Radio resource allocation method and base station using the same

• US 7,130,638 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Lan, Yamao, Yasushi, Umeda, Narumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Matthew D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Yuwen
• Application Number:
  US10/020,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/452, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/455, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/509, 455/512, 455/513, 455/516, 455/517, 455/525, 455/63.1
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

In a radio resource allocation method of the present invention, use-state information of radio resources and priority information of mobile stations using the same radio resources of both a base station of concern and neighboring base stations is detected at the base station of concern. A new radio resource is allocated to a link between the base station of concern and a requesting mobile station in a cell site of the base station of concern based on the use-state information and the priority information of both the base station and the neighboring base stations.

Claims

1. A resource allocation method for a base station to allocate a new radio resource to a link between the base station and a requesting mobile station in a cell site of the base station, comprising the steps of:

causing the base station to detect use-state information of radio resources in the cell site of the base station of concern and in respective cell sites of neighboring base stations and priority information of mobile stations using the same radio resource of both the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations by accessing an external radio resource management table;

causing the base station to determine whether an up/down link direction related to a non-allocated radio resource in the cell site of the base station of concern is the same as an up-down link direction related to an allocated radio resource in one of the cell sites of the neighboring base stations;

causing the base station to allocate a new radio resource to the link between the base station of concern and the requesting mobile station based on both the use-state information and the priority information in said detecting step and based on a result of the determination in said determining step;

causing the base station to determine whether a level of priority of the requesting mobile station is higher than a level of priority of each of the mobile stations using the radio resources allocated in the cell sites of the neighboring base stations, based on the priority information related to the base station of concern and the priority information related to the neighboring base stations; and

causing the base station to determine whether allocation of the non-allocated radio resource in the cell site of the base station of concern to the link is possible.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a radio network controller maintains a radio resource management table, and, in said detecting step, the base station of concern detects the use-state information and the priority information from the radio resource management table of the radio network controller by sending an inquiry from the base station of concern to the radio network controller.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a radio network controller maintains a radio resource management table, and, when the radio resource allocation and radio resource releasing are performed, the base station of concern transmits a radio resource notification to the radio network controller so that the radio resource management table is updated.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations maintains the use-state information of that base station and the priority information of the mobile stations related to that base station, and, in said detecting step, the base station of concern detects the use-state information and the priority information from the respective neighboring base stations by sending an inquiry from the base station of concern to each of the respective neighboring base stations.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, when transmitting the inquiry, the use-station information or the priority information between the base station of concern and each of the neighboring base stations, a dedicated radio channel is used as a path of the data transmission.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations maintains the use-state information of that base station and the priority information of the mobile stations related to that base station, and, when an inquiry from one of the neighboring base stations is received at the base station of concern, the base station of concern transmits to said one of the neighboring base stations the use-state information and the priority information both related to the base station of concern.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, when transmitting the use-station information or the priority information between the base station of concern and said one of the neighboring base stations, a dedicated radio channel is used as a path of the data transmission.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein respective identifications of the neighboring base stations are predetermined and recorded, in advance, in the base station of concern.

9. A base station including a resource allocation control unit which allocates a new radio resource to a link between the base station and a requesting mobile station in a cell site of the base station, the resource allocation control unit comprising:

a first unit detecting use-state information of radio resources in the cell site of the base station of concern and in respective cell sites of neighboring base stations and priority information of mobile stations using the same radio resources of both the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations by accessing an external radio resource management table;

a second unit allocating a new radio resource to the link between the base station of concern and the requesting mobile station based on the use-state information and the priority information;

a determining unit determining whether a an up/down link direction related to a non-allocated radio resource in the cell site of the base station of concern is the same as an up/down link direction related to an allocated radio resource in one of the cell sites of the neighboring base stations, wherein

said second unit allocates the new radio resource to the link based on both the use-state information and the priority information detected by the first unit and based on a result of the determination provided by the determining unit;

a third unit determining whether a level of priority of the requesting mobile station is higher than a level of priority of each of the mobile stations using the radio resources allocated in the cell sites of the neighboring base stations, based on the priority information related to the base station of concern and the priority information related to the neighboring base stations; and

a fourth unit determining whether allocation of the non-allocated radio resource in the cell site of the base station of concern to the link is possible.

10. The base station according to claim 9, wherein a radio network controller maintains a radio resource management table, and, said first unit detects the use-state information and the priority information from the radio resource management table of the radio network controller by sending an inquiry from the base station of concern to the radio network controller.

11. The base station according to claim 9, wherein a radio network controller maintains a radio resource management table, and, when the radio resource allocation and radio resource releasing are performed, the resource allocation control unit transmits a radio resource notification to the radio network controller so that the radio resource management table is updated.

12. The base station according to claim 9, wherein each of the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations maintains the use-state information of that base station and the priority information of the mobile stations related to that base station, and said first unit detects the use-state information and the priority information from the respective neighboring base stations by sending an inquiry from the base station of concern to each of the respective neighboring base stations.

13. The base station according to claim 12, wherein, when transmitting the inquiry, the use-station information or the priority information between the base station of concern and each of the neighboring base stations, a dedicated radio channel is used as a path of the data transmission.

14. The base station according to claim 9, wherein each of the base station of concern and the neighboring base stations maintains the use-state information of that base station and the priority information of the mobile stations related to that base station, and, when an inquiry from one of the neighboring base stations is received at the base station of concern, the base station of concern transmits to said one of the neighboring base stations the use-state information and the priority information both related to the base station of concern.

15. The base station according to claim 14, wherein, when transmitting the use-station information or the priority information between the base station of concern and said one of the neighboring base stations, a dedicated radio channel is used as a path of the data transmission.

16. The base station according to claim 9, wherein respective identifications of the neighboring base stations are predetermined and recorded, in advance, in the base station of concern.