Inter-Cell Interference Coordination in Distributed Antenna Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems lack an effective method for controlling inter-cell interference in multi-cell environments, particularly in Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), which affects communication quality and throughput at cell edges.
Innovation Solution
A user equipment (UE) and base station system that measures interference levels from neighboring cells, compares them to a threshold, and requests interference restriction by turning off or limiting the use of effective antennas or beam patterns in specific time and frequency domains to reduce interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If distributed antennas are deployed in each cell to improve communication performance, then transmission capacity and power efficiency are increased, but inter-cell interference control becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the antenna system into distributed antenna units within each cell, allowing independent control of antenna groups. This segmentation enables the base station to manage interference by controlling specific antenna segments rather than the entire cell, resolving the contradiction between improved transmission capacity and complex interference control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality control by allowing different antenna groups in different cells to have different transmission characteristics. The base station can selectively control antenna groups based on local interference conditions, enabling optimized performance in each cell while managing inter-cell interference through localized adjustments
2Speed
If multiple antennas are deployed in each cell to increase data transfer rate, then path loss is reduced, but interference between adjacent cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of antenna groups through time-varying transmission patterns. The base station can dynamically activate or deactivate specific antenna groups in different cells based on real-time interference conditions, allowing the system to adapt between maximizing data transfer rate and minimizing inter-cell interference as needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes transmission parameters such as transmission power, antenna group selection, and beam direction to manage interference. By adjusting these parameters dynamically, the system can maintain high data transfer rates while controlling the harmful interference effects between adjacent cells
3Reliability
If distributed antennas transmit signals to improve communication quality, then signal loss is reduced, but coordination between cells becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The base station acts as an intermediary that coordinates between distributed antenna units in different cells. It receives interference information from UEs and translates this into coordinated transmission control commands for specific antenna groups, simplifying the coordination complexity while maintaining high communication quality
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for controlling inter-cell interference is disclosed. The user equipment for controlling inter-cell interference in a wireless communication system includes an interference level measuring module configured to measure interference levels of neighboring cells using at least one of information about the number of antennas among antennas deployed in the neighboring cells, information about indexes of the effective antennas, and information about reference signal of the neighboring cells, an interference restriction request determination module configured to compare the interference levels of the neighboring cells with a predetermined threshold and to determine whether or not UE requests an interference restriction to the neighboring cells, and a transmitter configured to transmit information about one or more neighboring cells, to which the interference restriction request will be transmitted, to a serving base station.