Interference congestion control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9549408-B2
Application number	US-201314405354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Jun 4, 2012
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns interference congestion control in radio communication networks. Disclosed herein are methods as well radio network nodes. A radio network node may, for example, estimate a neighboring cell interference. The radio network node may also detect a sudden significant increase in the estimated neighboring cell interference. In response to detecting a sudden significant in the estimated neighboring cell interference, the radio network node may also transmit a message to at least one other radio network node. This message may include an indicator indicating to said at least one radio network node to initiate an interference congestion control procedure. Hereby it is made possible to allow for interference congestion control in radio communication networks.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for uplink interference congestion control performed by a first radio network node serving a cell of interest, the method comprising:
estimating a neighboring cell interference, the neighboring cell interference being induced in the cell of interest by wireless activities in at least one other cell which is different from the cell of interest, wherein estimating the neighboring cell interference comprises:
estimating a load utilization probability p load (t 1 ) based at least on a load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 0 ) and an interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 0 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 0 ) applicable at a time t 0 to obtain a load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 1 ) applicable at a time t 1 , wherein t 1 −t 0 =T>0;
estimating an interference-and-noise sum P other (t 1 )+P N (t 1 ) based at least on the load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 0 ) and the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 0 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 0 ) to obtain an interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) applicable at the time t 1 ; and
estimating a neighbor cell interference P other (t 1 ) based at least on the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) and a thermal noise estimate {circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) to obtain a neighbor cell interference estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 ) applicable at the time t 1 ,
wherein the load utilization probability p load (t) expresses a relationship between radio resource grants scheduled to one or more user equipments, UEs, and radio resource grants used by the same UEs applicable at a time t, each UE being a UE in the cell of interest, and the load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t) being an estimate thereof,
wherein the interference-and-noise sum P other (t)+P N (t) expresses a sum of undesired signals, other than an own cell load P own (t), applicable at the time t, and the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t)+{circumflex over (P)} N (t) being an estimate thereof,
wherein the own cell load P own (t) expresses a sum of signals due to wireless activities in the cell of interest applicable at the time t,
wherein the neighbor cell interference P other (t) expresses a sum of interferences present in the cell of interest due to wireless activities applicable at the time t in one or more cells other than in the cell of interest, and the neighbor cell interference estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t) being an estimate thereof, and
wherein a thermal noise P N (t) expresses a sum of undesired signals present in the cell of interest at the time t other than the own cell load P own (t) and other than the neighbor cell interference P other (t), and the thermal noise estimate {circumflex over (P)} N (t) being an estimate thereof;

detecting a sudden significant increase in the estimated neighboring cell interference; and
in response to detecting the sudden significant increase in the estimated neighboring cell interference, transmitting a message to at least one other radio network node that is serving at least one cell which is different from the cell of interest, wherein the message includes an indicator indicating to said at least one other radio network node to initiate an interference congestion control procedure.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting a sudden significant increase in the estimated neighboring cell interference comprises:
determining a change in the estimated neighboring cell interference occurring during a first time period; and
establishing that the determined change in the estimated neighboring cell interference is above a first threshold value.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the length of the first time period is in the range of 10 to 50 milliseconds.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first threshold value is in the range of 2-5 decibels.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising comparing the estimated neighboring cell interference with a second threshold value, wherein detecting the sudden significant increase in the estimated neighboring cell interference is performed only in response to the estimated neighboring cell interference being above the second threshold value.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second threshold value is in the range of 2-4 decibel over a thermal noise power floor value.

7. A first radio network node for uplink interference congestion control, comprising:
a transceiver that transmits and receives messages to and from at least one other radio network node that serves at least one other cell which is different from the cell of interest; and
a scheduler that schedules uplink transmissions from at least one user equipment, UE, wherein the scheduler also:
estimates a neighboring cell interference, the neighboring cell interference being induced in the cell of interest by wireless activities in at least one other cell which is different from the cell of interest, wherein in estimating the neighboring cell interference, the scheduler:
estimates a load utilization probability p load (t 1 ) based at least on a load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 0 ) and an interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 0 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 0 ) applicable at a time t 0 to obtain a load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 1 ) applicable at a time t 1 , wherein t 1 −t 0 =T>0;
estimates an interference-and-noise sum P other (t 1 )+P N (t 1 ) based at least on the load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t 0 ) and the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 0 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 0 ) to obtain an interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) applicable at the time t 1 ; and
estimates a neighbor cell interference P other (t 1 ) based at least on the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 )+{circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) and a thermal noise estimate {circumflex over (P)} N (t 1 ) to obtain a neighbor cell interference estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t 1 ) applicable at the time t 1 ,
wherein the load utilization probability p load (t) expresses a relationship between radio resource grants scheduled to one or more user equipments, UEs, and radio resource grants used by the same UEs applicable at a time t, each UE being a UE in the cell of interest, and the load utilization probability estimate {circumflex over (p)} load (t) being an estimate thereof,
wherein the interference-and-noise sum P other (t)+P N (t) expresses a sum of undesired signals, other than an own cell load P own (t), applicable at the time t, and the interference-and-noise sum estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t)+{circumflex over (P)} N (t) being an estimate thereof,
wherein the own cell load P own (t) expresses a sum of signals due to wireless activities in the cell of interest applicable at the time t,
wherein the neighbor cell interference P other (t) expresses a sum of interferences present in the cell of interest due to wireless activities applicable at the time t in one or more cells other than in the cell of interest, and the neighbor cell interference estimate {circumflex over (P)} other (t) being an estimate thereof, and
wherein a thermal noise P N (t) expresses a sum of undesired signals present in the cell of interest at the time t other than the own cell load P own (

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Wigren Torbjörn
• Karlsson Patrik
• Kwong Waikwok
• Hogan Billy

Classifications

• H04W16/10 Primary

  Dynamic resource partitioning · CPC title

• H04W72/541 Primary

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04W72/082 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W28/0289

  Congestion control (load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W24/02

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title