US 8,509,787 B2 · Communications base station with decision function for distributing traffic across multiple backhauls

Abstract

A communication station, such as a base station or access point, has multiple backhaul options and distributes backhaul data between the available backhaul options. The communication station includes a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data with user equipments, multiple backhaul interface modules, and a backhaul distribution module arranged for monitoring demand for backhaul bandwidth and distributing data over the backhauls based on the demand for backhaul bandwidth. Additional modules for user data and control plane processing may be included with the user/control distinction used in distributing data over the backhauls. The backhaul options may include a preferred backhaul and an alternate backhaul. Distributing data over the backhauls may be based, for example, on applications associated with the data, financial cost, delay, robustness, computational resources, and/or additional security associated with using a particular backhaul.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A communication station, comprising:

a transceiver arranged for transmitting and receiving data with subscriber stations;
a plurality of backhaul interface modules, each backhaul interface module being arranged for providing backhaul communications over a corresponding one of a plurality of backhaul connections;
a data processing module for detecting information about applications associated with the data transmitted and received by the transceiver;
and
a backhaul distribution module coupled to the plurality of backhaul interface modules and arranged for monitoring demand for backhaul bandwidth and distributing data over the plurality of backhaul connections based on the demand for backhaul bandwidth and the detected information about the applications associated with the data.

2 more elements

A method for use with a communication station operable to communicate with user equipments via a transceiver and communicate with a network over a plurality of backhaul connections, the method comprising:

monitoring demand for backhaul bandwidth;
distributing backhaul data to a preferred one of the plurality of backhaul connections;
detecting information about applications associated with the backhaul data;
determining whether the demand for backhaul bandwidth exceeds the capacity of the preferred one of the plurality of backhaul connections backhaul;
and
distributing at least some of the backhaul data to an alternate one of the plurality of backhaul connections when the demand for backhaul bandwidth exceeds the capacity of the preferred one of the plurality of backhaul connections, the backhaul data distributed to an alternate one of the plurality of backhaul connections being selected utilizing the detected information about the applications associated with the backhaul data.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Communications base station with decision function for distributing traffic across multiple backhauls

Life of this patent

Communications base station with decision function for distributing traffic across multiple backhauls

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19