System and method for one cell to cover multiple areas

• US 8,855,551 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wan, Lilong
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US14/021,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20140018091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/13.4, 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/69, 455/115.1, 455/439, 455/126, 455/103, 370/342, 370/318, 370/320, 370/441, 370/464, 370/465, 370/479, 370/322, 370/328, 375/296, 375/146, 375/141, 375/147, 375/220, 375/260
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system, method and network device for covering a plurality of areas by one cell are disclosed. The system includes: a plurality of radio frequency groups and at least one base band unit. One radio frequency group corresponds to one area of the cell, one radio frequency group corresponds to one date channel, and one base band unit is connected to a plurality of radio frequency groups through a plurality of date channels. The embodiment of the invention reduces the signal interference among each area of the same cell, increases the system capacity, and benefits cell splitting, i.e., benefits increasing the capacity and upgrading during network enhancement.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising:

a baseband unit (BBU), configured to receive uplink signals of a user equipment (UE) from at least one radio frequency (RF) group of multiple RF groups through at least one data channel of multiple data channels, to determine information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from and to allocate power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to avoid that each of the multiple RF groups needs transmission consumption;

wherein, the BBU is configured to connect with the multiple RF groups through the multiple data channels, the multiple RF groups belong to a same cell, an area which each of the multiple RF groups corresponds to in the cell is different from each other and one of the multiple RF groups which each of the multiple data channels corresponds to is different from each other.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the BBU is configured to allocate power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups comprises:

the BBU is configured to send the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

3. The base station of claim 2, wherein the BBU is configured to send the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises:

the BBU is configured to send the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one data channel corresponding to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein the BBU is configured to determine information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises:

the BBU is configured to determine the at least one data channel which bears the uplink signals of the UE.

5. The base station of claim 2, wherein the BBU comprises:

multiple searchers, each searcher corresponds to a data channel of the multiple data channels, configured to search for the uplink signals of the UE on the multiple data channels, to send the uplink signals of the UE to a signal processing unit when finding the uplink signals on a data channel of the multiple data channels and to output the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from;

the signal processing unit, configured to process the uplink signals received from the searchers;

a downlink sending module, configured to send the downlink signals of the UE through the at least one data channel corresponding to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

6. The Base Station of claim 5, wherein the BBU further comprises:

a storing module, configured to record identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears uplink signals according to the uplink signals found by the searchers, wherein the identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears uplink signals is the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from; and

a downlink control module, configured to determine the at least one data channel corresponding to downlink signals to be sent according to information in the downlink signals and according to the recorded identifier information of the data channel that bears the uplink signals, and to send a control information on the data channel corresponding to the downlink signals to a downlink sending module; and

wherein the downlink sending module is configured to send the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to received control information.

7. The base station of claim 5, wherein the BBU is further configured to output the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to a radio network controller (RNC) and to receive control information on the at least one data channel corresponding to the downlink signals from the RNC and wherein the downlink sending module is configured to send the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to the received control information.

8. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station comprises the multiple RF groups and the multiple data channels, and wherein one of the multiple RF groups comprises a remote radio unit (RRU).

9. A method for one cell to cover multiple areas, characterized in that a baseband unit (BBU) is configured to connect with multiple radio frequency (RF) groups through multiple data channels, and the multiple RF groups belong to the cell, an area which each of the multiple radio frequency (RF) groups corresponds to in the cell is different from each other, one of the multiple RF groups which each of the multiple data channels corresponds to is different from each other, and the method comprises:

receiving, by the BBU, uplink signals of a user equipment (UE) from at least one RF group of the multiple RF groups through at least one data channel of the multiple data channels;

determining, by the BBU, information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from; and

allocating, by the BBU, power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups, according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to avoid that each of the multiple RF groups needs transmission power consumption.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of allocating, by the BBU, power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups wherein the power of downlink signals of the UE is determined according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises:

sending, by the BBU, the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of sending, by the BBU, the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises:

sending, by the BBU, the downlink signals of the UE to the at least one data channel corresponding to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining, by the BBU, information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises:

determining, by the BBU, the at least one data channel which bears the uplink signals of the UE; and

determining, by the BBU, the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from according to a relationship between the data channel and the RF group.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

searching, by the BBU, for the uplink signals of the UE on the multiple data channels;

processing, by the BBU, the uplink signals of the UE which bears on the at least one data channel of the multiple data channels when finding the uplink signals on the at least one data channel; and

wherein the determining information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises;

obtaining, by the BBU, the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from through the searching.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

recording, by the BBU, identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears the uplink signals when finding the uplink signals on the at least one data channel, wherein the identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears uplink signals is the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from; and

wherein the step of determining, by the BBU, information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from and allocating, by the BBU, power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups, wherein the power of downlink signals of the UE is determined according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises;

determining, by the BBU, the at least one data channel corresponding to downlink signals to be sent according to information in the downlink signals and according to the recorded identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears the uplink signals; and

sending, by the BBU, the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to control information on the at least one data channel corresponding to the downlink signals.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

outputting, by the BBU, the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to a Radio Network Controller, RNC, and

receiving, by the BBU, control information about the at least one data channel corresponding to the downlink signals from the RNC;

and wherein the step of allocating, by the BBU, power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups, wherein the power of downlink signals of the UE is determined according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from comprises;

sending, by the BBU, the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to the received control information.

16. A communication system, comprising a base station, wherein the base station comprises:

a baseband unit (BBU), configured to receive uplink signals of a user equipment (UE) from at least one radio frequency (RF) group of multiple RF groups through at least one data channel of multiple data channels, to determine information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from and to allocate power of downlink signals of the UE in the multiple RF groups according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to avoid that each of the multiple RF groups needs transmission power consumption;

wherein, the BBU is configured to connect with the multiple RF groups through the multiple data channels, the multiple RF groups belong to a same cell, an area which each of the multiple RF groups corresponds to in the cell is different from each other and one of the multiple RF groups which each of the multiple data channels corresponds to is different from each other.

17. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the BBU comprises:

multiple searchers, each searcher corresponds to a data channel of the multiple data channels, configured to search for the uplink signals of the UE on the multiple data channels, to send the uplink signals of the UE to a signal processing unit when finding the uplink signals on a data channel of the multiple data channels and to output the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from;

the signal processing unit, configured to process the uplink signals received from the searchers;

a downlink sending module, configured to send the downlink signals of the UE through the at least one data channel corresponding to the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the BBU further comprises:

a storing module, configured to record identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears uplink signals according to the uplink signals found by the searchers, wherein the identifier information of the at least one data channel that bears uplink signals is the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from; and

a downlink control module, configured to determine the at least one data channel corresponding to downlink signals to be sent according to information in the downlink signals and according to the recorded identifier information of the data channel that bears the uplink signals, and to send a control information on the data channel corresponding to the downlink signals to a downlink sending module; and

wherein the downlink sending module is configured to send the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to received control information.

19. The communication system of claim 16, further comprising a radio network controller (RNC), and wherein the BBU is further configured to output the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from to the RNC and to receive control information, from the RNC, on the at least one data channel corresponding to the downlink signals and wherein the downlink sending module is configured to send the downlink signals through the at least one corresponding data channel according to the received control information;

and the RNC is configured to receive the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from, to determine the data channel corresponding to the downlink signals according to the information about the at least one RF group which the uplink signals of the UE are received from and to send the control information on the determined data channel corresponding to the downlink signals to the BBU.

20. The communication system of claim 16, wherein the RNC comprises:

a storing module, configured to record identifier information of a data channel that bears uplink signals according to the uplink signals found by the BBU; and

a downlink control module, configured to determine the data channel corresponding to the downlink signals according to information in the downlink signals to be sent and according to the recorded identifier information of the data channel that bears the uplink signals, and output control information on the data channel corresponding to the downlink signals to the BBU.