Wireless communication system and method of assigning wireless resources in the same system and controller

• US 8,364,161 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nitta, Daisuke, Tomita, Tetsuo, Kumagai, Tomonori, Watanabe, Satoshi, Kobayashi, Kazunari
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US12/259,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20090239547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/525, 455/444, 455/524, 370/338, 370/328, 370/329, 370/341, 370/431, 370/468
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A controller which is assigned with the wireless resources for a plurality of wireless zones and a plurality of wireless base stations communicably connected to the controller, wherein the controller is operable to assign a part of the assigned wireless resources to the wireless zone formed by any of the wireless base stations. According to this, it is possible to introduce and run a great number of wireless base stations at a low cost without increasing or modifying the number of the superordinate devices such as RNC.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a femtocell base transceiver station controller which is assigned with a plurality of wireless zones;

a plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations which communicate with the femtocell base transceiver station controller and which are operable to form a femtocell as a wireless zone; and

a radio network controller (RNC) which assigns the plurality of wireless zones to the femtocell base transceiver station controller, wherein

the femtocell base transceiver station controller is operable to perform a wireless zone setting on the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations instead of the RNC and to request the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations to measure signal quality information between the femtocell base transceiver stations,

each of the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations is operable to, upon receipt of the request of measuring the signal quality information, measure a quality of a signal received from another femtocell base transceiver station and transmit the measurement result to the femtocell base transceiver station controller, and

the femtocell base transceiver station controller is operable to adaptively change the wireless zone setting according to the measurement result received from the femtocell base transceiver station.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the number of the wireless zones formed by the respective femtocell base transceiver stations is more than the number of the plurality of wireless zones, and

the wireless zone setting by the femtocell base transceiver station controller is performed by re-using any of the plurality of wireless zones.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the wireless zone setting by the femtocell base transceiver station controller is performed so that the re-used wireless zones do not overlap between the adjacent wireless zones formed by the respective femtocell base transceiver stations.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the wireless zone setting by the femtocell base transceiver station controller is adaptively changed according to signal quality information between the femtocell base transceiver stations.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the signal quality information is received from the femtocell base transceiver station as a result that the femtocell base transceiver station controller requests the femtocell base transceiver station to measure the signal quality information.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 5, wherein

upon receipt of the request of measuring the signal quality information,

the femtocell base transceiver station measures the quality of a signal received from another femtocell base transceiver station and transmits the measurement result to the femtocell base transceiver station controller.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 6, wherein

the measurement is performed in a state where a signal receiving sensibility of the self station is raised, or in a state where a transmitting electric power of another femtocell base transceiver station is raised.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the femtocell base transceiver station controller is assigned with the plurality of wireless zones from the RNC or a superordinate function.

9. A method of performing a wireless zone setting in a wireless communication system having a plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations operable to form a femtocell as a wireless zone, a femtocell base transceiver station controller communicating with the respective femtocell base transceiver stations, and a radio network controller (RNC) which communicates with the femtocell base transceiver station controller, the method comprising:

assigning, by the RNC, the plurality of wireless zones to the femtocell base transceiver station controller;

performing, by the femtocell base transceiver station controller, the wireless zone setting on the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations instead of the RNC;

requesting, by the femtocell base transceiver station controller, the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations to measure signal quality information between the femtocell base transceiver stations;

upon receipt of the request of measuring the signal quality information, measuring, by each of the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations, a quality of a signal received from another femtocell base transceiver station and transmitting the measurement result to the femtocell base transceiver station controller; and

changing, by the femtocell base transceiver station controller, adaptively the wireless zone setting according to the measurement result received from the femtocell base transceiver station.

10. A femtocell base transceiver station controller communicating with a plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations, the femtocell base transceiver station controller comprising:

a receiver that receives assignment information of a plurality of wireless zones from a radio network controller (RNC); and

an assignment controller that performs a wireless zone setting on the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations instead of the RNC based on the received assignment information, requests the plurality of femtocell base transceiver stations to measure signal quality information between the femtocell base transceiver stations, and adaptively changes the wireless zone setting according to a measurement result received from the femtocell base transceiver station in response to the request, the measurement result is a result of measuring, by the femtocell base transceiver station, a quality of a signal received from another femtocell base transceiver station.

11. The femtocell base transceiver station controller according to claim 10, wherein

the number of the wireless zones formed by the respective femtocell base transceiver stations is more than the number of the plurality of wireless zones, and

the assignment controller performs the wireless zone setting by re-using any of the plurality of wireless zones.

12. The femtocell base transceiver station controller according to claim 10, wherein

the assignment controller performs the wireless zone setting so that the re-used wireless zones do not overlap between the adjacent wireless zones formed by the respective femtocell base transceiver stations.

13. The femtocell base transceiver station controller according to claim 10, wherein

the assignment controller further comprises an assignment changing unit operable to change the wireless zone setting depending on the signal quality information between the femtocell base transceiver stations.

14. The femtocell base transceiver station controller according to claim 13, wherein

the assignment controller further comprises

a quality measurement requesting unit which requests the femtocell base transceiver station to measure the signal quality information, and

a quality information receiving unit which receives the measurement result, in response to the request, from the femtocell base transceiver station and gives the received result to the assignment changing unit.