INFORMATION SHARING IN A PRIVATE ACCESS POINT NETWORK

• US 20100167771A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airvana Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Humblet, Pierre A., Das, Deepak, Raghothaman, Balaji, Srinivas, Anand
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 taking into account path loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment

Abstract

This description relates to information sharing in a private access point network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

transmitting signals at a first transmit power from a first private access point in a wireless communication network, the first transmit power corresponding to a first transmit power value;

receiving a second transmit power value at the first private access point, the second transmit power value being indicative of a second transmit power of a second private access point in the wireless communication network; and

determining the first transmit power value at the first private access point using at least the second transmit power value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first transmit power value comprises:

updating the first transmit power value to produce an updated first transmit power value; and

wherein transmitting the signals comprises;

transmitting the signals at an updated first transmit power, the updated first transmit power corresponding to the updated first transmit power value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the second transmit power value comprises:

receiving the second transmit power value from at least one of the second private access point or a private access point server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first received power value by measuring a first received power at the first private access point, the first received power being due to a first noise, the first noise comprising a first ambient noise and a first interference power received from a macro access point.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending the first transmit power value and the first received power value to at least one of the second private access point or a private access point server, the first transmit power value being indicative of the first transmit power.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first transmit power value comprises:

determining an initial first transmit power value using the first received power value; and

updating the initial first transmit power value using at least the second transmit power value.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first transmit power value comprises:

determining a pathloss value using at least the second transmit power value;

the pathloss value being an estimate of a pathloss between the second private access point and the first private access point; and

selecting the first transmit power value using at least one of the pathloss value, the second transmit power value, or the first received power value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second received power value at the first private access point, the second received power value being indicative of a second received power received at the second private access point, the second received power being due to a second noise, the second noise comprising a second ambient noise and a second interference power received from the macro access point; and

wherein selecting the first transmit power value comprises;

selecting the first transmit power value using at least one of the pathloss value, the second transmit power value, the first received power value, or the second received power value.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the first transmit power value comprises:

attempting to increase a first signal to noise ratio at the first private access point and a second signal to noise ratio at the second private access point while attempting to reduce an interference seen by one or more access terminals that communicate with the macro access point, the interference being due to the first private access point and the second private access point.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting the first transmit power value comprises:

determining a first relationship between potential first transmit power values and potential first signal to noise ratio values for the first private access point, the first relationship being determined using at least the pathloss value; and

choosing at least the first transmit power value using at least the first relationship.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a second relationship between potential second transmit power values and potential second signal to noise ratio values for the second private access point;

the second relationship being determined using at least the pathloss value; and

choosing at least the second transmit power value using at least the second relationship.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the pathloss value comprises:

determining a second received power value at the first private access point, the second received power value being associated with the second private access point; and

determining the pathloss value using the transmit power value and the second received power value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the second received power value comprises:

determining the second received power value by at least one of;

measuring a second received power at the first private access point from the second private access point, or

receiving the second received power value from an access terminal communicating with the first private access point in the wireless communication network, the received power value being indicative of a third received power received by the access terminal from the second private access point.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more other transmit power values at the first private access point, the one or more other transmit power values being indicative of one or more other transmit powers of one or more other private access points in the wireless communication network, respectively; and

wherein determining the first transmit power value comprises;

determining the first transmit power value using at least the second transmit power value and the one or more other transmit power values.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, at a first private access point in a wireless communication network, an interference value, the interference value being indicative of an interference generated at a second private access point in the wireless communication network by an access terminal, the access terminal in communication with the first private access point;

determining, at the first private access point, a combined interference value using the interference value, the combined interference value corresponding to the second private access point; and

sending the combined interference value to at least one of the second private access point or a private access point server.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, at the first private access point, a second interference value, the second interference value being indicative of a second interference generated at the second private access point by a second access terminal, the second access terminal in communication with the first private access point; and

wherein determining the combined interference value comprises;

determining, at the first private access point, the combined interference value using the interference value and the second interference value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the combined interference value comprises:

using the interference value as the combined interference value.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first private access point in a wireless communication network, a combined interference value from at least one of a second private access point in the wireless communication network or a private access point server, the combined interference value corresponding to the first private access point;

determining, at the first private access point, a first total interference value using the combined interference value;

measuring, at the first private access point, a second total interference value; and

determining, at the first private access point, a third interference value using the first total interference value and the second total interference value, the third interference value being indicative of a first noise.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, at the first private access point, a second combined interference value from at least one of a third private access point or the private access point server, the second combined interference value corresponding to the first private access point; and

wherein determining the first total interference value comprises;

determining, at the first private access point, the first total interference value using the combined interference value and the second combined interference value.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the combined interference value is determined at the second private access point using an interference value also determined at the second private access point, the interference value being indicative of an interference generated at the first private access point by an access terminal, the access terminal in communication with the second private access point.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, at the first private access point, an interference value, the interference value being indicative of an interference generated at the second private access point by an access terminal, the access terminal in communication with the first private access point;

determining, at the first private access point, a second combined interference value using the interference value, the second combined interference value corresponding to the second private access point; and

sending the second combined interference value to at least one of the second private access point or the private access point server.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first noise comprises a first ambient noise and a first interference power received from at least one macro access terminal, the macro access terminal in communication with a macro access point;

and wherein determining the third interference value comprises;

determining, at the first private access point, the third interference value by subtracting the first total interference value from the second total interference value.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, at the first private access point, an ambient noise value; and

determining, at the first private access point, a macro access terminal interference value by subtracting the ambient noise value from the third interference value.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsively to determining the third interference value, sending a command from the first private access point to an access terminal, the access terminal being in communication with the first private access point, the command being configured to cause the access terminal to adjust a reverse link transmit power of the access terminal.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsively to determining the third interference value, determining, at the first private access point, whether a macro access terminal is present in a communication range of the first private access point; and

if the macro access terminal is present, the macro access terminal having a communication session with a macro access point, initiating a hand-off of the communication session to the first private access point.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the first total interference value comprises:

using the combined interference value as the first total interference value.