Apparatus and method for saving power of femto base station in wireless communication system

• US 20090285143A1
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yung-Soo, Kwun, Jong-Hyung
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for transiting an operation mode of a femto base station in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes, in a sleep mode, confirming whether operation transition request information is received from at least one terminal; and when receiving the operation transition request information from the terminal, entering an active mode. Thus, the power consumption of the femto base station can be reduced and the interference caused by the operation of the femto base station can be mitigated.

Claims

1. A method for transiting an operation mode of a femto base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

in a sleep mode, confirming whether operation transition request information is received from at least one terminal; and

transiting an active mode, when receiving the operation transition request information from the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation transition request information is constituted in a form of either a message or a signature.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when transiting the active mode, transmitting operation transition response information comprised in the form of either a message or a signature, to the terminal that sends the operation transition request information; and

sending operation transition information to a macro base station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after transiting the active mode:

transiting to the sleep mode, when there exist no accessed terminal and no accessible terminal within a reference time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transiting to the sleep mode comprises:

requesting a sleep mode transition to the macro base station, when there exist no accessed terminal and no accessible terminal within the reference time; and

transiting the sleep mode, when receiving a response signal of the sleep mode transition request from the macro base station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the requesting of the sleep mode transition comprises:

sending a sleep mode transition request message, which comprises at least one of uplink resource information, transmission timing information, transmit power information, and dedication access preamble information to be used for the terminal to transmit the operation transition request information to the femto base station of the sleep mode, to the macro base station.

7. A method for controlling an operation mode transition of a femto base station at a macro base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

acquiring location information of at least one femto base station in a macro cell and at least one terminal in the macro cell;

confirming an operation mode of the femto base station, when there exists a terminal traveling in a cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station among the at least one terminal; and

when the femto base station is in a sleep mode, instructing the terminal traveling in the cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station, to transit the operation mode of the femto base station.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the confirming of the operation mode of the femto base station comprises:

confirming an operation mode of the corresponding femto base station, when a terminal registered to the femto base station among the at least one terminal travels in the cell of the corresponding femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the corresponding femto base station.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the instructing of the operation mode transition comprises:

sending operation mode transition indication information constituted in the form of a message, a code, or a signaling, to the terminal traveling in the cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the instructing of the operation mode transition comprises:

constituting an operation transition indication message that comprises at least one of uplink resource information, transmission timing information, transmit power information, and dedication access preamble information to be used for the terminal traveling in the cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station to transmit operation transition request information to the femto base station of the sleep mode, when the femto base station is in the sleep mode; and

sending the operation transition indication message to the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one information contained in the operation transition indication message is acquired from a message transmitted by the femto base station to request a sleep mode transition.

12. A method for controlling an operation mode transition of a femto base station at a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

determining whether to transit the femto base station of a sleep mode to an active mode; and

transmitting operation transition request information to a corresponding femto base station, when determining to transit the femto base station to the active mode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining whether to transit to the active mode comprises:

determining whether to transit the femto base station to the active mode or not according to whether a signal instructing the active mode transition of the femto base station is received from a macro base station.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining whether to transit to the active mode comprises:

determining whether to transit the femto base station to the active mode or not by considering input of an active mode transition key or a type of a program executed.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the operation transition request information to the femto base station comprises:

transmitting the operation transition request information to the femto base station using either a dedication access scheme or a random access scheme.

16. An apparatus of a femto base station for transiting an operation mode in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal using a radio resource;

a transmitting for sending a signal using a radio resource; and

a controller for controlling to transit to an active mode when operation transition request information is received from at least one terminal through the receiver in a sleep mode.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiver, in the sleep mode, receives the operation transition request information from the at least one terminal, the information constituted in a form of a message or a signature.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the transmitter, when transiting the active mode, transmits operation transition response information constituted in the form of either a message or a signature, to the terminal which sends the operation transition request information under the control of the controller, and transmits operation transition information to a macro base station under the control of the controller.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller, after transiting the active mode, when there exist no accessed terminal and no accessible terminal over a reference time, controls transiting to the sleep mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the transmitter, after the controller determines to transit to the sleep mode, sends a sleep mode transition request message, which comprises at least one of uplink resource information, transmission timing information, transmit power information, and dedication access preamble information to be used for the terminal to transmit the operation transition request information to the femto base station of the sleep mode, to the macro base station under the control of the controller.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a registered terminal controller for managing terminals registered to provide a service.

22. An apparatus of a macro base station for controlling an operation mode transition of a femto base station in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a location information confirmer for acquiring location information of at least one femto base station in a macro cell and at least one terminal in the macro cell;

a location comparator for comparing the location information of the femto base station with the location information of the terminal;

a controller for, when there exists a terminal traveling in a cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station among the at least one terminal, instructing an operation mode transition of the femto base station to the terminal; and

a transmitter for sending operation mode transition indication message of the femto base station to the terminal under the control of the controller.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, when a terminal registered to the femto base station among the at least one terminal travels in the cell of the corresponding femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the corresponding femto base station, the controller confirms an operation mode of the femto base station, and

when the femto base station is in a sleep mode, the controller instructs the operation mode transition of the femto base station to the terminal.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the transmitter sends operation mode transition indication information constituted in the form of a message, a code, or a signaling, to the terminal traveling in the cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station under the control of the controller.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the transmitter constitutes an operation transition indication message that comprises at least one of uplink resource information, transmission timing information, transmit power information, and dedication access preamble information to be used for the terminal traveling in the cell of the femto base station or adjacent to the cell of the femto base station to transmit operation transition request information to the femto base station of the sleep mode, and transmits the operation transition indication message to the terminal under the control of the controller.

26. An apparatus of a terminal for controlling an operation mode transition of a femto base station in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a signal;

a controller for determining whether to transit the femto base station of a sleep mode to an active mode; and

a transmitter for, when the controller determines to transit the femto base station to the active mode, transmitting operation transition request information to a corresponding femto base station.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller determines whether to transit the femto base station to the active mode or not according to whether a signal instructing the active mode transition of the femto base station is received from a macro base station through the receiver.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller determines whether to transit the femto base station to the active mode or not by considering input of an active mode transition key or a type of a program executed.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the controller controls transmitting the operation transition request information to the femto base station using either a dedication access scheme or a random access scheme.