Inter-cell interference coordination method and apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a cell interference coordination method and device. The method is applied to a macro station and comprises the following steps: when at least one micro station is contained in the macro station cell, the macro station cell is divided into multiple sub-areas; bandwidth resources are divided into multiple sub-band resources, and the multiple sub-band resources are allocated to the multiple sub-areas, and the frequency bands of the sub-band resources allocated by each sub-area are different; a first area containing the macro station cell is determined, and each micro station located in the first area is clustered to obtain at least one micro station cluster; a target micro station cluster with a cluster center located in the macro station cell is determined from the at least one micro station cluster; and the target micro station cluster is allocated with sub-band resources according to the position of the macro station cell where the target micro station cluster is located. The interference coordination between cells can be realized.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for inter-cell interference coordination. [Background Technology]

[0002] As 4G networks gradually evolve into 5G networks, the development of low-power nodes such as relays has become an inevitable trend in order to meet the requirements of ultra-high speed, large capacity, and ultra-low latency in future networks. 5G networks are developing towards heterogeneity, ultra-density, and diversification. In response to the current trend of ultra-dense 5G network evolution, traditional cell interference coordination techniques are too simplistic and cannot simultaneously maximize spectrum utilization and address inter-cell interference issues. For heterogeneous ultra-dense network structures composed of macro and micro base stations, the network structure changes from one layer to two layers, and the interference layers become more complex. Directly using partial frequency reuse or soft frequency reuse concepts cannot solve the interference and spectrum utilization problems. Existing cell interference coordination techniques are too simplistic and cannot solve the interference problems in ultra-dense network structures. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for inter-cell interference coordination, which can realize interference coordination between cells in an ultra-dense network structure.

[0004] Firstly, this embodiment provides an inter-cell interference coordination method, which is applied to macro base stations and includes:

[0005] When a macro base station cell contains at least one micro base station, the macro base station cell is divided into multiple sub-regions;

[0006] The bandwidth resources are divided into multiple sub-frequency band resources, and the multiple sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-frequency band resources.

[0007] A first region containing macro cells is identified, and micro cells located within the first region are clustered to obtain at least one micro cell cluster.

[0008] Determine the target micro-station cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-station cell from the at least one micro-station cluster;

[0009] Based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the target microcell cluster.

[0010] Optionally, the macro base station cell is divided into multiple sub-regions, including:

[0011] The macro base station cell is divided into a central sub-region and an edge sub-region. The central sub-region is centered on the macro base station location, and the edge sub-region surrounds the central sub-region.

[0012] Optionally, the bandwidth resources are divided into multiple sub-band resources, and the multiple sub-band resources are allocated to the multiple sub-regions, including:

[0013] The bandwidth resources are divided equally into at least three sub-band resources;

[0014] One of the at least three sub-band resources is allocated to the edge sub-region, and the remaining sub-band resources are allocated to the central sub-region.

[0015] Optionally, a first area containing macro cells is determined, including:

[0016] The boundary of the edge sub-region is a first distance from the boundary of the central sub-region;

[0017] The boundary of the first region is a second distance from the boundary of the edge sub-region, and the second distance is determined based on the first distance.

[0018] Optionally, based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the target microcell cluster, including:

[0019] If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the central sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the edge sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell.

[0020] If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the edge sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the central sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell.

[0021] Optionally, after allocating sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-station cluster, the method further includes:

[0022] Based on the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the cluster.

[0023] Optionally, based on the number of microstations included in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the cluster, including:

[0024] If the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster is less than the first threshold, then the frequency bands of the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the target microstation cluster are evenly divided and then distributed to each microstation in the cluster.

[0025] If the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then the central microstation and the edge microstation are determined from the target microstation cluster; the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the corresponding target microstation cluster are divided into frequency bands and then allocated to the central microstation and the edge microstation, wherein the frequency bands of each edge microstation are different.

[0026] Secondly, this embodiment provides an inter-cell interference coordination device, including:

[0027] The network structure judgment module determines when at least one micro cell is present within the range of a macro cell.

[0028] The macro base station network resource allocation module divides the macro base station cell into multiple sub-regions; divides bandwidth resources into multiple sub-frequency band resources; and allocates the multiple sub-frequency band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-frequency band resources.

[0029] The micro-cell cluster calculation module determines a first region containing macro-cells and clusters each micro-cell located in the first region to obtain at least one micro-cell cluster; and determines a target micro-cell cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-cell from the at least one micro-cell cluster.

[0030] The micro-site cluster resource allocation module allocates sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-site cluster based on the location of the macro-site cell where the target micro-site cluster is located.

[0031] Thirdly, this embodiment provides an inter-cell interference coordination device, including:

[0032] At least one processor; and

[0033] At least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein:

[0034] The memory stores program instructions that can be executed by the processor, and the processor can execute the method described in the first aspect by calling the program instructions.

[0035] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device on which the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method described in the first aspect above. [Attached Image Description]

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication network structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 A flowchart of an inter-cell interference coordination method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 A flowchart of another inter-cell interference coordination method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 A flowchart of another inter-cell interference coordination method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inter-cell interference coordination device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0043] To better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication network structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. See also... Figure 1 This communication network includes macro base stations and micro base stations. Macro base stations generally refer to large base stations, which are large in size, support a large number of users, and have a wide coverage area, typically reaching tens of kilometers. They are used for cellular mobile phone communications and are usually the operator's wireless signal transmission base stations. To increase the user equipment capacity and coverage performance of macro base stations, some micro base stations are also included in the deployment range to provide high-density call volume within a small area. Micro base stations generally refer to miniaturized base stations, typically small base stations installed in buildings or densely populated areas. These base stations are small in size, have a small coverage area, and support a relatively low number of users.

[0046] However, when macro base stations and micro base stations are distributed simultaneously, they form a heterogeneous ultra-dense network structure. The network structure changes from one layer to two layers, and the interference levels between cells become more complex. Directly using the traditional partial frequency reuse or soft frequency reuse approach cannot solve the problem of interference between cells.

[0047] Based on the existing soft frequency reuse concept, this invention clusters micro-stations within an ultra-dense network structure to form a heterogeneous two-layer structure of macro and micro-station clusters. Different interference coordination techniques are implemented for each layer of network elements, thus solving the interference coordination problem and spectrum utilization problem under the ultra-dense network structure.

[0048] Specifically, when a macro base station determines that at least one micro base station exists within its coverage area, the macro base station divides its coverage area into multiple sub-regions and allocates different frequency bands to each. Simultaneously, it defines a first region outside its coverage area. Within the first region, all micro base stations are clustered to obtain at least one micro base station cluster. Micro base station clusters whose centers are not within the macro base station's cell coverage area are excluded. The micro base station clusters are then further divided into regions based on the pre-defined sub-regions of the macro base station's cell coverage area. Finally, frequency band resources for the micro base station clusters are allocated based on their location within the macro base station's cell.

[0049] Combination Figure 1 The system architecture shown in this invention provides an inter-cell interference coordination method. Based on this method, microcells within an ultra-dense network structure are clustered to form a heterogeneous two-layer structure of macro and microcell clusters. Different interference coordination techniques are implemented for each layer of network elements. This solves the interference coordination problem in ultra-dense network structures and enables inter-cell interference coordination. Figure 2 As shown, the processing steps of this method include:

[0050] 201 When a macro cell contains at least one micro cell, the macro cell is divided into multiple sub-regions.

[0051] Specifically, the coverage area of ​​a macrocell cell is generally hexagonal honeycomb-shaped. Figure 1 The edge sub-region boundary shown is the coverage boundary of the macrocell. When it is determined that at least one microcell is included within the range of a macrocell, the macrocell is divided into a central sub-region and an edge sub-region. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the central sub-region is centered on the macro base station location and has a hexagonal honeycomb structure. The edge sub-regions surround the central sub-region, as shown... Figure 1 In a macrocell, the area enclosed by the boundaries of the central sub-region and the edge sub-region is called the edge sub-region. The edge sub-region and the central sub-region together constitute the scope of the macrocell.

[0052] 202 Divide the bandwidth resources into multiple sub-band resources, and allocate the multiple sub-band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-band resources.

[0053] Specifically, the bandwidth resources are divided into multiple sub-band resources and allocated to the central sub-region and the edge sub-region respectively. Optionally, the bandwidth resources can be evenly divided into at least three sub-band resources; one of the at least three sub-band resources is allocated to the edge sub-region, and the remaining sub-band resources are allocated to the central sub-region.

[0054] 203. Determine a first region containing macro cells, and cluster each micro cell located in the first region to obtain at least one micro cell cluster.

[0055] like Figure 1 As shown, the hexagonal area enclosed by the boundary of the first region is the first region of the macrocell.

[0056] The boundary of the edge sub-region is at a first distance from the boundary of the central sub-region; the boundary of the first region is at a second distance from the boundary of the edge sub-region, and the second distance is determined based on the first distance. Typically, the second distance is half of the first distance.

[0057] Specifically, the hexagonal region formed by extending the distance from the macro station to the edge of the macro station cell range sub-region boundary outward by the second distance is the first region.

[0058] 204. Determine the target micro-station cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-station cell from the at least one micro-station cluster.

[0059] Specifically, the cluster center locations of all micro-cell clusters within the first region are determined, and only micro-cell clusters whose cluster centers are located within the macro-cell cell range are retained; these are referred to as target micro-cell clusters. Micro-cell clusters whose cluster centers are located within the first region but not within the macro-cell cell range are excluded.

[0060] 205. Allocate sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-cell cluster based on the location of the macro-cell where the target micro-cell cluster is located.

[0061] Further location division is performed on the target micro-cell clusters within the macro-cell to determine whether the cluster center of each target micro-cell is located in the central sub-region of the macro-cell or in the edge sub-region of the macro-cell.

[0062] Specifically, if the cluster center of the microcell is located in the central sub-region of the macrocell, then the frequency band used by the microcell cluster is the same as the frequency band used by the edge sub-region of the current macrocell.

[0063] If the cluster center of a microcell is located in the edge sub-region of a macrocell, then the frequency band used by the microcell cluster is the same as the frequency band used in the central sub-region of the current macrocell.

[0064] Current traditional cell interference coordination techniques are limited in scope and cannot simultaneously maximize spectrum utilization and address inter-cell interference issues. For heterogeneous ultra-dense network structures composed of macro and micro base stations, the network structure changes from one layer to two, and the interference hierarchy becomes more complex. Directly using partial frequency reuse or soft frequency reuse cannot solve both interference and spectrum utilization problems. This application proposes to cluster micro-stations within the ultra-dense network structure, forming a heterogeneous two-layer structure of macro and micro-station clusters. Different interference coordination techniques are implemented for each layer of network elements. Compared to existing methods, this solves the problem of the limited application scenarios of traditional cell interference coordination techniques, thereby addressing the interference coordination and spectrum utilization issues in the subsequent ultra-dense network structures of 5G evolution.

[0065] In some embodiments, after step 205, after the macro station allocates the sub-frequency bands to the target micro station cluster according to the sub-region of the macro station cell where the target micro station cluster is located, each target micro station cluster further divides the sub-frequency bands allocated within the cluster for use by each micro station within the cluster. The specific frequency band allocated to each micro station within the cluster is determined by the specific number of micro stations within the target micro station cluster.

[0066] See Figure 3 This is a specific embodiment of the inter-cell interference coordination method of the present invention, comprising:

[0067] 301 When a macro cell contains at least one micro cell, the macro cell is divided into multiple sub-regions.

[0068] 302 divides the bandwidth resources into multiple sub-band resources, and allocates the multiple sub-band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-band resources.

[0069] 303. Determine a first region containing macro cells, and cluster each micro cell located in the first region to obtain at least one micro cell cluster.

[0070] 304. Determine the target micro-station cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-station cell from the at least one micro-station cluster.

[0071] 305. Based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, allocate sub-frequency band resources to the target microcell cluster.

[0072] 306. Based on the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the cluster.

[0073] Specifically, if the number of microstations in the target microstation cluster is less than a first threshold, the frequency bands of the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the target microstation cluster are evenly divided and then distributed to each microstation within the cluster.

[0074] If the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then the central microstation and the edge microstation are determined from the target microstation cluster; the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the corresponding target microstation cluster are divided into frequency bands and then allocated to the central microstation and the edge microstation, wherein the frequency bands of each edge microstation are different.

[0075] The first threshold is determined by the number of cells in the macro base station coverage area.

[0076] This application proposes to cluster micro-stations within an ultra-dense network structure to form a heterogeneous two-layer structure of macro and micro-station clusters. Different interference coordination technologies are implemented for each layer of network elements. Compared with existing methods, this solves the problem of the limited application scenarios of traditional cell interference coordination technologies, and thus solves the interference coordination problem and spectrum utilization problem under the ultra-dense network structure of subsequent 5G evolution.

[0077] In some embodiments, the coverage area of ​​a macro base station cell is typically divided into three cells.

[0078] See Figure 4 This is a specific embodiment of the inter-cell interference coordination method of the present invention, comprising:

[0079] 401 When a macro cell contains at least one micro cell, the macro cell is divided into multiple sub-regions.

[0080] Specifically, the three cells within the coverage area of ​​the macro base station are each divided into a central sub-region and a boundary sub-region. The distance from the macro base station to the boundary of the central sub-region of the macro base station cell is x, and the distance from the macro base station to the boundary of the edge sub-region of the macro base station cell is y.

[0081] 402 divides the bandwidth resources into three sub-band resources and allocates the three sub-band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different sub-band.

[0082] The bandwidth resources are divided into three sub-bands; one of the at least three sub-bands is allocated to the edge sub-region, and the remaining two sub-bands are allocated to the central sub-region.

[0083] Specifically, the frequency band allocated to the cell center sub-region is f, and the frequency band allocated to the cell edge sub-region is h. Furthermore, the width of frequency band f allocated to the cell center sub-region is twice the width of frequency band h allocated to the cell edge sub-region.

[0084] Based on the concept of soft frequency reuse, from the perspective of a single cell, each of the three cells uses the entire spectrum, resulting in high spectrum utilization.

[0085] 403. Determine a first region containing macro cells, and cluster each micro cell located in the first region to obtain at least one micro cell cluster.

[0086] Specifically, the distance from the macro base station to the boundary of the central sub-region of the macro base station cell is x, and the distance from the boundary of the edge sub-region of the macro base station cell is y. The first region is the hexagonal region covered by the macro base station location as the center and a distance of y+(yx) / 2 from each boundary direction.

[0087] 404. Determine the target micro-station cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-station cell from the at least one micro-station cluster.

[0088] 405. Allocate sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-cell cluster based on the location of the macrocell cell where the target micro-cell cluster is located.

[0089] Specifically, if the cluster center of a microcell is located in the central sub-region of a macrocell, then the microcell uses the h-band currently used in the edge sub-region of the macrocell.

[0090] If the cluster center of a microcell is located in the edge sub-region of a macrocell, then the microcell uses the f-band currently used in the central sub-region of the macrocell.

[0091] 406. Based on the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the cluster.

[0092] Since the macro base station coverage area is divided into three cells, the first threshold is set to three.

[0093] Specifically, if there is only one microstation in the microstation cluster, then all frequency resources in the microstation cluster will be allocated to that microstation.

[0094] If there are two microstations in a microstation cluster, the frequency resources within the cluster will be evenly distributed between the two microstations.

[0095] If the number of microstations in a microstation cluster is three or more, then a central microstation and edge microstations are determined from the target microstation cluster. The frequency resources within the microstation cluster are divided into four parts and allocated to the central microstation and edge microstations respectively. Specifically, the central microstation uses one part, and each of the three edge microstations uses one part, to ensure that the three edge microstations use different frequency resources.

[0096] In the implementation of interference coordination technology for ultra-dense networks, a two-layer structure of macro and micro base stations and clustering concepts are introduced to address the interference coordination problem in ultra-dense networks in a hierarchical manner. Different interference coordination techniques are adopted for different network layers based on their characteristics. This solves the interference coordination problem and spectrum utilization problem in the ultra-dense network structure of subsequent 5G evolution.

[0097] Corresponding to the above-described inter-cell interference coordination method, this embodiment of the invention also provides an inter-cell interference coordination device. See [link to related document]. Figure 5 The inter-cell interference coordination device may include: network structure judgment 501, macro station network resource allocation module 502, micro station cluster calculation 503 and micro station cluster resource allocation module 504.

[0098] The network structure judgment module 501 determines that the macro cell contains at least one micro cell.

[0099] The macro base station network resource allocation module 502 divides the macro base station cell into multiple sub-regions; divides bandwidth resources into multiple sub-frequency band resources; and allocates the multiple sub-frequency band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-frequency band resources.

[0100] The micro-site cluster calculation module 503 determines a first region containing macro-site cells and clusters each micro-site located in the first region to obtain at least one micro-site cluster; and determines a target micro-site cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-site cell from the at least one micro-site cluster.

[0101] The micro-site cluster resource allocation module 504 allocates sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-site cluster based on the location of the macro-site cell where the target micro-site cluster is located.

[0102] Figure 5 The inter-cell interference coordination processing device provided in the illustrated embodiment can be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in this specification. Its implementation principle and technical effect can be further referred to the relevant description in the method embodiment.

[0103] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the electronic device described in this specification, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the electronic device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the inter-cell interference coordination method provided in this embodiment by calling the program instructions.

[0104] The aforementioned electronic device can be a device capable of intelligent dialogue with the user, such as a cloud server. This specification does not limit the specific form of the electronic device in the embodiments. It is understood that the electronic device here refers to the machine mentioned in the method embodiments.

[0105] Figure 6 A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device suitable for implementing embodiments of this specification is shown. Figure 6 The electronic device shown is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments described in this specification.

[0106] like Figure 6 As shown, the electronic device is presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device may include, but are not limited to: one or more processors 610, memory 630, and communication bus 640 connecting different system components (including memory 630 and processing unit 610).

[0107] Communication bus 640 represents one or more of several bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of the various bus architectures. For example, these architectures include, but are not limited to, Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) buses, Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) buses, Enhanced ISA buses, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local buses, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) buses.

[0108] Electronic devices typically include a variety of computer-readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by the electronic device, including volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media.

[0109] Memory 630 may include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The electronic device may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. Memory 630 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments described herein.

[0110] A program / utility having a set (at least one) of program modules can be stored in memory 630. Such program modules include—but are not limited to—an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. The program modules typically perform the functions and / or methods described in the embodiments of this specification.

[0111] The processor 610 executes various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 630, such as implementing the inter-cell interference coordination method provided in the embodiments shown in this specification.

[0112] This specification provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions that cause the computer to execute the inter-cell interference coordination method provided in the embodiments shown in this specification.

[0113] The aforementioned non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable media. A computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example—but not limited to—an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or flash memory, optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0114] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including—but not limited to—electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0115] The program code contained on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including—but not limited to—wireless, wire, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0116] Computer program code for performing the operations described herein can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network—including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0117] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are possible or may be advantageous.

[0118] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this specification, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0119] Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this specification includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of this specification pertain.

[0120] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used here can be interpreted as "when," "when," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determination" or "if detection (of the stated condition or event)" can be interpreted as "when determination," "in response to determination," "when detection (of the stated condition or event)," or "in response to detection (of the stated condition or event)."

[0121] It should be noted that the terminals involved in the embodiments of this specification may include, but are not limited to, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs), personal digital assistants (hereinafter referred to as PDAs), wireless handheld devices, tablet computers, mobile phones, MP3 players, MP4 players, etc.

[0122] In the embodiments provided in this specification, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0123] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this specification can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software functional units.

[0124] The integrated units implemented as software functional units described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These software functional units, stored in a storage medium, include several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute some steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0125] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this specification and is not intended to limit this specification. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this specification.

Claims

1. A method for inter-cell interference coordination, characterized in that, The method is applied to macro stations, including: When a macro base station cell contains at least one micro base station, the macro base station cell is divided into multiple sub-regions; The bandwidth resources are divided into multiple sub-frequency band resources, and the multiple sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-frequency band resources. A first region containing macro cells is identified, and micro cells located within the first region are clustered to obtain at least one micro cell cluster. Determine the target micro-station cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-station cell from the at least one micro-station cluster; Based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the target microcell cluster; The macro base station cell is divided into multiple sub-regions, including: The macro cell is divided into a central sub-region and an edge sub-region, with the central sub-region centered on the macro cell location and the edge sub-region surrounding the central sub-region. The first area containing the macro cell was identified, including: The boundary of the edge sub-region is a first distance from the boundary of the central sub-region; The boundary of the first region is separated from the boundary of the edge sub-region by a second distance, the second distance being determined based on the first distance; Based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the target microcell cluster, including: If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the central sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the edge sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell. If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the edge sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the central sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Dividing bandwidth resources into multiple sub-band resources and allocating the multiple sub-band resources to the multiple sub-regions includes: The bandwidth resources are divided equally into at least three sub-band resources; One of the at least three sub-band resources is allocated to the edge sub-region, and the remaining sub-band resources are allocated to the central sub-region.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After allocating sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-station cluster, the method further includes: Based on the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the target microstation cluster.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Based on the number of microstations included in the target microstation cluster, the allocated sub-frequency band resources are distributed to each microstation within the target microstation cluster, including: If the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster is less than the first threshold, then the frequency bands of the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the target microstation cluster are evenly divided and then distributed to each microstation in the cluster. If the number of microstations contained in the target microstation cluster is greater than or equal to the first threshold, then the central microstation and the edge microstation are determined from the target microstation cluster; the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the corresponding target microstation cluster are divided into frequency bands and then allocated to the central microstation and the edge microstation, wherein the frequency bands of each edge microstation are different.

5. A small-scale interference coordination device, characterized in that, include: The network structure judgment module determines when at least one micro cell is present within the range of a macro cell. The macro base station network resource allocation module divides the macro base station cell into multiple sub-regions; divides bandwidth resources into multiple sub-frequency band resources; and allocates the multiple sub-frequency band resources to the multiple sub-regions, with each sub-region being allocated a different frequency band for its sub-frequency band resources. The micro-cell cluster calculation module determines a first region containing macro-cells and clusters each micro-cell located in the first region to obtain at least one micro-cell cluster; and determines a target micro-cell cluster whose cluster center is located in the macro-cell from the at least one micro-cell cluster. The micro-cell cluster resource allocation module allocates sub-frequency band resources to the target micro-cell cluster based on the location of the macro-cell where the target micro-cell cluster is located; The macro base station cell is divided into multiple sub-regions, including: The macro cell is divided into a central sub-region and an edge sub-region, with the central sub-region centered on the macro cell location and the edge sub-region surrounding the central sub-region. The first area containing the macro cell was identified, including: The boundary of the edge sub-region is a first distance from the boundary of the central sub-region; The boundary of the first region is separated from the boundary of the edge sub-region by a second distance, the second distance being determined based on the first distance; Based on the location of the macrocell where the target microcell cluster is located, sub-frequency band resources are allocated to the target microcell cluster, including: If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the central sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the edge sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell. If the cluster center of the target microcell is located in the edge sub-region of the macrocell, then the sub-frequency band resources allocated to the central sub-region will be allocated to the target microcell.

6. A cell-to-cell interference coordination device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein: The memory stores program instructions that can be executed by the processor, and the processor can invoke the program instructions to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device on which the computer-readable storage medium is located to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4.

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