|Numéro de publication||US7813736 B2|
|Type de publication||Octroi|
|Numéro de demande||US 11/427,135|
|Date de publication||12 oct. 2010|
|Date de priorité||28 juin 2006|
|État de paiement des frais||Payé|
|Autre référence de publication||US8224336, US20080003998, US20100331002|
|Numéro de publication||11427135, 427135, US 7813736 B2, US 7813736B2, US-B2-7813736, US7813736 B2, US7813736B2|
|Inventeurs||David Small, Canhui Ou, Jonathan H. Roll|
|Cessionnaire d'origine||At&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.|
|Exporter la citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citations de brevets (11), Référencé par (3), Classifications (21), Événements juridiques (2)|
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet|
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/427,142, filed Jun. 28, 2006, by Small et al., entitled “Method and Apparatus for Maintaining Network Performance in a Communication System,” now Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0003974 A1, published Jan. 3, 2008, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for improving network performance in a communication system.
In a cellular system, wireless base terminals (WBTs) cover a wide geographic area utilizing frequency-reuse techniques. It is not uncommon for WBTs to have overlapping coverage areas to avoid null or dead spots that can cause dropped calls. In overlapping coverage areas it is possible for a mobile phone to submit a mobile origination call to a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) by way of two or more WBTs.
In order for the MTSO to operate properly, mobile phone operators expect signals received by the MTSO to not exceed for example a maximum latency and maximum jitter. Furthermore, signals from multiple WBTs must arrive at the MTSO within a set time period in order to be identified as part of the same call stream. This time period is known as differential delay. Current mobile telephony backhaul networks are served by circuit-switched elements (e.g., T1 lines), which have very short delay since bits are transmitted at nearly the speed of light.
As telephone companies reduce cost, increase features, and reliability, alternative backhaul technologies are being considered: Ethernet over Copper, Ethernet over Fiber, WiMAX, SONET, NG-SONET, and so on. With the growth of packet-switched (vs. circuit-switched) multi-hop backhaul, and the variability in packet delivery times, differential delay can become a significant problem for legacy MTSOs receiving WBT signals over packet-switched networks.
A need therefore arises for a method and apparatus for improving network performance in a communication system.
Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for improving network performance in a communication system.
In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a network management system (NMS) that manages operations of a communication system including a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) coupled to a plurality of wireless base terminals (WBTs) by way of a corresponding plurality of network elements, can have a network configuration element that identifies for each of the plurality of WBTs a resultant communication path to the MTSO according to a plurality of performance characteristics calculated from alternative communication paths connecting combinations of the WBTs to the MTSO.
In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium operating in a network management system (NMS) that manages a communication system including a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) coupled to a plurality of wireless base terminals (WBTs) by way of a corresponding plurality of network elements, can have computer instructions for identifying for each of the plurality of WBTs a resultant communication path to the MTSO determined from a plurality of communication path alternatives between the WBTs and the MTSO that satisfy a desired differential delay threshold.
In a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a network element that transports messages between a wireless base station (WBT) and a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), can have an operating element that receives from a network management system (NMS) provisioning information comprising a resultant communication path between the network element and the MTSO determined by the NMS from a plurality of communication path alternatives between the WBTs and the MTSO that satisfy a desired differential delay threshold.
The WBTs 101 can relay mobile origination (MO) calls initiated by an end user device 108 to a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 110 by way of a packet-switched (PS) network 103 conforming to for example the Internet Protocol or more sophisticated protocols such as multi-protocol label switching or MPLS. Alternatively, MO calls can be communicated directly from the WBT 101 to the MTSO 110 by way of dedicated or leased lines such as a T1 line carrying packetized traffic. An MTSO 110 houses switches and computers to which all WBTs 101 in an area are connected for the purpose of eventual connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 105. The MTSO 110 handles the connection, tracking, status and billing of all wireless call activity in an assigned area.
A network management system (NMS) 102 can be utilized for programming the PS network 103 so that a mobile origination call processed by more than one WBT 101 conforms to the operating characteristics of the MTSO 110. In particular the NMS 102 provisions network elements (such as routers) of the PS network 103 so that MTSO 110 requirements for differential delay, path delay and jitter are satisfied for combinations of WBTs 101 processing the same mobile origination call of a select wireless mobile device. To accomplish this, the NMS 102 can utilize a controller 104 and associated database 106 that stores network topology information of the communication system 100. The controller 104 utilizes common computing technology such as a scalable server to manage the operations of the network elements of the PS network 103 as will be described shortly.
Method 300 can begin with step 302 in which the NMS 102 can be programmed to arrange the WBTs 101 into groups 204 such as depicted in
Once a number of alternative communication paths to the MTSO 110 have been identified for each WBT 101, the NMS 102 can be programmed to proceed to step 306 where it calculates expected distortions such as jitter and path delay for each alternative communication path. Jitter is the variation in delay between packets.
Knowing the path delays of each alternative communication path, the NMS 102 can proceed to step 308 where it determines the differential delay between combinations of WBTs 101 within a group and in shared groups 204. In the illustration of
In step 310, the NMS 102 can be programmed with common linear equation techniques to find communication path alternatives between the MTSO 110 and each WBT 101 that satisfy a differential delay threshold (e.g., less than or equal to 15 ms), a jitter threshold, and path delay threshold (e.g., less than or equal to 25 ms). In situations in which WBTs 101 have more than one communication path solution to the MTSO 110 that satisfy the criteria of step 310, the NMS 102 can be programmed according to steps 312-314 which applies a tie-breaker algorithm. In step 314, the NMS 102 can be programmed to select a resultant communication path for each WBT 101 from a select one of the communication path alternatives having a lowest aggregate delay summed over the combinations of WBTs 101. If on the other hand, a single solution is found for all of the WBTs 101 of
Provisioning step 316 can represent for example the organization of label switched path links between the routers 202 in order to establish the resultant communication path for each WBT 101 to the MTSO 110. Step 316 is depicted by the solid lines between each router 202 serving a WBT 101 at the edge of the PS network 103. The dotted lines represent alternative communication paths that did not satisfy one or more of the aforementioned criteria of steps 306-314.
In an exemplary embodiment, the following linear equations can be applied to method 300 to accomplish the results of
It should be evident from the above formulations that shared WBTs 101 create dependencies between shared groups 206 for calculating resultant communication paths. Thus in the illustration of
There are many algorithms other than those described above that can be used to solve for resultant communication paths between the MTSO 110 and WBTs 101 that satisfy the operational criteria set forth by the MTSO 110. It would be evident therefore to an artisan with ordinary skill in the art that the aforementioned embodiments can be modified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims described below. Accordingly, the reader is directed to the claims below for a fuller understanding of the breadth and scope of the present disclosure.
The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will be understood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video or data communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.
The computer system 400 may include a processor 402 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a main memory 404 and a static memory 406, which communicate with each other via a bus 408. The computer system 400 may further include a video display unit 410 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 400 may include an input device 412 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 414 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 416, a signal generation device 418 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interface device 420.
The disk drive unit 416 may include a machine-readable medium 422 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 424) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 424 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 404, the static memory 406, and/or within the processor 402 during execution thereof by the computer system 400. The main memory 404 and the processor 402 also may constitute machine-readable media.
Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardware implementations.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the methods described herein are intended for operation as software programs running on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementations can include, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.
The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containing instructions 424, or that which receives and executes instructions 424 from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a network environment 426 can send or receive voice, video or data, and to communicate over the network 426 using the instructions 424. The instructions 424 may further be transmitted or received over a network 426 via the network interface device 420.
While the machine-readable medium 422 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure.
The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape; and carrier wave signals such as a signal embodying computer instructions in a transmission medium; and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more of a machine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein and including art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations herein are stored.
Although the present specification describes components and functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards and protocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents.
The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments, and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
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|Classification aux États-Unis||455/445|
|Classification internationale||H04W88/08, H04W40/00, H04W88/14, H04W40/02|
|Classification coopérative||H04W88/14, H04L43/16, H04L41/083, H04L43/00, H04L41/5041, H04L43/0852, H04W40/02, H04W88/08, H04L43/087, H04L45/121, H04L12/2602|
|Classification européenne||H04L41/50G, H04L45/121, H04L43/00, H04L12/26M, H04W40/02|
|28 juin 2006||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P., NEVADA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SMALL, DAVID;OU, CANHUI;ROLL, JONATHAN H.;REEL/FRAME:017855/0288;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060626 TO 20060627
Owner name: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P., NEVADA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SMALL, DAVID;OU, CANHUI;ROLL, JONATHAN H.;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060626 TO 20060627;REEL/FRAME:017855/0288
|26 mars 2014||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4