Wireless communications system employing a network active set formed from base stations operable as primary and secondary agents
View Patent ↗A method for controlling a wireless communications system is provided. A plurality of substantially identical base stations, each capable of being operated as both a primary agent and a secondary agent are deployed. The secondary agent is capable of communicating with a mobile device and the primary agent is capable of communicating with a network. A network active set associated with a mobile device is formed from a plurality of the base stations. One of the base stations in the network active set is selected to operate as the primary agent, and it communicates to the other base stations that the selected base station is operating as the primary agent. Thus, communications between the network and the mobile device are routed through the primary agent and the selected secondary agent.
1. A method for controlling a wireless communications system, comprising:
selecting a plurality of base station routers, at least one of said base station routers being adapted to operate as a primary foreign agent and at least one of said base station routers being adapted to operate as a secondary foreign agent, wherein the secondary foreign agent is capable of communicating with a mobile device and the primary foreign agent is capable of communicating with a network, wherein selecting a plurality of base station routers further comprises forming an active network set from the selected base station routers, periodically adding a base station router to the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device, and periodically removing a base station router from the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device;
selecting one of said base station routers to operate as the primary foreign agent; and
communicating to at least a portion of the base station routers information indicative of the base station router that is selected to operate as the primary foreign agent.
2. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting one of said base station routers as a serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device.
3. A method, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein a single one of the selected plurality of base station routers operates as both the primary foreign agent and the serving secondary foreign agent.
4. A method, as set forth in claim 2 , wherein selecting one of said base station routers as a serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device further comprises selecting one of said base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device.
5. A method, as set forth in claim 4 , wherein selecting one of said base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically selecting one of said base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device.
6. A method, as set forth in claim 5 , wherein periodically selecting one of said base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically selecting one of said base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon signal strength between the base station router and the mobile device.
7. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein selecting a plurality of base station routers further comprises periodically selecting and deselecting base station routers based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device.
8. A method, as set forth in claim 7 , wherein periodically selecting and deselecting base station routers based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically selecting and deselecting base station routers based on signal strength between the base station router and the mobile device.
9. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein periodically adding a base station router to the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically adding a base station router to the active network set based on signal strength between the base station router and the mobile device.
10. A method, as set forth in claim 1 , wherein periodically removing a base station router from the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically removing a base station router from the active network set based on signal strength between the base station router and the mobile device.
11. A method for controlling a wireless communications system, comprising:
selecting a plurality of base station routers and forming an active network set from the selected base station routers, periodically adding a base station router to the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device, and periodically removing a base station router from the active network set based on a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device;
selecting a first base station router from the selected plurality of base station routers to operate as a primary foreign agent, the primary foreign agent being capable of communicating with a network and at least one secondary foreign agent;
selecting a second and third base station router from the selected plurality of base station routers, said second and third base station routers each being adapted to operate as the secondary foreign agent, wherein the secondary foreign agent is capable of communicating with a mobile device and the primary foreign agent;
selecting at least one of the second and third base station routers to operate as a serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device.
12. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the first base station router is adapted to operate as a secondary foreign agent; and wherein selecting at least one of the second and third base station routers to operate as the secondary foreign agent further comprises selecting one of the first, second and third base station routers to operate as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device.
13. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , wherein selecting at least one of the second and third base station routers to operate as a serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device further comprises selecting at least one of the second and third base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the second and third base station routers and the mobile device.
14. A method, as set forth in claim 13 , wherein selecting at least one of the second and third base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the base station router and the mobile device further comprises periodically selecting one of the second and third base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the second and third base station routers and the mobile device.
15. A method, as set forth in claim 14 , wherein periodically selecting one of the second and third base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon a characteristic of communications between the second and third base station routers and the mobile device further comprises periodically selecting one of the second and third base station routers as the serving secondary foreign agent to communicate with said mobile device based upon signal strength between the second and third base station routers and the mobile device.
16. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , selecting a fourth base station router, said fourth base station router being adapted to operate as the secondary foreign agent, based on a characteristic of communications between the fourth base station router and the mobile device.
17. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising deselecting the third base station router based on signal strength between the third base station router and the mobile device.
18. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising the second base station router being adapted to operate as the primary foreign agent, and selecting one of the first and second base station routers to operate as the primary foreign agent based upon a characteristic of communications between the first and second base station routers and the secondary foreign agent.
19. A method, as set forth in claim 11 , further comprising the second base station router being adapted to operate as the primary foreign agent, and selecting one of the first and second base station routers to operate as the primary foreign agent based upon signal strength between the first and second base station routers and the secondary foreign agent.