Automatic provisioning of power parameters for femtocell

• US 9,313,752 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IPCOMM LLC, Via Telecom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: IPCOMM LLC, Via Telecom Inc. (VIA Technologies)
• Inventors: Czaja, Stanislaw, Davis, Mark E., Lee, Anthony, Kim, Sang Gook, Sun, Li-Hsiang
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US12/123,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20090093246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,884 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 taking into account loading or congestion level

Abstract

Automatic provisioning of an access point base station or femtocell. The method may include the femtocell transmitting first information (e.g., location information, signal measurement information, capability information, etc.) to a service provider (e.g., over an IP network). The femtocell may receive second information from the service provider, where the second information includes one or more operational parameters. The operational parameters may include hand-off parameters, admission policy parameters, PN or scrambling codes, power parameters, and/or other parameters. The femtocell may operate according to the received parameters to provide access for a plurality of access terminals in a local area.

Claims

1. A method for reducing interference to a network caused by an access point base station by allocating optimum transmission power to the access point base station, the method comprising:

obtaining location information and access policy mode information for the access point base station;

obtaining coverage area information for the access point base station;

performing at least one measurement of macro-cellular network base stations'"'"' signals received by the access point base station;

wherein the location information comprises geographical coordinates and type of surrounding structures, and wherein the coverage information includes desired coverage, type of construction, and construction materials;

after transmitting the information to a service provider through a wired connection, receiving second information from the service provider, wherein the second information comprises ID code and time offset assignment, an admission policy mode parameter and preferred terminal list, one or more power parameters, the one or more power parameters comprising a maximum transmit power parameter, wherein the second information is determined based on the location information, the coverage area information, the access policy mode information, and the at least one measurement; and

operating based on the maximum transmit power parameter and the admission policy and preferred terminal list, wherein said operating reduces interference caused by the access point base station, and

wherein the preferred terminal list is not provided by the access point base station during provisioning of the access point base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum transmit power parameter defines a coverage area for the access point base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point base station is deployed in a first location having a first coverage area;

wherein the maximum transmit power parameter is determined based on a coverage area propagation model.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement comprises signal measurements of a neighboring macro base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, in response to a change in the network:

receiving updated second information from the service provider, wherein the updated second information comprises one or more updated power parameters, the one or more updated power parameters comprising an updated maximum transmit power parameter; and

operating based on the updated maximum transmit power parameter, wherein said operating based on the updated maximum transmit power parameter reduces interference caused by the access point base station in the changed network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum transmit power parameter contains information specifying power allocation of one or more overhead channels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum transmit power parameter is determined based on the capability information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving identity information from the service provider prior to the access point base station connecting to the service provider through the wired connection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point base station is a femtocell.

10. A femtocell, comprising:

an interface for providing communication with one or more access terminals and a service provider;

a processor coupled to the interface; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable to;

obtain location information and access policy mode information for an access point base station;

obtain coverage area information for the access point base station;

perform at least one measurement of signals received by the femtocell using the interface;

connect to the service provider through the interface;

wherein the location information comprises geographical coordinates and type of surrounding structures, and wherein the coverage information includes desired coverage, type of construction, and construction materials;

after transmitting the information to a service provider through a wired connection, receive second information from the service provider, wherein the second information comprises ID code and time offset assignment, an admission policy mode parameter and preferred terminal list, and one or more power parameters, the one or more power parameters comprising a maximum transmit power parameter, wherein the second information is determined based on the location information, the coverage area information, the access policy mode information, and the at least one measurement; and

operate based on the maximum transmit power parameter and the admission policy and preferred terminal list, wherein the operation reduces interference caused by the femtocell, and

wherein the preferred terminal list is not provided by the access point base station during provisioning of the access point base station.

11. The femtocell of claim 10,

wherein the maximum transmit power parameter defines a coverage area for the femtocell.

12. The femtocell of claim 10,

wherein the femtocell is deployed in a first location having a first coverage area;

and

wherein the maximum transmit power parameter is determined based on a coverage area propagation model.

13. The femtocell of claim 10, wherein the at least one measurement comprises signal measurements of a neighboring macro base station.

14. The femtocell of claim 10, wherein, the program instructions are further executable to, in response to a change in the network:

receive updated second information from the service provider, wherein the updated second information comprises one or more updated power parameters, the one or more updated power parameters comprising an updated maximum transmit power parameter; and

operate based on the updated maximum transmit power parameter, wherein said operating based on the updated maximum transmit power parameter reduces interference caused by the access point base station in the changed network.

15. The femtocell of claim 10,

wherein the maximum transmit power parameter contains information specifying power allocation of one or more overhead channels.

16. The femtocell of claim 10, wherein the maximum transmit power parameter is also determined based on the capability information.

17. The femtocell of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive identity information from the service provider prior to the femtocell connecting to the service provider through the wired connection.

18. A non-transitory computer-accessible memory medium which stores program instructions for reducing interference to a network caused by an access point base station by allocating optimum transmission power to the access point base station, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor to:

obtain location information and access policy mode information for the access point base station;

obtain coverage area information for the access point base station;

perform at least one measurement of signals received by the access point base station;

wherein the location information comprises geographical coordinates and type of surrounding structures, and wherein the coverage information includes desired coverage, type of construction, and construction materials;

after transmitting the information to a service provider through a wired connection, receive second information from the service provider, wherein the second information comprises ID code and time offset assignment, an admission policy mode parameter and preferred terminal list one or more power parameters, the one or more power parameters comprising a maximum transmit power parameter, wherein the second information is determined based on the location information, the coverage area information, the access policy mode information, and the at least one measurement; and

operate based on the maximum transmit power parameter and the admission policy and preferred terminal list, wherein operation reduces interference caused by the access point base station, and

wherein the preferred terminal list is not provided by the access point base station during provisioning of the access point base station.

19. A method for reducing interference to a network caused by an access point base station, the method comprising:

receiving at least one measurement of signals, capability information, coverage area information, access policy mode information, and location information of the access point base station through a wired connection, wherein the at least one measurement of signals is received from the access point base station, and wherein the capability information comprises supported RAT technologies, maximum number of users, data rates, and propagation characteristics of the environment in which the access point based station is located;

determining and storing second information, wherein the second information comprises ID code and time offset assignment, an admission policy mode parameter and preferred terminal list, one or more power parameters, the one or more power parameters comprising a maximum transmit power parameter, wherein the second information is determined based on the location information, the coverage area information, the access policy mode information, and the at least one measurement, and wherein the preferred terminal list is not provided by the access point base station during provisioning of the access point base station;

providing the second information to the access point base station, wherein the second information is usable by the access point base station to reduce interference caused by the access point base station.

20. A communication system for providing wireless communication with one or more access terminals, comprising:

a service provider;

a macro base station for providing wireless communication with the one or more access terminals in a macro area; and

an access point base station for providing wireless communication with the one or more access terminals in a local area intersected partially with the macro area, and wherein the access point base station is configured to;

obtain location information and an access policy mode information for the access point base station;

obtain coverage area information for the access point base station;

perform at least one measurement of macro-cellular network base stations'"'"' signals received by the access point base station;

wherein the location information comprises geographical coordinates and type of surrounding structures, and wherein the coverage information includes desired coverage, type of construction, and construction materials;

after transmitting the information to the service provider, receive second information from the service provider, wherein the second information comprises ID code and time offset assignment, an admission policy mode parameter and preferred terminal list, and one or more power parameters, the one or more power parameters comprising a maximum transmit power parameter, wherein second information is determined based on the location information, the access policy mode information, the coverage area information, and the at least one measurement; and

operate based on the maximum transmit power parameter and the admission policy and preferred terminal list, wherein operation reduces interference caused by the access point base station, and wherein the preferred terminal list is not provided by the access point base station during provisioning of the access point base station.