Simple distributed coordination among cells to achieve efficient dynamic single-frequency network (SFN) operation

• US 8,532,683 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Koskinen, Henri Markus, Chen, Hongyuan, Huang, Leping, Shu, Kodo, Pekonen, Johanna Katariina, Martos-Riano, Demian
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US12/681,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20110021224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 455/513, 455/450, 455/452.1, 455/436
• US Class Current: 455/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

A system and method for controlling base stations for multimedia broadcast communications. In one embodiment, a base station includes a reporting subsystem configured to broadcast at least one of a counting report request and a channel quality indictor report request to user equipment in a service area thereof. The reporting subsystem is also configured to process at least one of a counting report and a channel quality indicator report received from the user equipment and provide an activity status report therefrom. The base station also includes a dynamic single frequency network subsystem configured to determine to provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services in the service area thereof as a function of an activity status report from another base station.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

broadcast at least one of a counting report request and a channel quality indictor report request to user equipment in a service area thereof,

process at least one of a counting report and a channel quality indicator report received from said user equipment and provide an activity status report therefrom; and

determine to provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof as a function of an activity status report from another base station.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one memory including the computer code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to provide said multimedia broadcast and multicast services as a function of an operational status thereof in said service area.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one memory including the computer code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to poll said another base station with an activity status report request message to obtain said activity status report therefrom.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one memory including the computer code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to provide a polling request to said user equipment in accordance with said at least one of said counting report request and said channel quality indictor report request.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one memory including the computer code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to determine to provide said multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof as a function of an activity status report from a plurality of base stations.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said channel quality indicator report provides an indication of a channel quality for said user equipment in relation to a lower bound channel quality indictor for a communication system employing a base station.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said lower bound channel quality indicator is derived from a user equipment minimum signal-to-interference and noise ratio target plus a margin.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one memory including the computer code is configured with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to determine to employ resources of a base station for unicast communications.

9. A method, comprising:

broadcasting a counting report request and a channel quality indictor report request to user equipment in a service area thereof;

processing a counting report and a channel quality indicator report received from said user equipment and providing an activity status report therefrom;

calculating a static contribution table; and

determining to employ a base station for multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof as a function of said static contribution table and said activity status report.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising providing said multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof in accordance with said determining.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising providing a polling request to said user equipment in accordance with said counting report request and said channel quality indictor report request.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said channel quality indicator report provides an indication of a channel quality for said user equipment in relation to a lower bound channel quality indictor for a communication system.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said determining comprises determining to employ resources of said base station for unicast communications.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

broadcasting another counting report request and another channel quality indictor report request to another user equipment in another service area thereof;

processing another counting report and another channel quality indicator report received from said another user equipment and providing another activity status report therefrom; and

determining to employ said another base station for another multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said another service area thereof as a function of said static contribution table and said another activity status report.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code, the program code executed by a processor to perform operations comprising:

broadcasting at least one of a counting report request and a channel quality indictor report request to user equipment in a service area thereof,

processing at least one of a counting report and a channel quality indicator report received from said user equipment and provide an activity status report therefrom, and

determining to provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof as a function of an activity status report from another base station.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, further comprising determining to provide said multimedia broadcast and multicast services as a function of an operational status thereof in said service area.

17. A method, comprising:

broadcasting, with a base station, at least one of a counting report request and a channel quality indictor report request to user equipment in a service area thereof;

processing at least one of a counting report and a channel quality indicator report received from said user equipment and providing an activity status report therefrom; and

determining to provide multimedia broadcast and multicast services in said service area thereof as a function of an activity status report from another base station.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said determining comprises determining to provide said multimedia broadcast and multicast services as a function of an operational status thereof in said service area.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising polling said another base station with an activity status report request message to obtain said activity status report therefrom.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said channel quality indicator report provides an indication of a channel quality for said user equipment in relation to a lower bound channel quality indictor for a communication system employing said base station.

21. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said determining comprises determining to employ resources of said base station for unicast communications.