Method and apparatus of mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination
AssigneeIndustrial Technology Research Institute
InventorsJen-Feng Huang, Ching-Feng Liang, You-En Lin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses of mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination are provided. An interference control server assigns, for each of the UE groups, a set of almost blank subframes (ABS) or non-preferred sub-bands specific to the corresponding one of the UE groups based on the UE group interference relationship and a resource demand for each of the UE groups. A base station assigns a plurality of sets of ABS (or non-preferred sub-bands) to reuse time-domain (or frequency-domain) resources.
Claims30
A method of mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination, wherein the heterogeneous network comprises a plurality of base stations, communication ranges of at least some of the base stations overlap, and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are within the communication ranges of the base stations, the method comprising:
- identifying, by an interference control server, an interference-service relationship between any one of the base stations and any one of the UEs, wherein the interference-service relationship indicates whether any one of the UEs is severed by or interfered from any one of the base stations;
- grouping, by the interference control server, the UEs into a plurality of UE groups, wherein each UE in a same UE group has an identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations such that each UE in the same UE group that has the identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations is served by a same one of the base stations, and is interfered from either none or a same one(s) of rest of the base stations;
- identifying, by the interference control server, an UE group interference relationship among the UE groups, wherein the UE group interference relationship indicates which ones of the UE groups may result in collision if simultaneously receiving downlink data in a same downlink subframe within a period, the step of identifying comprises determining, for each of the plurality of UE groups, whether the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same downlink subframe within the period;
- and when it is determined that the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same downlink subframe within the period, identifying each interference relationship between said respective UE group and each of said one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups;
- and
- for each of the UE groups, assigning, by the interference control server, a first set of time-specific downlink subframes within the period to a corresponding one of the UE groups as a set of almost blank subframes (ABS) specific to the corresponding one of the UE groups based on the UE group interference relationship and a resource demand for each of the UE groups.
An interference control server for mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination, wherein the heterogeneous network comprises a plurality of base stations, communication ranges of at least some of the base stations overlap, and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are within the communication ranges of the base stations, the interference control server comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive interference-service information of each of the UEs from the base stations;
- a processor connected to the receiver and configured to
- identify an interference-service relationship between any one of the base stations and any one of the UEs based on the interference-service information received by the receiver, wherein the interference-service relationship indicates whether any one of the UEs is severed by or interfered from any one of the base stations;
- group the UEs into a plurality of UE groups, wherein each UE in a same UE group has an identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations such that each UE in the same UE group that has the identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations is served by a same one of the base stations, and is interfered from either none or a same one(s) of rest of the base stations;
- identify an UE group interference relationship among the UE groups, wherein the UE group interference relationship indicates which ones of the UE groups may result in collision if simultaneously receiving downlink data in a same downlink subframe within a period, wherein the processor is configured to determine, for each of the plurality of UE groups, whether the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same downlink subframe within the period;
- and when it is determined that the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same downlink subframe within the period, the processor is configured to identify each interference relationship between said respective UE group and each of said one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups;
- and
- for each of the UE groups, assign a first set of time-specific downlink subframes within the period to a corresponding one of the UE groups as a set of almost blank subframes (ABS) specific to the corresponding one of the UE groups based on the UE group interference relationship and a resource demand for each of the UE groups.
A method of mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination, wherein the heterogeneous network comprises a plurality of base stations, communication ranges of at least some of the base stations overlap, and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are within the communication ranges of the base stations, the method comprising:
- receiving, by one of the base stations, a plurality of sets of almost blank subframes (ABS) from an interference control server, wherein each one of the plurality of sets of ABS is different from one another, at least two UE groups within the plurality of the UEs are currently served by the one of the base stations, and each of the at least two UE groups consists of a corresponding one or more UEs of the plurality of the UEs;
- and
- assigning, by the one of the base stations, one of the plurality of sets of ABS to one of the at least two UE groups, and another one of the plurality of sets of ABS to another one of the at least two UE groups, comprising the steps of:
- assigning, by the one of the base stations, the one of the plurality of sets of ABS to the one UE group, wherein each UE in the one UE group has an identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations;
- and
- assigning, by the one of the base stations, the another one of the plurality of sets of ABS to the another one UE group, wherein each UE in the another one UE group has an identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations,
- wherein the identical interference-service relationship for the one UE group is different from the identical interference-service relationship for the another one UE group.
A method of mitigating interference in a heterogeneous network using an inter-cell interference coordination, wherein the heterogeneous network comprises a plurality of base stations, communication ranges of at least some of the base stations overlap, and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are within the communication ranges of the base stations, the method comprising:
- identifying, by an interference control server, an interference-service relationship between any one of the base stations and any one of the UEs, wherein the interference-service relationship indicates whether any one of the UEs is severed by or interfered from any one of the base stations;
- grouping, by the interference control server, the UEs into a plurality of UE groups, wherein each UE in a same UE group has an identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations such that each UE in the same UE group that has the identical interference-service relationship with all of the base stations is served by a same one of the base stations, and is interfered from either none or a same one(s) of rest of the base stations;
- identifying, by the interference control server, an UE group interference relationship among the UE groups, wherein the UE group interference relationship indicates which ones of the UE groups would result in collision if simultaneously receiving downlink data in a same sub-band within a frequency band, the step of identifying comprises determining, for each of the plurality of UE groups, whether the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same sub-band within the frequency band;
- and when it is determined that the respective UE group will collide with one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups when simultaneously receiving downlink data in the same sub-band within the frequency band, identifying each interference relationship between said respective UE group and each of said one or more of the rest of the plurality of UE groups;
- and
- for each of the UE groups, assigning, by the interference control server, a first set of frequency-specific sub-bands within the frequency band to a corresponding one of the UE groups as a set of non-preferred downlink sub-bands specific to the corresponding one of the UE groups based on the UE group interference relationship and a resource demand for each of the UE groups.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.