Macro Cell Coordinated Small Cell Discovery and Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication networks with macro and small cell base stations, the discovery of sleeping small cells is unreliable, resource activation is suboptimal, and connection setup is delayed due to existing approaches that either compromise energy efficiency or require significant UE and small cell resource usage.
Innovation Solution
A macro-cell based method where the macro base station coordinates small cell beacon transmissions and channel quality measurements, allowing for reliable discovery and activation of sleeping small cells by obtaining and reporting vicinity information, and determining optimal resources for communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If small cells are put to sleep to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but small cell discovery becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The macro base station acts as an intermediary to facilitate small cell discovery. When a UE requests small cell discovery, the macro base station identifies candidate sleeping small cells based on stored vicinity information and triggers their beacon transmissions. This mediator approach allows sleeping small cells to be discovered without requiring them to continuously transmit discovery signals, thus maintaining energy savings while enabling reliable discovery on demand.
2Reliability
If sleeping small cells transmit discovery signals to enable discovery, then small cell discovery reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous transmission, discovery beacons are transmitted periodically or on-demand based on UE requests. The macro base station triggers beacon transmissions from sleeping small cells only when needed for discovery, converting continuous energy consumption into periodic or event-driven transmission that maintains discovery reliability while minimizing energy usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The macro base station maintains stored vicinity information about small cells and uses this information to autonomously identify and trigger candidate small cells for discovery. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for small cells to continuously advertise their presence, as the macro base station can independently initiate discovery processes based on its stored knowledge and current network conditions.
3Loss of time
If all resources are activated in a discovered small cell, then connection setup is faster, but resource efficiency decreases and interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly activating all resources in a small cell, the macro base station selectively activates only those resources and capabilities that are locally appropriate for the specific UE's requirements. The activation decision is based on UE capabilities, channel conditions, and network state, ensuring that each small cell configuration is optimized for its local context rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system activates only the necessary subset of small cell resources required for serving the specific UE, rather than activating all available resources. This partial action approach avoids the waste of activating unnecessary resources while still providing sufficient capacity for the connection, thereby reducing interference and improving resource efficiency without significantly impacting connection setup speed.
4Reliability
If macro base station coordinates small cell beacon transmissions and channel quality measurements, then small cell discovery reliability is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The macro base station performs multiple functions including maintaining vicinity information databases, identifying candidate small cells, triggering beacon transmissions, coordinating channel quality measurements, and managing resource activation. By consolidating these diverse functions in a single multi-functional entity, the system achieves reliable small cell discovery without requiring complex interactions between multiple specialized components across different network elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is described for controlling a small cell base station and a user equipment to be served by the small base station in a wireless communication system having a plurality of small cell base stations controlled by a macro base station. The method has, in response to a request from the macro base station to the small cell base station, performing, by the small cell base station, a beacon transmission on one or more resources, in response to a request from the macro base station to the user equipment, performing, by the user equipment, a channel quality measurement on the one or more resources, and reporting the measured channel quality from the user equipment to the macro base station.