Base Station Coordination for Interference Cancellation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication networks face performance degradation due to interference from neighboring base stations and other RF transmitters, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed, especially as demand for mobile broadband access increases and networks become more congested.
Innovation Solution
Coordinating base station communications to adjust interference levels experienced by user equipment (UEs), either by increasing interference for UEs capable of interference cancellation or decreasing it for those not, through methods like scheduling resource allocation, transmission format selection, and spatial coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If base stations transmit data on the downlink to meet growing demand for mobile broadband access, then network capacity and service coverage are improved, but interference from neighboring base stations increases and degrades performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful interference from neighboring base stations into a beneficial signal for interference cancellation. By coordinating with neighbor base stations to provide known reference information about their transmissions, the victim UE can accurately estimate and cancel the interference, transforming what was previously harmful noise into useful cancellation data that improves downlink performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by having neighbor base stations pre-coordinate and provide reference information about their intended transmissions before the victim UE needs to cancel the interference. This advance preparation includes sharing transmission parameters, resource allocations, and signal characteristics, enabling the UE to perform accurate interference cancellation without requiring complex post-processing or iterative estimation
2Reliability
If interference cancellation capability is implemented in UEs to mitigate interference, then performance of victim UEs is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach where the network (specifically neighbor base stations) assists the UE in interference cancellation by providing reference information about interfering transmissions. This intermediary support from the network side reduces the computational burden and complexity at the UE, as the UE receives pre-processed coordination data rather than having to independently estimate all interference parameters from raw signals
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the victim UE reports its interference cancellation capability and performance to the serving and neighbor base stations. This feedback loop enables the network to optimize coordination strategies, adjust reference signal configurations, and refine interference management parameters based on actual UE performance, thereby improving reliability while managing device complexity through adaptive network-side control
3Reliability
If neighbor base stations are coordinated to increase interference for UEs capable of interference cancellation, then interference cancellation performance is improved, but interference management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting interference management parameters such as reference signal power, transmission timing, and resource allocation patterns based on UE capability and network conditions. Neighbor base stations modify their transmission parameters to create controlled interference scenarios that optimize cancellation performance while remaining within manageable coordination complexity through standardized parameter adjustment procedures
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Communications by base stations in wireless communication networks may be coordinated in a manner to improve performance by mobile devices experiencing interference from non-serving base stations. In particular, base station communications may be coordinated to improve the performance of interference cancellation by mobile devices. If a user equipment (UE) experiencing interference is capable of interference cancellation, then the base stations may coordinate to increase interference to that user equipment so as to improve that UE's ability to perform interference cancellation. Base stations may also coordinate to reduce interference for a UE, regardless of the UE's ability to perform interference cancellation. Mobile device performance improvements may also be achieved by coordinating scheduling of resources by the non-serving base stations, by using communication formats compatible with interference cancellation, by spatial coordination.