Systems and methods for coordinating the coverage and capacity of a wireless base station

• US 8,805,324 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Adaptix, Inc. (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Reudink, Douglas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US14/043,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/446, 455/449, 455/67.1, 455/453, 455/442, 455/436, 455/437, 455/440, 379/113, 379/133
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0083 Multi-mode cell search, i.e. where several modes or systems can be used, e.g. backwards compatible, dual mode or flexible systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A communications base station is installed at a selected new location and the base station, prior to going “on line” monitors the wireless traffic from other base stations within interference range of the new base station'"'"'s coverage area. The new base station also monitors the wireless traffic between mobile devices within its coverage area and these other base stations. Based upon these monitored conditions, as well as other known conditions, the new base station then determines the transmitting parameter configuration it should imply in order to achieve a desired optimization between capacity and coverage area. After the new base station is on line, a central control can monitor the entire network to determine if any additional changes are necessary and if so the new transceiver, or any other transceiver, can be instructed to monitor itself with respect to interference and to take corrective action to improve overall network coverage and capacity.

Claims

1. An additional base station for wireless communication, the additional base station comprising:

components configured to;

measure, for a monitoring duration, information indicative of channels used for communication between mobile stations and established base stations within a coverage area of the additional base station, the channels being comprised of frequencies and time-slots, and the information indicative of the channels measured by the components including path loss information, the monitoring duration being determined by an accuracy requirement;

store the measured information indicative of the channels in a log;

set transmit parameters for data transmission between the additional base station and at least one of the mobile stations based on the measured information indicative of the channels, the transmit parameters set by the components including at least a transmit power and an antenna beam pointing angle; and

update the set transmit parameters upon receiving an instruction to update the set transmit parameters.

2. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

transmit information related to measurements of communication between the established base stations and the mobile stations within the coverage area of the additional base station.

3. The additional base station of claim 2, wherein the components are further configured to:

transmit to at least one of the established base stations, in response to the measured information indicative of the channels, an instruction to update transmit parameters of the at least one of the established base stations for data transmission to the mobile stations.

4. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

determine, using the measured information indicative of the channels, which of the mobile stations are communicating with which of the established base stations on particular channels.

5. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

adjust one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the mobile stations after the additional base station has been activated, the one of the set and updated transmit parameters adjusted by the components taking into account anomalies caused by the activation of the additional base station.

6. The additional base station of claim 5, wherein the anomalies are selected from a group consisting of:

traffic increases, traffic balances, data losses experienced, increase in call drops, and increase in interference levels.

7. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

alter one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the mobile stations in a manner that increases a geographic coverage of the additional base station.

8. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

alter one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the mobile stations in a manner that increases subscriber capacity within a certain area.

9. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the transmit parameters include one or more of:

transmit power, antenna beam pointing angle, antenna beam elevation, antenna tilt, antenna beam pattern, antenna beam polarization, and antenna beam width.

10. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the measured information indicative of the channels comprises information regarding path loss between the additional base station and the established base stations.

11. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the measured information indicative of the channels comprises information regarding path loss between one or more of the mobile stations, in range of the additional base station, and the established base stations.

12. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

correlate a particular set of the transmit parameters to a particular time period.

13. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the mobile stations are determined based on a time-average of the measured information indicative of the channels.

14. The additional base station of claim 1, wherein the components are further configured to:

adjust one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the mobile stations according to a control input established to avoid network destabilization.

15. A method for configuring an additional base station added to a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

measuring, at the additional base station and for a monitoring duration, information indicative of channels used for communication between a plurality of mobile stations and a plurality of established base stations within a coverage area of the additional base station, the channels being comprised of frequencies and time-slots and the measured information indicative of the channels including path loss information, the monitoring duration being determined by an accuracy requirement;

storing, at the additional base station, the measured information indicative of the channels in a log;

setting, at the additional base station, transmit parameters for data transmission between the additional base station and at least one of the plurality of mobile stations based on the measuring, the set transmit parameters including at least a transmit power and an antenna beam pointing angle; and

updating, at the additional base station, the set transmit parameters if an instruction to update the set transmit parameters has been received by the additional base station.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting, from the additional base station, information related to measurements of communication between the plurality of established base stations and the plurality of mobile stations within the coverage area of the additional base station.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting from the additional base station and to at least one of the plurality of established base stations, in response to the measured information indicative of the channels, an instruction to update transmit parameters of the at least one of the plurality of established base stations for data transmission to the plurality of mobile stations.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the measured information indicative of the channels is sufficient to determine, by the additional base station, which of the plurality of mobile stations are communicating with which of the plurality of established base stations on particular channels.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

adjusting one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the at least one of the plurality of mobile stations after the additional base station has been activated, the adjusting taking into account anomalies caused by the activation of the additional base station.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

adjusting one of the set and updated transmit parameters between the additional base station and the plurality of mobile stations according to a control input established to avoid network destabilization.