Methods and apparatus related to power control and/or interference management in a mixed wireless communications system

• US 9,119,163 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Laroia, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US13/733,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20130122947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 455/501
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/265 taking into account the quality of service QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/30 using constraints in the total amount of available transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus related to the sharing of wide area network (WAN) uplink bandwidth with peer to peer communication signaling usage are described. A base station transmits a signal to be used by a peer to peer wireless terminal in controlling its peer to peer transmit power level. The peer to peer wireless terminal receives and measures the strength of the base station signal. The measurement information is used in determining whether or not peer to peer signal transmission is permitted and/or in determining a peer to peer transmission power level. Current service level information and/or encoded information, e.g., an interference level indicator value, conveyed by the received base station signal are, in various embodiments, also utilized in determining a peer to peer transmission power level.

Claims

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

measuring during an uplink null time period uplink background interference;

determining a change in the measured background interference;

determining a first transmission power control value as a function of the measured background interference and the determined change in the measured background interference; and

transmitting the first transmission power control value to one or more wireless terminals.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing interference budget information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining said first transmission power control value includes using said stored interference budget information in combination with the measured background interference to generate said first transmission power control value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining said first transmission power control value includes modifying a previous transmission power control value when said measured background interference exceeds an interference budget limit indicated by said stored interference budget information, the modified transmission power control value limiting peer to peer transmission power levels more than the previous transmission power control value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining said first transmission power control value includes modifying the previous transmission power control value when said measured background interference is below said interference budget limit, the modified transmission power control value increasing peer to peer transmission power levels to a level higher than the levels controlled by the previous transmission power control value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said changing to a higher level is performed when said measured interference is below said interference budget limit by at least a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said uplink null time period corresponds to a period of time in which at least a fraction of uplink bandwidth used by said base station is intentionally not used for transmitting uplink signals to the base station.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining synchronization with at least one adjacent base station to maintain synchronization of uplink null time periods between adjacent base stations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said first transmission power control value is also a function of a difference between two previously transmitted transmission power control values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said previous measurement of background interference followed transmission of a second previous transmission power control value in said two previously transmitted transmission power control values.

11. A base station, comprising:

an interference measurement module for measuring during an uplink null time period uplink background interference;

a wireless terminal power control module for;

determining a change in the measured background interference;

determining a first transmission power control value as a function of the measured background interference and the determined change in the measured background interference; and

a transmitter module for transmitting the first transmission power control value to one or more wireless terminals.

12. The base station of claim 11, further comprising:

memory including stored interference budget information.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein said wireless terminal power control module determines said first transmission power control value using said stored interference budget information in combination with the measured background interference to generate said first transmission power control value.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein said wireless terminal power control module determines said first transmission power control value by operations including modifying a previous transmission power control value when said measured background interference exceeds an interference budget limit indicated by said stored interference budget information, the modified transmission power control value limiting peer to peer transmission power levels more than the previous transmission power control value.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein said wireless terminal power control module determines said first transmission power control value by operations including modifying the previous transmission power control value when said measured background interference is below said interference budget limit, the modified transmission power control value increasing peer to peer transmission power levels to a level higher than the levels controlled by the previous transmission power control value.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein said changing to a higher level is performed when said measured interference is below said interference budget limit by at least a predetermined threshold.

17. The base station of claim 12, wherein said uplink null time period corresponds to a period of time in which at least a fraction of uplink bandwidth used by said base station is intentionally not used for transmitting uplink signals to the base station, the memory further comprising:

stored timing structure information identifying said uplink null periods.

18. The base station of claim 11, further comprising:

a wide area network synchronization module for maintaining synchronization with at least one adjacent base station to maintain synchronization of uplink null time periods between adjacent base stations.

19. The base station of claim 11, wherein said wireless terminal power control module determines said first transmission power control value as a function of a difference between two previously transmitted transmission power control values.

20. The base station of claim 11, further comprising:

an interference type separation module for identifying a contribution of measured uplink interference associated with peer to peer signaling.

21. A base station, comprising:

interference measurement means for measuring during an uplink null time period uplink background interference;

means for determining a change in the measured background interference;

means for determining a first transmission power control value as a function of the measured background interference and the determined change in the measured background interference; and

means for transmitting the first transmission power control value to one or more wireless terminals.

22. The base station of claim 21, further comprising:

storage means containing interference budget information.

23. The base station of claim 21, further comprising:

means for maintaining synchronization with at least one adjacent base station to maintain synchronization of uplink null time periods between adjacent base stations.

24. The base station of claim 22, further comprising:

means for identifying a contribution of measured uplink interference associated with peer to peer signaling.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling a base station to implement a method, the method comprising:

measuring during an uplink null time period uplink background interference;

determining a change in the measured background interference;

determining a first transmission power control value as a function of the measured background interference and the determined change in the measured background interference; and

transmitting the first transmission power control value to one or more wireless terminals.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, further embodying machine executable instructions for:

storing interference budget information.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein determining said first transmission power control value includes using said stored interference budget information in combination with the measured background interference to generate said first transmission power control value.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, further embodying machine executable instructions for:

maintaining synchronization with at least one adjacent base station to maintain synchronization of uplink null time periods between adjacent base stations.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

measure during an uplink null time period uplink background interference;

determine a change in the measured background interference;

determine a first transmission power control value as a function of the measured background interference and the determined change in the measured background interference from a previous measurement;

transmit the first transmission power control value in a signal to one or more wireless terminals.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said processor is further configured to:

store interference budget information.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said processor configuration to determine said first transmission power control value further includes being configured to use said stored interference budget information in combination with the measured background interference to generate said first transmission power control value.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said processor is further configured to:

maintain synchronization with at least one adjacent base station to maintain synchronization of uplink null time periods between adjacent base stations.