Base station sharing

• US 8,849,328 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lin, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US13/262,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120034942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455/403, 455/507, 455/509, 455/560, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

An improved base station sharing in a radio communication system is disclosed. A logical base station is arranged to share a physical base station in the radio communication system with at least one further logical base station. According to an embodiment of the invention, the logical base station is associated with a control node and with an operation and maintenance node in the radio communication system, wherein the control node and the operation and maintenance node are separate from at least one further control node and at least one further operation and maintenance node being associated with the at least one further logical base station.

Claims

1. A radio communication system, comprising:

a physical base station including at least a first logical base station and a second logical base station;

a first control node associated with the first logical base station;

a second control node associated with the second logical base station; and

a multiplexer connected with both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station via a single transmission link, wherein the first logical base station comprises a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprises a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface correspond to a control node interface of the physical base station, the physical base station is connected to both of the first control node and the second control node through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

2. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the first logical base station is operated by a first operator and the second logical base station is operated by a second operator.

3. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein a set of radio resources of the physical base station is shared between the first logical base station and the second logical base station.

4. The radio communication system of claim 3, wherein the set of radio resources of the physical base station comprises at least one of the resources in the group consisting of:

radio frequencies, radio carriers, transmission bandwidths, and spreading codes.

5. A radio communication system, comprising:

a physical base station including at least a first logical base station and a second logical base station;

a first control node associated with the first logical base station;

a first operation and maintenance node (OMN) associated with the first logical base station;

a second control node associated with the second logical base station;

a second OMN associated with the second logical base station; and

a multiplexer connected with both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station via a single transmission link, wherein the first logical base station comprises a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprises a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface correspond to a control node interface of the physical base station, the physical base station is connected to both of the first control node and the second control node through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

6. The radio communication system of claim 5, wherein the first logical base station is operated by a first operator and the second logical base station is operated by a second operator.

7. The radio communication system of claim 5, wherein a set of radio resources of the physical base station is shared between the first logical base station and the second logical base station.

8. The radio communication system of claim 7, wherein the set of radio resources of the physical base station comprises at least one of the resources in the group consisting of:

radio frequencies, radio carriers, transmission bandwidths, and spreading codes.

9. A physical base station, comprising:

a first logical base station comprising a first logical control node interface and a second logical base station comprising a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface corresponding to a control node interface of the physical base station,

wherein a set of radio resources of the physical base station is shared between the first logical base station and the second logical base station, the first logical base station is associated with a first control node, the second logical base station is associated with a second control node, both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station are connected to a multiplexer via a single transmission link, and the physical base station is connected to both of the first control node and the second control node through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

10. A method of associating logical base stations in a radio communication system, the radio communication system comprising a physical base station including at least a first logical base station and a second logical base station, the first logical base station comprising a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprising a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface corresponding to a control node interface of the physical base station, the radio communication system further comprising a multiplexer connected with both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station via a single transmission link, the method comprising:

associating the first logical base station with a first control node; and

associating the second logical base station with a second control node, wherein both of the first control node and the second control node are connected to the physical base station through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

11. A method of associating logical base stations in a radio communication system, the radio communication system comprising a physical base station including at least a first logical base station and a second logical base station, the first logical base station comprising a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprising a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface corresponding to a control node interface of the physical base station, the radio communication system further comprising a multiplexer connected with both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station via a single transmission link, the method comprising:

associating the first logical base station with a first control node;

associating the first logical base station with a first operation and maintenance node (OMN);

associating the second logical base station with a second control node; and

associating the second logical base station with a second OMN, wherein both of the first control node and the second control node are connected to the physical base station through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable memory having a computer program having code, the code comprising instructions for:

associating a first logical base station with a first control node; and

associating a second logical base station with a second control node,

wherein both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station are included in a physical base station, both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station are connected to a multiplexer via a single transmission link, the first logical base station comprises a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprises a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface correspond to a control node interface of the physical base station, and both of the first control node and the second control node are connected to the physical base station through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable memory having a computer program having code, the code comprising instructions for:

associating a first logical base station with a first control node;

associating the first logical base station with a first operation and maintenance node (OMN);

associating a second logical base station with a second control node; and

associating the second logical base station with a second OMN,

wherein both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station are included in a physical base station, both of the first logical base station and the second logical base station are connected to a multiplexer via a single transmission link, the first logical base station comprises a first logical control node interface, the second logical base station comprises a second logical control node interface, both the first logical control node interface and the second logical control node interface correspond to a control node interface of the physical base station, and both of the first control node and the second control node are connected to the physical base station through the control node interface via the multiplexer, and the first logical control node interface is transparent to the first control node and the second logical control node interface is transparent to the second control node.