devices 105, attempting to correct the inoperable IoT devices 105, creating network outages to serve the inoperable IoT devices 105, and/or the like.
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The femtocell 105 includes one or more devices capable of transferring traffic, such as audio, video, text, and/or other traffic, destined for and/or received from the IoT device 115. For example, the femtocell 105 may include a femtocell base station, an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), a radio access node, a microcell base station, a picocell base station, and/or another network entity capable of supporting wireless communication.
The macro cell 110 includes one or more devices capable of transferring traffic, such as audio, video, text, and/or other traffic, destined for and/or received from the IoT device 115. For example, the macro cell 110 may include an eNodeB (eNB) associated with a long term evolution (LTE) network that receives traffic from and/or sends traffic to a core network, a gNodeB (gNB) associated with a RAN of a fifth generation (5G) network, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a base station subsystem, a cellular site, a macro cell base station, and/or another network entity capable of supporting wireless communication.
The IoT device 115 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and/or providing information, as described elsewhere herein. The IoT device 115 may include a communication device. For example, the IoT device 115 may include a wireless communication device, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a gaming console, a set-top box, a wearable communication device (e.g., a smart wristwatch, a pair of smart eyeglasses, a head mounted display, or a virtual reality headset), a meter, a sensor, a connected vehicle, a tracker, an alarm panel, or a similar type of device.
The server device 120 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, providing, and/or routing information, as described elsewhere herein. The server device 120 may include a communication device and/or a computing device. For example, the server device 120 may include a device, such as an application device, a client device, a web device, a database device, a host device, a proxy device, a virtual device (e.g., executing on computing hardware), a multi-access edge computing (MEC) device, a device reported attribute server, a diagnostic/management server, a cloud compute server, or a device in a cloud computing system. In some implementations, the server device 120 includes computing hardware used in a cloud computing environment.
The core network 210 may include a core network or a RAN that includes one or more of the femtocells 105 that take the form of eNBs, gNBs, among other examples, via which the IoT device 115 communicates with the core network 210. The core network 210 may include one or more wired and/or wireless networks. For example, the core network 210 may include a cellular network (e.g., a 5G network, an LTE network, a third generation (3G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, a fiber optic-based network, among other examples, and/or a combination of these or other types of networks.
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The bus 310 includes a component that enables wired and/or wireless communication among the components of device 300. The processor 320 includes a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field-programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit, and/or another type of processing component. The processor 320 is implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. In some implementations, the processor 320 includes one or more processors capable of being programmed to perform a function. The memory 330 includes a random-access memory, a read only memory, and/or another type of memory (e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory).
The storage component 340 stores information and/or software related to the operation of device 300. For example, the storage component 340 may include a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a solid-state disk drive, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium. The input component 350 enables device 300 to receive input, such as user input and/or sensed inputs. For example, the input component 350 may include a touch screen, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a microphone, a switch, a sensor, a global positioning system component, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and/or an actuator. The output component 360 enables device 300 to provide output, such as via a display, a speaker, and/or one or more light-emitting diodes. The communication component 370 enables the device 300 to communicate with other devices, such as via a wired connection and/or a wireless connection. For example, the communication component 370 may include a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a modem, a network interface card, and/or an antenna.
The device 300 may perform one or more processes described herein. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the memory 330 and/or the storage component 340) may store a set of instructions (e.g., one or more instructions, code, software code, and/or program code) for execution by the processor 320. The processor 320 may execute the set of instructions to perform one or more processes described herein. In some implementations, execution of the set of instructions, by one or more processors 320, causes the one or more processors 320 and/or the device 300 to perform one or more processes described herein. In some implementations, hardwired circuitry may be used instead of or in combination with the instructions to perform one or more processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
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Process 400 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and/or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.
In some implementations, process 400 includes adding identifiers of the second subset of the one or more of the identified strongest cells, that fail to support features of the IoT device, to the list of cells. In some implementations, process 400 includes one of resetting the list of cells when the IoT device is powered off or resetting the list of cells after a predetermined time period.
In some implementations, process 400 includes determining that another particular cell, of the first subset of the one or more of the identified strongest cells that support features of the IoT device, is a roaming public land mobile network, and adding an identifier of the other particular cell to the list of cells based on the other particular cell being a roaming public land mobile network. In some implementations, process 400 includes providing the list of cells to a network associated with the IoT device.
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As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code—it being understood that software and hardware can be used to implement the systems and/or methods based on the description herein.
As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, or the like.
To the extent the aforementioned implementations collect, store, or employ personal information of individuals, it should be understood that such information shall be used in accordance with all applicable laws concerning protection of personal information. Additionally, the collection, storage, and use of such information can be subject to consent of the individual to such activity, for example, through well known “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as can be appropriate for the situation and type of information. Storage and use of personal information can be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of the type of information, for example, through various encryption and anonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.
Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiple of the same item.
No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related and unrelated items), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and/or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of”).
In the preceding specification, various example embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.
