Methods and Apparatuses for Interference Coordination in a Telecommunications System

• US 20120156984A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gan, Jiansong, Hiltunen, Kimmo, Liu, Yin, Rcz, Andrs, Zhang, Zhang
• Granted Patent: US 9,088,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and apparatuses (600, 700) for coordinating interference in a telecommunications LTE based system. According to exemplary embodiments, an apparatus acting as a macro radio base station (eNB) (600) is configured to decide on what radio resources to schedule to its UEs and further decide on what resources to leave unutilized. Information on the decided resources is further transmitted in an interference coordinate signalling message, to at least one relay node (RN) (700) via at least one layer (1) control channel. The interference coordination signalling message will assist the RN (700) to make its own scheduling decision based on the information in the signalling message.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for coordinating interference between at least one relay node (RN) and at least one macro radio base station serving said at least one RN and wherein said at least one RN and said at least one macro radio base station are configured to communicate with each other via at least one predefined layer one (L1) control channel, the method comprising:

deciding, in said at least one macro radio base station, on what radio resources to schedule to at least one user equipment, UE, served by the macro radio base station and deciding on what radio resources to leave unutilized; and

transmitting to said at least one RN, via said at least one predefined L1 control channel, an interference coordination signalling message comprising information on said decided radio resources, to assist said at least one RN to make an own scheduling decision based on the information in the interference coordination signalling message, the interference coordination signalling message further indicating a time span over which said interference information in the interference coordination signalling message applies.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein said transmitting comprises selecting to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via either the predefined L1 control channel corresponding the to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) or via the predefined L1 channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) if the same interference coordination signalling message is to be transmitted to a plurality of relay nodes served by the macro radio base station.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein said transmitting comprises selecting to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) if another predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) is limited in capacity or is not fast enough.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein said transmitting comprises selecting to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) if said signalling message is different for different relay nodes.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein said transmitting comprises selecting to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) if another predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) is limited in capacity or is not fast enough.

32. The method according to claim 27, further comprising adjusting the set of unutilized radio resources based on feedback received from said at least one RN.

33. The method according to claim 27, further comprising at least one of:

indicating in the interference coordination signalling message a level of transmission power on each scheduled radio resource; and

indicating a level of interference that can be tolerated or that is caused on said decided radio resources.

34. The method according to claim 27, wherein said transmitting comprises including in the interference coordination signalling message at least one of:

a scheduling restriction to at least one interfered RN; and

an unrestricted scheduling command to at least one un-interfered RN.

35. The method according to claim 27, further comprising indicating in said interference coordination signalling message at least one transmission parameter including information about used or recommended pre-coding matrix or transport format.

36. A method in a relay node (RN) for coordinating interference between the RN and at least one macro radio base station serving said RN and wherein said RN and said at least one macro radio base station are configured to communicate with each other via at least one predefined layer one (L1) control channel, the method comprising:

receiving, via said at least one predefined L1 control channel, an interference coordination signalling message comprising information on what radio resources that the macro radio base station decided to schedule to at least one user equipment (UE) served by the macro radio base station and further comprising information on what radio resources that the macro radio base station decided to leave unutilized, the interference coordination signalling message further indicating a time span over which said interference information in the interference coordination signalling message applies; and

scheduling radio resources to UEs served by the RN based on the information received in the interference coordination signalling message.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein said receiving comprises receiving said interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) or via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

38. A macro radio base station for coordinating interference between said macro radio base station and at least one relay node (RN) served by said macro radio base station and wherein said at least one RN and said macro radio base station are configured to communicate with each other via at least one predefined layer one (L1) control channel, the macro base station comprising:

a scheduler configured to decide on what radio resources to schedule to at least one user equipment (UE) served by the macro radio base station and further configured to decide on what radio resources to leave unutilized; and

a transmitter configured to transmit to said at least one RN, via said at least one predefined L1 control channel, an interference coordination signalling message comprising information on said decided radio resources, to assist said at least one RN to make an own scheduling decision based on the information in the interference coordination signalling message;

wherein the transmitter is further configured to indicate in the interference coordination signalling message a time span over which said interference information in the interference coordination signalling message applies.

39. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, further configured to select to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via either the predefined L1 control channel corresponding the to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH), or via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), if the same interference coordination signalling message is to be transmitted to a plurality of RNs served by the macro radio base station.

40. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, further configured to select to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), if another predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH), is limited in capacity or is not fast enough.

41. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, further configured to select to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH), if said signalling message is different for different RNs.

42. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, further configured to select to transmit the interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH), if another predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), is limited in capacity or is not fast enough.

43. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, further configured to adjust the set of unutilized radio resources based on feedback received from said at least one RN.

44. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, wherein the transmitter is further configured to indicate in the interference coordination signalling message at least one of:

a level of transmission power on each scheduled radio resource; and

a level of interference that can be tolerated or that is caused on said decided radio resources.

45. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, wherein the transmitter is further configured to include in the interference coordination signalling message at least on of:

a scheduling restriction to at least one interfered RN; and

an unrestricted scheduling command to at least one un-interfered RN.

46. The macro radio base station according to claim 38, wherein the transmitter is further configured to indicate in said interference coordination signalling message at least one transmission parameter including information about used or recommended pre-coding matrix or transport format.

47. A relay node (RN) for coordinating interference between the RN, and at least one macro radio base station serving said RN and wherein said the RN and said at least one macro radio base station are configured to communicate with each other via at least one predefined layer one (L1) control channel, the RN comprising:

a receiver configured to receive, via said at least one predefined L1 control channel, an interference coordination signalling message comprising information on what radio resources that the macro radio base station decided to schedule to at least one user equipment (UE) served by the macro radio base station and further comprising information on what radio resources that the macro radio base station decided to leave unutilized, the interference coordination signalling message further indicating a time span over which said interference information in the interference coordination signalling message applies; and

a scheduler configured to schedule radio resources to UEs served by the RN based on the information received in the interference coordination signalling message.

48. The relay node according to claim 47, wherein the receiver is configured to receive said interference coordination signalling message via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a relay physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) or via the predefined L1 control channel corresponding to a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).