Signal interference measurements in a wireless communication network

• US 8,854,981 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Davydov, Alexei, Morozov, Gregory, Bolotin, Ilya, Maltsev, Alexander, Sergeyev, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAU, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US13/681,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20130286867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/76 using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation requested by the user or requested by the network in response to changing network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/38 by fixed network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for handling interference measurements in a wireless communication network. An apparatus may include computer-readable media having instructions and processors coupled with the computer-readable media and configured to execute the instructions to identify, for a serving eNB, a neighboring eNB for which signal interference measurements are to be performed by one or more wireless devices served by the serving eNB, and request that the neighboring eNB transmit typical interference signals within data units which are configured for, and may or may not have, a scheduled physical downlink shared channel transmission. The wireless devices may be configured to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the typical interference signals, which may include non-zero-power signals or zero-power signals. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions; and

one or more processors coupled with the one or more computer-readable media and configured to execute the instructions to;

identify, for a serving enhanced nodeB (eNB) in a wireless communication network, a neighboring eNB on which signal interference measurements are to be performed by one or more wireless devices served by the serving eNB, wherein to identify is based in part on a determination whether a quality of signals transmitted by the serving eNB is affected by interference from transmissions from the neighboring eNB; and

request that the neighboring eNB emulate interference by transmitting one or more typical interference signals within one or more data units configured for a scheduled physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, wherein the one or more data units are non-almost blank subframes (non-ABS), wherein the one or more typical interference signals are generated based in part on one or more parameters of transmissions by the neighboring eNB gathered over a determined period of time, the one or more parameters including at least a power level of transmissions and beam forming patterns gathered over the determined period of time,

wherein the one or more wireless devices are configured to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the one or more typical interference signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include one or more first typical interference signals each of which includes a non-zero-power signal, and wherein the one or more data units include one or more first data units in which the scheduled PDSCH transmission is determined not to occur.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause each of the one or more wireless devices to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the transmitted one or more first typical interference signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the instructions to cause each of the one or more wireless devices to provide a channel quality indicator (CQI) report based at least in part on the performed signal interference measurements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine interference measurement resources for the neighboring eNB, the interference measurement resources to be included in the one or more data units; and

assign the determined interference measurement resources to the neighboring eNB or inform the neighboring eNB of the determined interference measurement resources.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the interference measurement resources include one or more resource elements (RE) on which the signal interference measurements are performed.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the emulating interference includes emulating non-interference, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include one or more second typical interference signals each of which includes a zero-power signal, and wherein the one or more data units include one or more second data units configured for the scheduled PDSCH transmission.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scheduled PDSCH transmission does or does not occur in the one or more second data units.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the one or more wireless devices to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the transmitted one or more second typical interference signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus, the serving eNB, the one or more wireless devices, and the neighboring eNB operate in at least one of Coordinated Multipoint Transmission (CoMP) environment associated with the wireless communication network or Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) environment associated with the wireless communication network, and wherein the wireless communication network includes a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal interference measurements are provided for the PDSCH associated with the wireless communication network, and wherein the wireless communication network includes a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

12. An apparatus comprising circuitry configured to:

obtain a request from a serving enhanced nodeB (eNB) that is configured to serve one or more wireless devices, wherein the request is based on an identification by the serving eNB of a neighboring eNB on which signal interference measurements are to be performed by the one or more wireless devices served by the serving eNB and wherein the identification is based in part on a determination whether a quality of signals transmitted by the serving eNB is affected by interference from transmissions from the neighboring eNB; and

transmit, based on the request, one or more typical interference signals within one or more data units configured for a scheduled physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission , wherein the one or more data units are non-almost blank subframes (non-ABS), wherein the one or more typical interference signals are generated based in part on one or more parameters of transmissions by the apparatus gathered over a determined period of time, the one or more parameters including at least a power level of transmissions and beam forming patterns gathered over the determined period of time, wherein each of the one or more wireless devices is configured to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the one or more typical interference signals.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request is associated with emulating non-interference by the apparatus, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include zero-power signals, and wherein the one or more data units include one or more second data units configured for the scheduled PDSCH transmission.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the scheduled PDSCH transmission does or does not occur in the one or more second data units.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request is associated with emulating interference by the apparatus, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include non-zero-power signals, and wherein the one or more data units include one or more first data units in which the scheduled PDSCH transmission is determined not to occur.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more typical interference signals are produced based on a pseudo-random modulation sequence, and are further configured based on one or more determined settings.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more determined settings include at least one of a number of spatial layers, beamforming weight, and power characteristics, the one or more determined settings reflecting an interference environment hypothesis for which signal interference measurements are performed.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, with a computing device, to perform signal interference measurements associated with a neighboring enhanced nodeB (eNB), the signal interference measurements to be performed by one or more wireless devices served by a serving eNB associated with the neighboring eNB, wherein the determining is based on an identification by the serving eNB of the neighboring eNB on which the signal interference measurements are to be performed by the one or more wireless devices and wherein the identification is based in part on a determination whether a quality of signals transmitted by the serving eNB is affected by interference from transmissions from the neighboring eNB; and

requesting, with the computing device, that the neighboring eNB transmit one or more typical interference signals within one or more data units configured for a scheduled physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission , wherein the one or more data units are non-almost blank subframes (non-ABS), wherein the one or more typical interference signals are generated based in part on one or more parameters of transmissions by the neighboring eNB gathered over a determined period of time, the one or more parameters including at least a power level of transmissions and beam forming patterns gathered over the determined period of time, wherein the one or more wireless devices are configured to perform the signal interference measurements based at least in part on the one or more typical interference signals.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the computing device is the serving eNB.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include a non-zero-power signal and wherein the scheduled downlink transmission does not occur within the one or more data units.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the non-zero power signal includes a power level used by the neighboring eNB to have the scheduled downlink transmission.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the one or more typical interference signals include a zero-power signal and wherein the scheduled downlink transmission does or does not occur within the one or more data units.

23. At least one non-transitory computing device-readable storage medium comprising instructions stored thereon wherein the instructions, in response to execution on a computing device, cause the computing device to:

determine, for one or more wireless devices served by a serving enhanced nodeB (eNB), to perform signal interference measurements, the serving eNB having a neighboring eNB and operating in a wireless communication network, wherein to determine is based on an identification by the serving eNB of the neighboring eNB on which the signal interference measurements are to be performed by the one or more wireless devices and wherein the identification is based in part on a determination whether a quality of signals transmitted by the serving eNB is affected by interference from transmissions from the neighboring eNB; and

request that the neighboring eNB transmit one or more typical interference signals within one or more data units configured for a scheduled physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, wherein the one or more data units are non-almost blank subframes (non-ABS), wherein the signal interference measurements are performed based at least in part on the one or more typical interference signals, wherein the one or more typical interference signals are generated based in part on one or more parameters of transmissions by the neighboring eNB gathered over a determined period of time, the one or more parameters including at least a power level of transmissions and beam forming patterns.

24. The at least one non-transitory computing device-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the wireless communication network includes a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.