Method and device for electing a coordination node in a coordinated multipoint set

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10397980-B2
Application number	US-201515576743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2015
Priority date	May 24, 2015
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

A method and apparatus for electing a coordination node in a Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) set of cooperating nodes for receiving channel information from wireless devices operating in a wireless network. In one aspect, a method is provided for a node which includes determining a channel quality parameter for the node indicative of a channel quality between the node and the plurality of wireless devices, receiving a first message from a first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the first message including a channel quality parameter for another node (e.g. the first neighbor node) in the CoMP set indicative of a channel quality between the other node and the plurality of wireless devices, and send a second message to the first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the second message identifying the coordination node elected by the node based on the channel quality parameters for the node and the other node.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for a node for electing a coordination node in a Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) set of cooperating nodes for receiving channel information from a plurality of wireless devices operating in a wireless network, the method comprising:
determining a channel quality parameter for the node indicative of a channel quality between the node and the plurality of wireless devices;
receiving a first message from a first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the first message including a channel quality parameter for a third node in the CoMP set indicative of a channel quality between the third node and the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the third node comprises one of the first neighbor node and a member node of the CoMP set other than the node and the first neighbor node; and
sending a second message to the first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the second message identifying the coordination node elected by the node based on the channel quality parameters for the node and the third node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second message identifies the node elected as the coordination node if the channel quality parameter for the node is greater than the channel quality parameter for the third node in the CoMP set.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second message identifies the third node elected as the coordination node if the channel quality parameter for the third node is greater than the channel quality parameter for the node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message identifies the third node as a node elected by the first neighbor node.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first neighbor elected node is elected by the first neighbor node as one of the first neighbor node and a second neighbor node in the CoMP set based on a channel quality parameter for each of the first and second neighbor nodes.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising receiving another first message from a second neighbor node in the CoMP set, the other first message including a channel quality parameter for a second neighbor elected node, and wherein the second message identifies the coordination node elected by the node based on the channel quality parameters for the node, the first neighbor elected node and the second neighbor elected node.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the steps of receiving and sending are repeated until the elected coordination node identified in the second message is the same as the first neighbor elected node identified in the first message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein during a CoMP session, the elected coordination node in the CoMP set is configured to receive channel information from each of the plurality of wireless devices.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the channel information comprises Channel State Information (CSI).

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the channel quality parameter for the node and for the third node is based on CSI received from the plurality of wireless devices prior to the CoMP session.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein, during the CoMP session, the elected coordination node in the CoMP set is configured to allocate radio resources to each of the wireless devices for receiving the channel information.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message is a CoMP grant message received from the first neighbor node in response to a CoMP request message sent by the node.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the second message is a CoMP notification message.

14. A node configured for electing a coordination node in a Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) set of cooperating nodes for receiving channel information from a plurality of wireless devices operating in a wireless network, the node comprising circuitry configured to:
determine a channel quality parameter for the node indicative of a channel quality between the node and the plurality of wireless devices;
receive a first message from a first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the first message including a channel quality parameter for a third node in the CoMP set indicative of a channel quality between the third node and the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the third node comprises one of the first neighbor node and a member node of the CoMP set other than the node and the first neighbor node; and
send a second message to the first neighbor node in the CoMP set, the second message identifying the coordination node elected by the node based on the channel quality parameters for the node and the third node.

15. The node of claim 14 wherein the second message identifies the node elected as the coordination node if the channel quality parameter for the node is greater than the channel quality parameter for the third node in the CoMP set.

16. The node of claim 14 wherein the second message identifies the third node elected as the coordination node if the channel quality parameter for the third node is greater than the channel quality parameter for the node.

17. The node of claim 14 wherein the first message identifies the third node as a node elected by the first neighbor node.

18. The node of claim 17 wherein the first neighbor elected node is elected by the first neighbor node as one of the first neighbor node and a second neighbor node in the CoMP set based on a channel quality parameter for each of the first and second neighbor nodes.

19. The node of claim 17 wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the node to receive another first message from a second neighbor node in the CoMP set, the other first message including a channel quality parameter for a second neighbor elected node, and wherein the second message identifies the coordination node elected by the node based on the channel quality parameters for the node, the first neighbor elected node and the second neighbor elected node.

20. The node of claim 14 wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the node to repeat receiving and sending until the elected coordination node identified in the second message is the same as the first neighbor elected node identified in the first message.

21. The node of claim 14 wherein each of the cooperating nodes in the CoMP set is configured to serve a subset of the plurality of wireless devices in a respective cell of the wireless network.

22. The node of claim 14 wherein during a CoMP session, the elected coordination node in the CoMP set is configured to receive channel information from each of the plurality of wireless devices.

23. The node of claim 22 wherein the channel information comprises CSI.

24. The node of claim 22 wherein the channel quality parameter for the node and for the third node is based on CSI received from the plurality of wireless devices prior to the CoMP session.

25. The node of claim 22 wherein, during the CoMP session, the elected coordination node in the CoMP set is configured to allocate radio resources to each of the wireless devices for receiving the channel information.

26. The node of claim 14 wherein the first message is a CoMP grant message received from the first neighbor node in response to a CoMP request message sent by the node.

27. The node of claim 14 wherein the second message is a CoMP notification message.

28. A non-transitory computer readable memory configured to store executable instructions for a node for electing a coordination node in a Coordinated Multipoin

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Boudreau Gary
• Casselman Ronald
• Wainer Gabriel
• Kazi Baha Uddin

Classifications

• H04W72/54

  based on quality criteria · CPC title

• H04W8/005

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title

• H04W84/20 Primary

  Leader-follower arrangements · CPC title

• H04L5/0035 Primary

  Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment · CPC title

• H04B7/0626

  Channel coefficients, e.g. channel state information [CSI] · CPC title