System and Method for Self-Organized Inter-Cell Interference Coordination

• US 20120028584A1
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ma, Jianglei, Zhang, Liqing, Chao, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 9,585,024 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/29 between an access point and the access point controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A system and method for self-organized inter-cell interference coordination are provided. A method for controller operations includes receiving signal power measurements at a controller, determining an interference level based on the signal power measurements, generating relationship information based on the interference level, and determining frequency reuse modes for communications controllers controlled by the controller based on the relationship information.

Claims

1. A method for controller operations, the method comprising:

receiving signal power measurements at a controller;

determining an interference level based on the signal power measurements;

generating relationship information based on the interference level; and

determining frequency reuse modes for communications controllers controlled by the controller based on the relationship information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the determining, the generating, and the determining are repeated upon an occurrence of a time event or a trigger event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the determining, the generating, and the determining are repeated upon an occurrence of a trigger event, wherein the trigger event comprises the interference level at one or more communications controllers exceeding an interference threshold, an error rate of transmissions at one or more communications controllers exceeding an error threshold, handovers failure rates at one or more communications controllers exceeding an handover threshold, receipt of an instruction to perform frequency reuse mode optimization, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal power measurements are signal power measurements made over an extended period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal power measurements are made by communications device served by the communications controllers controlled by the controller.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal power measurements are in response to a Reference Signal Received Power instruction from the communications controllers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating relationship information comprises:

generating neighbor information based on the interference level; and

generating the relationship information based on the neighbor information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting frequency reuse modes comprises using a centralized selection algorithm, a distributed selection algorithm, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining frequency reuse modes comprises selecting frequency reuse modes for a communications controller to minimize interference with neighboring communications controllers of the communications controller.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining frequency reuse modes comprises sending the relationship information to a coordinating controller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining frequency reuse modes further comprises receiving frequency reuse modes from the coordinating controller.

12. A controller comprising:

a receiver configured to receive signal power measurements;

an interference estimate unit coupled to the receiver, the interference estimate unit configured to determine an interference level based on the signal power measurements;

a relationship information generate unit coupled to the interference estimate unit, the relationship information generate unit configured to generate relationship information based on the interference level; and

a frequency reuse select unit coupled to the relationship information generate unit, the frequency reuse select unit configured to select frequency reuse modes for communications controllers controlled by the controller based on the relationship information.

13. The controller of claim 12, wherein the relationship information generate unit comprises:

a neighbor information generate unit configured to generate neighbor information based on the interference level; and

a mutual relationship information generate unit coupled to the neighbor information generate unit, the mutual relationship information generate unit configured to generate the relationship information based on the neighbor information.

14. The controller of claim 12, wherein the frequency reuse select unit selects the frequency reuse modes to minimize interference with neighboring communications controllers of a communications controller.

15. A communications system comprising a plurality of communications controllers with each communications controller configured to control communications of at least one communications device coupled to the communications controller, and to perform interference self-coordination for the at least one communications device coupled to the communications controller.

16. The communications system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of communications controllers are coupled together with a communications interface for carrying interference self-coordination information.

17. The communications system of claim 15, further comprising a coordinating controller coupled to the plurality of communications controllers, the coordinating controller configured to provide global frequency reuse mode planning and optimizing for the plurality of communications controllers.

18. The communications system of claim 17, wherein global frequency reuse mode planning and optimizing comprises selecting frequency reuse modes for each communications controller of the plurality of communications controllers, and wherein the selecting is based on relationship information derived from signal power measurements made by a subset of a plurality of communications devices in the communications system.

19. The communications system of claim 18, wherein the global frequency reuse mode planning and optimizing is based on information provided by the plurality of communications controllers.

20. The communications system of claim 15, further comprising an intermediate coordinating controller coupled to a subset of communications controllers in the plurality of communications controllers, the intermediate coordinating controller configured to provide frequency reuse mode planning and optimizing for the subset of communications controllers.

21. The communications system of claim 20, wherein the intermediate coordinating controller provides self-organized frequency reuse planning.

22. The communications system of claim 20, wherein the intermediate coordinating controller provides slow frequency reuse mode optimizing.

23. The communications system of claim 20, wherein the communications system comprises a plurality of intermediate coordinating controllers, and wherein the communications system further comprises a higher intermediate coordinating controller coupled to a subset of intermediate coordinating controllers in the plurality of intermediate coordinating controllers, the higher intermediate coordinating controller configured to provide frequency reuse mode planning and optimizing for the subset of intermediate communications controllers.