Methods and radio network nodes for measuring interference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9584272-B2
Application number	US-201213817665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2012
Priority date	Nov 26, 2012
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A first radio network node ( 110 ) and a method therein for measuring interference as well as a second radio network node ( 120 ) and a method therein for enabling the first radio network node to measure interference are disclosed. The first radio network node ( 110 ) obtains ( 201 ) configuration information for indicating a designated subframe in which a reference signal for measurement of the interference is to be transmitted by the second radio network node ( 120 ). The second radio network node ( 120 ) obtains ( 202 ) configuration information for configuring a designed subframe for transmission of a reference signal. The first radio network node ( 110 ) receives ( 205 ), in the designated subframe indicated by the configuration information, the reference signal transmitted by the second radio network node ( 120 ). The first radio network node ( 110 ) determines ( 206 ) a value of the interference based on the reference signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a first radio network node for measuring interference between the first radio network node and a second radio network node, the method comprising:
obtaining configuration information that indicates which subframe is a designated subframe in which a reference signal for measurement of the interference is to be transmitted by the second radio network node, the designated subframe being designated for enabling measurement of the interference, wherein the designated subframe is a flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe;
dynamically configuring the designated subframe in the first radio network node as an uplink subframe according to the obtained configuration information when the interference is to be measured, wherein the designated subframe is configured in the entirety or parts thereof;
receiving, from the second radio network node in the designated subframe indicated by the configuration information, the reference signal; and
determining a value of the interference based on the reference signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of the configuration information comprises determining the configuration information based on an identifier for identifying the first radio network node, wherein the identifier for identifying the first radio network node comprises one or more of:
a cell identity;
Internet Protocol address;
Public Land Mobile Network identity;
measurement periodicity;
geographical information of the first radio network node and the second radio network node; and
downlink/uplink Time Division Duplex configuration.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of configuration information comprises receiving the configuration information from a network management unit.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the value of the interference is represented by one or more of:
Channel Quality Indicator,
Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise-Ratio,
Signal-to-Interference-Ratio,
Signal-to-Noise-Ratio,
Reference Signal Received Power,
Reference Signal Received Quality, and
Received Signal Strength Indicator.

5. The method according to claim 1 , said flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe being adaptively configured as one of an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe as selected by the first or the second radio network node.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the configuring is performed based on a need for measurement of the interference.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
adapting a transmit power of the first radio network node based on the value.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
sending the value of the interference to the second radio network node.

9. A method in a second radio network node for enabling a first radio network node to measure interference between the first radio network node and the second radio network node, the method comprising:
obtaining configuration information for configuring a designated subframe for transmission of a reference signal, the designated subframe being designated for enabling the first radio network node to measure the interference, wherein the designated subframe is a flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe, and wherein the configuration information indicates to the second radio network node that the designated subframe is to be configured as a downlink subframe;
configuring the designated subframe as the downlink subframe indicated by the configuration information; and
sending, in the designated subframe, the reference signal to the first radio network node.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the identifier for identifying the first radio network node comprises one or more of:
a cell identity;
Internet Protocol address;
Public Land Mobile Network identity;
measurement periodicity;
geographical information of the first radio network node and the second radio network node; and
downlink/uplink Time Division Duplex configuration.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the obtaining of configuration information comprises receiving the configuration information from a network management unit.

12. The method according to claim 9 , said flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe being adaptively configured as one of an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe as selected by the first or the second radio network node.

13. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving a value of the interference; and
adapting transmit power of the second radio network node based on the value.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the value of the interference is represented by one or more of:
a Channel Quality Indicator,
a Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise-Ratio,
a Signal-to-Interference-Ratio,
a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio,
a Reference Signal Received Power,
a Reference Signal Received Quality, and
a Received Signal Strength Indicator.

15. A first radio network node configured to measure interference between the first radio network node and a second radio network node, wherein the first radio network node comprises a processing circuit configured to:
obtain configuration information that indicates which subframe is a designated subframe in which a reference signal for measurement of the interference is to be transmitted by the second radio network node, the designated subframe being designated for enabling measurement of the interference, wherein the designated subframe is a flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe;
dynamically configure the designated subframe in the first radio network node as an uplink subframe according to the obtained configuration information when the interference is to be measured, wherein the designated subframe is configured in the entirety or parts thereof;
receive, from the second radio network node in the designated subframe indicated by the configuration information, the reference signal; and
determine a value of the interference based on the reference signal.

16. The first radio network node according to claim 15 , wherein the identifier for identifying the first radio network node comprises one or more of:
a cell identity;
Internet Protocol address;
Public Land Mobile Network identity;
measurement periodicity;
geographical information of the first radio network node and the second radio network node; and
downlink/uplink Time Division Duplex configuration.

17. The first radio network node according to claim 15 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive the configuration information from a network management unit.

18. The first radio network node according to claim 15 , wherein the value of the interference is represented by one or more of:
a Channel Quality Indicator,
a Signal-to-Interference-and-Noise-Ratio,
a Signal-to-Interference-Ratio,
a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio,
a Reference Signal Received Power,
a Reference Signal Received Quality, and
a Received Signal Strength Indicator.

19. The first radio network node according to claim 15 , wherein said flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe being adaptively configured as one of an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe as selected by the first or the second radio network node.

20. The first radio network node according to claim 19 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to configure the flexible uplink and/or downlink subframe as the uplink subframe indicated by the configuration information based on a need for measurement of the

Assignees

• Li Shaohua
• Guo Zhiheng
• Liu Jinhua
• Song Xinghua
• Zhang Zhan
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Li Shaohua
• Guo Zhiheng
• Liu Jinhua
• Song Xinghua
• Zhang Zhan

Classifications

• H04W72/0446

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title

• H04B17/345 Primary

  Interference values ({signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]} H04B17/336) · CPC title

• H04W52/241

  taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR or Eb/lo · CPC title

• H04W52/143

  Downlink power control · CPC title

• H04W24/08 Primary

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title