Determination of neighbour cells in a base station

• US 6,298,219 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Patronen, Petri, Silventoinen, Marko, Suhonen, Aki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC M
• Application Number:
  US09/242,412
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/446, 455/447, 455/448, 455/449, 455/436, 455/67-- 6, 455/561, 455/562
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the determination of neighbours of a sub-cell (122C) in a cellular radio network base station (100) applying dynamic channel allocation, and to a base station (100) implementing the method. The base station (100) comprises at least two sub-cells (122A, 122B, 122C). Each sub-cell (122A, 122B, 122C) comprises an antenna unit (118A, 118B, 118C) with a fixed connection to the base station (100). A transceiver (TRX1-TRX2-TRXN) is used for transmitting a signal through an antenna unit (118A, 118B, 118C). A measurement unit (124) measures through the antenna unit (118A, 118B, 118C) the reception power of the received signal. The invention is characterized in that a transceiver (TRX1) is used for transmitting a test signal (200) through the antenna unit of the sub-cell (122C) under examination. The test signal (200) is received though the antenna units (118A, 118B) of the of the sub-cells (122A, 122B). The measurement unit (124) measures through the antenna units (118A, 118B) of the other sub-cells (122A, 122B) the reception power of the received test signal (200). Lastly, on the basis of the reception powers of the test signal (200) measured in the control unit (114), the sub-cells (122B) that are neighbours of the sub-cell (122C) under examination arm determined.

Claims

1. A method for the determination of neighbours of a sub-cell in a cellular radio network base station comprising:

transmitting a test signal with a transceiver through an antenna unit of a sub-cell under examination;

receiving the test signal through antenna units of other sub-cells;

measuring with a measurement unit a reception power of the test signal received through the antenna units of the other sub-cells;

determining neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination based on the measured reception powers of the test signal;

dividing the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination into classes, the limits of which being determined based on the measured reception powers; and

determining which classes are neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell based on the volume of traffic traversing the base station at a particular moment,

wherein, the less traffic, the more classes are determined as neighbour sub-cells and the more traffic, the less classes are determined as neighbour sub-cells.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured reception powers in the other sub-cells are measured consecutively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured reception powers in as many of the other sub-cells as possible are measured simultaneously.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of sub-cells with the best measured reception power are determined as neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sub-cells in which the measured reception power exceeds a predetermined threshold value are determined as neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination are determined at regular intervals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination are determined when the network operator issues a command to that effect to the base station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination are determined when the base station is started up.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination are automatically determined when a new sub-cell is added to the base station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein neighbour sub-cells in which propagation of radio waves is severely blocked are determined manually.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination is repeated more often in a class with the highest measured reception power than in other classes, the test signal being received only through the antenna units of the sub-cells belonging to the class with the highest measured reception power.

12. A cellular radio network base station comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit as directed by a control unit a test signal through an antenna unit of a sub-cell under examination connected via a switching field;

antenna units of other sub-cells configured to receive the test signal;

a measurement unit configured to measure a reception power of the test signal received through the antenna units of the other sub-cells; and

a control unit configured to determine neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination based on the measured reception powers of the test signal, the control unit further being configured to divide the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell into classes, the limits of which are determined based on the measured reception powers; and

the control unit further configured to determine based on the volume of traffic traversing the base station the classes that are neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell at a particular moment,

wherein the less traffic, the more classes are determined as neighbour sub-cells and the more traffic, the less classes are determined as neighbour sub-cells.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the measurement unit is configured to measure the reception powers consecutively.

14. The base station of claim 12, wherein the measurement unit is configured to simultaneously measure the reception powers in as many of the other sub-cells as possible.

15. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to determine a predetermined number of sub-cells with the best measured reception power as neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination.

16. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the sub-cells in which the measured reception power exceeds a predetermined threshold value as neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination.

17. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination at regular intervals.

18. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination when the network operator issues a command to that effect to the base station.

19. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination when the base station is started up.

20. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to automatically determine the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination when a new sub-cell is added to the base station.

21. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured in such a way that neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination in which the propagation of radio waves is severely blocked are determined manually.

22. The base station of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to repeat the determination of the neighbour sub-cells of the sub-cell under examination more often in the class with the highest measured reception power than in the others, the test signal being only received through the antenna units of the sub-cells belonging to the class with the highest measured reception power.