Method and device in a communication network

• US 8,892,154 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Whinnett, Nicholas William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US13/907,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20130260776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/67.13, 455/501, 455/69, 455/424, 455/443, 455/449, 455/509, 455/63.1, 455/423, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/244 Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power

Abstract

A method of operating a base station such that the method comprises determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station and setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining. A base stations operating according to this method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a base station, the method comprising:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of setting comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to a relatively high value or an upper limit for the maximum permitted transmission power in the event that it is determined that there are no mobile devices that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of setting comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to a relatively low value or a lower limit for the maximum permitted transmission power in the event that it is determined that there is at least one mobile device that is not associated with the base station that requires protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step of setting comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to an intermediate value that is higher than the relatively low value or the lower limit for the maximum permitted transmission power.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of identifying comprises detecting signals in an uplink from mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, in the event that a signal is detected in the step of identifying, the step of determining further comprises estimating a quality of the detected signal.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of setting a maximum permitted transmission power for said base station comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power based on the estimated quality of the detected signal.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of determining comprises comparing the estimated or actual quality of the detected signal to a threshold, and the step of setting comprises setting the transmission power based on the comparison.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein if the estimated quality is above the threshold, the step of setting comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to a relatively low value or a lower limit for the maximum permitted transmission power.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein if the estimated quality is below the threshold, the step of setting comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to an intermediate value between upper and lower limits for the maximum permitted transmission power for said base station.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the intermediate value is set based on the difference between the estimated quality and the threshold.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of identifying comprises estimating a quality of a signal in an uplink from mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of identifying comprises estimating a quality of a reference signal in the uplink.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the reference signal is a Zadoff-Chu based reference signal.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the event that no mobile devices are identified in the step of identifying, the step of setting comprises increasing the maximum permitted transmission power.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of setting further comprises periodically or intermittently setting the maximum permitted transmission power to a relatively low value or a lower limit for the maximum permitted transmission power.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of setting further comprises setting the maximum permitted transmission power to a relatively low value or a lower limit for the maximum permitted transmission power for downlink transmissions from said base station that coincide with downlink control channel transmissions from a base station other than said base station.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base station is a femtocell base station.

19. A base station for use in a communication network, the base station configured to perform for following:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.

20. A base station as claimed in claim 19, wherein the base station is a femtocell base station.

21. A method of operating a base station, the method comprising:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station by identifying whether there are any mobile devices that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station by detecting signals comprising a plurality of signals in an uplink from a respective plurality of mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station and by detecting and decoding data in said plurality of uplink signals and determining a quality of the plurality of uplink data signals; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.

22. A base station for use in a communication network, the base station configured to perform the following:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station by identifying whether there are any mobile devices that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station by detecting signals comprising a plurality of signals in an uplink from a respective plurality of mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station and by detecting and decoding data in said plurality of uplink signals and determining a quality of the plurality of uplink data signals; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.

23. A method of operating a base station, the method comprising:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station by identifying whether there are any mobile devices that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station by detecting signals comprising a plurality of signals in an uplink from a respective plurality of mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station and by performing an estimation on a signal of highest quality of said plurality of uplink signals; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.

24. A base station for use in a communication network, the base station configured to perform the following:

determining whether there are any mobile devices that are not associated with the base station that require protection from interference caused by downlink transmissions of the base station by identifying whether there are any mobile devices that are receiving downlink transmissions from a base station other than said base station by detecting signals comprising a plurality of signals in an uplink from a respective plurality of mobile devices that are not associated with said base station to said other base station and by performing an estimation on a signal of highest quality of said plurality of uplink signals; and

setting a maximum permitted transmission power for the base station based on the result of the step of determining.