METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMISSION OF A BASE STATION

• US 20090213825A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Agashe, Parag A., Ulupinar, Fatih, Gupta, Rajarshi, Horn, Gavin B.
• Granted Patent: US 11,477,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling transmission of a base station, such as a Femto cell, based on the determined quality of a backhaul connection to a network are disclosed. In particular, a quality of a backhaul connection of a base station to a node in a communication network is determined. Based on this quality determination, transmission from the base station is either limited or stopped when the determined quality fails to meet a predefined condition. The degradation in quality of the backhaul connection, for example, affects the ability of the base station to offer sufficient service to access terminals. By limiting or stopping wireless transmission of the base station when the backhaul quality is degraded, access terminals either currently accessing the base station or attempting to connect to the base station can then more efficaciously hand off to another base station or access point.

Claims

1. A method for controlling transmission of a base station in a communication network, the method comprising:

determining a quality of a backhaul connection between the base station and at least one node within the communication network; and

preventing transmission of at least one wireless signal from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet a predefined condition.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the predefined condition includes at least one of

packet connectivity of the backhaul connection to the at least one node within the communication network,

packet throughput of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node is above a predetermined throughput threshold,

packet latency between the base station and the at least one node over the backhaul connection is below a predetermined latency threshold, and

a level of backhaul jitter is below ajitter threshold.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining the quality of the backhaul connection includes at least one of:

determining a packet connectivity state of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node,

determining the packet throughput of the backhaul connection,

determining packet latency of the backhaul, and

determining a level of backhaul jitter.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is initiated by at least one of the base station and the at least one node.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one node of the communication network comprises at least one of a Femto Gateway, a Pico Gateway, an Access Gateway, a mobility manager, and an AAA server.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed periodically.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determination of quality of the backhaul connection is performed whenever a wireless communication device requests access to the base station.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed upon power up of the base station.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the base station comprises an end user device configured to communicate with a wireless communication device using a cellular technology.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the base station is one of a Femto cell and a Pico cell.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

preventing transmission of all wireless signals from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet the predefined condition.

12. An apparatus for controlling transmission of a base station, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing instructions executable by a processor; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to;

determine a quality of a backhaul connection between the base station and at least one node within the communication network; and

prevent transmission of at least one wireless signal from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet a predefined condition.

13. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the predefined condition includes at least one of

packet connectivity of the backhaul connection to the at least one node within the communication network,

packet throughput of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node is above a predetermined throughput threshold,

packet latency between the base station and the at least one node over the backhaul connection is below a predetermined latency threshold, and

a level of backhaul jitter is below ajitter threshold.

14. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the quality of the backhaul connection through at least one of:

determining a packet connectivity state of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node,

determining the packet throughput of the backhaul connection,

determining packet latency of the backhaul, and

determining a level of backhaul jitter.

15. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is initiated by one of the at least one processor in the base station and the at least one node.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one node of the communication network comprises at least one of a Femto Gateway, a Pico Gateway, an Access Gateway, a mobility manager, and an AAA server.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine of the quality of the backhaul connection periodically.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein at least one processor is configured to determinate the quality of the backhaul connection whenever a wireless communication device requests access to the base station.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine of the quality of the backhaul connection upon power up of the base station.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the base station comprises an end user device configured to communicate with a communication device using a cellular technology.

21. The apparatus as defined in claim 20, wherein the base station is one of a Femto cell and a Pico cell.

22. The apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to prevent transmission of all wireless signals from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet the predefined condition.

23. An apparatus for use in a communication system comprising:

means for determining a quality of a backhaul connection between the base station and at least one node within the communication network; and

means for preventing transmission of at least one wireless signal from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet a predefined condition.

24. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the predefined condition includes at least one of

packet connectivity of the backhaul connection to the at least one node within the communication network, packet throughput of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node is above a predetermined throughput threshold, packet latency between the base station and the at least one node over the backhaul connection is below a predetermined latency threshold, and a level of backhaul jitter is below ajitter threshold.

25. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the means for determining the quality of the backhaul connection is configured to at least one of:

determine a packet connectivity state of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node;

determine the packet throughput of the backhaul connection;

determine packet latency of the backhaul; and

determine a level of backhaul jitter.

26. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is initiated by one of the base station and the at least one node.

27. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the at least one node of the communication network comprises at least one of a Femto Gateway, a Pico Gateway, an Access Gateway, a mobility manager, and an AAA server.

28. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed periodically.

29. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the determination of quality of the backhaul connection is performed whenever a wireless communication device requests access to the base station.

30. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed upon power up of the base station.

31. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the base station comprises an end user device configured to communicate with a wireless communication device using a cellular technology.

32. The apparatus as defined in claim 31, wherein the base station is one of a Femto cell and a Pico cell.

33. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the means for preventing transmission of at least one signal from the base station in configured to prevent transmission of all wireless signals from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet the predefined condition.

34. A computer program product for use in a base station for controlling transmissions of the base station, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium comprising;

code for causing a computer to determine a quality of a backhaul connection between the base station and at least one node within the communication network; and

code for causing a computer to prevent transmission of at least one wireless signal from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet a predefined condition.

35. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the predefined condition includes at least one of

packet connectivity of the backhaul connection to the at least one node within the communication network, packet throughput of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node is above a predetermined throughput threshold, packet latency between the base station and the at least one node over the backhaul connection is below a predetermined latency threshold, and a level of backhaul jitter is below ajitter threshold.

36. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the code for causing a computer to determine the quality of the backhaul connection includes code for causing a computer to at least one of:

determine a packet connectivity state of the backhaul connection between the base station and the at least one node,

determine the packet throughput of the backhaul connection,

determine packet latency of the backhaul, and

determine a level of backhaul jitter.

37. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is initiated in one of the base station and the at least one node.

39. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed periodically.

40. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the determination of quality of the backhaul connection is performed whenever a wireless communication device requests access to the base station.

41. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the determination of the quality of the backhaul connection is performed upon power up of the base station.

42. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, wherein the base station comprises an end user device configured to communicate with a wireless communication device using a cellular technology.

43. The computer program product as defined in claim 42, wherein the base station is one of a Femto cell and a Pico cell.

44. The computer program product as defined in claim 34, the computer-readable medium further comprising:

code for causing a computer to prevent transmission of all wireless signals from the base station when the determined quality fails to meet the predefined condition.

38. The computer program product as defined in claim 38, wherein the at least one node of the communication network comprises at least one of a Femto Gateway, a Pico Gateway, an Access Gateway, a mobility manager, and an AAA server.