Serving sector directed power control

• US 7,966,033 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Borran, Mohammad J., Agrawal, Avneesh, Khandekar, Aamod, Ji, Tingfang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean; Raymond S
• Application Number:
  US11/620,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20070197254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/69, 455/522, 370/318
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink 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 52/246 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter calculated in said terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/247 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter sent by another terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/36 with a discrete range or set of values, e.g. step size, ramping or offsets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/54 Signalisation aspects of the TPC commands, e.g. frame structure

Abstract

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate serving sector directed transmit power control in a wireless communication environment. Under certain conditions, an access point can have better data with which to determine appropriate power levels than an individual terminal. Accordingly, an access point can transmit power control information to one or more terminals supported by the access point overriding normal power determination procedures. In particular, power control information can be included within an assignment message that designates resources (e.g., frequency, time) assigned to a terminal. Power control information can be based upon SNR, quality of service requirements, interference information, any other relevant information or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating serving sector control of terminal transmission power comprising:

analyzing power related data associated with a terminal supported by a serving sector;

obtaining non-serving sector interference information through backhaul signaling; and

transmitting power control information, based at least in part upon the analysis, to the terminal supported by the serving sector, wherein transmission power of the terminal is a function of the power control information, the power control information is a function of the non-serving sector interference information, and the power control information can override terminal-based transmission power computation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control information is transmitted to the terminal in a block resource assignment book.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control information defines a minimum transmission power level.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when the serving sector is to direct transfer power for the terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the power control information is capable of indicating that the terminal is to determine transmit power independent of the serving sector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control information is a function of quality of service requirement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control information is a function of the received signal quality from the terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the power control information specifies the period for which the transmit power is directed by the serving sector.

9. A method of controlling terminal transmit power in a wireless environment, comprising:

receiving power control information from a serving sector of a terminal; and

determining transmit power for the terminal based at least in part upon the power control information, the power control information being a function of non-serving sector interference information that is obtained through backhaul signaling, wherein the power control information can override terminal-based transmit power computation.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising analyzing the power control information to determine a power parameter, the power parameter describes a limit for the transmit power.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining when the power control information specifies independent determination of the transmit power; and

computing transmit power as a function of the non-serving sector interference information.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting the transmit power as a function of the non-serving sector interference information.

13. The method of claim 9, the power control information includes a duration parameter that specifies a duration for the power control information.

14. The method of claim 9, the power control information is contained in a resource assignment block for the terminal.

15. An apparatus the facilitates controlling transmit power of terminals supported by an access point, comprising:

a processor that executes instructions for sending a power control direction to a terminal supported by an access point, transmit power of the terminal is controlled based at least in part upon the power control direction, the power control direction being a function of non-serving sector interference information, wherein the power control direction can supersede terminal-based transmit power computation; and

a memory that obtains the non-serving sector interference information through backhaul signaling and stores power related information including the non-serving sector interference information, the power control direction is based least in part upon the power related information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the power control device is included within a resource assignment message.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes instructions for determining when to override an independent terminal power procedure for the terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes instructions for evaluating at least one of a quality of service requirement, signal to noise ratio performance or interference information in determining the power control direction.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the power control direction specifies a transmit power limit for the terminal.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the power control direction a duration parameter than specifies a duration of control by the access point.

21. An apparatus that facilitates controlling of terminal transmit power, comprising:

a memory that stores information associated with transmit power of a terminal; and

a processor that executes instructions for determining the transmit power based at least in part upon power control information received from an access point that supports the terminal, the power control information being a function of non-serving access point interference information that is obtained through backhaul signaling, wherein power control information can override terminal-based transmit power computation.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor further executes instructions for adjusting the transmit power as a function of the non-serving access point interference information.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor further executes instructions for determining when power control information is to override independent transmit power computation.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the power control information includes a duration parameter that specifies a duration for the power control information.

25. An apparatus that facilitates control of transmit power, comprising:

means for obtaining non-serving sector interference information through backhaul signaling;

means for evaluating power related data for a serving sector;

means for generating power control information for a terminal based at least in part upon the evaluation and the non-serving sector interference information; and

means for providing the power control information to the terminal, the power control information directs transmit power for the terminal, wherein the power control information can override terminal-based transmit power calculation.

26. The apparatus of claim 25,

wherein the power related data includes the non-serving sector interference information.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power control information specifies the period for which the transmit power is directed by the serving sector.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the power related data includes at least one of a quality of service requirement, signal to noise ratio performance or interference information.

29. An apparatus that facilitates determining transmit power for a terminal, comprising:

means for obtaining power control information from a serving sector supporting a terminal; and

means for setting transmit power level of the terminal as a function of the power control information, wherein the power control information is based on non-serving sector interference information that is obtained through backhaul signaling, and can override terminal-based transmit power level calculation.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising means for analyzing the power control information to determine a minimum transmit power level.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising means for adjusting the transmit power level as a function of the non-serving sector interference information.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for determining when the power control information specifies independent determination of the transmit power level; and

means for setting the transmit power level as a function of the non-serving sector interference information.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions for:

obtaining non-serving sector interference information through backhaul signaling;

generating power control information as a function of data associated with a terminal supported by an access point; and

transmitting the power control information to the terminal, the power control information directs transmit power for the terminal, wherein the power control information is based on the non-serving sector interference information, and can override terminal-based transmit power computation.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, the instructions further comprising identifying conditions that warrant override of independent power computation by the terminal.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the power control information is included in a message that assigns resources to the terminal.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions for:

obtaining a power instruction from an access point supporting a terminal; and

controlling transmit power for the terminal based at least in part upon the power control instruction, wherein the power instruction is based on non-serving sector interference information that is obtained through backhaul signaling, and can override terminal-based transmit power calculation.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36, further comprising adjusting the transmit power as a function of the non-serving sector interference information.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36, the instructions further comprising determining that the power control instruction specifies independent computation of the transmit power for the terminal.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the power control instruction includes a duration parameter that specifies duration of the power control instruction.

40. A processor that executes computer-executable instructions that facilitate serving sector control of transmit power, the instructions comprising:

obtaining non-serving sector interference information through backhaul signaling;

evaluating data related to a terminal supported by a serving sector;

provisioning the terminal with power control information that is based on the non-serving sector interference information and overrides terminal power estimation of transmit power for the terminal.

41. The processor of claim 40, wherein the power control information includes limit for one transmit power.

42. The processor of claim 40, wherein the power control information is provisioned in a message assigning at least one resource to the terminal.

43. The processor of claim 40, the instructions further comprising broadcasting the power control information to a plurality of terminals.

44. A processor that executes computer-executable instructions that facilitate control of transmit power, the instructions comprising:

receiving power control information for a terminal from a serving sector that supports the terminal; and

computing transmit power based at least in part upon the received power control information, wherein the power control information is based on non-serving sector interference information that is obtained through backhaul signaling and overrides the terminal-based transmit power computation.

45. The processor of claim 44, the instructions further comprising analyzing the power control information to identify a limit for the transmit power.

46. The process of claim 44, the instructions further comprising analyzing the power control information to determine when the independent determination of transmit power is specified.