Apparatus and method for operating hierarchical cell in broadband wireless communication system

• US 8,676,220 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yung-Soo, Kwun, Jong-Hyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Georgewill, Opiribo
• Application Number:
  US12/416,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20090252073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,812 Days
• Field of Search: 455/449, 455/522, 455/436, 370/311, 370/332
• US Class Current: 455/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for operating a hierarchical cell in a wireless communication system are provided. A femto BS transitions into a sleep mode if there is no accessed MS for a predefined time. The femto BS transmits a FEMTO-ADV message in the sleep mode to notify of the presence of the femto BS. The femto BS releases the sleep mode upon receiving a MOB-FEMTO-AWAKE-REQ message from an MS receiving the FEMTO-ADV message. Thereafter, the femto BS communicates with the MS.

Claims

1. A method for an operation of a femto Base Station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

transitioning into a sleep mode if there is no accessed Mobile Station (MS) for a predefined time;

transmitting a first message in the sleep mode to notify of the presence of the femto BS; and

releasing the sleep mode upon receiving a second message from an MS that has received the first message,

wherein the transmitting of the first message comprises transmitting the first message periodically through a portion of radio resources of a macro BS that are allocated to the femto BS by the macro BS,

wherein the second message is received during a gap period allocated to the MS by the macro BS for transmission of the second message, and

wherein the second message corresponds to a message informing the femto BS to release the sleep mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first message comprises controlling the transmit (TX) power of the first message to be substantially equal to at least one of the TX power of a common control channel and a broadcast channel of the femto BS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first message comprises generating a signal including the first message in a substantially same way as generating a signal by the macro BS.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first message signal comprises at least one of a pilot symbol and a preamble.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a macro BS of the transition to the sleep mode; and

notifying the macro BS of the release of the sleep mode.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first message comprises controlling the transmit (TX) power of the first message to be sufficiently higher than the TX power at which the femto BS transmits, when the femto BS is not in the sleep mode, a common control channel and a broadcast channel so as to enable the femto BS to release the sleep mode before the MS reaches a cell boundary point of the femto BS.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein while in the sleep mode, the femto BS refrains from system information transmission, frame synchronization information transmission, preamble transmission, resource allocation information transmission, and data transmission/reception.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is converted into a format identical to a format used for signals transmitted by the macro BS.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes at least one of information about a frequency band of the femto BS, information about an access mode of the femto BS, information about a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) BS operation state indication bit of the femto BS, information about a CSG identifier accessible to the femto BS, and information about a BS identifier allocated to the femto BS uniquely in the network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message includes information about transmission timing and uplink ranging code resource used as the response message.

6. A method for an operation of a Mobile Station (MS) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a femto Base Station (BS) in a sleep mode in a macro cell;

transmitting, to the macro BS, a request for the macro BS to allocate a gap period during which the MS will transmit the second message;

transmitting a second message to the femto BS upon receiving the first message; and

accessing the femto BS,

wherein the receiving of the first message comprises determining whether the first message is periodically received through a portion of radio resources of a macro BS that are allocated to the femto BS from the macro BS, and

wherein the second message corresponds to a message informing the femto BS to release the sleep mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitting of the second message comprises:

comparing an accessible Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier list and a CSG identifier included in the first message; and

transmitting the second message if the CSG identifier is included in the CSG identifier list.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

estimating a channel between the MS and the femto BS by using at least one of a preamble and a pilot symbol included in a signal comprising the first message; and

compensating a channel distortion by using a result of the channel estimation.

9. An apparatus for a femto Base Station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a first message in a sleep mode to notify of the presence of the femto BS;

a mode determiner control unit for controlling transitioning into the sleep mode if there is no accessed Mobile Station (MS) for a predefined time, and for controlling releasing the sleep mode upon receiving a second message from an MS which has received the first message; and

a communication controller for communicating with the MS,

wherein the transmitter transmits the first message periodically through a portion of radio resources of a macro BS that are allocated to the femto BS by the macro BS,

wherein the second message is received during a gap period allocated to the MS by the BS for transmission of the second message, and

wherein the second message corresponds to a message informing the femto BS to release the sleep mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a power controller for controlling the transmit (TX) power of the first message to be substantially equal to at least one of the TX power of a common control channel and a broadcast channel of the femto BS.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transmitter generates a signal including the first message in a substantially same way as a signal is generated by the macro BS.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first message signal comprises at least one of a pilot symbol and a preamble.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mode determiner control unit notifies a macro BS of the transition to the sleep mode, and notifies the macro BS of the release of the sleep mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a power controller that is configured to control the transmit (TX) power of the first message to be sufficiently higher than the TX power at which the femto BS transmits, when the femto BS is not in the sleep mode, a common control channel and a broadcast channel, so as to enable the femto BS to release the sleep mode before the MS reaches a cell boundary point of the femto BS.

14. An apparatus for a Mobile Station (MS) in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a first message from a femto Base Station (BS) in a sleep mode servicing a shadow area in a macro cell;

a transmitter for transmitting a second message to the femto BS upon receiving the first message, and for transmitting to the macro BS, a request for the macro BS to allocate a gap period during which the MS will transmit the second message; and

a communication controller for accessing the femto BS,

wherein the receiver receives the first message periodically through a portion of radio resources of a macro BS that are allocated to the femto BS by the macro BS, and

wherein the second message corresponds to a message informing the femto BS to release the sleep mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the communication controller compares a stored accessible Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier list and a CSG identifier included in the first message, and the transmitter transmits the second message if the CSG identifier is included in the CSG identifier list.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a channel estimator for estimating a channel between the MS and the femto BS by using at least one of a preamble and a pilot symbol included in a signal comprising the first message; and

an equalizer for compensating a channel distortion by using a result of the channel estimation.