Femto BS for reducing inter-cell interference and method for transmitting signal using the same

• US 8,260,270 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Humax Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Foundation of Soongsil University-Industry Cooperation, MMC Technology, Inc. (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Yoon, Sung Guk, Han, Jong Hun, Bahk, Sae Woong, Kim, Young Han, Kim, Ik Hyeon
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US13/028,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/3.01, 455/436, 455/456.1, 455/407, 455/411, 455/456.3, 455/425, 455/422.1, 455/517, 455/450, 455/458, 455/414.2, 455/435.2, 370/328, 370/336, 370/329, 370/241, 370/338, 709/220, 709/224
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal

Abstract

A signal transmission method includes determining whether there is a User Equipment (UE) within an area of the femto BS, determining whether the UE is in an active mode, operating in a first mode of alternating a first Available Interval (AI) with a first UnAvailable Interval (UAI) in time, if no UE exists within the area of the femto BS, operating in a second mode of alternating a second AI with a second UAI shorter than the first UAI in time, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in an inactive mode and operating in a third mode of continuously transmitting a signal, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in the active mode.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a signal to reduce Inter-Cell Interference (ICI) at a femto Base Station (BS), the method comprising:

determining whether there is a User Equipment (UE) within an area of the femto BS and whether the UE is in an active mode;

operating in a first mode of alternating a first Available Interval (AI) with a first UnAvailable Interval (UAI) in time, if no UE exists within the area of the femto BS, the first AI being an interval in which the femto BS transmits a signal and the first UAI being an interval in which the femto BS does not transmit a signal;

operating in a second mode of alternating a second AI with a second UAI in time, if the UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in an inactive mode, the second AI being an interval in which the femto BS transmits a signal and the second UAI being an interval in which the femto BS does not transmit a signal, the second UAI being shorter than the first UAI;

operating in a third mode of continuously transmitting a signal, if the UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in the active mode; and

transmitting information about UEs that can access the femto BS and the paging group ID of an area in which the femto BS is located to a Femto GateWay (FGW) or a Femto Management System (FMS) such that a Radio Network Controller (RNC) notifies the femto BS of movement of a UE, that can access the femto BS, into the area of the femto BS,

wherein information about a location of the UE is acquired from a core network tracking a paging group Identifier (ID) of the UE, and

wherein a node of the core network tracking the paging group ID of the UE is the RNC.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about a location of the UE is acquired by a location update procedure of the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inactive mode of the UE includes an idle mode.

4. A femto Base Station (BS) for reducing Inter-Cell Interference (ICI), the femto BS comprising:

a processor configured for determining whether there is a User Equipment (UE) within an area of the femto BS and whether the UE is in an active mode, controlling the femto BS to operate in a first mode, if no UE exists within the area of the femto BS, controlling the femto BS to operate in a second mode, if the UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in an inactive mode, and controlling the femto BS to operate in a third mode of continuously transmitting a signal, if the UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in the active mode;

a transceiver for transmitting a signal in one of the first, second and third modes determined by the processors; and

an Internet communication module for transmitting information about UEs that can access the femto BS and the paging group ID of an area in which the femto BS is located to a Femto GateWay (FGW) or a Femto Management System (FMS),

wherein the transceiver transmits the signal in a pattern of alternating an Available Interval (AI) with an UnAvailable Interval (UAI) in time, the AI being an interval in which the transceiver transmits the signal and the UAI being an interval in which the transceiver does not transmit the signal, and the UAI is shorter in the second mode than in the first mode,

wherein the processor receives information about a location of the UE from a core network tracking a paging group Identifier (ID) of the UE, and

wherein a node of the core network tracking the paging group ID of the UE is a Radio Network Controller (RNC).

5. The femto BS according to claim 4, wherein the processor acquires information about a location of the UE by a location update procedure of the UE.

6. The femto BS according to claim 4, wherein the inactive mode of the UE includes an idle mode.