Radio communication system, radio base station, and communication control method that can reduce an inter-base station interference between downlink control channels

• US 10,080,221 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Okino, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Musa, Abdelnabi O
• Application Number:
  US15/663,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• 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 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A picocell base station (PeNB) uses a downlink control channel, the frequency band of which overlaps with the frequency band of the downlink control channel used by a macrocell base station (MeNB), to transmit downlink control information for controlling radio communication with a radio terminal (PUE) connected to the picocell base station (PeNB). The picocell base station (PeNB) comprises an X2 interface communication unit (140) which uses inter-base station communication to transmit to the macrocell base station (MeNB) usage control information for controlling the control channel usage that is the usage of a radio resource used as the downlink control channel by the macrocell base station (MeNB).

Claims

1. A first radio base station comprising a controller including a processor configured to:

perform a downlink communication using a radio frame configuration comprising a plurality of subframes arranged in a time direction, wherein each of the plurality of subframes comprises a plurality of resource blocks arranged in a frequency direction;

receive, from a second radio base station which is receiving an interference caused by the first radio base station, via an X2 interface, a request for transmission of a control information message including a bit string comprising a plurality of bits corresponding to the plurality of subframes, wherein each bit position of the plurality of bits represents a different subframe number; and

in response to receiving the request from the second radio base station, transmit, to the second radio base station via the X2 interface, the control information message including the bit string comprising the plurality of bits, wherein the plurality of bits comprise;

“

1”

bit that indicates a restricted subframe in which the first radio base station restricts a downlink transmission power below a predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes; and

“

0”

bit that indicates a non-restricted subframe in which the first radio base station does not restrict a downlink transmission power below the predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes,

wherein a coverage of the second radio base station is extended by connecting a radio terminal to the second radio base station even when strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station, and

the restricted subframe enables the radio terminal to be served by the second radio base station even while under the interference from the first radio base station.

2. The first radio base station according to claim 1, wherein the second radio base station determines that the strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station on the basis of reception quality information and channel quality information received from the radio terminal.

3. A second radio base station comprising a controller including a processor configured to:

transmit, to a first radio base station which is causing an interference to the second radio base station, via an X2 interface, a request for transmission of a control information message including a bit string; and

in response to transmitting the request to the first radio base station, receive the control information message including the bit string from the first radio base station via the X2 interface, wherein

the first radio base station performs a downlink communication using a radio frame configuration comprising a plurality of subframes arranged in a time direction, wherein each of the plurality of subframes comprises a plurality of resource blocks arranged in a frequency direction,

the bit string comprises a plurality of bits corresponding to the plurality of subframes, each bit position of the plurality of bits represents a different subframe number, and the plurality of bits comprise;

“

1”

bit that indicates a restricted subframe in which the first radio base station restricts a downlink transmission power below a predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes; and

“

0”

bit that indicates a non-restricted subframe in which the first radio base station does not restrict a downlink transmission power below the predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes,

wherein a coverage of the second radio base station is extended by connecting a radio terminal to the second radio base station even when strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station, and

the restricted subframe enables the radio terminal to be served by the second radio base station even while under the interference from the first radio base station.

4. The second radio base station according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that the strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station on the basis of reception quality information and channel quality information received from the radio terminal.

5. A communication control method used in a radio communication system, the communication control method comprising:

performing, at a first radio base station, a downlink communication using a radio frame configuration comprising a plurality of subframes arranged in a time direction, wherein each of the plurality of subframes comprises a plurality of resource blocks arranged in a frequency direction;

transmitting, from a second radio base station which is receiving an interference caused by the first radio base station, to the first radio base station via an X2 interface, a request for transmission of a control information message including a bit string corresponding to the plurality of subframes;

receiving, at the first radio base station, the request from the second radio base station;

in response to receiving the request from the second radio base station, transmitting, from the first radio base station to the second radio base station via the X2 interface, the control information message including the bit string comprising the plurality of bits, wherein each bit position of the plurality of bits represents a different subframe number, and wherein the plurality of bits comprise “

1”

bit that indicates a restricted subframe in which the first radio base station restricts a downlink transmission power below a predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes, and “

0”

bit that indicates a non-restricted subframe in which the first radio base station does not restrict a downlink transmission power below the predetermined value, among the plurality of subframes; and

receiving, at the second radio base station, the bit string from the first radio base station via the X2 interface,

wherein a coverage of the second radio base station is extended by connecting a radio terminal to the second radio base station even when strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station, and

the restricted subframe enables the radio terminal to be served by the second radio base station even while under the interference from the first radio base station.

6. The communication control method according to claim 5, wherein the second radio base station determines that the strongest detected cell of the radio terminal belongs to the first radio base station on the basis of reception quality information and channel quality information received from the radio terminal.