Methods And Apparatus For Optimization Of Femtocell Network Management
First Claim
1. A method of placing a femtocell of a wireless network into a self-coordinated mode of operation, the method comprising:
- signaling a plurality of parameters to the femtocell, the plurality of parameters comprising;
one or more allowed portions of the frequency spectrum to be used;
one or more bandwidth sizes within the allowed portions of the frequency spectrum;
a temporal parameter;
and a maximum allowed transmit power for the femtocell;
wherein the self-coordinated mode of operation for the femtocell enables the femtocell to dynamically alter one or more radio operations constrained at least in part by the plurality of parameters without further exchanges with the network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus that reduce network management overhead required for the operation of wireless femtocells. In one aspect of the invention, a central network entity governs the simultaneous operation of several femtocells by specifying modes of operation, and operational parameters for one or more of the femtocells. In one embodiment, at least one of the specified modes of operation directs a femtocell to operate in a substantially autonomous manner within the network-defined operational parameters. The network-defined constraints are provided to the femtocell for example, responsive to a successful registration attempt.
20 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of placing a femtocell of a wireless network into a self-coordinated mode of operation, the method comprising:
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signaling a plurality of parameters to the femtocell, the plurality of parameters comprising; one or more allowed portions of the frequency spectrum to be used; one or more bandwidth sizes within the allowed portions of the frequency spectrum; a temporal parameter; and a maximum allowed transmit power for the femtocell; wherein the self-coordinated mode of operation for the femtocell enables the femtocell to dynamically alter one or more radio operations constrained at least in part by the plurality of parameters without further exchanges with the network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of determining a plurality of parameters for a self-coordinated mode of operation for a newly deployed femtocell, the method comprising:
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determining a number of active femtocells in a vicinity of the newly deployed femtocell associated with a first wireless network operator; determining a network load parameter; determining whether a given frequency spectrum is shared by other wireless network operators; calculating the plurality of parameters based on the number of active femtocells, the network load parameter, and whether the given frequency spectrum is shared by other wireless network operators; transmitting the plurality of parameters to the newly deployed femtocell enabling operation for the newly deployed femtocell within a coverage area of the number of active femtocells. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. Femtocell apparatus capable of operating in a self-coordinated mode of operation, the apparatus comprising:
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a processing device in data communication with a memory; a wireless subsystem; a network interface subsystem capable of communication with a central network entity of a wireless network; and a plurality of executable instructions resident within the memory that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to; receive a plurality of parameters from the central network entity via the network interface subsystem; autonomously select a frequency part and a size for the operation of the femtocell apparatus based at least in part on the received plurality of parameters; enable the self-coordinated mode of operation based on the selected frequency part and size for the femtocell apparatus, wherein the femtocell is configured to dynamically alter one or more radio operations constrained at least in part by the plurality of parameters without further exchanges with the network. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 25, 29, 30)
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14-23. -23. (canceled)
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24. A method of operating a femtocell in a self-coordinated mode, the method comprising:
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receiving a plurality of parameters from a central network entity of a wireless network; selecting one or more radio resources for femtocell operation based at least in part on the received plurality of parameters; and responsive to a first trigger condition, re-selecting a one or more radio resources for femtocell operation based at least in part on the received plurality of parameters.
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- 26. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the scan includes identifying cell identifications for each eNodeB of an LTE compliant network within a range of the apparatus.
Specification