Self-Organizing Network Mechanism for Energy Saving During an Outage

• US 20150050925A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Tapia, Pablo
• Granted Patent: US 10,506,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Described herein is a self-organizing network (SON) configured to receive information indicating that access network equipment is experiencing a power outage. In response, the SON determines at least one of a time since the power outage, a present configuration of the access network equipment, a characteristic of the access network equipment, or a value of a performance indicator associated with the access network equipment. The SON then generates an updated configuration of the access network equipment based at least in part on the at least one of the time since the power outage, the present configuration of the access network equipment, the characteristic of the access network equipment, or the value of the performance indicator. Further, the SON then provides the updated configuration to the access network equipment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a self-organizing network (SON), information indicating that access network equipment is experiencing a power outage;

in response to receiving the information, determining, by the SON, at least one of a time since the power outage, a present configuration of the access network equipment, a characteristic of the access network equipment, or a value of a performance indicator associated with the access network equipment;

generating, by the SON, an updated configuration of the access network equipment based at least in part on the at least one of the time since the power outage, the present configuration of the access network equipment, the characteristic of the access network equipment, or the value of the performance indicator; and

providing, by the SON, the updated configuration to the access network equipment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information comprises receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, an alert indicating the power outage.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information comprises receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, performance indicators indicative of the power outage and determining, based on the received performance indicators, the existence of the power outage.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the power outage is either a loss of a main power supply of the access network equipment or a reduction in an available power supply of the access network equipment below a threshold.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises retrieving the value of the performance indicator from the access network equipment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performance indicator is one of a battery level, a fuel level, a generator status, a backup power supply status, a signal-to-noise ration, a bit error rate, a frame error rate, a number of carriers, a number of connections, cellular technology types of the connections, a maximum transmit power, or a maximum bit rate.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic includes backup power resources, cellular technologies supported, or a size of a cell serviced by the access network equipment.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the updated configuration causes the access network equipment to perform at least one of turning off air conditioning, turning off a main power supply, adjusting a voltage of a backup power supply, disconnecting 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, or other cellular or wireless services, shutting down one or more carriers, reducing a maximum transmit power, or adjusting a maximum bit rate.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising periodically repeating the determining, the generating, and the providing while progressively applying changes to the configuration of the access network equipment which degrade service capabilities of access network equipment and save power of access network equipment.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the determining, the generating, and the providing are performed by one or more SON tools of the SON.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the one or more SON tools receive the information and provide the updated configuration through an application programming interface (API) of the SON connecting the one or more SON tools and other SON components.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon programming instructions configured to program one or more computing devices of a SON to perform operations comprising:

receiving information indicating that access network equipment is experiencing a power outage;

in response to receiving the information, determining at least one of a time since the power outage, a present configuration of the access network equipment, a characteristic of the access network equipment, or a value of a performance indicator associated with the access network equipment;

generating an updated configuration of the access network equipment based at least in part on the at least one of the time since the power outage, the present configuration of the access network equipment, the characteristic of the access network equipment, or the value of the performance indicator; and

providing the updated configuration to the access network equipment.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, an alert indicating the power outage, or

receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, performance indicators indicative of the power outage and determining, based on the received performance indicators, the existence of the power outage.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the performance indicator is one of a battery level, a fuel level, a generator status, a backup power supply status, a signal-to-noise ration, a bit error rate, a frame error rate, a number of carriers, a number of connections, cellular technology types of the connections, a maximum transmit power, or a maximum bit rate.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the updated configuration causes the access network equipment to perform at least one of turning off air conditioning, turning off a main power supply, adjusting a voltage of a backup power supply, disconnecting 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, or other cellular or wireless services, shutting down one or more carriers, reducing a maximum transmit power, or adjusting a maximum bit rate.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise periodically repeating the determining, the generating, and the providing while progressively applying changes to the configuration of the access network equipment which degrade service capabilities of access network equipment and save power of access network equipment.

17. A SON comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more SON tools configured to be operated by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

receiving information indicating that access network equipment is experiencing a power outage;

in response to receiving the information, determining at least one of a time since the power outage, a present configuration of the access network equipment, a characteristic of the access network equipment, or a value of a performance indicator associated with the access network equipment; and

generating an updated configuration of the access network equipment based at least in part on the at least one of the time since the power outage, the present configuration of the access network equipment, the characteristic of the access network equipment, or the value of the performance indicator;

providing the updated configuration to the access network equipment; and

periodically repeating the determining, the generating, and the providing while progressively applying changes to the configuration of the access network equipment which degrade service capabilities of access network equipment and save power of access network equipment.

18. The SON of claim 17, wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, an alert indicating the power outage, or

receiving, by a SON tool of the SON, performance indicators indicative of the power outage and determining, based on the received performance indicators, the existence of the power outage.

19. The SON of claim 17, wherein the performance indicator is one of a battery level, a fuel level, a generator status, a backup power supply status, a signal-to-noise ration, a bit error rate, a frame error rate, a number of carriers, a number of connections, cellular technology types of the connections, a maximum transmit power, or a maximum bit rate.

20. The SON of claim 17, wherein the updated configuration causes the access network equipment to perform at least one of turning off air conditioning, turning off a main power supply, adjusting a voltage of a backup power supply, disconnecting 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, or other cellular or wireless services, shutting down one or more carriers, reducing a maximum transmit power, or adjusting a maximum bit rate.