Self-adaptive coverage of wireless networks

• US 9,781,685 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsui, Ernest, Hariharan, Srikanth, Kapnadak, Vibhav
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/086,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 455 631, 4551142, 4552781, 455296
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/18 TPC being performed according to specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile

Abstract

Both uplink spectral efficiency and downlink spectral efficiency are improved through adjustments made to various parameters that would otherwise be treated as static type parameters. Variations in respective performance of two or more cells can be considered during the adjustment. Further, variations of respective cell performance based on time of day/week are considered and compensated for through various adjustments. Such timely adaptations are applied in order to improve the performance of each cell, during each time of day/week.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a system comprising a processor, a first interference experienced by first network devices of a first cell site and caused by a first mobile device, wherein the first mobile device is within the first cell site of the first network devices and within a second cell site of a second network device, and wherein the first mobile device is in communication with the second network device;

detecting, by the system, a second interference experienced by a second mobile device in communication with the first network devices and caused by the second network device, wherein the second mobile device is within the first cell site and within the second cell site;

identifying, by the system, a first radio access technology utilized by the first network devices to communicate and a second radio access technology utilized by the second network device to communicate;

based on a result of scanning the first cell site, determining, by the system, a bandwidth associated with the first cell site; and

in response to the identifying, and as a function of a defined time of day and the bandwidth, adjusting, by the system, a setting to reduce a composite interference, wherein the setting is a tilt of an antenna associated with the second mobile device, and wherein the composite interference comprises a combination of the first interference experienced by the first network devices and the second interference experienced by the second mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises:

receiving, by the system, a first propagation delay and a first radio frequency measurement from the first mobile device, and a second propagation delay and a second radio frequency measurement from the second mobile device;

receiving, by the system, first radio frequency measurements from the first network devices, and second radio frequency measurements from the second network device; and

determining, by the system, a first position of the first mobile device and a second position of the second mobile device, based on the first propagation delay, the second propagation delay, the first radio frequency measurement, the second radio frequency measurement, the first radio frequency measurements, and the second radio frequency measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the first interference comprises:

measuring, by the system, a total received uplink interference power in different frequencies;

determining, by the system, respective network traffic loads of the first network devices and the second network device;

determining, by the system, a quantity of third devices of cell sites, other than the first cell site and the second cell site, that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are able to detect; and

receiving, by the system, third radio frequency measurements from the third devices, and fourth radio frequency measurements from mobile devices, other than the first mobile device and the second mobile device, connected to the third devices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

adjusting, by the system, a transmission power of the first network devices by an adjustment unit per iteration for a defined number of iterations;

determining, by the system, locations for the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and

determining, by the system, that a first location of the locations is within a first network traffic coverage area of the first network devices and a second location of the locations is within a second network coverage area of the second network device, after the adjusting.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

adjusting, by the system, the antenna of the first network devices by an adjustment unit per iteration for a defined number of iterations;

determining, by the system, locations for the first mobile device and the second mobile device; and

determining, by the system, that a first location of the locations is within a first network traffic coverage area of the first network devices and a second location of the locations is within a second network coverage area of the second network device, after the adjusting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the setting results in an adjusted setting, and further comprising:

determining, by the system, a performance indicator has degraded below a threshold value; and

in response to the performance indicator being determined to have degraded below the threshold value, reverting, by the system, the adjusted setting to a prior setting.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

detecting a first interference associated with first devices of a first cellular region, wherein the first interference is caused by a first femto device, of the first devices, communicating with mobile devices of a second cellular region;

detecting a second interference experienced by a second femto device, of the first devices, communicating with the mobile devices, wherein the second interference is caused by the mobile devices communicating with the first femto device, and wherein the mobile devices are located in the first cellular region and within the second cellular region;

identifying a first radio access technology utilized by the first devices to communicate and a second radio access technology utilized by the mobile devices to communicate;

in response to scanning the first cellular region, determining bandwidth data representative of a bandwidth associated with the first cellular region; and

in response to the identifying and the determining the bandwidth data, adjusting a setting associated with an antenna to reduce the first interference, wherein the setting is a tilt of the antenna associated with the second femto device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interference comprises a combination of interference experienced by the first devices and the mobile devices.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a time of day and an environmental condition; and

modifying a downlink power control parameter and an uplink power control parameter based on the time of day and the environmental condition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

changing a threshold parameter of the first devices based on the time of day.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting a transmission power associated with the second femto device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjusting the setting comprises adjusting a position of the antenna.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the setting is a first setting, and wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting a second setting to balance an uplink path loss with a downlink path loss associated with the second femto device.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjusting the setting comprises adjusting a pre-configured value of the setting.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

detecting a first interference associated with first devices of a first network, wherein the first interference is caused by a first femto device communicating with mobile devices of a second network, and wherein the mobile devices are located in a first region associated with the first devices and within a second region associated with the second network;

detecting a second interference experienced by a second femto device communicating with the first devices, wherein the second interference is caused by the mobile devices communicating with the second femto device;

identifying a first radio access technology utilized by the first devices to communicate and a second radio access technology utilized by the mobile devices to communicate, wherein the first radio access technology is different than the second radio access technology;

based on a result of scanning the first network, determining a bandwidth associated with the first network; and

in response to the identifying and the determining, adjusting a setting associated with an antenna associated with the first femto device to reduce the second interference, wherein the setting is an amount of tilt of the antenna.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first radio access technology is a macro cell radio access technology.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the second radio access technology is a pico cell radio access technology.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the adjusting the setting comprises adjusting the setting based on a time associated with the first interference.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the setting is a first setting, and wherein the adjusting the setting comprises adjusting the setting in accordance with a second setting associated with the antenna.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the setting is a first setting, and wherein the operations further comprise:

adjusting a second setting associated with the antenna to balance an uplink path loss with a downlink path loss associated with the first femto device.