Radio Base Station Congestion Control via Dynamic P0 Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current congestion control methods in wireless communication networks, particularly in LTE, fail to effectively address congestion issues in cells with limited overlapping areas and correlated traffic load patterns, leading to significant degradation in accessibility, retainability, and user throughput, especially in indoor urban hotspots and underground environments.
Innovation Solution
A network node and method that determine congestion by assessing interference levels and inter-cell coupling, increasing the average received signal level target (P0) for wireless devices served by a congested base station if interference and coupling thresholds are below certain levels, thereby reducing traffic load without significantly impacting neighboring cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional congestion control methods are used, then network capacity is maintained, but accessibility, retainability, and user throughput significantly degrade in congested cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the P0 parameter (average received signal level target) dynamically based on congestion detection. When congestion is detected in a cell, the P0 parameter is increased for wireless devices in that cell, which adjusts their transmit power to improve uplink signal quality and maintain accessibility and retainability while managing congestion effects on throughput
2Productivity
If P0 is increased to relieve congestion, then user throughput improves, but interference in neighboring cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively increasing P0 only in congested cells where needed, rather than uniformly across the network. The eNodeB determines congestion locally and adjusts P0 for wireless devices in that specific cell, allowing throughput improvement in congested areas without causing widespread interference in neighboring cells that do not have congestion problems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms where the eNodeB monitors congestion conditions in real-time and dynamically adjusts P0 based on this feedback. The system continuously evaluates whether increasing P0 would cause harmful interference to neighboring cells and makes adaptive decisions to balance throughput improvement with interference control
3Productivity
If handover-based load balancing is used, then traffic load is redistributed, but signal quality and retainability degrade due to frequent handovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the congestion management function from traditional handover-based load balancing mechanisms. Instead of relying on handovers to redistribute traffic, the system directly addresses congestion at its source by adjusting P0 parameters in congested cells, thereby relieving congestion without triggering frequent handovers and maintaining better retainability
Data Source
AI summary
A network node and a method performed by the network node for congestion control in a Radio Base Station, RBS, are provided. The method comprises determining that the RBS is congested. The method further comprises determining an interference level in a neighboring RBS caused by wireless devices currently being served by the RBS, or determining a level of inter-cell coupling between the RBS and the neighboring RBS. Still further, method comprises increasing a value of an average received signal level target, P0, for wireless devices currently being served by the RBS if the RBS is congested, if the determined interference level in the neighboring RBS is below an interference threshold or if the level of inter-cell coupling is below a coupling threshold.