Dynamic load balancing

• US 8,498,207 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Reverb Networks
• Inventors: Trigui, Hafedh, Cuthill, Rick, Kusyk, Richard Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US12/385,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/252, 370/338, 455/453, 455/455
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/08 Load shedding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A method, program, system and apparatus perform dynamic load balancing of coverage areas in a wireless communication network. The dynamic load balancing is performed by evaluating cell congestion based on location information of subscribers in the wireless communication network, collecting network parameters related to the wireless communication network and altering network parameters based on the evaluated cell congestion. After the network parameter is altered, the coverage areas are narrowed. Improvements in cell congestion and quality of server are then determined based on the narrowing of the coverage areas. Altering of the plurality of network parameters and evaluating of the cell congestion are performed continuously until a target quality of service is achieved.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, using a location unit, a location of each subscriber from a plurality of subscribers in a wireless communication network;

evaluating cell congestion based on the location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers in the wireless communication network;

altering at least one network parameter from a plurality of network parameters based on the cell congestion, the at least one network parameter includes a characteristic of at least one antenna associated with the cell;

narrowing a geographic coverage area of a cell from a plurality of cells in the wireless communication network based on the at least one network parameter, such that overlap of a geographic coverage area of each cell from the plurality of cells is reduced to reduce a number of subscribers in handover zones; and

determining if there is an improvement in the cell congestion based on the at least one network parameter,

the altering and the evaluating being performed repeatedly and without calculating propagation environment assumptions until an operational condition in the wireless communication network is satisfied.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network parameters include operating parameters of the wireless communication network and subscriber parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating parameters of the wireless communication network include network topology parameters.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the operating parameters of the wireless communication network include equipment and installation characteristics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers is determined based on an instantaneous location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers or using a heuristic approach.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrowing is based on at least one of altering a pointing direction of at least one antenna associated with the cell or a transmit power of at least one base station associated with the cell.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrowing reduces cell congestion by optimizing the geographic coverage area according to the location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers in the wireless communication network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrowing minimizes overlap of a geographic coverage area of each cell from the plurality of cells to reduce a number of subscribers in handover zones.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is a first cell from the plurality of cells, the method further comprising:

increasing a geographic coverage area of a second cell from the plurality of cells in coordination with the narrowing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes determining if there is an improvement in the cell congestion based on a dropped call percentage and a congestion ratio.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is an antenna pointing direction (Azimuth), an antenna height, an antenna model, an azimuth beamwidth (BW), an elevation beamwidth (BW), an electrical tilt or a mechanical tilt.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is a power-independent characteristic.

13. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine, using a location unit, a location of each subscriber from a plurality of subscribers in a wireless communication network having a plurality of cells;

evaluate cell congestion based on the location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers in the wireless communication network;

alter a characteristic of an antenna associated with at least one cell from the plurality of cells based on the cell congestion to define a narrowed coverage area of the at least one cell, such that overlap of a geographic coverage area of each cell from the plurality of cells is reduced to reduce a number of subscribers in handover zones;

alter a characteristic of an antenna associated with at least one remaining cell from the plurality of cells to define an increased coverage area of the at least one remaining cell and to compensate for the narrowed coverage area of the at least one cell, the increased coverage area being defined in coordination with the narrowed coverage area; and

determine, based on the narrowed coverage area and the increased coverage area, if there is an improvement in the cell congestion,

the code to cause the processor to evaluate, alter for the narrowed coverage area and alter for the increased coverage area being repeatedly executed until an operational condition in the wireless communication network is satisfied.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage area includes code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage area based on a change in at least one of an operating parameter of the wireless communication network or a subscriber parameter.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operating parameter of the wireless communication network includes a network topology parameter.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the operating parameter of the wireless communication network includes an equipment and installation characteristic.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers is determined based on an instantaneous location of each subscriber from the plurality of subscribers or using a heuristic approach.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage is based on altering a pointing direction of the antenna associated with the at least one cell.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage reduces cell congestion by optimizing a geographic coverage area of the at least one cell according to actual subscriber distribution within the wireless communication network.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage minimizes overlap of a geographic coverage area of each cell from the plurality of cells to reduce a number of subscribers in handover zones.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to determine includes code to cause the processor to determine if in the cell congestion improves based on a dropped call percentage and a congestion ratio.

22. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is an antenna pointing direction, an antenna pointing direction (Azimuth), an antenna height, an antenna model, an azimuth beamwidth (BW), an elevation beamwidth (BW), an electrical tilt or a mechanical tilt.

23. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is a power-independent characteristic.

24. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the narrowed coverage area also includes code to cause the processor to alter a second network parameter.

25. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code to cause the processor to alter for the increased coverage area includes code to cause the processor to alter a second network parameter.

26. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the second network parameter is associated with the at least one cell.

27. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the second network parameter is associated with the at least one remaining cell.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

a dynamic load balancing module implemented in a memory or a processing device, the dynamic load balancing module configured to receive network topology information including geographic location information of at least one base station within a wireless communication network, the dynamic load balancing module configured to evaluate cell congestion in the wireless communication network based on a location of each subscriber from a plurality of subscribers, the dynamic load balancing module configured to repeatedly alter at least one network parameter based on the cell congestion and the location information such that at least one geographic coverage area from a plurality of geographic coverage areas within the wireless communication network is adaptively shaped to reduce an overlap of at least two of the geographic coverage areas within the wireless communication network to reduce a number of subscribers in handover zones, the at least one network parameter including a characteristic of an antenna associated with the at least one geographic coverage area.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the location information includes a latitude and a longitude of the at least one base station.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the location information includes a height above ground of an antenna of the at least one base station.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the location information includes a height above sea level of an antenna of the at least one base station.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the dynamic load balancing module is configured to adaptively shape each geographic coverage area from the plurality of geographic coverage areas without calculating propagation environment assumptions.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the dynamic load balancing module is configured to adaptively shape the at least one geographic coverage area from the plurality of geographic coverage areas by decreasing a size of a first geographic coverage area from the plurality of geographic coverage areas and increasing a size of a second geographic coverage area from the plurality of geographic coverage areas.

34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the dynamic load balancing module is configured to determine, after adaptively shaping the at least one geographic coverage area, if an improvement in the cell congestion resulted.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is an antenna pointing direction (Azimuth), an antenna height, an antenna model, an azimuth beamwidth (BW), an elevation beamwidth (BW), an electrical tilt or a mechanical tilt.

36. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the characteristic of the antenna is a power-independent characteristic.