Patent Publication Number: US-11659627-B2

Title: Systems and methods for splitting cells in a network for internet of things (IoT)

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The disclosure relates generally to managing cells by controlling gateways in a network for Internet of Things (IoT), which may piggyback on another distributed communications system (DCS). 
     Computing devices have become ubiquitous throughout society. The explosion of the Internet and increased functions available for computing devices have caused increasing interconnection between computing devices and given rise to the Internet of Things (IoT), which may be described as the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects enabling them to send and receive data. In many cases, the data exchange is done wirelessly, giving rise to a variety of ways that the computing devices are coupled to the Internet. Popular standards include Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, and Semtech&#39;s LoRa (Long Range), among others. 
     LoRa is a spread spectrum modulation technique derived from chirp spread spectrum (CSS) technology. In general, LoRa devices and LoRa wireless radio frequency technology is a long-range, low-power wireless platform. Semtech has promulgated the open LoRaWAN standard to enable smart IoT applications. Typically, a LoRa device wirelessly accesses the Internet through a local gateway, which communicates to an IoT application through a LoRa server. Each gateway thus acts as a cell. In many installations, uplink and downlink transmissions through the gateway are not synchronized and therefore might collide. As the number of devices within a cell grows, the likelihood of collision also grows and may reach the point where no more end devices may be added to the system without increasing the collision probability above acceptable levels. Accordingly, there is room for improved gateway management to mitigate the possibility of collision. 
     No admission is made that any reference cited herein constitutes prior art. Applicant expressly reserves the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of any cited documents. 
     SUMMARY 
     Aspects disclosed herein include systems and methods for splitting cells in a network of Internet of Things (IoT). In an exemplary aspect, a cell splitting controller function is added to an IoT network. The cell splitting controller may evaluate a network metric such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for end devices to determine a general network activity level. When the network metric falls below a predetermined threshold, the cell splitting controller may cause the cell to split in such a manner as to offload some portion of the end devices on an adjacent gateway and/or change frequencies to reduce the likelihood of collision. By splitting cells in this fashion, the density of end devices served by a single gateway is reduced, fewer collisions occur statistically, and the user experience may be improved. 
     One exemplary embodiment of the disclosure relates to a cell split controller. The cell split controller includes an output configured to be coupled to a network connection. The cell split controller also includes a control circuit coupled to the output. The control circuit is configured to assign a first plurality of end devices to a first gateway operating using a first channel set. The control circuit is also configured to assign a second plurality of end devices to a second gateway operating using a second channel set. The control circuit is also configured to order the second plurality of end devices to operate using the second channel set. 
     Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure relates to a cell split controller. The cell split controller includes an output configured to be coupled to a network connection. The cell split controller also includes a control circuit coupled to the output. The control circuit is configured to determine that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of an end device being served by a first gateway has fallen below a threshold. The control circuit is also configured to order the end device to switch to a new channel set of a neighboring gateway. The control circuit is also configured to check a new RSSI for the end device through the neighboring gateway. The control circuit is also configured to command the end device to switch back to an original channel set of the first gateway if the new RSSI is weaker than the received RSSI. 
     Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure relates to a cell split controller. The cell split controller includes an output configured to be coupled to a network connection. The cell split controller also includes a control circuit coupled to the output. The control circuit is configured to determine a second gateway is installed proximate a first gateway serving a plurality of end devices. The control circuit is also configured to assign a subset of the plurality of end devices to the second gateway. The control circuit is also configured to assign a second channel set to the second gateway different than a first channel set assigned to the first gateway. 
     Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing the embodiments as described in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understand the nature and character of the claims. 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), and together with the description, serve to explain principles and operation of the various embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a block diagram of a conventional internet of things (IoT) network; 
         FIG.  1 B  is a block diagram of two adjacent gateways in the IoT network of  FIG.  1 A  using the same frequency; 
         FIG.  1 C  is a block diagram of a single gateway in the IoT network of  FIG.  1 A  serving multiple end devices; 
         FIG.  2 A  is a block diagram of a frequency change instigated by a cell splitting controller according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2 B  is a block diagram of a gateway being split by a cell splitting controller according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a block diagram of an IoT network having a cell splitting controller according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a block diagram of the IoT network of  FIG.  3    with the communication paths set forth according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a flowchart of a process for changing frequencies to effectuate the change illustrated in  FIG.  2 A ; 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart of a process to manage end devices as they move between possible gateways in the IoT network of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  7    is a flowchart of a process of splitting a cell when a new gateway is available, as illustrated in  FIG.  2 B ; 
         FIG.  8 A  is a block diagram of a distributed communication system (DCS) on which the IoT network of  FIG.  3    may be piggybacked; 
         FIG.  8 B  is a schematic diagram of the DCS of  FIG.  8 A  showing coverage areas and remote units on which the IoT network may be piggybacked; 
         FIG.  8 C  is a block diagram of a software-defined DCS with which the IoT network of  FIG.  3    may interoperate; and 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram of a representation of an exemplary computer system that can be included in or interfaced with any of the components in the IoT network of  FIG.  3   , wherein the exemplary computer system is configured to execute instructions from an exemplary computer-readable medium. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects disclosed herein include systems and methods for splitting cells in a network of Internet of Things (IoT). In an exemplary aspect, a cell splitting controller function is added to an IoT network. The cell splitting controller may evaluate a network metric such as a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for end devices to determine a general network activity level. When the network metric falls below a predetermined threshold, the cell splitting controller may cause the cell to split in such a manner as to offload some portion of the end devices on an adjacent gateway and/or change frequencies to reduce the likelihood of collision. By splitting cells in this fashion, the density of end devices served by a single gateway is reduced, fewer collisions occur statistically, and the user experience may be improved. 
       FIG.  1 A  illustrates an IoT network  100  that serves a plurality of end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N), which may be IoT devices, and more particularly, may be Long Range (LoRa) devices according to the SEMTECH LORA WAN specification. The end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N) communicate wirelessly with gateways  104 ( 1 )- 104 (P), which may be LoRa gateways. The gateways  104 ( 1 )- 104 (P) may communicate with a server  106 , which may be local (e.g., on the gateway or in the cloud) using a wire-based or optical fiber-based communication medium. The connection between the gateways  104 ( 1 )- 104 (P) and the server  106  may be a local area network (LAN) or other arrangement as is well understood. The server  106  may communicate with IoT applications  108 ( 1 )- 108 (M). Thus, the end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N) may communicate with the IoT applications  108 ( 1 )- 108 (M) passing through the gateways  104 ( 1 )- 104 (P) and the server  106 . 
     In practice, as seen in  FIG.  1 B , different gateways  104 ( 1 ),  104 ( 2 ) may be positioned proximate one another and serve many end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N) using the same frequency (F1). Having this many end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N) in such close proximity, all operating at the same frequency may result in collisions at one or both of the gateways  104 ( 1 ),  104 ( 2 ). 
     Similarly, as seen in  FIG.  1 C , there may be instances where a single gateway  104 ( 1 ) serves all the end devices  102 ( 1 )- 102 (N) at a single frequency. Such a situation greatly increases the likelihood of collisions, increasing latency and otherwise negatively impacting the user experience. 
     Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for splitting the gateways of an IoT network such that adjacent gateways may have different frequencies to create neighboring cells with different frequencies or where adjacent gateways are essentially co-located, the adjacent gateways may split the end devices and operate at different frequencies to reduce the chance of collision at the gateways. 
       FIG.  3    provides additional detail about how the cells are split, but  FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  illustrate solutions to the situations seen in  FIGS.  1 B and  1 C , respectively. Specifically,  FIG.  2 A  illustrates a network  200  with adjacent cells  202 ( 1 ) and  202 ( 2 ) served by gateways  204 ( 1 ) and  204 ( 2 ), respectively, where end devices  206 ( 1 )- 206 (Q) are served by gateway  204 ( 1 ) at a first frequency (F1), and end devices  208 ( 1 )- 208 (R) are served by gateway  204 ( 2 ) at a second frequency (F2). In this manner, a signal from an end device  206 ( 2 ) may be received at the gateway  204 ( 2 ) without colliding with signals from the end devices  208 ( 1 )- 208 (R). Similarly, a signal from an end device  208 ( 3 ) may be received at the gateway  204 ( 1 ) without colliding with signals from the end devices  206 ( 1 )- 206 (Q). 
     Similarly,  FIG.  2 B  illustrates a network  200 ′ with interleaved cells  210 ( 1 ) and  210 ( 2 ) served by adjacent and essentially co-located gateways  212 ( 1 ) and  212 ( 2 ) operating at different frequencies (F1 and F2). End devices  214 ( 1 )- 214 (X) are served by gateway  212 ( 1 ) at a first frequency. Interleaved end devices  216 ( 1 )- 216 (Y) are served by gateway  212 ( 2 ) at a second frequency. By allowing for different frequencies in the interleaved cells  210 ( 1 ) and  210 ( 2 ), the likelihood of collision is reduced even for densely populated footprints. 
     To effectuate the splitting of cells, exemplary aspects of the present disclosure provide a cell split controller in conjunction with elements of an IoT network. The cell split controller tests which gateways have network metrics below a predetermined threshold and causes changes in frequencies for adjacent gateways in instances where the network metric has fallen below the predetermined threshold. 
     In this regard,  FIG.  3    illustrates an IoT network  300  that serves a plurality of end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N), which may be IoT devices, and more particularly, may be LoRa devices. The end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) communicate wirelessly with gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P), which may be LoRa gateways. The gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) may communicate with a server  306  using a wire-based or optical fiber-based communication medium. The connection between the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) and the server  306  may be a LAN or other arrangement as is well understood. The server  306  may communicate with IoT applications  308 ( 1 )- 308 (M). Thus, the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) may communicate with the IoT applications  308 ( 1 )- 308 (M) passing through the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) and the server  306 . A cell split controller (CSC)  310  is associated with the server  306  and provides some of the functions described herein. In an exemplary aspect, the CSC  310  may be an independent computing device that communicates with the server  306 . In another aspect, the CSC  310  may be embedded in another computing device such as the server  306 . The CSC  310  may include an output that is configured to communicate to the server  306  or use an output of the server  306  for communication purposes. Likewise, the CSC  310  may include a control circuit, not shown, coupled with appropriate memory to provide many of the functions described herein. 
     With continued reference to  FIG.  3   , the CSC  310  may make splitting decisions based on a network metric. In an exemplary aspect, the network metric is a received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The RSSI and unique identifier for each end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) may be provided to the CSC  310  for the decision making.  FIG.  4    provides additional detail about the signaling paths for the network  300 . 
     In this regard,  FIG.  4    illustrates communication media  400  between system elements  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P), server  306 , and IoT applications  308 ( 1 )- 308 (M). The communication media  400  may be a copper-based LAN, an optical fiber-based LAN, including the Internet, portions of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), or the like. Management and control messages  402  may pass across the communication media  400  and particularly pass between the CSC  310  and the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P). Thus, these messages  402  may be sent through the output of the CSC  310 , or, if the CSC  310  is embedded in the server  306 , the messages  402  may be sent using an output of the server  306 . The management and control messages  402  may provide instructions to change frequencies, associate specific ones of the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) with specific ones of the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P), handle handoffs, and the like as better explained with reference to  FIGS.  5 - 7    below. Additionally, the CSC  310  may communicate with end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) using management and control messages  404 , which may instruct the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) about frequency changes, gateway associations, handoffs, and the like. 
     Given the system  300 ,  FIGS.  5 - 7    illustrate various processes associated with managing the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) with the CSC  310 .  FIG.  5    illustrates a process  500  for a frequency change for adjacent coverage areas as illustrated in  FIG.  2 A . Specifically, the process  500  has a starting situation where all end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) and gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) use the same channel set (block  502 ) where the channel set all occurs at the same frequency range. The CSC  310  then gets the device ID and RSSI for all received end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) at all gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  504 ). The CSC  310  may then determine the proximity of each end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) to each gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  506 ). The proximity may be determined by location information provided from the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N), by trilateration or triangulation using multiple gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P), by using the RSSI as a proxy for distance, or other technique as needed or desired. For example, if the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) are fixed installations such as a refrigerator or other appliance that does not move, it is possible that the location of the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) and the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) are programmed into a table or the like in the CSC  310  at system creation/installation. 
     With continued reference to  FIG.  5   , the process  500  continues with the CSC  310  assigning the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) to gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  508 ), for example, based on proximity. The CSC  310  further assigns different sets of channels for each of the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  510 ) with the understanding that each set of channels may be on a different frequency. The CSC  310  then orders the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) assigned to each gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) to use the channel set that was assigned to the respective one of the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  512 ). Process  500  effectively splits the cell illustrated in  FIG.  1 B  and makes it look like the cell(s) illustrated in  FIG.  2 A . 
     Similarly,  FIG.  6    illustrates a process  600  for testing a handoff between gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) as an end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) moves. The process  600  has a starting situation where each gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) and its associated end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) use a different channel set (block  602 ) than other gateways and their associated end devices. The CSC  310  monitors the RSSI for all received end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) at all gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  604 ) to determine if the RSSI of an end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) becomes weaker than a threshold (block  606 ). If the answer is no, then the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) are not moving enough to necessitate a change, and the process returns to the starting condition. If, however, the answer to block  606  is yes, an RSSI of an end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) has become weaker than a threshold, then the CSC  310  orders the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) (through the serving gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P)) to switch the channel set of a neighbor gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  608 ). 
     With continued reference to  FIG.  6   , the CSC  310  then checks the RSSI of that end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) when received at the neighbor gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  610 ) and determines if the RSSI at the neighbor gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) is stronger than the RSSI at the previous gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  612 ). If the answer to block  612  is yes, then the process  600  leaves the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) with the neighbor gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) and returns to the starting condition. If, however, the answer to block  612  is no, the RSSI is not stronger than the previous RSSI, then the CSC  310  commands the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) (through the neighbor gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P)) to switch back to the channel set of the original gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) (block  614 ). Note that if the two gateways (original and neighbor) have comparable RSSI, the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) may toggle or switch back and forth between the gateways. To avoid such toggling, the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) or the original gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) may prevent a subsequent switch unless the neighbor gateway has an RSSI stronger than the original gateway by some threshold dBs. The original gateway may solicit this information from the end device  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N). 
       FIG.  7    illustrates a process  700  that may occur when a new gateway is installed and may be, for example, co-located with an initial gateway. The process  700  corresponds to the system illustrated in  FIG.  2 B  compared to the system illustrated in  FIG.  1 C . The process  700  begins with a starting situation of a new gateway  304 ( 2 ) is installed close to the serving gateway  304 ( 1 ) (block  702 ). The CSC  310  assigns half of the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) to the new gateway  304 ( 2 ) (block  704 ). If N is an odd number, then the CSC  310  may determine which gateway  304 ( 1 ) or  304 ( 2 ) receives the “extra” end device  302 . The CSC  310  causes a new channel set to be assigned to the new gateway  304 ( 2 ) (block  706 ) that is different than the channel set used by the original or serving gateway  304 ( 1 ). The serving gateway  304 ( 1 ) orders the end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N) assigned to the new gateway  304 ( 2 ) to use the new channel set (block  708 ). 
     While it should be appreciated that the network  300  may exist in isolation, it is also possible that the network  300  may piggyback on top of a distributed communication system (DCS) such as a distributed antenna system (DAS), illustrated in  FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  or a software defined area network (SDAN) illustrated in  FIG.  8 C . 
       FIG.  8 A  illustrates a distributed antenna system (DAS)  800  having a head end  802  and a remote end  804 . The head end  802  may include one or more head end units (HEUs)  806  (although typically no more than four (4) are present). The HEU  806  may include the server  306  of network  300 . The HEU  806  may be coupled to respective radio frequency (RF) to optical (RF-to-O) conversion units  808  (only one shown). The RF-to-O conversion unit  808  may sometimes be referred to as an optical interface module. The HEU  806  may further be coupled to one or more RF services  810 ( 1 )- 810 (S) (generically RF service  810 ). Typically, up to twelve (12) RF services  810  may be coupled to a given HEU  806 , so if there are four HEUs  806 , N may be forty-eight (48). An RF service  810  may be a cellular service provider (e.g., AT&amp;T, VERIZON) or the like, and a given provider may have multiple services depending on technologies (4G vs. 5G), frequency bands, or the like. The HEU  806  may further be connected to a computer  812 , which in an exemplary aspect is a web management computer. The server  306 , or gateway  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) may reside within the HEU  806 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG.  8 A , the remote end  804  may include the gateway  304  of network  300 . Further, the remote end  804  may include an interconnect unit (ICU)  814  coupled to one or more remote units (RUs)  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T). More specifically, one or more of the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) may include the gateway  304 . Further, the remote end  804  may include a centralized ethernet unit (CEU)  818  that may connect to one or more Ethernet interfaces, although typically no more than twelve (12) are so coupled (not shown explicitly). The CEU  818  may couple to at least one RU  816 (T) as well as a gigabit ethernet unit (GEM)  820 . The GEM  820  may connect to a plurality of access points (APs)  822 ( 1 )- 822 (U). Additionally, at least one RU  816 (T) may connect to a second plurality of APs  824 ( 1 )- 824 (Q). In an exemplary aspect, the APs  822 ( 1 )- 822 (U),  824 ( 1 )- 824 (V) provide digital signals while the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) provide analog RF signals. 
     The head end  802  may be coupled to the remote end  804  via an optical interface unit (OIU)  826 , such as one or more fiber optic cables. It is possible that instead of being in the HEU  806 , the gateways  304 ( 1 )- 304 (P) may be located within the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) and use the DAS  800  to connect to a local server  306  within the HEU  806  or in the cloud. 
       FIG.  8 B  illustrates the DAS  800  in operation and configured to distribute communication services to remote coverage areas  830 ( 1 )- 830 (T). The DAS  800  can be configured to support a variety of communication services that can include cellular communication services, wireless communication services, such as RF identification (RFID) tracking, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), local area network (LAN), and wireless LAN (WLAN), wireless solutions (Bluetooth, WiFi Global Positioning System (GPS) signal-based, and others) for location-based services, and combinations thereof, as examples. The remote coverage areas  830 ( 1 )- 830 (T) are created by and centered on the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) connected to a central unit, which may be the head end unit  806 . The head end unit  806  may be communicatively coupled to a component of an RF service  810 , such as, for example, a base transceiver station (BTS) or a baseband unit (BBU). In this regard, the head end unit  806  receives downlink communication signals  832 D from the RF service  810  to be distributed to the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T). The downlink communication signals  832 D can include data communication signals and/or communication signaling signals as examples. The head end unit  806  may be configured with filtering circuits and/or other signal processing circuits that are configured to support a specific number of communication services in a particular frequency bandwidth (i.e., frequency communication bands). The downlink communication signals  832 D are communicated by the head end unit  806  over the OIU  826  to the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T). 
     With continuing reference to  FIG.  8 B , the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) are configured to receive the downlink communication signals  832 D from the head end unit  806  over the OIU  826 . The downlink communication signals  832 D are configured to be distributed to the respective remote coverage areas  830 ( 1 )- 830 (T) of the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T). The RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) are also configured with filters and other signal processing circuits that are configured to support all or a subset of the specific communication services (i.e., frequency communication bands) supported by the head end unit  806 . Each of the RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) may include an RF transmitter/receiver (not shown explicitly) and a respective antenna  834 ( 1 )- 834 (T) operably connected to the RF transmitter/receiver to distribute wirelessly the communication services to user equipment (UE)  836  within the respective remote coverage areas  830 ( 1 )- 830 (T). The RUs  816 ( 1 )- 816 (T) are also configured to receive uplink communication signals  832 U from the UE  836  in the respective remote coverage areas  830 ( 1 )- 830 (T) to be distributed to the RF service  810 . 
     While a DAS such as DAS  800  may have the network  300  associated or integrated therewith, another option would be a software defined area network (SDAN)  850  such as illustrated in  FIG.  8 C . The SDAN  850  may be associated with a cloud  852 , which includes one or more IoT applications (not illustrated) that functions as part of a LORA network. An HEU  854  may include the server  306  (and optionally the CSC  310 , although the CSC  310  may be external thereto, as illustrated). A first SDAN  856  may be associated with remote antenna units  858 . A second SDAN  860  may be associated with a gateway  304 ( 1 ) for communication with end devices  302 ( 1 )- 302 (N). 
     Any of the circuits in the network  300  of  FIG.  3    such as the CSC, server, gateway, or the like, can include a computer system  900 , such as that shown in  FIG.  9   , to carry out their functions and operations. With reference to  FIG.  9   , the computer system  900  includes a set of instructions for causing the multi-operator radio node component(s) to provide its designed functionality and the circuits discussed above. The multi-operator radio node component(s) may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The multi-operator radio node component(s) may operate in a client-server network environment or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. While only a single device is illustrated, the term “device” shall also be taken to include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The multi-operator radio node component(s) may be a circuit or circuits included in an electronic board card, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) as an example, a server, a personal computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computing pad, a mobile device, or any other device, and may represent, for example, a server, edge computer, or a user&#39;s computer. The exemplary computer system  900  in this embodiment includes a processing circuit or processor  902  (which may be, for example, the control circuit of the CSC  310 ), a main memory  904  (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc.), and a static memory  906  (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), which may communicate with each other via a data bus  908 . Alternatively, the processing circuit  902  may be connected to the main memory  904  and/or static memory  906  directly or via some other connectivity means. The processing circuit  902  may be a controller, and the main memory  904  or static memory  906  may be any type of memory. 
     The processing circuit  902  represents one or more general-purpose processing circuits such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing circuit  902  may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing circuit  902  is configured to execute processing logic in instructions  916  for performing the operations and steps discussed herein. 
     The computer system  900  may further include a network interface device  910 . The computer system  900  also may or may not include an input  912  to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system  900  when executing instructions  916 . The computer system  900  also may or may not include an output  914 , including, but not limited to, a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device (e.g., a keyboard), and/or a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse). 
     The computer system  900  may or may not include a data storage device that includes instructions  916  stored in a computer-readable medium  918 . The instructions  916  may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory  904  and/or within the processing circuit  902  during execution thereof by the computer system  900 , the main memory  904 , and the processing circuit  902  also constituting the computer-readable medium  918 . The instructions  916  may further be transmitted or received over a network  920  via the network interface device  910 . 
     While the computer-readable medium  918  is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-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  916 . The term “computer-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 processing circuit and that cause the processing circuit to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments disclosed herein. The term “computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic medium, and carrier wave signals. 
     Note that as an example, any “ports,” “combiners,” “splitters,” and other “circuits” mentioned in this description may be implemented using Field Programmable Logic Array(s) (FPGA(s)) and/or a digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)), and therefore, may be embedded within the FPGA or be performed by computational processes. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein include various steps. The steps of the embodiments disclosed herein may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as a computer program product or software that may include a machine-readable medium (or computer-readable medium) having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the embodiments disclosed herein. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage medium, optical storage medium, flash memory devices, etc.). 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A controller may be a processor. A processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware and in instructions that are stored in hardware and may reside, for example, in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a remote station. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a remote station, base station, or server. 
     Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps, or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is in no way intended that any particular order be inferred. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Since modification combinations, sub-combinations, and variations of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.