Method of controlling traffic, radio system, remote unit and base station

• US 20060199595A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd. (Vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Halonen, Harri
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/22 Traffic simulation tools or models
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A radio system includes one or more remote units in each cell coverage area controlled by a base station. The remote units communicate with one or more terminals of the radio system. The remote units are configured to detect traffic parameters of one or more terminal signals within the coverage area of each remote unit. The base station is configured to receive the signals related to the detected traffic parameters from the remote units. The base station also is configured to calculate relative average traffic levels between the remote units on the basis of the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units, and to allocate traffic transfer resources in the radio system on the basis of the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.

Claims

1. A method of controlling traffic in a radio system, the radio system comprising at least one remote unit in each cell coverage area controlled by a base station, the remote units communicating with at least one terminal of the radio system, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the remote units, traffic parameters of terminal signals within a coverage area of each remote unit;

receiving, in the base station, signals related to the detected traffic parameters from the remote units;

calculating, by the base station, relative average traffic levels between the remote units based on the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units; and

allocating traffic transfer resources in the radio system based on the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected traffic parameters of the terminal signals comprises at least one of:

a number of the terminal signals, a level of the terminal signals, interference and noise.

3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising averaging, by a remote unit, an rms antenna input level of the remote unit based on the detected traffic parameters of the terminal signals.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received signals related to the traffic parameters comprises rms antenna input levels of each remote unit.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the relative average traffic levels between the remote units comprises calculating a peak value of traffic through each remote unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating the relative average traffic levels between the remote units comprises calculating an average value of traffic through each remote unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of allocating traffic transfer resources in the radio system further comprises sharing the traffic transfer resources between the remote units evenly.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of allocating traffic transfer resources in the radio system further comprises splitting at least one cell so that total average traffic levels of the remote units in each cell are as equal as possible when the radio system detects that more capacity is needed in the radio system.

9. A radio system, comprising:

at least one remote unit in each cell coverage area controlled by a base station, the remote units communicating with at least one terminal of the radio system, wherein

the remote units are configured to detect traffic parameters of terminal signals within a coverage area of each remote unit, and

the base station is configured to receive signals related to the detected traffic parameters from the remote units, to calculate relative average traffic levels between the remote units based on the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units, and to allocate traffic transfer resources in the radio system based on the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.

10. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the detected traffic parameters of the terminal signals comprises at least one of:

a number of the terminal signals, a level of the terminal signals, interference and noise.

11. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the remote unit is configured to average an rms antenna input level of the remote unit based on detected traffic parameters of the terminal signals.

12. The radio system of claim 11, wherein the received signals related to the detected traffic parameters comprise rms antenna input levels of each remote unit.

13. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the base station is configured to calculate the relative average traffic levels between the remote units by calculating a peak value of traffic through each remote unit.

14. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the base station is configured to calculate the relative average traffic levels between the remote units by calculating an average value of traffic through each remote unit.

15. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the base station is configured to allocate the traffic transfer resources in the radio system by sharing the traffic transfer resources between the remote units evenly.

16. The radio system of claim 9, wherein the base station is configured to allocate the traffic transfer resources in the radio system by splitting at least one cell so that total average traffic levels of the remote units in each cell are as equal as possible when the radio system detects that more capacity is needed in the radio system.

17. A remote unit for a radio system, the remote unit comprising:

a processing unit for controlling functions of the remote unit, a detection unit; and

a communication unit for communicating with the at least one terminal and with a base station,

wherein the detection unit is configured to detect traffic parameters of terminal signals within a coverage area of each remote unit, and

the communication unit is configured to send a signal related to the detected traffic parameters to the base station for enabling the base station to calculate relative average traffic levels between all remote units within the coverage area of the base station based on the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units, and to allocate traffic transfer resources in the radio system based on the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.

18. The remote unit of claim 17, wherein the detected traffic parameters of the terminal signals comprises at least one of:

a number of the terminal signals, a level of the terminal signals, interference and noise.

19. The remote unit of claim 17, wherein the remote unit further comprises an averaging unit for averaging an rms antenna input level of the remote unit based on the traffic parameters of the terminal signals.

20. The remote unit of claim 17, wherein the signals related to the detected traffic parameters sent to the base station comprise rms antenna input levels of each remote unit.

21. A base station for a radio system, the base station comprising:

a processing unit for controlling functions of the base station; and

a communication unit for communicating with at least one remote unit in each cell coverage area controlled by the base station,

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive, from the remote units, signals related to traffic parameters of terminal signals within a coverage area of each remote unit; and

the processing unit is configured to calculate relative average traffic levels between the remote units based on the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units, and to allocate traffic transfer resources in the radio system based on the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein the signals related to the detected traffic parameters comprise rms antenna input levels of each remote unit.

23. The base station of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate the relative average traffic levels between the remote units by calculating a peak value of traffic through each remote unit.

24. The base station of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate the relative average traffic levels between the remote units by calculating an average value of traffic through each remote unit.

25. The base station of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to allocate the traffic transfer resources in the radio system by sharing the traffic transfer resources between the remote units evenly.

26. The base station of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to allocate the traffic transfer resources in the radio system by splitting at least one cell so that total average traffic levels of the remote units in each cell are as equal as possible when the radio system detects that more capacity is needed in the radio system.

27. A radio system, comprising:

at least one remote unit in each cell coverage area controlled by a base station, the remote units communicating with at least one terminal of the radio system,

wherein the remote units further comprises detection means for detecting traffic parameters of terminal signals within a coverage area of each remote unit, and

the base station comprises receiving means for receiving signals related to the detected traffic parameters from the remote units, calculation means for calculating relative average traffic levels between the remote units based on the received signals related to the traffic parameters from the remote units, and allocation means for allocating traffic transfer resources in the radio system based on the calculated relative average traffic levels between the remote units.