Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Sprint Spectrum L.p.

George William Harter, Iii

Sanghoon Sung

Udit Thakore

Yu Wang

Yun Sung Kim

Hau Van Tran

A method and system to help control connectivity of a UE served with dual connectivity by a master node and a plurality of secondary nodes. An intermediary that is disposed between a core-network gateway system and the secondary nodes tracks data flow between the gateway system and the secondary nodes and provides the master node with a data-flow report, which the master node could use as a basis to trigger release of the UE's RRC connection, and/or to control addition or removal of one or more secondary nodes for the UE's dual-connectivity service.

Use of intermediary to control device connectivity

A wireless access point serves dynamic direction-of-arrival reception. An access point radio wirelessly receives a wireless signal that transports time-domain data. Access point circuitry determines uplink utilization for the access point radio. The circuitry transforms the time-domain data into frequency-domain data. The circuitry filters the frequency-domain data for one direction-of-arrival responsive to the uplink utilization. The circuitry synthesizes the time-domain data from the filtered frequency-domain data. The radio wirelessly receives another wireless signal that transports additional time-domain data. The circuitry determines a higher uplink utilization for the access point radio. The circuitry transforms the additional time-domain data into additional frequency-domain data. The circuitry filters the additional frequency-domain data for multiple directions-of-arrival responsive to the higher uplink utilization. The circuitry synthesizes the additional time-domain data from the filtered additional frequency-domain data.

Wireless user signal reception based on multiple directions-of-arrival

In an arrangement where an access node (e.g., a Node-B) is used in dual-connectivity service of UEs that are served by other access nodes, resources of the access node could be dynamically allocated to the UEs based at least on respective priorities designated for the other access nodes. For instance, each other access node could be prioritized based on its type, such as whether it is a macro access node, a small-cell access node, an indoor access node, an access node for a special event, or a access node for dedicated service, among other possibilities, and allocation of resources of the jointly-used access node could be defined based on these priorities, giving higher resource-allocation priority to UEs that are served by a higher priority other access node and giving lower resource-allocation priority to UEs that are served by a lower priority other access node.

Dynamic sharing of secondary node resources among multiple primary nodes in dual-connectivity service

A mechanism for controlling secondary-coverage scanning for configuring dual-connectivity. A computing system establishes for a primary access node a scan list of secondary cells based on the primary access node having an X2 interface for each secondary cell and having received a threshold extent of B1 measurement reporting indicating threshold strong coverage of the secondary cell for configuration of dual-connectivity. Further, the computing system establishes for each secondary cell of the scan list a respective B1 measurement threshold based on evaluation of performance history of the secondary cell such as based on extent of secondary-access-node-addition failures involving the secondary cell and/or based on communication-quality metrics such as error rate or retransmission rate. The computing system then configures the primary access node to provide a B1 measurement object conveying the scan list with measurement thresholds.

Dynamic establishment and maintenance of secondary-coverage scan list for dual-connectivity

A cell site that has multiple first-RAT carriers will monitor a capacity demand respectively of each first-RAT carrier, with capacity demand representing an extent to which adding more service capacity could be useful in view of the state of service on the 4G carrier. Further, the cell site will dynamically allocate resources of a second-RAT carrier for use in dual-connectivity service of UEs served on various ones of the first-RAT carriers, with the allocation being based on the capacity demands of the various primary-RAT carriers. For instance, if a first first-RAT carrier has a higher capacity demand than a second first-RAT carrier, then the cell site could allocate a more resources of the secondary-RAT carrier for use in dual-connectivity service of UEs served on the first first-RAT carrier than for use in dual-connectivity service of UEs served on the second first-RAT carrier.

Dynamic sharing of secondary carrier among multiple primary carriers in dual-connectivity service

Radio circuitry wirelessly serves User Equipment (UE) with dynamic direction-of-arrival reception. Control circuitry determines a primary direction-of-arrival for a user signal and configures a digital filter for the primary direction-of-arrival. Detection circuitry filters the user signal with the digital filter configured for the primary direction-of-arrival and recovers user data from the user signal. The control circuitry determines increased radio noise and/or uplink utilization reconfigures the digital filter for multiple directions-of-arrival. The detection circuitry filters a subsequent user signal with the digital filter configured for the multiple directions-of-arrival and recovers additional user data from the subsequent user signal.

A device, method, and computer-readable medium are provided for transmitting control plane information to user equipment (UE) using a Full Dimension MIMO (FD-MIMO) base station. Contextual device data associated with a plurality of mobile devices is obtained. A cluster configuration for a sector is determined based at least in part on the obtained contextual device data. At least one antenna element in a plurality of antenna elements of the FD-MIMO base station that together generate a beamform that corresponds to the determined cluster configuration is selected based on the determined cluster configuration. Control plane information that is directed to the determined cluster configuration is then transmitted from the selected at least one antenna element.

Adaptive broadcast beam generation of FD-MIMO systems

The technology described herein enhances the operation of a wireless repeater system to set an Automatic Gain Control (AGC) timer. In one implementation, the wireless repeater wirelessly receives a receive data signal having a receive energy level. The wireless repeater periodically processes the receive energy level per the AGC timer to calculate an AGC amount. The wireless repeater also applies the AGC amount to the received data signal to generate a transmit data signal, and wirelessly transfers the transmit data signal. The wireless RF repeater determines an energy fluctuation in the receive data signal, and when the energy fluctuation in the receive data signal exceeds a fluctuation threshold, the wireless repeater decreases the AGC timer.

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Ashburn, VA, United States of America

George William Harter, Iii