Systems and Methods for Power Control in Wireless Networks

• US 20140171081A1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cozzo, Carmela, Ma, Xueli, Wang, Fan
• Granted Patent: US 10,091,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 taking into account path loss
• 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]

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for adjusting a transmission power level at a user equipment (UE). An embodiment method by a network includes sending, to the UE, a first indication for a transmission power level. The transmission power level is for a transmission from the UE to a base station. The method further includes sending a second indication for the transmission power to the base station. The UE receives the indication for the transmission power level, and applies the transmission power level on uplink from the UE to the base station. The UE is located between the base station and a radio node and transmits on uplink to the base station and the radio node.

Claims

1. A method by a network component for adjusting a transmission power level at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

sending, to the UE, a first indication for a transmission power level, wherein the transmission power level is for a transmission from the UE to a base station; and

sending a second indication for the transmission power to the base station,

wherein the UE is located between the base station and a radio node and transmits on uplink to the base station and the radio node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication indicates an absolute transmission power value for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE to the base station, and wherein the second indication indicates the same absolute transmission power value for the DPCCH.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication indicates an offset value for adjusting transmission power for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE to the base station, and wherein the second indication indicates the same offset value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication indicates an absolute transmission power value for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE to the base station, and wherein the second indication indicates an absolute value or an offset value for a signal to interference ratio (SIR) target for the base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication indicates an absolute value or an offset value for a signal to interference ratio (SIR) target for the UE, and wherein the second indication indicates the same absolute value or offset value for the SIR target.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is in a soft handover (SHO) area between the base station and a low power node (LPN), at a closer distance to the LPN than the base station, in a heterogeneous network deployment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network component is a radio network controller (RNC), and wherein the first indication and the second indication are sent via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication and the second indication are sent at about the same time.

9. A network component for adjusting a transmission power level at a user equipment (UE), the network component comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

send, to the UE, a first indication for a transmission power level, wherein the transmission power level is for a transmission from the UE to a base station serving the UE; and

send a second indication for the transmission power to the base station,

wherein the UE is located between the base station and a radio node and transmits on uplink to the base station and the radio node.

10. The network component of claim 9, wherein the UE is in a soft handover (SHO) area between the base station and a low power node (LPN), at a closer distance to the LPN than the base station, in a heterogeneous network deployment.

11. The network component of claim 9, wherein the network component is a radio network controller (RNC), and wherein the first indication and the second indication are sent via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

12. A method by a user equipment (UE) for transmission power control, the method comprising:

receiving, from a network, an indication for a transmission power level, wherein the transmission power level is for a transmission from the UE to a base station; and

applying the transmission power level on uplink from the UE to the base station,

wherein the UE is located between the base station and a radio node and transmits on uplink to the base station and the radio node.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the radio node is a low power node (LPN) and the base station is a macro cell NodeB, and wherein the UE is located in a soft handover (SHO) area between the macro cell NodeB and the LPN where a path loss from the UE to the macro cell NodeB is larger than to the LPN.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication indicates an absolute transmission power value for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting on the DPCCH at the absolute power value.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication indicates an offset value for adjusting transmission power for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE, and wherein the method further comprises:

modifying, by the offset value, a power level of the DPCCH currently set at the UE; and

transmitting on the DPCCH in uplink at the modified power level of the DPCCH.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication indicates an absolute transmission power value for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) on uplink from the UE or an offset value for adjusting transmission power for the DPCCH, and wherein the method further comprises:

modifying a power level of the DPCCH currently set at the UE to meet the absolute power value or by the offset value; and

after for a predefined time period, transmitting on the DPCCH to the base station at the modified power level of the DPCCH.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication indicates an absolute value or an offset value for a signal to interference ratio (SIR) target for the UE, and wherein the method further comprises:

deriving a power level of a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) as a function of the indication for the SIR target; and

transmitting on the DPCCH in uplink at the derived power level of the DPCCH.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting on the uplink at the transmission power level after a predefined time period.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving, from the network, a second indication for the transmission power level, wherein the indication indicates an absolute transmission power value for a dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) or an offset value for adjusting the transmission power for DPCCH on uplink from the UE, and wherein the second indication indicates an absolute value or an offset value for a signal to interference ratio (SIR) target for the UE, and wherein the method further comprises:

deriving a power level for the dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) as a function of the indication for the SIR target; and

transmitting on the DPCCH in uplink at the derived power level of the DPCCH.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein a second indication for the transmission power level is sent to the base station, and wherein the transmission power level is applied on uplink at the UE at about the same time or at a same time slot the base station applies the second indication for the transmission power level.

21. A user equipment (UE) with adjustable transmission power control, the UE comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to;

receive, from a network, an indication for a transmission power level, wherein the transmission power level is for a transmission from the UE to a base station serving the UE; and

apply the transmission power level on uplink from the UE to the base station,

wherein the UE is located between the base station and a radio node and transmits on uplink to the base station and the radio node.

22. The UE of claim 21, wherein the radio node is a low power node (LPN) and the base station is a macro cell NodeB, and wherein the UE is located in a soft handover (SHO) area between the macro cell NodeB and the LPN where a path loss from the UE to the macro cell NodeB is larger than to the LPN.

23. The UE of claim 21, wherein the base station is a NodeB and the radio node is a second NodeB, and wherein the UE is located between the NodeB and the second NodeB where a path loss from the UE to the NodeB is larger than to the second NodeB.