Global Neighbor Lists for Low-Cost Internet Base Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current macro-networks require manual, sector-by-sector addition of Low-Cost Internet Base Station (LCIB) pseudorandom-number (PN) offsets to neighbor lists, which is inefficient and impractical for widespread implementation, especially given the frequent overlap of LCIB coverage areas with macro-network sectors.
Innovation Solution
A global list of LCIB PN offsets is maintained and populated into the neighbor lists of macro-network sectors across a defined grouping, such as market areas or access networks, allowing for automated and centralized management of PN offsets within these lists.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual, sector-by-sector addition of LCIB PN offsets to neighbor lists is performed, then handoff operations can be supported, but the process becomes inefficient and impractical for widespread implementation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the scattered, sector-by-sector manual addition process into a single centralized neighbor-list server that maintains a global list of LCIB PN offsets. This server automatically distributes the relevant subset of PN offsets to multiple macro-network sectors simultaneously, combining what was previously separate manual operations into one automated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The neighbor-list server acts as an intermediary between the global list of LCIB PN offsets and the multiple macro-network sectors. It receives the comprehensive list, determines which PN offsets are relevant to each sector based on geographic overlap, and automatically populates each sector's neighbor list accordingly, eliminating the need for manual intervention at each sector.
2Productivity
If automated, centralized management of PN offsets is implemented, then implementation efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct functional components: a centralized neighbor-list server that maintains the global list and makes decisions, and multiple macro-network sectors that receive and use the PN offset information. This segmentation allows the complex automated management function to be isolated in a single server while keeping the individual sectors relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The neighbor-list server performs multiple functions: it maintains the global list of LCIB PN offsets, determines geographic overlap between sectors and LCIBs, selects relevant PN offsets for each sector, and distributes them automatically. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single universal component.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for implementing global neighbor lists to support low-cost Internet base stations (LCIBs). In a macro wireless-communication network, each sector has a neighbor list that contains the pseudorandom number (PN) offsets of surrounding sectors. To account for LCIBs, a global neighbor list, configurable across sectors, access networks, markets, and/or vendors, is introduced. The global list may be maintained on an access network or on a separate server that interfaces with access networks. The global list may be incorporated at the beginning, in the middle (i.e. at specific priority levels), or at the end of each respective sector's neighbor list. If a given sector's neighbor list is full, it could be left unmodified, or some global-list entries could displace some existing entries. Other than incorporating entries from the global list, each macro sector's neighbor list remains, for the most part, independently modifiable.