# US 2017/0289923 A1 · System and method to facilitate small cell uplink power control in a network environment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0289923 A1 - Document ID: US20170289923A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/626,110 - Filed: 2017-06-17 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-25 - Assignees: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Ritesh K. Madan; Rohit Umesh Nabar; Vikram Chandrasekhar; Kedar Durgadas Shirali; Qing Zhao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170289923A1 ## CPC - H04W 52/244: {Interferences in heterogeneous networks, e.g. among macro and femto or pico cells or other sector / system interference [OSI]} - H04B 17/346: {Noise values (signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336)} - H04W 52/146: {Uplink power control} - H04W 52/10: Open loop power control - H04W 52/241: {taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR or Eb/lo} - H04W 52/242: {taking into account path loss} - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include calculating, by one or more of a plurality of small cell radios, one or more sets of candidate power control parameters using a first interference constraint for uplink user equipment (UE) transmissions for UE served by the one or more of the plurality of small cell radios; determining, at a central management entity, whether an average of a sum of an expected interference for UE associated with the plurality of small cell radios violates a second interference constraint for any of the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters; and generating one or more messages for each of the plurality of small cell radios identifying one or more particular sets of power control parameters that provide for meeting the second interference constraint. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: calculating, by a small cell radio, one or more sets of candidate power control parameters using a first interference constraint for uplink user equipment (UE) transmissions for UE served by the small cell radio, wherein the first interference constraint is associated with a minimum cell edge Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) value and a minimum cell interior SINR value for the UE served by the small cell radio; communicating the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radios to a central management entity; determining, at the central management entity, whether an average of a sum of an expected interference for UE associated with the small cell radio violates a second interference constraint for any of the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters; generating one or more messages for the small cell radio including one or more particular sets of power control parameters that provide for meeting the second interference constraint; and setting, by the small cell radio, uplink transmit power for each UE served by the small cell radio based, at least in part, on the one or more particular sets of power control parameters. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: requesting, by the central management entity, new sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radio based on a determination by the central management entity that the average sum of the expected interference for the UE served by the small cell radio violates the second interference constraint. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining, by the small cell radio, whether the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; reducing the minimum cell interior SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; and reducing both the minimum cell interior SINR value and the minimum cell edge SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is not greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: repeating the calculating and the communicating by the small cell radio. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each set of power control parameters includes: a first power control parameter associated with a power offset for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio; and a second power control parameter associated with an amount of path loss between UE and the small cell radio that is inverted for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first interference constraint is further associated, at least in part, with interference generated towards the small cell radios by one or more UE associated with at least one macro cell radio. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second interference constraint is associated, at least in part, with interference generated by the UE served by the small cell radio towards at least one macro cell radio. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the central management entity is a Self-Organizing Network (SON) management system in communication with the small cell radio. ### Claim 9 One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logic that includes instructions for execution by a processor, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform operations comprising: calculating, by a small cell radio, one or more sets of candidate power control parameters using a first interference constraint for uplink user equipment (UE) transmissions for UE served by the small cell radio, wherein the first interference constraint is associated with a minimum cell edge Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) value and a minimum cell interior SINR value for the UE served by the small cell radio; communicating the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radios to a central management entity; determining, at the central management entity, whether an average of a sum of an expected interference for UE associated with the small cell radio violates a second interference constraint for any of the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters; generating one or more messages for the small cell radio including one or more particular sets of power control parameters that provide for meeting the second interference constraint; and setting, by the small cell radio, uplink transmit power for each UE served by the small cell radio based, at least in part, on the one or more particular sets of power control parameters. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The media of claim 9, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform further operations, comprising: requesting, by the central management entity, new sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radio based on a determination by the central management entity that the average sum of the expected interference for the UE served by the small cell radio violates the second interference constraint. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The media of claim 10, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform further operations, comprising: determining, by the small cell radio, whether the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; reducing the minimum cell interior SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; and reducing both the minimum cell interior SINR value and the minimum cell edge SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is not greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The media of claim 11, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform further operations, comprising: repeating the calculating and the communicating by the small cell radio. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The media of claim 9, wherein each set of power control parameters includes: a first power control parameter associated with a power offset for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio; and a second power control parameter associated with an amount of path loss between UE and the small cell radio that is inverted for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The media of claim 9, wherein the first interference constraint is further associated, at least in part, with interference generated towards the small cell radios by one or more UE associated with at least one macro cell radio. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The media of claim 9, wherein the second interference constraint is associated, at least in part, with interference generated by the UE served by the small cell radio towards at least one macro cell radio. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: at least one memory element for storing data; and at least one processor for executing instructions associated with the data, wherein the executing causes the system to perform operations, comprising: calculating, by a small cell radio, one or more sets of candidate power control parameters using a first interference constraint for uplink user equipment (UE) transmissions for UE served by the small cell radio, wherein the first interference constraint is associated with a minimum cell edge Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) value and a minimum cell interior SINR value for the UE served by the small cell radio; communicating the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radios to a central management entity; determining, at the central management entity, whether an average of a sum of an expected interference for UE associated with the small cell radio violates a second interference constraint for any of the one or more sets of candidate power control parameters; generating one or more messages for the small cell radio including one or more particular sets of power control parameters that provide for meeting the second interference constraint; and setting, by the small cell radio, uplink transmit power for each UE served by the small cell radio based, at least in part, on the one or more particular sets of power control parameters. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the executing causes the system to perform further operations, comprising: requesting, by the central management entity, new sets of candidate power control parameters from the small cell radio based on a determination by the central management entity that the average sum of the expected interference for the UE served by the small cell radio violates the second interference constraint. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the executing causes the system to perform further operations, comprising: determining, by the small cell radio, whether the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; reducing the minimum cell interior SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value; and reducing both the minimum cell interior SINR value and the minimum cell edge SINR value based on a determination that the minimum cell interior SINR value is not greater than the minimum cell edge SINR value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system claim 18, wherein the executing causes the system to perform further operations, comprising: repeating the calculating and the communicating by the small cell radio. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein each set of power control parameters includes: a first power control parameter associated with a power offset for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio; and a second power control parameter associated with an amount of path loss between UE and the small cell radio that is inverted for UE transmissions toward the small cell radio.