Dynamic Air Interface Capacity Density Adjustment in Logical Cells

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Solution Overview

Problem

In indoor mobile communication environments, air interface capacity is often imbalanced, leading to overloaded logical cells with insufficient capacity and idle capacity in other cells, resulting in poor user experience and resource wastage, as existing solutions like automatic cell splitting cause frequent service interruptions due to changing load conditions.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that dynamically adjust air interface capacity density by redistributing pico radio remote units (pRRUs) within logical cells, allowing for real-time adjustments without splitting or combining logical cells, thereby optimizing capacity utilization and reducing service interruptions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If automatic cell splitting is implemented to increase air interface capacity in overloaded logical cells, then air interface capacity is improved, but service interruption occurs due to UE reconnection requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair interface capacityVSAvoidservice continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides a logical cell into multiple physical cells, each with dedicated physical resources (pRRUs, baseband tributaries). This segmentation allows capacity adjustment within the logical cell without requiring UE reconnection, as the logical cell identity remains unchanged while physical resources are dynamically allocated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of air interface capacity by dynamically allocating and deallocating physical resources (pRRUs, baseband tributaries) to physical cells within a logical cell based on real-time load conditions, enabling flexible capacity scaling without service interruption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Quantity of substance

If logical cell splitting is performed to address capacity imbalance, then air interface capacity is increased, but cell license resources are wasted due to frequent load changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair interface capacityVSAvoidcell license resource waste
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the physical resources (pRRUs, baseband tributaries) within a logical cell into multiple physical cells, allowing granular control of capacity allocation. This enables the system to adjust capacity by activating or deactivating specific physical cells without creating new logical cells, thus avoiding waste of cell license resources when load conditions fluctuate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables dynamic activation and deactivation of physical cells within a logical cell based on real-time load monitoring. When load decreases, physical cells can be deactivated to release resources without requiring logical cell merging, thus avoiding waste of cell license resources while maintaining the ability to quickly respond to capacity needs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If fixed air interface capacity is deployed for each logical cell, then network configuration is simplified, but capacity imbalance occurs leading to poor user experience in overloaded cells

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork configuration complexityVSAvoiduser experience quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent maintains a simple logical cell structure for UE connection while segmenting physical resources into multiple physical cells with dedicated pRRUs and baseband tributaries. This segmentation enables flexible capacity allocation to meet varying user demands without complicating the overall network configuration or UE interaction models.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by allocating specific physical resources (pRRUs, baseband tributaries) to specific physical cells based on local load conditions and user density. This allows customized capacity allocation in different regions of the logical cell coverage area, improving user experience in overloaded areas while maintaining efficient resource utilization in less demanding areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3217744B1Method and apparatus for adjusting air interface capacity density
Publication Date: 2019.09.25 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3217744B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3217744B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP3217744B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method and an apparatus for adjusting air interface capacity density, where the method includes: determining whether a target physical cell whose air interface capacity density needs to be adjusted exists in a logical cell, where the logical cell includes one or more physical cells, each physical cell includes a group of pico radio remote units pRRUs, and one physical cell corresponds to one baseband tributary; and when a determining result is that a target physical cell whose air interface capacity density needs to be adjusted exists in the logical cell, adjusting the air interface capacity density of the target physical cell. Therefore, by implementing the embodiments of the present invention, air interface capacity density of a physical cell in a logical cell can be dynamically adjusted according to an actual situation of the physical cell, which improves utilization of an air interface capacity in the logical cell; the logical cell does not need to be split or combined, and no new cell license resource needs to be allocated to the logical cell, which reduces a waste of a cell license resource; and UE in the logical cell does not need to be handed over to a new logical cell, which reduces a quantity of times of service interruption for the UE.