APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MANAGING REVERSE LINK COMMUNICATION RESOURCES IN A DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080004033A1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Tao, Jain, Avinash, Tiedemann, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method efficiently manage reverse link communication in a communication system having geographically distributed base stations. Coupled load information is exchanged between base stations allowing a base station to determine an appropriate allocation of reverse link channel resources to mobile stations served by the base station. Since the allocation of reverse link channels resources are controlled directly by the base station, delays due to communications with a central controller are eliminated. As a result, adverse effects of load scheduling based on obsolete reverse channel information are minimized.

Claims

1. An apparatus, in a base station functioning as a serving base station for a mobile station, for controlling reverse link communication in a distributed base station communication system, comprising:

means for receiving a maximum tolerable coupled load representing a maximum coupled load at another base station functioning as a non-serving base station to the mobile station, the maximum tolerable coupled load determined to be the reserved maximum load at the another base station due to reverse link transmissions of mobile stations served by the base station;

means for receiving a coupled load indicator representing a coupled load parameter measured at the another base station due to the mobile station; and

means for managing reverse link transmissions of the mobile station in accordance with the maximum tolerable coupled load.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

means for allocating reverse link resources between a plurality of mobile stations in accordance with the maximum tolerable coupled load indicator, each of the plurality of mobile stations served by the base station and maintaining the another base station in a set of active base stations.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the means for allocating the reverse link resources comprises:

means for calculating an expected coupled load at the another base station due to each of the plurality of mobile stations, each expected coupled load based on the coupled load indicator corresponding to the mobile station and a transmission parameter of the mobile station; and

means for controlling the reverse link transmissions of the mobile stations such that the sum of the expected coupled loads corresponding to the another base station are less than the maximum tolerable coupled load indicator.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the mobile station transmission parameters comprise a transmission data rate of a reverse link transmission from the mobile station.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein the mobile station transmission parameters comprise a transmission power level of the reverse link transmission.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein the coupled load indicator represents an energy-per-chip-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (E_cp/N_t) measured at the another base station.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein the maximum tolerable coupled load represents a tolerable energy-per-chip-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (E_cp/N_t) at the another base station.

8. An apparatus for a base station functioning as a non-serving base station for a mobile station, for controlling reverse link communication in a distributed base station communication system, comprising:

means for forwarding, to another base station, a coupled load indicator representing a coupled load parameters measured at the base station due to reverse link transmissions of a mobile station served by another base station, the mobile station maintaining the base station in a set of active base stations; and

means for forwarding a maximum tolerable coupled load representing a reserved maximum coupled load at the base station due to the mobile stations.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 8, further comprising:

means for determining the maximum tolerable coupled load based on reverse link resource requests of other mobile stations served by the base station.

10. The apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein the means for determining the maximum tolerable coupled load further comprises:

means for determining the maximum tolerable coupled load based on transmission priorities of the other mobile stations served by the base station.

11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein the coupled load indicator represents an energy-per-chip-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (E_cp/N_t) measured at the base station.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein the maximum tolerable coupled load represents a tolerable expected energy-per-chip-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (E_cp/N_t) at the base station.