Communications system

• US 8,886,192 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ahluwalia, Jagdeep Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/678,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20130165135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 455/432.3, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/438, 455/445, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/550.1, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A method performed by a EUTRAN base station, the method including generating a request for resource status information. The request defines a periodicity when update messages including said resource status information should be sent. The method further including sending the generated request to a neighboring EUTRAN base station, receiving one or more resource status update messages from the neighboring base station in response to the requested resource status information in accordance with said defined periodicity, and performing load balancing operations in dependence upon the received one or more resource status update messages.

Claims

1. A method performed by a EUTRAN base station, the method comprising:

generating a request for resource status information, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

sending the generated request to a neighboring EUTRAN base station;

receiving one or more resource status update messages sent from the neighboring EUTRAN base station in response to the request for resource status information in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request; and

performing load balancing operations in dependence upon the received one or more resource status update messages.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining load balancing measurements for resources associated with the requesting base station and wherein said performing performs said load balancing operations in dependence upon the obtained load balancing measurements and the received one or more resource status update messages.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said obtaining obtains said measurements by making the measurements.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generated request is for requesting said resource status information at a defined event.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said generated request is for requesting the neighboring base station to transmit a resource status report when usage of a resource by the neighboring base station exceeds a defined threshold.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said generated request is for requesting the neighboring base station to transmit a resource status report when the uplink interference level exceeds a defined threshold.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein said generated request is for requesting said resource status information at any of a plurality of defined events.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said generated message includes data identifying an averaging time specifying a measurement interval for producing the requested information.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said base station is operable to dynamically control Handover and Cell re-selection parameters in dependence upon the one or more received resource status update messages.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said cell re-selection parameters include at least one of Inter-frequency reselection priorities and layer specific offset.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein said Handover parameters include at least one of hysteresis and time to trigger.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said request and response are communicated between the neighboring base stations over an X2 interface.

13. A mobile terminal configured for handover, from a EUTRAN base station operable to perform a method according to claim 1, and in accordance with said load balancing operations performed by said EUTRAN base station.

14. A communication system comprising:

a EUTRAN base station adapted to perform a method according to claim 1; and

a mobile terminal configured for handover from said EUTRAN base station in accordance with said load balancing operations performed by said EUTRAN base station.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibility embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform the control method of claim 1.

16. A method performed by a EUTRAN base station, the method comprising:

receiving a request for resource status information from a neighboring EUTRAN base station, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

obtaining one or more load balancing measurements for resources associated with the base station;

generating one or more resource status update messages including the one or more load balancing measurements; and

sending the generated one or more resource status update messages to the neighboring EUTRAN base station in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said generating generates and sends said one or more resource status update messages in accordance with requirements defined by the neighboring base station in said received request.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said obtaining obtains said measurements by making the measurements.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein said further request comprises a field set at a defined value for stopping the transmission of further status update messages, and comprising stopping transmission of status update messages in response thereto.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein said received request is for requesting said resource status information at a defined event.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein said received request is for requesting the base station to send a resource status report when usage of a resource by the base station exceeds a defined threshold.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein said received request is for requesting the base station to send a resource status report when the uplink interference level exceeds a defined threshold.

23. A method according to claim 20, wherein said received request is for requesting said resource status information at any of a plurality of defined events.

24. A method according to claim 16, wherein said obtaining obtains said load balancing information over a measurement interval defined by the received request.

25. A EUTRAN base station, comprising:

means for generating a request for resource status information, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

means for sending the generated request to a neighboring EUTRAN base station;

means for receiving one or more resource status update messages sent from the neighboring EUTRAN base station in response to the request for resource status information in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request; and

means for performing load balancing operations in dependence upon the received one or more resource status update messages.

26. A EUTRAN base station, comprising:

a request generator operable to generate a request for resource status information, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

a transceiver operable to transmit the generated request to a neighboring EUTRAN base station and operable to receive one or more resource status update messages sent from the neighboring EUTRAN base station in response to the request for resource status information in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request; and

a controller operable to perform load balancing operations in dependence upon the received one or more resource status update messages.

27. A EUTRAN base station, comprising:

means for receiving a request for resource status information from a neighboring EUTRAN base station, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

means for obtaining one or more load balancing measurements for resources associated with the base station;

means for generating one or more resource status update messages including the one or more load balancing measurements; and

means for sending the generated one or more resource status update messages to the neighboring EUTRAN base station in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request.

28. A EUTRAN base station, comprising:

transceiver operable to receive a request for resource status information from a neighboring EUTRAN base station, wherein said request carries information that defines a future timing at which one or more update messages including said resource status information should be sent;

a controller operable to obtain one or more load balancing measurements for resources associated with the base station; and

a resource status update message generator operable to generate one or more resource status update messages including the one or more load balancing measurements,

wherein said transceiver is operable to transmit the generated one or more resource status update messages to the neighboring EUTRAN base station in accordance with the future timing defined by said information carried by said request.