Method and system for real time cellular network configuration

• US 6,832,074 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Telcordia Technologies Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: White, Robert, Borras-Chia, Joan, Wilkes, Joseph, Lemberg, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US10/287,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.13, 455/450, 455/456.2, 455/428, 455/446, 455/447, 455/452.1, 455/67.11, 455/63.1, 455/62, 455/63.2
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A method and system for automatically configuring the frequency allocation within a cellular system or network. The method requires the collection of measurements from different parts of a cellular network, generating statistics from these measurements, and combining these statistics with inventory, propagation and geographic data. The combined data is used as input to a frequency allocation algorithm. As a result, the allocation algorithm produces a frequency configuration set, a quality measure of the configuration proposed and/or a set of recommendations that is fed back to the cellular base stations to re-allocate the frequency usage in a plurality of cells.

Claims

1. A method of allocating frequencies in a cellular communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving from a plurality of mobile stations the measured received signal strength indicators for each frequency available for use by such mobile stations across a plurality of cellular base stations each having a plurality of transceivers;

calculating a value representing the interference level for each frequency available for use in each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations;

selecting one transceiver in one of said cellular base stations;

identifying a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level value for said selected transceiver;

determining whether said identified frequency is an available frequency for said selected transceiver and, if it is, making said identified frequency the new allocated frequency for said one transceiver; and

repeating said selecting, identifying, and determining steps for a plurality of said transceivers in said plurality of cellular base stations.

2. A method of allocating frequencies in a cellular communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving from a plurality of mobile stations the measured received strength indicators for each frequency available for use by such mobile stations across a plurality of cellular base stations each having a plurality of transceivers;

calculating a value representing the interference level for each frequency available for use in each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations, said calculating step is comprising the steps of;

calculating a first interference level at a transceiver in one of said cellular base stations for one of said available frequencies caused by all other of said transceivers in said cellular base stations from which measurements have been reported;

calculating a second interference level value caused by said one transceiver at all other transceivers in said cellular base stations for said one frequency;

summing the first and second interference level values to create a total interference level value for said one frequency; and

repeating said calculating a first interference level value, said calculating a second interference level value, and said summing steps for each of said available frequencies;

selecting a transceiver in one of said cellular base stations;

identifying a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level value for said selected transceiver;

determining whether said identified frequency is an available frequency for said selected transceiver and, if it is, making said identified frequency the new allocated frequency for said selected transceiver; and

repeating said identifying and determining steps for each of said transceivers in said plurality of base stations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of selecting a transceiver in one of said cellular base stations comprises selecting said selected transceiver at random.

4. A computer program product comprising a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to:

receive from a plurality of mobile stations the measured received signal strength indicator for each frequency available for use by such mobile stations across a plurality of cellular base stations each having a plurality of transceivers;

calculate a value representing the interference level for each frequency available for use in each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations;

store said values in computer memory;

select, at random, one transceiver in one of said cellular base stations;

identify a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level value for said selected transceiver;

determine whether said identified frequency is an available frequency for said selected transceiver and, if it is, making said identified frequency the new allocated frequency; and

repeating said selecting, identifying, and determining steps for a plurality of said transceivers in said plurality of cellular base stations.

5. A computer program product comprising a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to:

receive from a plurality of mobile stations the measured received signal strength indicator for each frequency available for use by such mobile stations across a plurality of cellular base stations each having a plurality of transceivers;

calculate a value representing the interference level for each frequency available for use in each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations, said computer readable program code means for causing the computer to calculate a value representing the interference level for each frequency available further comprising program code to;

calculate a first interference level value at a transceiver for one of said available frequencies caused by all other of said transceivers in said cellular base stations from which measurements have been reported;

calculate a second interference level value caused by said transceiver at all other transceivers for said one frequency;

sum the first and second interference level values to create a total interference level value for said one frequency; and

repeat the process of calculating a first interference level value, calculating a second interference level value, and summing such values for each of said available frequencies;

storing said values in computer memory;

select, at random one transceiver in one of said cellular base stations;

identify a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level value for said selected transceiver;

determine whether said identified frequency is an available frequency for said selected transceiver and, if it is, making said identified frequency the new allocated frequency; and

repeating said selecting, identifying, and determining steps for a plurality of said transceivers in said plurality of cellular base stations.

6. A method of allocating frequencies in a cellular communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving from a plurality of mobile stations measured received signal strength indicators for each frequency available for use by such mobile stations across a plurality of cellular base stations each having a plurality of transceivers;

calculating a value representing the interference level for each frequency available in each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations, said calculating step comprising;

calculating a first interference level at a transceiver for one of said available frequencies caused by all other of said transceivers in said cellular base stations from which measurements have been reported;

calculating a second interference level value caused by said one transceiver at all the other transceivers for said one frequency;

summing the first and second interference level values to create a total interference level value for said one frequency; and

repeating said calculating a first interference level value, said calculating a second interference level value, and said summing steps for each of said available frequencies;

identifying a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level for a plurality of transceivers in said cellular base stations; and

determining whether said identified frequencies are available frequencies for individual ones of said plurality of transceivers and, if so, making said identified frequencies the new allocated frequencies for said individual ones of said plurality of transceivers.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said identifying step identifies a frequency with the lowest calculated interference level for each of said transceivers in said cellular base stations.