Radio communication system, centralized station, control station apparatus, radio base station and coordinated transmission method for determining an assignment of cluster patterns

• US 8,787,279 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Benjebbour, Anass, Okumura, Yukihiko, OHWATARI, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jr., Otis L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ULYSSE, JAEL M
• Application Number:
  US13/191,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 370/208, 370/210, 370/310, 370/328, 370/329, 370/342, 370/330, 375/299, 375/342, 455/65, 455/447, 455/450, 455/507, 455/444, 455/501
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

The radio communication system of the present invention is provided with a cluster pattern determining section that determines the assignment of each cluster pattern to each cluster so as to suppress inter-cluster interference with other neighboring clusters less than or equal to a predetermined value, the cluster pattern is defining a directional pattern of which directional beams emitted from the respective radio base stations face each other for each identical frequency block between neighboring sectors in a cluster composed of neighboring cells, the each cluster pattern being in different combinations of directional patterns and frequency blocks.

Claims

1. A radio communication system provided with a plurality of radio base stations, including a plurality of clusters of radio base stations, each cluster being a plurality of radio base stations that perform coordinated transmission with each other and forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, the radio communication system comprising:

a cluster pattern determining section configured to determine an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster emits beams at a same directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency; and

a directional pattern determining section configured to assign directional patterns of angles of directional beams to the plurality of clusters for each frequency block based on the cluster pattern determined by the cluster pattern determining section, wherein;

the plurality of radio base stations form directional beams according to the directional pattern of angles of directional beams in the same time slot and coordinate data transmission between sectors through multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission between directional beams of one radio base station and another radio base station having sectors adjacent to each other in a cluster and facing each other at the same frequency block.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cluster pattern assigned to each cluster is fixed.

3. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cluster pattern assigned to the each cluster is dynamically switched according to a detected inter-cluster interference.

4. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cluster pattern determining section is configured to determine the assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference less than or equal to a predetermined value.

5. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein each cluster pattern defines a first directional pattern of angles of directional beams for a first frequency block and a second directional pattern of angles of directional beams, which is different than the first directional pattern, for a second frequency block.

6. A centralized station in a radio communication system provided with a plurality of radio base stations, including a plurality of clusters of radio base stations, each cluster being a plurality of radio base stations that perform coordinated transmission with each other and forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, the centralized station integrating radio base stations into one of the clusters, comprising:

a cluster pattern determining section configured to determine an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster emits beams at a same directional pattern of angle for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency block such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency;

a directional pattern determining section configured to assign a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to the plurality of clusters for each frequency block based on the cluster pattern determined by the cluster pattern determining section;

a signal distribution section configured to distribute to a plurality of radio base stations of a same cluster, data signals for coordinated transmission within the cluster; and

a precoding section configured to precode the distributed data signals by the signal distribution section, the precoded data signals being transmitted on directional beams over the directional pattern of angles of directional beams assigned for each frequency block by the directional pattern determining section.

7. A control station apparatus in a radio communication system provided with a plurality of radio base stations, including a plurality of clusters of radio base stations, each cluster being a plurality of radio base stations that perform coordinated transmission with each other and forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, the control station apparatus configured to manage a centralized station that integrates radio base stations into one of the clusters, comprising:

a cluster pattern determining section configured to determine an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster emits beams at a same directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency;

a notifying section configured to notify the each centralized station of the cluster pattern determined by the cluster pattern determining section.

8. A radio base station that forms a cell with a plurality of sectors together with other neighboring radio base stations in a radio communication system, the radio communication system being provided with a plurality of radio base stations, including a plurality of clusters of radio base stations, each cluster being a plurality of radio base stations that perform coordinated transmission with each other and forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, the radio base station comprising:

a cluster pattern determining section configured to determine an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster emits beams at a same directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency block such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency;

a directional pattern determining section configured to assign a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to the base station for each frequency block based on the cluster pattern determined by the cluster pattern determining section; and

a precoding section configured to form beams within a directional pattern of angles of directional beams assigned for each frequency block by the directional pattern determining section using multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding to transmit data signals in a coordinated manner in the cluster.

9. A coordinated transmission method for a radio communication system provided with a plurality of radio base stations each forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, comprising the steps of:

determining an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster emits beams at a same directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency block such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency; and

assigning directional patterns of angles of directional beams to the plurality of clusters for each frequency block based on the determined cluster pattern, wherein;

the plurality of radio base stations form directional beams according to the directional pattern of angles of directional beams in the same time slot and coordinate data transmission between sectors through multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission between directional beams of one radio base station and another radio base station having sectors adjacent to each other in a cluster and facing each other at the same frequency.

10. A radio communication system provided with a plurality of radio base stations, including a plurality of clusters of radio base stations, each cluster being a plurality of radio base stations that perform coordinated transmission with each other and forming a cell with a plurality of sectors, the radio communication system comprising:

a cluster pattern determining section configured to determine an assignment of a cluster pattern to each cluster to suppress inter-cluster interference, each cluster pattern defining a directional pattern of angles of directional beams to be emitted from respective radio base stations within each cluster such that each radio base station within a respective cluster is assigned a predetermined directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block, and at least two neighboring clusters are assigned different cluster patterns at a same frequency block such that a first cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a first cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a first directional pattern of angles for a certain frequency, and a second cluster of the neighboring clusters is assigned a second cluster pattern in which each radio base station emits directional beams at a second directional pattern of angles, which is different than the first directional pattern of angles, at the certain frequency; and

a directional pattern determining section configured to assign directional patterns of angles of directional beams to the plurality of clusters for each frequency block based on the cluster pattern determined by the cluster pattern determining section, wherein;

the plurality of radio base stations form directional beams according to the directional pattern of angles of directional beams in the same time slot and coordinate data transmission between sectors through multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission between directional beams of one radio base station and another radio base station having sectors adjacent to each other in a cluster and facing each other at the same frequency block.

11. The radio communication system according to claim 10, wherein at least two radio base stations within a respective cluster are assigned a different predetermined directional pattern of angles for a given frequency block.