Methods for operating a first base station and a second base station in a radio communication system, first base station and second base station thereof

• US 10,299,175 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Andreas, Bakker, Hajo-Erich, Klein, Siegfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunt, Kenneth P
• Application Number:
  US15/129,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0072 of resource information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters

Abstract

The embodiments of the invention relate to a method for operating a first base station (BS1) in a radio communication system (RAN). The method contains transmitting first reference signals via a first radiation beam (BM1-BS1) being directed towards a first direction and at least second reference signals via at least one second radiation beam (BM2-BS1, . . . , BM5-BS1) being directed towards at least one second direction. The method further contains receiving for a hand over of a mobile station (MS) from a second base station (BS2) being a serving base station of the mobile station (MS) to the first base station (BS1) an indication for a radiation beam being selected from a group of radiation beams comprising the first radiation beam (BM1-BS1) and the at least one second radiation beam (BM2-BS1, . . . , BM5-BS1) for applying the selected radiation beam as an initial radiation beam at the first base station (BS1) for serving the mobile station (MS). The method even further contains scheduling radio resources for the initial radiation beam for serving the mobile station (MS) based on the indication. The embodiments further relate to a method for operating a second base station (BS2) in a radio communication system (RAN), to a first base station (BS1) for operation in a radio communication system (RAN) and to a second base station (BS2) for operation in a radio communication system (RAN).

Claims

1. A method for operating a first base station in a radio communication system comprising:

transmitting, by an antenna array, first reference signals via a first radiation beam being directed towards a first direction and at least second reference signals via at least one second radiation beam being directed towards at least one second direction,

receiving, for a handover of a mobile station from a second base station being a serving base station of said mobile station to said first base station, an indication for a radiation beam being selected from a group of radiation beams comprising said first radiation beam and said at least one second radiation beam for applying said selected radiation beam as an initial radiation beam at said first base station for serving said mobile station, and

scheduling radio resources for said initial radiation beam for serving said mobile station based on said indication;

wherein said indication comprises an identifier of said selected radiation beam; and

wherein said indication further comprises quality information of said selected radiation beam.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said method further comprises after said handover of said mobile station from said second base station to said first base station:

receiving from said mobile station further quality information for said first radiation beam and for said at least second radiation beam, and

determining an alternative radiation beam for scheduling said mobile station based on said further quality information, when said alternative radiation beam provides a higher quality than said initial radiation beam.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein said higher quality corresponds to a larger data throughput for scheduling said mobile station via said alternative radiation beam than scheduling said mobile station via said initial radiation beam.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said first radiation beam is aligned with respect to a first elevation angle and wherein said at least one second radiation beam is aligned with respect to at least one second elevation angle.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein said first direction points to a first coverage area based on said first elevation angle, wherein said at least second direction points to at least one second coverage area based on said at least second elevation angle and wherein said first coverage area and said at least second coverage area are located at different radial positions within a radio cell of said first base station.

6. A method for operating a second base station in a radio communication system comprising:

receiving, from a mobile station being served by said second base station, quality information about at least one of a first radiation beam directed by at least one first base station as a neighboring base station of said second base station towards a first direction and transmitted by an antenna array and of at least one second radiation beam directed by said at least one neighboring base station to at least one second direction and transmitted by said antenna array,

determining, based on said quality information, a radiation beam from a group of radiation beams comprising said first radiation beam and said at least one second radiation beam as an initial serving radiation beam at said first base station for serving said mobile station after a handover from said second base station to said first base station, and

transmitting an indication of said selected initial serving radiation beam to said first base station;

wherein said indication comprises an identifier of said initial serving radiation beam; and

wherein said indication further comprises quality information of said initial serving radiation beam.

7. A first base station for operation in a radio communication system comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, by an antenna array, first reference signals via a first radiation beam being directed towards a first direction and at least second reference signals via at least one second radiation beam being directed towards at least one second direction,

a receiver configured to receive, for a handover of a mobile station from a second base station being a serving base station of said mobile station to said first base station, an indication for a radiation beam being selected from a group of radiation beams comprising said first radiation beam and said at least one second radiation beam for applying said selected radiation beam as an initial radiation beam at said first base station for serving said mobile station, and

a scheduler configured to schedule radio resources for said initial radiation beam for serving said mobile station based on said indication;

wherein said indication comprises an identifier of said selected radiation beam; and

wherein said indication further comprises quality information of said selected radiation beam.

8. A second base station for operation in a radio communication system comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive, from a mobile station being served by said second base station, quality information about at least one of a first radiation beam being directed by at least one first base station as a neighboring base station of said second base station towards a first direction and transmitted by an antenna array and of at least one second radiation beam being directed by said at least one neighboring base station to at least one second direction and transmitted by said antenna array,

a determiner configured to determine, based on said quality information, a radiation beam from a group of radiation beams comprising said first radiation beam and said at least one second radiation beam as an initial radiation beam at said first base station for serving said mobile station after a handover from said second base station to said first base station, and

a transmitter configured to transmit an indication of said selected initial radiation beam to said first base station;

wherein said indication comprises an identifier of said initial serving radiation beam; and

wherein said indication further comprises quality information of said initial serving radiation beam.