# US 2014/0155078 A1 · Method for managing the state of micro base stations by following the variations of traffic requirements, and associated controller device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0155078 A1 - Document ID: US20140155078A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/111,901 - Filed: 2012-04-11 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-14 - Assignees: Alcatel Lucent - Inventors: Carine Balageas; Vinod Kumar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140155078A1 ## CPC - H04W 52/0206: {in access points, e.g. base stations} - H04W 24/02: Arrangements for optimising operational condition - H04W 28/16: Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service] - H04W 52/0274: {by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof} - H04W 36/04: Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells - H04W 84/045: {using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B} - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - 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 manages the state of a plurality of micro base stations inside a mobile communication network. The network comprises at least a macro cell containing at least one Tracking Area covering a plurality of micro cells each one associated with a micro base station. The method to manage the states of micro cells comprises the steps of: switching on of all the micro base stations contained in said Tracking Area of the macro cell, counting of the messages of paging to determine the number of portable devices in Idle mode inside said Tracking Area, and switching off at least one micro base station in the Tracking Area when the number of portable devices in Idle mode in the said Tracking Area is lower than a first determined value. According to an improvement, the switching on of all the micro base stations contained in a Tracking Area is triggered when the current load of the macro cell exceeds a second determined value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Method to manage the energy mode of a plurality of micro base station inside a mobile communication network, the network comprising at least one macro cell containing at least one Tracking Area covering a plurality of micro cells each one associated with a micro base station, wherein it comprises: determining current load of the macro cell (3), if the current load of the macro cell (3) exceeds a second determined value (THRESHOLD 1), then switching on all the micro base stations contained in said at least one Tracking Area (TA) of the macro cell, counting paging messages to determine the number of portable devices (4) in Idle mode on each micro cell inside said Tracking Area, switching off at least one micro base station in the Tracking Area when the number of portable devices (4) in Idle mode managed by this micro base station is lower than a first determined value (THRESHOLD 3). ### Claim 2 (canceled) ### Claim 3 (canceled) ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the number of idle and active portable devices managed by this micro base station takes into account the information of localization provided by applicative servers in communication with the portable devices located in the micro cell. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the macro cell contains only one Tracking Area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the macro cell contains several Tracking Areas, switching on all the micro base stations contained in the Tracking Areas is successively performed for each Tracking Area. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the switching on all the micro base stations contained in said Tracking Area is periodically performed, spaced by a regular time interval. ### Claim 8 Controller of mobile communication network controlling the traffic inside a macro cell comprising means of communication with a plurality of micro base stations associated with a micro cell, the macro cell containing at least a Tracking Area covering a plurality of micro cells, wherein said controller comprises: means to determine of current load of the macro cell (3), means to emit of a first signal to switch on of all micro base stations in said Tracking Area activated when the current load of the macro cell (3) exceeds a second determined value (THRESHOLD 1), a counter of paging messages to determine the number of portable devices (4) in Idle mode in each micro cell inside said Tracking Area of the macro cell, means to emit of a second signal to switch off at least one micro base station of said Tracking Area, said second signal being emitted when the number of portable devices in Idle mode managed by this micro base station is lower than a first determined value (THRESHOLD 2). ### Claim 9 (canceled) ### Claim 10 (canceled) ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) Controller of network according to claim 8, wherein it comprises means of communication towards applicative servers adapted to locate portable devices in each micro cell, the number of idle and active portable devices managed in a given micro base station taken into account the information of locating provided by said applicative servers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) Controller of network according to claim 8, wherein the macro cell managed by the controller contains only one Tracking Area. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) Controller of network according to claim 8, wherein the macro cell managed by the controller contains several Tracking Area, means to emit of a first signal to switch on all micro base stations of a Tracking Area being successively triggered for each Tracking Area. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) Controller of network according to claim 8 wherein the means to emit of the first signal sends periodically said first signal, spaced by a regular time interval. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) Computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for performing a method when the program is run on a network controller, the method comprising the steps according to claim 1.