User equipment distribution information collection

• US 9,918,238 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Chou, Joey
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/088,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20160219445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 455446, 4554521
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/30 Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A base station operable to adapt cell coverage based on user equipment (UE) distribution information for a communications network is disclosed. The base station can determine UE distribution information for a cell formed by the base station. The UE distribution information can indicate a geographical distribution of UEs in the cell. The base station can trigger an adjustment of a coverage area of the cell formed by the base station based on the UE distribution information for the cell.

Claims

1. An apparatus of an eNodeB operable to adapt cell coverage based on user equipment (UE) distribution information for a communications network, the apparatus comprising one or more processors and memory configured to:

perform a two-dimensional bin measurement comprising a timing advance measurement and an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement for each of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) in a cell associated with the eNodeB, wherein the two-dimensional bin measurement is performed on uplink (UL) transmissions from the plurality of UEs in the cell to the eNodeB;

monitor a distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell of the eNodeB based on the two-dimensional bin measurement for each of the plurality of UEs;

trigger, at the eNodeB, an adjustment of a coverage area of the cell formed by the eNodeB based on the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell;

adjust a cell size of the cell based on a traffic load of the cell as indicated by the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell; and

determine a type of one or more UE UL transmissions received from the plurality of UEs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to periodically monitor the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell formed by the eNodeB during a defined time period.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to adjust the coverage area of the cell formed by the eNodeB based on a distribution of users within the cell.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the eNodeB is configured to communicate with one or more user equipments (UEs) within the cell, wherein the UEs include an antenna, a touch sensitive display screen, a speaker, a microphone, a graphics processor, an application processor, an internal memory, a non-volatile memory port, and combinations thereof.

5. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for adapting cell coverage based on user equipment (UE) distribution information for a communication network, the instructions when executed perform the following:

determining, using at least one processor of an eNodeB, UE distribution information for a cell formed by the eNodeB, the UE distribution information indicating a distribution of UEs in the cell;

triggering, using the at least one processor of the eNodeB, an adjustment of a coverage area of the cell formed by the eNodeB or a capacity level of the cell formed by the eNodeB based on the UE distribution information for the cell;

adjusting a cell size of the cell based on a traffic load of the cell as indicated by the UE distribution information;

receive, at the eNode B, a UE UL transmission for communicating data; and

determine a type of one or more UE UL transmissions received from the geographical distribution of UEs.

6. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising instructions when executed perform the following:

determining the UE distribution information for the cell using two dimensional (2D) bin measurements.

7. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the 2D bin measurements are created using timing advance (T_ADV) measurements and angle of arrival (AOA) measurements reported from one or more UEs within the cell.

8. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising instructions when executed perform the following:

periodically monitoring a UE distribution in the cell formed by the eNodeB during a defined time period.

9. A base station operable to adapt cell coverage based on user equipment (UE) distribution information for a communications network, the base station comprising one or more processors and memory configured to:

determine, at the base station, UE distribution information for a cell formed by the base station, the UE distribution information indicating a geographical distribution of UEs in the cell;

trigger, at the base station, an adjustment of a coverage area of the cell formed by the base station based on the UE distribution information for the cell;

adjust a cell size of the cell based on a traffic load of the cell as indicated by the UE distribution information;

receive, at the eNode B, a UE UL transmission for communicating data; and

determine a type of one or more UE UL transmissions received from the geographical distribution of UEs.

10. The base station of claim 9, further configured to determine the UE distribution information for the cell using two dimensional (2D) bin measurements.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the 2D bin measurements are created using timing advance (T_ADV) measurements and angle of arrival (AOA) measurements reported from one or more UEs within the cell.

12. The base station of claim 9, further configured to periodically monitor a UE distribution in the cell formed by the base station during a defined time period.

13. The base station of claim 9, further configured to adjust the coverage area of the cell formed by the eNodeB based on a distribution of users within the cell.

14. The base station of claim 9, wherein the eNodeB is configured to communicate with one or more user equipments (UEs) within the cell, wherein the UEs include an antenna, a touch sensitive display screen, a speaker, a microphone, a graphics processor, an application processor, an internal memory, a non-volatile memory port, and combinations thereof.

15. An apparatus of an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-TRAN) operable to adapt cell coverage based on user equipment (UE) distribution information, the E-UTRAN comprising one or more processors and memory configured to:

identify, at the E-UTRAN, a two-dimensional bin measurement comprising a timing advance measurement and an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement for each of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) in a cell associated with an eNodeB, wherein the two-dimensional bin measurement is performed on uplink (UL) transmissions from the plurality of UEs in the cell to the eNodeB;

determine, at the E-UTRAN, a distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell of the eNodeB based on the two-dimensional bin measurement for each of the plurality of UEs;

adjust, a cell size at the E-UTRAN, a based on the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell and a traffic load of the cell;

provide additional capacity to the cell formed by the eNodeB based on the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell and the traffic load in the cell; and

determine a type of one or more UE UL transmissions received from the plurality of UEs.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further configured to periodically monitor the distribution of the plurality of UEs in the cell formed by the eNodeB during a defined time period.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further configured to adjust the coverage area of the cell formed by the eNodeB based on a distribution of users within the cell.