Home Base Station Carrier Aggregation via Single Control Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current standards limit home base stations (H(e)NBs) to supporting only one cell, preventing carrier aggregation, which requires multiple S1 or luh connections, increasing costs and network load.
Innovation Solution
Implementing methods in home base stations to support carrier aggregation without increasing the number of S1 or luh connections by using a single control-plane interface for multiple cells, adopting the same E-CGI addressing scheme as normal eNBs, and signaling to support multiple global cell identifiers, allowing for efficient routing of control messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If home base stations support multiple cells for carrier aggregation, then capacity and peak rates increase, but the number of S1 or luh connections increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple cell control functions into a single S1 or luh connection. The home base station receives control messages for multiple cells (including handover requests) through one connection rather than requiring separate connections for each cell, thus combining multiple communication channels into one while maintaining carrier aggregation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The single S1 or luh connection is designed to handle multiple functions simultaneously - it carries control messages for multiple cells, including scheduling commands, handover requests, and other control information. This universal connection replaces what would traditionally require multiple dedicated connections
2Productivity
If home base stations support multiple cells for carrier aggregation, then network capacity improves, but configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the configuration management for multiple cells into a unified process through the single connection interface. The home base station manages multiple cell configurations (including different E-CGIs and carrier frequencies) through one standardized connection, reducing the operational complexity of configuring and maintaining carrier aggregation
3Loss of energy
If home base stations use single control-plane interface for multiple cells, then network load decreases, but message routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The home base station acts as an intermediary that receives control messages for multiple cells through a single connection. It implements internal routing logic to direct incoming messages (such as handover requests targeting specific cells) to the appropriate cell processing functions, thereby mediating between the simplified external interface and the complex internal multi-cell management
Data Source
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AI summary
Home base station nodes (110) that support multi-carrier operation are disclosed. In some embodiments, two carrier signals are transmitted on different frequencies to one or more user devices that support multi-carrier operation, and different global cell identifiers are broadcast on the two carrier signals. Control messages are sent and received for both of the two carrier signals over a single control-plane interface between the home base station (110) and either a core network node (170) or a home base station gateway (120).