Enhancement of access points to support heterogeneous networks

• US 10,341,912 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Zhi, Lei, Hongyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US15/493,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20170223586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 370329, 370331, 370332, 370336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/008357 Determination of target cell based on access point [AP] properties, e.g. AP service capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

An interface between access points is enhanced by enabling an exchange of a cell characteristic information element (IE). The cell characteristic information can provide an access point with information about the characteristics/features/capabilities of its neighbor cells. Automatic neighbor relations are also enhanced to store and/or manage the cell characteristic information. Moreover, the cell characteristic information can be utilized by the access point to significantly improve handover (HO) decisions, increase load balancing performance, and/or decrease inter cell interference. The cell characteristic information can also improve network efficiency and avoid bottlenecks during cell reselection in Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a data signal indicative of characteristic data representing a cell-type indicator that is indicative of a capability of a first access point device of a heterogeneous network;

based on the characteristic data, updating a neighbor relation data structure stored within a management device, of the heterogeneous network, that is accessible to a second access point device of the heterogeneous network, wherein the characteristic data comprises capacity data that represents a number of devices supported by the first access point device; and

based on the neighbor relation data structure, facilitating cell reselection for a user equipment served by the second access point device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic data comprises multiple input multiple output configuration data associated with the first access point device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the multiple input multiple output configuration data is employable to rank neighbor cells of the second access point device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating steering of the user equipment to a neighbor cell that has been selected from the neighbor cells based on the ranking.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the facilitating the steering comprises facilitating the steering of the user equipment to the neighbor cell in response to a determination that the user equipment satisfies a high multiple input multiple output criterion, and wherein a rank assigned to the neighbor cell is determined to satisfy a high rank criterion.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the facilitating the steering comprises facilitating the steering of the user equipment to the neighbor cell in response to a determination that the user equipment satisfies a low multiple input multiple output criterion, and wherein a rank assigned to the neighbor cell is determined to satisfy a low rank criterion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

utilizing the characteristic data to reduce inter-cell interference between the first access point device and the second access point device.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a data signal indicative of characteristic data representing a cell-type indicator that is indicative of a capability of a first access point device of a heterogeneous network, wherein the receiving comprises receiving capacity data that represents a number of devices supported by the first access point device; and

storing, by the system, the characteristic data within a management device, of the heterogeneous network; and

based on the characteristic data, facilitating, by the system, cell reselection for a user equipment served by a second access point device of the heterogeneous network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving comprises receiving multiple input multiple output configuration data associated with the first access point device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the multiple input multiple output configuration data is employable to rank neighbor cells of the second access point device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on the ranking, selecting, by the system, a neighbor cell of the neighbor cells; and

facilitating, by the system, a steering of the user equipment to the neighbor cell.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the neighbor cell in response to a rank of the neighbor cell being determined to satisfy a defined rank criterion.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

based on the characteristic data, facilitating, by the system, a decrease in inter-cell interference between the first access point device and the second access point device.

14. A machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a data signal indicative of profile data associated with a first access point device of a heterogeneous network, wherein the profile data comprises information indicative of a cell-type indicator that is indicative of a capability of the first access point device, wherein the profile data further comprises capacity data that represents a number of devices supported by the first access point device;

storing, within a management device of the heterogeneous network, the profile data; and

employing the profile data to facilitate cell reselection for a user equipment served by a second access point device of the heterogeneous network.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the profile data comprises multiple input multiple output configuration data associated with the first access point device.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the multiple input multiple output configuration data is employable to rank neighbor cells of the second access point device.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

directing the user equipment to couple to a neighbor cell that has been selected from the neighbor cells based on the ranking.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the directing comprises directing the user equipment to couple to the neighbor cell in response to a determination that the user equipment satisfies a high multiple input multiple output criterion, wherein a rank assigned to the neighbor cell is determined to satisfy a high rank criterion.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the directing comprises directing the user equipment to couple to the neighbor cell in response to a determination that the user equipment satisfies a low multiple input multiple output criterion, wherein a rank assigned to the neighbor cell is determined to satisfy a low rank criterion.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

based on the profile data, facilitating a decrease in inter-cell interference between the first access point device and the second access point device.