FREQUENCY ALLOCATION METHOD AND APPARATUS IN MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20130150059A1
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Young-Je
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/082 among bearers or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for Frequency Allocation (FA) in a mobile communication system which separates a Radio Frequency (RF) unit and a digital unit are provided. A method of a digital central office including a plurality of channel cards includes processing signals of a plurality of cells corresponding to a plurality of RF units through the channel cards, measuring loads of the cells through the channel cards, determining FA per cell by considering the measured loads per cell, and operating the channel cards according to the determined FA per cell.

Claims

1. A method of a digital central office comprising a plurality of channel cards in a mobile communication system which separates a Radio Frequency (RF) unit and a digital unit, the method comprising:

processing signals of a plurality of cells corresponding to a plurality of RF units through the channel cards;

measuring loads of the cells through the channel cards;

determining Frequency Allocation (FA) per cell by considering the measured loads per cell; and

operating the channel cards according to the determined FA per cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the FA per cell by considering the measured loads per cell comprises:

determining whether to increase or decrease FA of a corresponding cell by comparing the load of the corresponding cell with a preset threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating of the channel cards comprises:

when determining to increase the FA of the corresponding cell, allocating and operating at least one channel card currently allocable, among the channel cards, to the corresponding cell; and

when determining to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell, deallocating at least one channel card allocated to the corresponding cell.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether to increase or decrease the FA of the corresponding cell comprises:

comparing the load of the corresponding cell with a preset extension threshold;

when the load of the corresponding cell is greater than the extension threshold, determining to increase the FA of the corresponding cell; and

determining a number of FAs to add by considering the extension threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

comparing the number of the FAs to add with a number of channels cards currently allocable;

when the number of the channel cards currently allocable is greater than the number of the FAs to add, selecting as many channel cards as the number of FAs to add among the channel cards currently allocable; and

determining any selected channel card as the channel card of the corresponding cell.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

when the number of the channel cards currently allocable is smaller than the number of the FAs to add, waiting until the number of the channel cards currently allocable is greater than or equal to the number of the FAs to add.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of whether to increase or decrease the FA of the corresponding cell comprises:

comparing the load of the corresponding cell with a preset reduction threshold;

when the load of the corresponding cell is smaller than the reduction threshold, determining to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell; and

determining a number of FAs to release by considering the reduction threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting as many FAs as the number of FAs to release among FAs allocated to the corresponding cell;

preventing a call access of any selected FA;

waiting until a call connected to any selected FA ends; and

determining to deallocate a channel card corresponding to any selected FA.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

when determining to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell, determining whether a plurality of FAs is allocated to the corresponding cell; and

when a plurality of FAs is not allocated to the corresponding cell, maintaining the FA allocated to the corresponding cell.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring of the loads of the cells through the channel cards comprises:

measuring loads of FAs corresponding to the channel cards through the channel cards; and

determining the load per cell using the measured loads of the FAs.

11. An apparatus of a digital central office comprising a plurality of channel cards in a mobile communication system which separates a Radio Frequency (RF) unit and a digital unit, the apparatus comprising:

the channel cards for processing signals of a plurality of cells corresponding to a plurality of RF units, and for measuring loads of the cells; and

a Frequency Allocation (FA) manager for determining FA per cell by considering the measured loads per cell, and for operating the channel cards according to the determined FA per cell.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the FA manager determines whether to increase or decrease FA of a corresponding cell by comparing the load of the corresponding cell with a preset threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, when determining to increase the FA of the corresponding cell, the FA manager allocates and operates at least one channel card currently allocable, among the channel cards, to the corresponding cell, and

wherein, when determining to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell, the FA manager deallocates at least one channel card allocated to the corresponding cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the FA manager compares the load of the corresponding cell with a preset extension threshold, determines to increase the FA of the corresponding cell when the load of the corresponding cell is greater than the extension threshold, and determines a number of FAs to add by considering the extension threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the FA manager compares the number of the FAs to add with a number of channels cards currently allocable, when the number of the channel cards currently allocable is greater than the number of the FAs to add, selects as many channel cards as the number of FAs to add among the channel cards currently allocable, and determines any selected channel card as the channel card of the corresponding cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the number of the channel cards currently allocable is smaller than the number of the FAs to add, the FA manager waits until the number of the channel cards currently allocable is greater than or equal to the number of the FAs to add.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the FA manager compares the load of the corresponding cell with a preset reduction threshold, determines to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell when the load of the corresponding cell is smaller than the reduction threshold, and determines a number of FAs to release by considering the reduction threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the FA manager prevents a call access of any selected FA by selecting as many FAs as the number of FAs to release among the FAs allocated to the corresponding cell, and determines to deallocate a channel card corresponding to any selected FA by waiting until a call connected to the selected FA ends.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, when determining to decrease the FA of the corresponding cell, the FA manager determines whether a plurality of FAs is allocated to the corresponding cell, and maintains the FA allocated to the corresponding cell when a plurality of FAs is not allocated to the corresponding cell.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a load monitor for determining the load per cell using loads of FAs measured through the channel cards.