Method and system for adaptive modification of cell boundary

• US 7,962,132 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Brunner, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D
• Application Number:
  US11/469,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20080057933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/522, 455/436, 455/442, 455/453
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/06 Hybrid resource partitioning, e.g. channel borrowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/08 Load shedding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/20 for optimising the interference level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink 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 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 Power control of control or pilot channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 during macro-diversity or soft handoff

Abstract

A method and system for reducing interference in a cellular radio communications network. At least one parameter affecting user terminals within a cell is adjusted such that the cell boundary is modified, such that interference in the network is reduced. In alternative embodiments the at least one parameter is adjusted adaptively.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a terminal, an indication that the terminal is communicating in parallel with two or more cells in a region where cell boundaries corresponding to each of the two or more cells overlap;

receiving, from the terminal, a report of at least one parameter associated with each of the two or more cells;

determining resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells; and

adjusting at least one parameter of at least one of the two or more cells to modify a cell boundary of any of the two or more cells such that the terminal receives the signal from a single one of the two or more cells in response to determining the resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting occurs in response to determining the at least one of the two or more cells that is providing least resources to the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measurement report includes at least one of an identification of the two or more cells, pilot power for each of the two or more cells, or pilot power for one or more cells adjacent to the two or more cells.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the antenna parameter includes an antenna downtilt, an antenna azimuth, an antenna pattern, an antenna height, or an antenna location.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a pilot power of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting a pilot power and an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a level of resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the level of resources includes a number of terminals being served by each of the two or more cells, a throughput for each of the two or more cells, transmission power for each of the two or more cells, or a combination thereof.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a cell providing least resources to the terminal of the two or more cells; and

modifying a cell boundary of the cell providing the least resources to exclude the terminal.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

randomly selecting the at least one of the two or more cells in response to determining that each of the two or more cells provide substantially equal resources to the terminal.

49. The method of claim 1, wherein the resources includes a number of terminals being served by each of the two or more cells, a total cell throughput, a function of a total terminal throughput and total terminal transmission power, or combinations thereof.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving an identification that two or more cells are transmitting in parallel a signal to a terminal over different channels on a single frequency in a region where cell boundaries corresponding to each of the two or more cells overlap;

receiving a report of at least one parameter associated with each of the two or more cells;

determining resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells; and

adjusting at least one parameter of any of the two or more cells such that the terminal receives the signal from a single to one of the two or more cells in response to determining the resources.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the adjusting the at least one parameter includes modifying a cell boundary of the least one of the two or more cells to redistribute a cell load and reduce interference.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the interference is inter-cell interference generated by two or more terminals.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one parameter is a transmission parameter.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmission parameter includes at least one of a pilot power, a total transmission power, or a data channel power.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising adaptively adjusting the at least one parameter in response to the terminal or other terminals joining or leaving the two or more cells.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the at least one parameter includes:

determining a cell providing least resources of the two or more cells; and

adaptively adjusting the at least one parameter of the cell providing the least resources, thereby modifying the cell boundary of the cell providing the least resources, such that the terminal is no longer served by the cell providing the least resources.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

adaptively adjusting the at least one parameter of one of the two or more cells, thereby modifying the cell boundary of the two or more cells, such that the terminal is served by the one of the two or more cells.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one parameter includes pilot power.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the at least one parameter includes:

determining that the two or more cells are providing equal resources;

adaptively adjusting the at least one parameter of a randomly selected cell of the two or more cells, thereby modifying the cell boundary of each of the two or more cells, such that the terminal is served by the randomly selected cell.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one parameter includes pilot power.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter is an antenna parameter.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the antenna parameter includes at least one of an antenna downtilt, an antenna azimuth, an antenna pattern, an antenna height, or an antenna location.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising adaptively adjusting the at least one parameter in response to a performance measurement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the identification includes receiving a performance measurement from the terminal.

27. A controller, comprising:

means for receiving, from a terminal, an indication that the terminal is communicating in parallel with two or more cells in a region where cell boundaries corresponding to each of the two or more cells overlap;

means for receiving, from the terminal, a report of at least one parameter associated with each of the two or more cells;

means for determining resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells; and

means for adjusting at least one parameter of at least one of the two or more cells to modify a cell boundary of any of the two or more cells such that the terminal receives the signal from a single one of the two or more cells in response to determining the resources.

28. The controller of claim 27, wherein the means for receiving the indication is further configured to receive a measurement report from the terminal.

29. The controller of claim 28, wherein the measurement report includes at least one of an identification of the two or more cells, pilot power for each of the two or more cells, or pilot power for one or more cells adjacent to the two or more cells.

30. The controller of claim 27, further comprising means for adjusting an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

31. The controller of claim 30, wherein the antenna parameter includes an antenna downtilt, an antenna azimuth, an antenna pattern, an antenna height, or an antenna location.

32. The controller of claim 27, further comprising:

means for adjusting a pilot power of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

33. The controller of claim 27, further comprising:

means for adjusting a pilot power and an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

34. The controller of claim 27, further comprising:

means for determining a level of resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells.

35. The controller of claim 34, wherein the level of resources includes a number of terminals being served by each of the two or more cells, a throughput for each of the two or more cells, transmission power for each of the two or more cells, or a combination thereof.

36. The controller of claim 27, further comprising:

means for identifying a cell providing least resources to the terminal of the two or more cells; and

means for modifying a cell boundary of the cell providing the least resources to exclude the terminal.

37. The controller of claim 27, further comprising:

means for randomly selecting the at least one of the two or more cells in response to determining that each of the two or more cells provide substantially equal resources to the terminal.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting a pilot power and an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

38. An article of manufacture including a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a terminal, an indication that the terminal is communicating in parallel with two or more cells in a region where cell boundaries corresponding to each of the two or more cells overlap;

receiving, from the terminal, a report of at least one parameter associated with each of the two or more cells;

determining resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells; and

adjusting at least one parameter of at least one of the two or more cells to modify a cell boundary of any of the two or more cells such that the terminal receives the signal from a single one of the two or more cells in response to determining the resources.

39. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a measurement report from the terminal.

40. The article of manufacture of claim 39, wherein the measurement report includes at least one of an identification of the two or more cells, pilot power for each of the two or more cells, or pilot power for one or more cells adjacent to the two or more cells.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting an antenna parameter of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the antenna parameter includes an antenna downtilt, an antenna azimuth, an antenna pattern, an antenna height, or an antenna location.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting a pilot power of the at least one of the two or more cells to modify the cell boundary of the at least one of the two or more cells.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a level of resources provided to the terminal by each of the two or more cells.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the level of resources includes a number of terminals being served by each of the two or more cells, a throughput for each of the two or more cells, transmission power for each of the two or more cells, or a combination thereof.

47. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a cell providing least resources to the terminal of the two or more cells; and

modifying a cell boundary of the cell providing the least resources to exclude the terminal.

48. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

randomly selecting the at least one of the two or more cells in response to determining that each of the two or more cells provide substantially equal resources to the terminal.