Method for determining if a first cell managed by a first base station is neighbour of a second cell managed by a second base station

• US 8,095,136 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Voyer, Nicolas, Lavillonniere, Eric, Pautonnier-Perrot, Sophie
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaheed, Khalid
• Application Number:
  US12/876,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/436, 455/442, 455/445, 455/446, 455/435.1, 455/444, 455/443
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for determining if a first cell managed by a first base station is neighbour of a second cell managed by a second base station, the cells being cells of wireless cellular network, the wireless cellular network comprising a telecommunication network enabling the transfer of information between the base stations. The first base station monitors the amount of information transferred between the first base station and the second base station through the telecommunication network and determines if the second cell managed by the second base station is neighbour of the first cell managed by the first base station according to the amount of monitored information transferred between the first base station and the second base station through the telecommunication network. The invention concerns also the associated device.

Claims

1. A first base station managing a neighboring condition and cell area operation of a cell area, the cell area being a cell area of a wireless cellular network, the wireless cellular network comprising a telecommunication network enabling a transfer of information between the first base station and a second base station, wherein the wireless cellular network comprises a server linked to the telecommunication network, the base station comprising:

a first unit configured to receive, at the first base station and from the server, information identifying the second base station in the telecommunication network, the information identifying the second base station being used for establishing a connection between the first and second base stations;

a second unit configured to establish a direct connection between the first base station and the second base station through the telecommunication network based on the information identifying the second base station received by the first unit;

a third unit configured to receive, at the first base station, information representative of an operation domain of a second cell area managed by the second base station;

a fourth unit configured to select, at the first base station, an operation domain of a first cell area managed by the first base station based on the information representative of the operation domain of the second cell area; and

a fifth unit configured to release the connection with between the first base station and the second base station.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the fifth unit is further configured to select whether the connection between the first base station and the second base station is ready to be released before releasing the connection between the first base station and the second base station.

3. The base station according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sixth unit configured to send, from the first base station to the second base station, information representative of the operation domain of the first cell area managed by the first base station.

4. The base station according to claim 3, wherein the information representative of operation domain of the first cell area comprises a parameter used for performance of appropriate operation in said first base station.

5. The base station according to claim 3, wherein the information representative of operation domain of the first cell area comprises at least a parameter corresponding to one of frequencies, time slots, and codes used for operations in said base station.

6. A server of a wireless cellular network, the wireless cellular network having a cell area and comprising a telecommunication network enabling the transfer of information between a first base station and a second base station, wherein the server is linked to the telecommunication network, the server comprising:

a first unit configured to transmit to the first base station, information identifying the second base station in the telecommunication network, the information identifying the second base station being used for establishing a direct connection between the first and second base stations through the telecommunication network, the connection between the first and second base stations enabling a transmission of information representative of an operation domain of a second cell area managed by the second base station from the second base station to the first base station, the first base station selecting an operation domain of a first cell area managed by the first base station based on the information representative of the operation domain of the second cell area received at the first base station via the connection between the first and second base stations.

7. A system for managing a neighboring condition and cell area operation of a cell area, the cell area being a cell area of a wireless cellular network, the wireless cellular network comprising a telecommunication network enabling a transfer of information between a first base station and a second base station of the system, wherein the wireless cellular network comprises a server linked to the telecommunication network, the system comprising:

the first base station including;

a first unit configured to receive, at the first base station and from the server, information identifying the second base station in the telecommunication network, the information identifying the second base station being used for establishing a connection between the first and second base stations,

a second unit configured to establish a direct connection between the first base station and the second base station through the telecommunication network based on the information identifying the second base station received by the first unit,

a third unit configured to receive, at the first base station, information representative of an operation domain of a second cell area managed by the second base station,

a fourth unit configured to select, at the first base station, an operation domain of a first cell area managed by the first base station based on the information representative of the operation domain of the second cell area, and

a fifth unit configured to release the connection between the first base station and the second base station;

the second base station including;

a sixth unit configured to send, to the server, information identifying the second base station in the telecommunication network, the information identifying the second base station being used for establishing the connection between the first and second base stations, and

a seventh unit configured to send, to the first base station via the established connection, information representative of the operation domain of the second cell area managed by the second base station.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the fifth unit is further configured to identify select whether the connection between the first base station and the second base station is ready to be released before releasing the connection between the first base station and the second base station.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first base station further comprises an eighth unit configured to send, from the first base station to the second base station, information representative of the operation domain of the first cell area managed by the first base station.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the second base station further comprises a ninth unit configured to receive, from the first base station, information representative of the operation domain of the first cell area managed by the first base station.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the information representative of operation domain of the first cell area comprises a parameter used for performance of appropriate operation in said first base station.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the information representative of operation domain of the first cell area comprises at least a parameter corresponding to one of frequencies, time slots, and codes used for operations in said first base station.