Management unit for facilitating inter-network hand-off for a multiservice communication device
View Patent ↗A management unit allocates network resources multiservice communication devices capable of communicating via a plurality of networks. The management unit includes a communication device interface for facilitating a bidirectional data communication with the multiservice communication devices via a wireless control channel, the bidirectional data communication including outbound control data sent to multiservice communication devices and inbound control data received from at multiservice communication devices. The wireless control channel is separate from the communication between multiservice communication devices and the networks. A network interface receives network resource data from the networks. A management processing unit generates the outbound control data in response. The management processing unit facilities the handoff of a real-time service accessed by the multiservice communication devices via a first network to a second network.
1. A management unit for allocating network resources to a plurality of multiservice communication devices capable of communicating via a plurality of networks, the management unit comprising:
a communication device interface for sending output control data to, and receiving inbound control data from, the plurality of multiservice communication devices via a wireless control channel, wherein the wireless control channel is separate from the communication between the plurality of multiservice communication devices and the plurality of networks;
a network interface that receives network resource data from the plurality of networks; and
a management processing unit, coupled to the communication device interface and the network interface, that processes the inbound control data and the network resource data and that generates the outbound control data in response thereto, wherein the outbound control data further includes cognitive transceiver configuration data for configuring at least one cognitive transceiver of at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices.
2. The management unit of claim 1 wherein the management processing unit facilities the handoff of a real-time service accessed by the at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices via a first network of the plurality of networks to a second network of the plurality of networks.
3. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the management processing unit detects a potential handoff condition via inbound control data.
4. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the outbound control data includes a selection of the second network of the plurality of networks.
5. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the management processing unit selects the second network of the plurality of networks based on at least one of: RF environmental data, battery remaining, desired quality of service, a latency preference, a cost preference, a device characteristic, a data rate preference.
6. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the management processing unit facilitates the establishment of a connection between the at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices and the second network of the plurality of networks, prior to the handoff of the real-time service.
7. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the management processing unit at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices establishes a connection between the at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices and the second network of the plurality of networks, based on the outbound control data and prior to the handoff of the real-time service.
8. The management unit of claim 2 wherein the real-time service includes at least one of: a telephone call, a game, an audio playback, a video playback, a file download, and multimedia application.
9. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a receiver front end and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes receiver frequency band configuration data for configuring the frequency band of the receiver front-end.
10. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a transmitter front end and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes transmitter frequency band configuration data for configuring the frequency band of the transmitter front end.
11. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a receiver baseband processing module and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes baseband processing configuration data for configuring at least one baseband processing parameter of the receiver baseband processing module.
12. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a receiver baseband processing module and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes baseband processing application data for execution by the receiver baseband processing module.
13. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a transmitter baseband processing module and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes baseband processing configuration data for configuring at least one baseband processing parameter of the transmitter baseband processing module.
14. The management unit of claim 1 wherein at least one cognitive radio transceiver includes a transmitter baseband processing module and the cognitive transceiver configuration data includes baseband processing application data for execution by the transmitter baseband processing module.
15. A management unit for allocating network resources to a plurality of multiservice communication devices capable of communicating via a plurality of networks, the management unit comprising:
a network interface that receives network resource data from the plurality of networks and that send outbound control data to and receives inbound data from the plurality of multiservice communication devices via a wireless control channel, wherein the wireless control channel is a separate physical channel not used for the communication between the plurality of multiservice communication devices and the plurality of networks; and
a management processing unit, coupled to the network interface, that processes the inbound control data and the network resource data and that generates the outbound control data in response thereto;
wherein the outbound control data includes cognitive transceiver configuration data for configuring at least one cognitive transceiver of at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices.
16. The management unit of claim 15 , wherein the management processing unit facilities the handoff of a real-time service accessed by the at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices via a first network of the plurality of networks to a second network of the plurality of networks.
17. The management unit of claim 16 , wherein the management processing unit detects a potential handoff condition via inbound control data.
18. The management unit of claim 16 wherein the outbound control data includes a selection of the second network of the plurality of networks.
19. The management unit of claim 16 wherein the management processing unit selects the second network of the plurality of networks based on at least one of: RF environmental data, battery remaining, desired quality of service, a latency preference, a cost preference, a device characteristic, a data rate preference.
20. The management unit of claim 16 wherein the management processing unit facilitates the establishment of a connection between the at least one of the plurality of multiservice communication devices and the second network of the plurality of networks, prior to the handoff of the real-time service.