Enhancement of inter-cell interference coordination with adaptive reduced-power almost blank subframes based on neighbor cell profile data

• US 10,680,681 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2019
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Zhi, Liu, Cheng P., Lei, Hongyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asefa, Debebe A
• Application Number:
  US16/361,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20190222266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0053 using co-ordinated multipoint transmission/reception co-ordinated antenna or beam-forming aspects H04B7/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0056 Inter-base station aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An inter-cell interference coordination procedure in heterogeneous networks (HetNets) is enhanced based on utilization of cell profile data associated with neighbor access points to improve HetNet spectrum efficiency, mobility performance, and/or overall network capacity. In one aspect, a macro access point can receive cell profile data associated with neighbor access points and modify a power level of reduced-power almost blank subframes (ABS) transmitted by the macro access point to manage macro cell capacity. Further, the macro access point can configure the ABS pattern and transmit the ABS pattern to the neighbor access points. Based on the ABS pattern, the neighbor access points can schedule transmissions to user equipment that are located at (or close to) their cell-edge to reduce inter-cell interference.

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;

storing cell profile information representative of a feature associated with a metro cell access point device; and

directing the cell profile information to a macro cell access point device that satisfies a neighbor criterion associated with the metro cell access point device, wherein a non-zero value for a transmission power, corresponding to the cell profile information, is to be utilized by the macro cell access point device to transmit user plane data during a subframe of a transmission frame, wherein the subframe comprises a variable-power subframe of the transmission frame that is associated with a variable transmission power, and wherein the non-zero value comprises a value stored within table data that has been populated based on operator-defined information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cell profile information comprises antenna data indicative of a configuration of an antenna associated with the metro cell access point device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cell profile information comprises location data indicative of a geographical location of the metro cell access point device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cell profile information comprises capacity data indicative of a capacity of the metro cell access point device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cell profile information comprises access data indicative of access control associated with the metro cell access point device.

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

receiving the cell profile information from the metro cell access point device, and wherein the storing comprises storing the cell profile information within a data store of a network device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the cell profile information in response to receiving query data from the macro cell access point device, and wherein the query data is indicative of a query for the cell profile information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the query data comprises a physical cell identifier of the macro cell access point device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the neighbor criterion defines that the metro cell access point device and the macro cell access point device share a portion of a cell edge.

10. A method, comprising:

storing, by a network device comprising a processor, cell profile information representing respective characteristics associated with first access point devices; and

facilitating, by the network device, a transfer of a portion of the cell profile information to a second access point device, wherein the portion of the cell profile information is related to a first access point device, of the first access point devices, that is determined to satisfy a neighbor criterion associated with the second access point device, wherein the transfer facilitates a selection of a non-zero value for a transmission power of the second access point device that is employed to transmit user plane data during a subframe of a transmission frame, wherein the subframe is an adaptive-power subframe of the transmission frame that is associated with a variable transmission power, and wherein the non-zero value comprises a value stored within table data that has been populated based on operator-defined information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing cell type data indicative of a type of the first access point device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing performance data indicative of a performance of the first access point device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing antenna data indicative of a configuration of an antenna associated with the first access point device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing classification data indicative of a classification of a geographical location of the first access point device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the storing comprises storing carrier aggregation data associated with an aggregation of carrier frequencies employed by the first access point device.

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

storing cell profile information representing respective characteristics associated with first access point devices; and

facilitating a transfer of a portion of the cell profile information to a second access point device, wherein the portion of the cell profile information is related to a first access point device, of the first access point devices, that is determined to satisfy a neighbor criterion associated with the second access point device, wherein the cell profile information is to be utilized to determine a non-zero value for a transmission power of the second access point device that is employed to transmit user plane data during a subframe of a transmission frame, wherein the subframe is an adaptive-power subframe of the transmission frame that is associated with a variable transmission power, and wherein the non-zero value comprises a value stored within table data that has been populated based on operator-defined information.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cell profile information comprises carrier aggregation data associated with an aggregation of carrier frequencies employed by the first access point device.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cell profile information comprises cell type data that indicates that the first access point device is a metro access point device.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cell profile information comprises configuration data indicative of a configuration employed by the first access point device.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cell profile information comprises access data indicative of access control associated with the first access point device.