# US 2014/0155077 A1 · Method for operating a wimax femtocell base station and femtocell base station > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0155077 A1 - Document ID: US20140155077A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/176,639 - Filed: 2014-02-10 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-10-12 - Assignees: NEC Corporation - Applicants: NEC Corporation - Inventors: Andreas MAEDER; Jun ZHOU; Michael EINHAUS; Yuefeng ZHOU; Tetsu IKEDA; Linghang FAN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140155077A1 ## CPC - H04W 72/541: using the level of interference - H04W 52/0206: {in access points, e.g. base stations} - H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame} - H04W 84/045: {using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B} - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract A method for operating a WiMAX femtocell base station, wherein the femtocell base station has an active operational mode, in which the radio interface subsystem of the femtocell base station is fully power supplied, is characterized in that a power saving mode with reduced radio interface activity is provided, wherein the femtocell base station is enabled to transit between the active operation mode and the power saving mode. Furthermore, a corresponding femtocell base station for deployment in a WiMAX network is disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for transiting a femtocell base station between at least two operation modes in a system including one or more mobile stations being capable of connecting to the femtocell base station, wherein the one or more mobile stations is capable of switching between i) a connected state with the mobile station connecting to the femtocell base station, and ii) an idle state with the mobile station not establishing a connection with the femtocell base station, said two operation modes of the femtocell base station including a normal operation mode and a low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity, the method comprising: when operating said femtocell base station in the normal operation mode, detecting if there are no one or more mobile stations in the connected state, and based on detecting if there are no the one or more mobile stations in the connected state, transiting said femtocell base station from said normal operation mode to said low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity in order to reduce interference to neighbor cells. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said low-duty operation mode has available intervals and unavailable intervals. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said low-duty operation mode cycles through an alternating sequence of available interval and unavailable interval. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein during said unavailable intervals, said femtocell base station does not transmit any signal on the air interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein during said available intervals, said femtocell base station performs normal operation, including transmission of a signal on the air interface. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein said available intervals and said unavailable intervals are counted in superframes. ### Claim 7 A femtocell base station configured to: transit between at least two operation modes in a system including one or more mobile stations being capable of connecting to the femtocell base station, wherein the one or more mobile stations is capable of switching between i) a connected state with the mobile station connecting to the femtocell base station, and ii) an idle state with the mobile station not establishing a connection with the femtocell base station, wherein the operation modes of said femtocell base station include a normal operation mode, and a low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity, and wherein when operating said femtocell base station in the normal operation mode, said femtocell base station detects if there are no one or more mobile stations which in the connected state, and based on detecting if there are no one or more mobile stations which in the connected state, said femtocell base station transits from said normal operation mode to said low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity in order to reduce interference to neighbor cells. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The mobile network system according to claim 7, wherein said low-duty operation mode has available intervals and unavailable intervals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The mobile network system according to claim 7, wherein said low-duty operation mode cycles through an alternating sequence of available interval and unavailable interval. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The mobile network system according to claim 8, wherein during said unavailable intervals, said femtocell base station does not transmit any signal on the air interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The mobile network system according to claim 8, wherein during said available intervals, said femtocell base station performs normal operation, including transmission of a signal on the air interface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The mobile network system according to claim 8, wherein said available intervals and said unavailable intervals are counted in superframes. ### Claim 13 A method for a femtocell base station, comprising: for a femtocell base station that includes at least two operation modes including a normal operation mode and a low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity, operating the femtocell base station in a normal operation mode with the femtocell base station being connected to one or more mobile stations, the one or more mobile station capable of connecting to the femtocell base station, wherein the one or more mobile stations switches between i) a connected state with the mobile station connecting to the femtocell base station, and ii) an idle state with the mobile station not establishing a connection with the femtocell base station operating in one of an idle mode, a sleep mode, and an active mode; and while operating said femtocell base station in the normal operation mode, said femtocell base station detecting if there are no one or more mobile stations in the connected state, and based on detecting if there are no one or more mobile stations in the connected state, transiting said femtocell base station from said normal operation mode to said low-duty operation mode with reduced radio interface activity in order to reduce interference to neighbor cells.