Communication control apparatus and wireless communication apparatus

• US 10,004,044 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Furuichi, Sho, Sawai, Ryo, Kimura, Ryota, Uchiyama, Hiromasa, Usui, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/895,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20160128000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/373 Predicting channel quality or other radio frequency [RF] parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/228 using past power values or information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/362 Aspects of the step size
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/386 centralized, e.g. when the radio network controller or equivalent takes part in the power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

[Object] To achieve both prevention of harmful interference and promptness of power allocation under conditions in which multiple secondary systems may be managed.

[Solution] Provided is a communication control apparatus including: a calculation unit configured to calculate a transmit power to be allocated, including a nominal transmit power and a margin for interference avoidance, for one or more secondary systems that secondarily use frequency channels protected for a primary system; and a determination unit configured to determine a variation in a number of secondary systems, and cause the calculation unit to adjust the margin for interference avoidance on a basis of the determined variation.

Claims

1. A communication control apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

calculate and allocate a transmit power, including a nominal transmit power and a margin for interference avoidance, for one or more secondary systems that secondarily use frequency channels protected for a primary system;

determine a variation in a number of secondary systems;

adjust the margin for interference avoidance when the variation in the number of secondary systems is greater than a threshold value; and

signal the adjustment of the margin for interference avoidance to the secondary systems.

2. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to determine according to a condition dependent on the number of secondary systems, whether to cause the circuitry to recalculate the transmit power or adjust a previously calculated transmit power by adjusting the margin for interference avoidance based on the variation.

3. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to recalculate the transmit power in a case of the variation in the number of secondary systems falling below the threshold value, and adjust the previously calculated transmit power in a case of the variation in the number of secondary systems exceeding the threshold value.

4. The communication control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the threshold value is configured in advance in a manner that an estimated calculation time dependent on the number of secondary systems does not exceed an allowed calculation time.

5. The communication control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the threshold value is configured dynamically in a manner that an estimated calculation time dependent on the number of secondary systems does not exceed an allowed calculation time.

6. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the variation in the number of secondary systems is calculated based on the number of secondary systems at a point in time when the transmit power was last recalculated.

7. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the variation in the number of secondary systems is calculated based on the number of secondary systems at an immediately previous point in time when the transmit power was recalculated or adjusted.

8. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the number of secondary systems is based on one or both of a number of master devices and a number of slave devices in the secondary systems.

9. The communication control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the numbers of devices are calculated by including weights depending on a device configuration.

10. The communication control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to additionally determine whether to recalculate the transmit power or adjust the previously calculated transmit power according to a condition dependent on at least one from among a reference point, a frequency channel to be secondarily used, a device antenna height, and an interference level from other systems.

11. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to calculate an adjustment of the margin for interference avoidance by estimating a variation in an interference quantity based on the variation in the number of secondary systems.

12. The communication control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to estimate the variation in the interference quantity by using a table defining mappings between the variation in the number of secondary systems and the variation in the interference quantity.

13. The communication control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to estimate the variation in the interference quantity based on an assumption that the number of secondary systems and the interference quantity are proportional.

14. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication control apparatus has an authority to allocate transmit power to the one or more secondary systems within a first geographical region, and

the circuitry, in a case in which presence of secondary systems within a second geographical region neighboring the first geographical region should be considered in transmit power allocation;

acquires information indicating a number of secondary systems within the second geographical region that should be considered from another apparatus having authority for the second geographical region.

15. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to adjust the margin for interference avoidance by setting the variation in the number of secondary systems to a greater-than-actual virtual value.

16. The communication control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the allocated transmit power for each secondary system additionally includes a margin for reducing signaling overhead, and

the circuitry is further configured to retrain from signaling the adjustment of the margin for interference avoidance in a case of the adjustment of the margin for interference avoidance falling below the margin for reducing signaling overhead included in an already-allocated transmit power.

17. A communication control apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

communicate with a master device of one or more secondary systems that secondarily use frequency channels protected for a primary system; and

signal, based on information acquired from a data server that calculates an allocated transmit power for the secondary systems including a nominal transmit power and a margin for interference avoidance adjusted when a variation in a number of secondary systems is greater than a threshold value, parameters for specifying the allocated transmit power to the master device.

18. The communication control apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to calculate the allocated transmit power for each master device from the nominal transmit power as well as a base value and an adjustment of the margin for interference avoidance, and signal the parameters for specifying the calculated allocated transmit power to the master device.

19. A wireless communication apparatus that, operates and manages a secondary system that secondarily uses a frequency channel protected for a primary system, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive signaling of parameters for specifying an allocated transmit power based on information acquired from a data server that calculates the allocated transmit power for the secondary system including a nominal transmit power and a margin for interference avoidance adjusted when a variation in a number of secondary systems is greater than a threshold value;

control wireless communication between the wireless communication apparatus and one or more terminal apparatuses according to the allocated transmit power specified using the parameters.