Interference control in a wireless communication system

• US 8,848,574 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Mese, Murat, Sutivong, Arak, Julian, David Jonathan, Ji, Tingfang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chou, Albert T
• Application Number:
  US11/293,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20060285503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,224 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 455/522, 455/452, 455/450, 455/453
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

For interference control, a sector m estimates interference observed from terminals in neighbor sectors and obtains an interference estimate. Sector m may generate an over-the-air (OTA) other-sector interference (OSI) report and/or an inter-sector (IS) OSI report based on the interference estimate. Sector m may send the IS OSI report to the neighbor sectors, receive IS OSI reports from the neighbor sectors, and regulate data transmissions for terminals in sector m based on the received IS OSI reports. Sector m may control admission of terminals to sector m, de-assign admitted terminals, schedule terminals in sector m in a manner to reduce interference to the neighbor sectors, and/or assign the terminals in sector m with traffic channels that cause less interference to the neighbor sectors.

Claims

1. A method for interference control, comprising:

receiving at a base station a first interference report from a neighbor base station, wherein the first interference report indicates interference observed at the neighbor base station; and

regulating, by the base station, data transmissions for terminals based on the first interference report received from the neighbor base station, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals comprises assigning traffic channels to the terminals based on the first interference report, and wherein the traffic channels that are assigned to the terminals are orthogonal to traffic channels assigned to one or more terminals served by the neighbor base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises performing admission control based on the first interference report.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing admission control based on the first interference report comprises denying access to a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises de-assigning a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises varying scheduling of the terminals for data transmission based on the first interference report.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein varying scheduling of the terminals comprises reducing transmit power of disadvantaged terminals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interference report indicates whether interference measured at the neighbor base station is greater than or less than an interference threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interference report conveys interference measured at the neighbor base station relative to multiple interference thresholds.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second interference report that indicates interference observed at the base station; and

transmitting the second interference report to the neighbor base station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more terminals are strong terminals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals further comprises assigning disadvantaged terminals with traffic channels that are to be assigned to strong terminals by the neighbor base station.

12. A base station that is configured for interference control, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to;

receive at the base station a first interference report from a neighbor base station, wherein the first interference report indicates interference observed at the neighbor base station; and

regulate, by the base station, data transmissions for terminals based on the first interference report received from the neighbor base station, wherein regulating the data transmissions for the terminals comprises assigning traffic channels to the terminals based on the first interference report, and wherein the traffic channels that are assigned to the terminals are orthogonal to traffic channels assigned to one or more terminals served by the neighbor base station.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the instructions executable to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise instructions executable to perform admission control based on the first interference report.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the instructions executable to perform admission control based on the first interference report comprise instructions executable to deny access to a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

15. The base station of claim 12, wherein the instructions executable to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise instructions executable to de-assign a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

16. The base station of claim 12, wherein the instructions executable to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise instructions executable to vary scheduling of the terminals for data transmission based on the first interference report.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the instructions executable to vary scheduling of the terminals comprise instructions executable to reduce transmit power of disadvantaged terminals.

18. The base station of claim 12, wherein the first interference report indicates whether interference measured at the neighbor base station is greater than or less than an interference threshold.

19. The base station of claim 12, wherein the first interference report conveys interference measured at the neighbor base station relative to multiple interference thresholds.

20. The base station of claim 12, wherein the instructions are also executable to:

generate a second interference report that indicates interference observed at the base station; and

transmit the second interference report to the neighbor base station.

21. A base station that is configured for interference control, comprising:

means for receiving at a base station a first interference report from a neighbor base station, wherein the first interference report indicates interference observed at the neighbor base station; and

means for regulating, by the base station, data transmissions for terminals based on the first interference report received from the neighbor base station, wherein the means for regulating the data transmissions for the terminals comprises means for assigning traffic channels to the terminals based on the first interference report, and wherein the traffic channels that are assigned to the terminals are orthogonal to traffic channels assigned to one or more terminals served by the neighbor base station.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein the means for regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise means for performing admission control based on the first interference report.

23. The base station of claim 21, wherein the means for regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise means for de-assigning a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

24. The base station of claim 21, wherein the means for regulating the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprise means for varying scheduling of the terminals for data transmission based on the first interference report.

25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, comprising:

code for causing a base station to receive a first interference report from a neighbor base station, wherein the first interference report indicates interference observed at the neighbor base station; and

code for causing the base station to regulate data transmissions for terminals based on the first interference report received from the neighbor base station, wherein the code for regulating the data transmissions for the terminals comprises code for assigning traffic channels to the terminals based on the first interference report, and wherein the traffic channels that are assigned to the terminals are orthogonal to traffic channels assigned to one or more terminals served by the neighbor base station.

26. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the code for causing the base station to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises code for causing the base station to perform admission control based on the first interference report.

27. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the code for causing the base station to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises code for causing the base station to de-assign a terminal if the first interference report indicates that the neighbor base station is observing excessive interference.

28. The processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the code for causing the base station to regulate the data transmissions for the terminals based on the first interference report comprises code for causing the base station to vary scheduling of the terminals for data transmission based on the first interference report.