Macrocell Base Station Virtual Area Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional HetNet mobile communication systems, user terminals in macrocell areas experience inefficient cell search due to uniform notification of small cell information, leading to unnecessary power consumption and potential battery drain, especially in areas without nearby small cells.
Innovation Solution
The macrocell base station divides the macrocell area into virtual areas based on distance from the base station and terminal location, selectively notifying small cell information to terminals within these areas, allowing them to perform targeted cell searches and avoid futile searches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform notification of small cell information is provided throughout the macrocell area, then all terminals can potentially detect small cells, but terminals in areas without small cells waste energy performing futile cell searches
Solution Approach 1:
The macrocell area is divided into multiple notification areas based on terminal distance from the base station. Terminals in different notification areas receive different sets of small cell information, allowing them to perform cell searches only in relevant areas rather than uniformly across the entire macrocell, thus reducing wasted energy in areas without small cells.
Solution Approach 2:
Different terminals receive customized small cell information sets tailored to their specific notification areas. Terminals closer to the base station receive information about distant small cells, while terminals farther away receive information only about nearby small cells, optimizing the detection process for each terminal's local context and reducing unnecessary energy consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all small cell information is notified to all terminals, then comprehensive cell search coverage is achieved, but information transmission overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system segments small cell information into multiple sets corresponding to different notification areas. Each terminal receives only the relevant subset of small cell information for its area, reducing the overall information transmission load and processing complexity compared to notifying all terminals with complete small cell information.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification area assignment is dynamic, determined by the terminal's distance from the base station. The system adaptively assigns terminals to appropriate notification areas and provides corresponding small cell information sets, optimizing the balance between coverage and complexity based on real-time terminal positions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A macrocell base station includes a storage to store information of a plurality of virtual areas obtained by dividing a macrocell and information of small cells associated with the plurality of virtual areas, and a controller to perform a process of specifying the virtual area where the terminal is located, the specifying using a distance between the macrocell base station and the terminal residing in the macrocell, and a process of generating cell search information for the small cell that is to be transmitted to the terminal, the generating using the small cell information associated with the information of the specified virtual area.