CN105992240A

CN105992240A - SmallCell management method and device

Info

Publication number: CN105992240A
Application number: CN201510067099.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邰爽; 路杨
Original assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Current assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT; Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-02-09
Filing date: 2015-02-09
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2035-02-09
Also published as: CN105992240B

Abstract

The invention relates to a SmallCell management method and device, belongs to the communication field, and aims at solving the problems that SmallCell cannot be activated or deactivated timely and the utilization efficiency of the SmallCell is relatively low. The method comprises that when a macrocell determines that the throughput of the macrocell is greater than or equivalent to a first threshold or congestion time is greater than or equivalent to a second threshold, position information query for all UE in the macrocell is initialized, and SmallCell which need to be activated are determined by combining query results with information of all SmallCell in the macrocell. Or, when the macrocell determines that the amount of UE which is leaving coverage of the macrocell is greater than or equivalent to a preset sixth threshold, position information query for in the edge of the macrocell is initiated, and SmallCell which need to be activated are determined by combining query results information of all adjacent SmallCell in the edge of the macrocell. Thus, the SmallCell satisfying conditions are activated or deactivated timely, the utilization of the SmallCell is improved, and the aim of saving electric energy is achieved.

Description

Small cell SmallCell management method and device

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of communication, in particular to a management method and a management device for a SmallCell.

Background

With the increase of user demand and the development of communication technology, more and more wireless communication technologies and related networks, such as 2G/3G/4G mobile communication technologies and networks providing wide coverage, Evolved Home base stations (henbs) providing hotspot coverage, Home NodeB (HNBs), Relay (Relay) devices, etc., have appeared, and thus, a large number of different communication network coexistence scenarios, such as a macro cell and a micro cell coexistence scenario, have been brought about.

The SmallCell enhancement technology is introduced into the 3GPP R11, and the load of the macro base station is effectively shared and the spectrum efficiency is improved by carrying and separating from the macro base station through the technology. The SmallCell comprises the HeNB/Relay, the devices are often used as the assistance of the macro cell, network congestion can be well solved in busy hours, and energy waste can be caused if the devices cannot be closed in time in idle hours.

In the aspect of smallcall Cell deployment, the protocol gives several smallcall Cell deployment scenarios and assumptions about frequency spectrum, as shown in fig. 1. Wherein, F1 and F2 are carrier frequencies of a Macro layer and a SmallCell layer respectively, the UE enters the F2 layer from the F1 layer or enters the F1 layer from the F2 layer to be different in frequency, and the same frequency exists between F1 or F2.

The assumptions for the deployment scenario are as follows:

small Cell enhancement is mainly applied to deployment scenes that a Macro layer and a Small Cell layer are in different frequency bands.

2. For local node deployment, Small Cell enhancements are applicable to indoor and outdoor deployments. In addition, Small Cell enhancement needs to consider two scenarios, sometimes Small cells can be deployed sparsely to improve hotspot traffic and sometimes densely to support large amounts of traffic transmission over a larger range, such as in a mall or the like. In order to improve the capacity of the network, Small cells are generally deployed in a scene with macro Cell coverage, but sometimes the macro Cell coverage has holes, such as some indoor scenes, and therefore the independent mode of the Small cells also needs to be supported.

Small Cell enhancements are mainly used for low speed users (including indoor and outdoor) of 0-15km/h, while high speed users of 60-350 km/h can be considered for processing at the Macro layer, and in addition, Small Cell also supports medium speed users of 15-60 km/h outdoors;

4. various backhaul (backhaul) links, including optical fiber, digital subscriber Line (x digital subscriber Line), wireless, etc., may have different throughput and delay characteristics, all of which need to be supported by Small Cell enhancement techniques.

The assumptions for the spectral aspects are as follows:

small Cell is applicable not only to existing cellular bands but also to new higher bands and can use wider bands. While the new band may only be used for Small Cell deployments;

2. the Small Cell enhancement may support various duplex modes, such as Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), at the Macro layer and the Small Cell layer.

Therefore, from the traffic characteristics of the Small cells, the traffic volume of the Small cells is very unbalanced because the Small Cell coverage area is Small and the user distribution between the Small cells varies greatly. However, in the prior art, in busy hours, the SmallCell cannot be activated in time to solve the blind spot covered by the macrocell and perform load sharing on the macrocell, and in idle hours, when no user exists in the coverage area of the SmallCell, the SmallCell cannot be deactivated in time, a large amount of energy is wasted, and the service efficiency of the SmallCell is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a SmallCell management method and device, which are used for solving the problem that the SmallCell can not be activated in time in busy hours and can not be deactivated in time in idle hours in the prior art, so that the using efficiency of the SmallCell is low.

The embodiment of the invention provides the following specific technical scheme:

a management method of a SmallCell comprises the following steps:

the macro cell calculates the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at regular time;

if the throughput of the macro cell is determined to be greater than or equal to a preset first threshold or the congestion time of the macro cell is determined to be greater than or equal to a preset second threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query for all User Equipment (UE) in the macro cell;

and the macro cell determines SmallCells needing to be activated by combining the position information and the state information of all SmallCells in the macro cell based on the query result of the position information of all UE in the macro cell.

By adopting the method, the SmallCell to be activated can be activated in time when the network is busy and if the network congestion problem occurs, so that the data distribution of the macro cell is realized, the network load is effectively shared, the network congestion problem is solved, and the service efficiency of the SmallCell is improved.

Preferably, the macro cell initiates location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, including:

receiving, by a macro cell, an incoming wave direction AOA corresponding to each UE in the macro cell through an intelligent antenna;

the method comprises the steps that a macro cell initiates random access requests to all UE in the macro cell, calculates and obtains a Time Advance (TA) corresponding to each UE, and determines the distance between each UE and a base station based on the TA of each UE;

and the macro cell determines the position information of all the UE in the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Preferably, before calculating the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at the macro cell timing, the method further includes:

in a pre-configuration stage, a macro cell acquires identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells in a coverage area from an operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macro cell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macro cell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activation state or a deactivation state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, the determining, by the macro cell, the smallcells that need to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell includes:

and the macro cell combines the position information and the state information of all SmallCells in the coverage area of the macro cell based on the query result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell, and determines to activate the inactivated SmallCells if the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCells is determined to exceed a preset third threshold.

Preferably, after the macro cell determines the activated smalllcell, the method further includes:

if the macro cell determines that the macro cell and the SmallCell determined to be activated belong to the same base station, directly initiating SmallCell activation;

or,

and if the macro cell determines that the macro cell and the activated SmallCell belong to different base stations, sending a SmallCell activation request to an operation and maintenance center, and initiating SmallCell activation by the operation and maintenance center.

Preferably, further comprising:

if the macro cell receives a system message that the number of the UE which are managed by the macro base station and can send the SmallCells of the system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which are managed by the macro base station and can send the system information to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which are managed by the macro base station and can send the system information are closed;

or,

if the macro cell detects that the number of the UEs in the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages are closed.

By adopting the method, the SmallCells meeting the deactivation conditions are timely deactivated when the network is idle, so that the aim of saving electricity is fulfilled.

A management method of a SmallCell comprises the following steps:

the macro cell determines the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal receiving power and the reference signal receiving quality of the UE aiming at different cells;

if the number of the UE which leaves the coverage of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset sixth threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query aiming at the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell;

and the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated according to the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

By adopting the method, the SmallCell to be activated is activated in time when the network is busy and if the problem of network coverage or network interference occurs, so that the data distribution of the macro cell is realized, the network interference is effectively eliminated or the problem of network coverage is solved, and the use efficiency of the SmallCell is improved.

Preferably, the determining, by the macro cell timing, the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the RSRP/RSRQ measurement result of different cells for the UEs includes:

if a macro cell receives an a2 event reported by a UE, but does not receive an A3 event reported by the UE when a preset time threshold is reached, it is determined that the UE is leaving the coverage of the macro cell, where the a2 event is that a measurement result of RSRP/RSRQ of a serving cell for the UE is lower than a preset seventh threshold, and the A3 event is that measurement results of RSRP/RSRQ of other co-frequency cells for the UE are higher than a preset eighth threshold of the measurement result of RSRP/RSRQ of the serving cell for the UE.

Preferably, the macro cell initiates a location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, including:

receiving, by a macro cell, AOA corresponding to each UE located at an edge of the macro cell through a smart antenna;

a macro cell initiates a random access request to UE located at the edge of the macro cell, calculates a TA corresponding to each UE, and determines the distance between each UE and a base station based on the TA of each UE;

and the macro cell determines the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Preferably, before the macro cell timing determines the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal received power of different cells for the UE to the reference signal received quality, the method further includes:

in a pre-configuration stage, a macro cell acquires identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells located at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells from an operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macro cell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macro cell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activation state or a deactivation state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, the determining, by the macro cell, the smalllcells that need to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all smalllcells located at the edge of the macro cell and neighboring cells includes:

and the macro cell combines the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the adjacent cell based on the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell, and if the number of the UE positioned at the position of the inactivated SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset ninth threshold, the inactivated SmallCell is determined to be activated.

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

if the macro cell receives a system message that the number of the UE which are managed by the macro base station and can send the SmallCells of the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which are managed by the macro base station and can send the system information to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which are managed by the macro base station and can send the system information are closed;

or,

if the macro cell detects that the number of the UEs in the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages are closed.

A management device of a SmallCell, comprising:

a first calculation unit, configured to calculate throughput of the macro cell or congestion time of the macro cell at regular time;

a first query unit, configured to initiate location information query for all user equipment UE in the macro cell when it is determined that throughput of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset first threshold or congestion time of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset second threshold;

and the first processing unit is used for determining SmallCells needing to be activated by combining the position information and the state information of all SmallCells in the macro cell based on the query result of the position information of all UE in the macro cell.

By adopting the device, the SmallCell to be activated can be activated in time when the network is busy and if the network congestion problem occurs, so that the data distribution of the macro cell is realized, the network load is effectively shared, the network congestion problem is solved, and the service efficiency of the SmallCell is improved.

Preferably, when initiating location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, the first query unit is specifically configured to:

receiving an incoming wave direction AOA corresponding to each UE in the macro cell through an intelligent antenna;

initiating a random access request to all UE in the macro cell, calculating to obtain a Time Advance (TA) corresponding to each UE, and determining the distance between each UE and a base station based on the TA of each UE;

and determining the position information of all the UE in the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Preferably, before the timing calculation of the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell, the method further includes:

the first pre-configuration unit is used for acquiring identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells in a coverage area from an operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macro cell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macro cell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activated or deactivated state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, when determining a SmallCell that needs to be activated based on a query result of location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining location information and state information of all smallcells within a coverage area of the macro cell, the first processing unit is specifically configured to:

and based on the query result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell, combining the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells in the coverage area of the macro cell, and if the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset third threshold, determining to activate the inactivated SmallCell.

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

the first activation unit is used for directly initiating SmallCell activation when the macro cell and the SmallCell determined to be activated belong to the same base station;

or,

the SmallCell activation method comprises the steps of sending a SmallCell activation request to an operation and maintenance center when the macro cell is determined and the activated SmallCell is determined to belong to different base stations, and initiating the SmallCell activation by the operation and maintenance center.

Preferably, further comprising:

the first deactivation unit is used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation and maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information are closed when receiving a system message that the number of the UE which belong to the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold;

or,

and the SmallCells are used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages to an operation maintenance center when the number of the UE in the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages is detected to be lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages are closed.

By adopting the device, when the network is idle, the SmallCells meeting the deactivation conditions are timely deactivated, so that the aim of saving electricity is fulfilled.

A management device of a SmallCell, comprising:

a second calculating unit, configured to determine, at regular time, the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to a measurement result of a ratio RSRP/RSRQ of reference signal received power to reference signal received quality of UEs in different cells;

a second query unit, configured to initiate, by the macro cell, location information query for UEs located at an edge of the macro cell when it is determined that the number of UEs leaving coverage of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset sixth threshold;

and the second processing unit is used for determining the SmallCells needing to be activated by combining the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells at the edge of the macro cell and the adjacent cells based on the inquiry result of the position information of the UE at the edge of the macro cell.

By adopting the device, when the network is busy and if the problem of network coverage or network interference occurs, the SmallCell to be activated is activated in time, so that data distribution of the macro cell is realized, the network interference is effectively eliminated or the problem of network coverage is solved, and the use efficiency of the SmallCell is improved.

Preferably, when the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined at regular time according to the measurement results of RSRP/RSRQ of different cells for the UEs, the second calculating unit is specifically configured to:

and if an A2 event reported by the UE is received, but an A3 event reported by the UE is not received when a preset time threshold is reached, determining that the UE leaves the coverage of the macro cell, wherein the A2 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell is lower than a preset seventh threshold, and the A3 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of other co-frequency cells for the UE is higher than a preset eighth threshold of the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell.

Preferably, when initiating location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, the second querying unit is specifically configured to:

receiving AOA corresponding to each UE located at the edge of the macro cell through an intelligent antenna;

initiating a random access request to UE located at the edge of the macro cell, calculating to obtain a TA corresponding to each UE, and determining the distance between each UE and the base station based on the TA of each UE;

and determining the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Preferably, before the determining the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal received power of different cells for the UE to the reference signal received quality, the method further includes:

and the second pre-configuration unit is used for acquiring identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells located at the edge of the macrocell and adjacent cells from an operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macrocell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macrocell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activated or deactivated state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell and in combination with the location information and the state information of all smallcells located at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells, the second processing unit is specifically configured to:

and based on the query result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell, combining the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the adjacent cell, and if the number of the UE positioned at the position of the inactivated SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset ninth threshold, determining to activate the inactivated SmallCell.

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

the second activation unit is used for directly initiating SmallCell activation when the macro cell and the SmallCell determined to be activated belong to the same base station;

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

the second deactivation unit is used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation and maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information are closed when receiving a system message that the number of the UE which belong to the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold;

or,

and the SmallCells are used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages to an operation maintenance center when the number of the UE in the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages is detected to be lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, and informing a core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages are closed.

The SmallCell management device comprises a processor, a transceiver, and a memory, wherein:

a processor for reading the program in the memory, performing the following processes:

calculating the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at fixed time; when the throughput of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset first threshold or the congestion time of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset second threshold, initiating position information query aiming at all User Equipment (UE) in the macro cell; and determining the SmallCells needing to be activated based on the query result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell and by combining the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells in the macro cell.

A transceiver for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor.

Preferably, when initiating the location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, the processor is specifically configured to:

initiating a random access request to all UE in a macro cell, calculating to obtain a Time Advance (TA) corresponding to each UE, and determining the distance between each UE and a base station based on the TA of each UE;

Preferably, before the step of calculating the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell, the method further comprises:

the processor is used for acquiring identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells in a coverage area from the operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macro cell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macro cell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activated or deactivated state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell, the processor is specifically configured to:

and if the number of the UEs in the positions of the inactive SmallCells is determined to exceed a preset third threshold, determining to activate the inactive SmallCells based on the query result of the position information of all the UEs in the macro cell and by combining the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells in the coverage area of the macro cell.

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

the processor is used for directly initiating SmallCell activation when determining that the macro cell and the activated SmallCell belong to the same base station;

or,

the SmallCell activation method is used for sending a SmallCell activation request to an operation and maintenance center when determining that the macro cell and the activated SmallCell belong to different base stations, and the operation and maintenance center initiates SmallCell activation.

Preferably, further comprising:

the processor is used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information are closed when receiving the system information that the number of the UE which belong to the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold;

or,

and the SmallCells are used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages to the operation and maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages are closed when the number of the UE in the SmallCells which cannot send the system messages is detected to be lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold.

determining the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal receiving power and the reference signal receiving quality of the UE aiming at different cells; when the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset sixth threshold, initiating position information query aiming at the UE at the edge of the macro cell; and determining the SmallCells needing to be activated based on the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

Preferably, when the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined at a certain time according to the measurement results of RSRP/RSRQ of UEs in different cells, the processor is specifically configured to:

and if an A2 event reported by the UE is received, but an A3 event reported by the UE is not received when a preset time threshold is reached, determining that the UE leaves the coverage of the macro cell, wherein the A2 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell is lower than a preset seventh threshold, and the A3 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of other co-frequency cells by the UE is higher than a preset eighth threshold of the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell.

Preferably, when initiating the location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, the processor is specifically configured to:

receiving AOA corresponding to each UE positioned at the edge of a macro cell through an intelligent antenna;

initiating a random access request to UE positioned at the edge of a macro cell, calculating to obtain a TA (timing advance) corresponding to each UE, and determining the distance between each UE and a base station based on the TA of each UE;

Preferably, before the timing determines the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal received power of different cells for the UE to the reference signal received quality, the method further includes:

the processor is used for acquiring identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells located at the edge of the macrocell and adjacent cells from the operation and maintenance center, wherein the position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macrocell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macrocell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activated or deactivated state of the SmallCell.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell and in combination with the location information and the state information of all smallcells located at the edge of the macro cell and the neighboring cells, the processor is specifically configured to:

and if the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset ninth threshold, determining to activate the inactivated SmallCell based on the query result of the position information of the UE at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells at the edge of the macro cell and the adjacent cell.

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

the processor is used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is closed when receiving a system message that the number of the UE which belongs to the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold;

or,

and the SmallCells are used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system message to the operation and maintenance center when the number of the UE in the SmallCells which cannot send the system message is detected to be lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, and informing the core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system message are closed.

The bus architecture may include, among other things, any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors, represented by a processor, and various circuits of memory, represented by memory, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver may be a plurality of elements, i.e., including a transmitter and a transceiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor is responsible for managing the bus architecture and the usual processing, and the memory may store data used by the processor in performing operations.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a deployment scene and a spectrum of a SmallCell in the background art of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of an overview of management for smalllcell in a macro cell in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating selection of activation of SmallCell in a macro cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of an overview of management for smalllcells located at the edge of or adjacent to a macrocell in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating selection of activation of a SmallCell for cells located at the edge of a macrocell or adjacent to the macrocell in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a management device for smalllcell in a macro cell according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a management device for a SmallCell located at a macrocell edge or adjacent to the macrocell in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a smallcall cell management apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to solve the problem that the SmallCell can not be activated in time in busy hours and can not be deactivated in time in idle hours in the prior art, so that the using efficiency of the SmallCell is low, the invention provides a SmallCell management method and a SmallCell management device, wherein the SmallCell management method comprises the following steps: the macro cell calculates the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at regular time; if the throughput of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset first threshold or the congestion time of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset second threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query aiming at all UE in the macro cell; and the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated according to the inquiry result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells in the macro cell. Or the macro cell determines the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell at regular time according to the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE aiming at different cells; if the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset sixth threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query aiming at the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell; and the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated according to the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 2, in the embodiment of the present invention, a specific process of managing the SmallCell within the coverage of the macro cell is as follows:

in the pre-configuration stage, the macro cell acquires identification information, position information and state information of all SmallCells in the coverage area from an operation and maintenance center.

The position information of each SmallCell at least comprises a direction angle of the SmallCell relative to the macro cell and a distance between the SmallCell and the macro cell, and the state information of each SmallCell at least comprises an activated or deactivated state of the SmallCell.

In addition, the state information of the SmallCell can be directly obtained by an X2 message for the macro cell with an X2 interface.

Step 200: the macro cell timing calculates the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell.

The macro cell may calculate the congestion time of the macro cell according to a congestion control algorithm.

Step 210: and if the throughput of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset first threshold or the congestion time of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset second threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query aiming at all User Equipment (UE) in the macro cell.

The method for inquiring the location information of the UE in the macro cell includes that the macro cell initiates location information inquiry aiming at all UEs in the macro cell, and includes the following steps:

first, the macro cell receives an incoming direction (AOA) corresponding to each UE in the macro cell through a smart antenna. For example, the SmallCell is located at the 12 o' clock direction of the base station.

Secondly, the macro cell initiates a random access request to all UEs in the macro cell and calculates to obtain a Timing Advance (TA) corresponding to each UE, and determines a distance between each UE and the base station based on the TA of each UE.

Finally, the macro cell determines the location information of all the UEs in the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Step 220: and the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated according to the inquiry result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all the SmallCells in the macro cell.

Specifically, the macro cell determines to activate the inactive smallcells if it is determined that the number of UEs at the inactive smallcells position exceeds a preset third threshold, based on the query result of the position information of all UEs in the macro cell, in combination with the position information and the state information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell.

For example, referring to fig. 3, in the pre-configuration stage, the macro cell acquires identification information, location information, and state information of all smallcalls within the coverage area from the operation and maintenance center, where smallcall cell #0, smallcall cell #1, smallcall cell #2, and smallcall cell #3 are inactive smallcalls. And when the macro cell determines that the throughput of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset first threshold, triggering position information query aiming at all UE in the macro cell. And the macro cell combines the position information and the state information of all SmallCells in the macro cell based on the query result of the position information of all the UE in the macro cell, wherein the SmallCell #0 comprises 1 user, the SmallCell #1 comprises 1 user, the SmallCell #2 comprises 3 users, and the SmallCell #3 comprises 2 users, and the activation of the SmallCell #2 is determined when the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCell #2 is determined to be the maximum and exceeds a preset third threshold.

Therefore, when the macro cell network is busy and is in a congested state, the inquiry of the UE position information in the macro cell can be triggered, and the SmallCell needing to be activated is determined based on the position information inquiry result of the UE and the SmallCell information in the pre-configuration stage, so that the data of the macro cell can be timely shunted, and the effect of sharing the load of the macro cell is achieved. The data offloading here may be handover or bearer separation, where handover refers to transferring all the data plane and the control plane of the UE to the SmallCell after the SmallCell is activated; and the bearer separation means that after the SmallCell is activated, the control plane bearer of the UE is retained in the macro cell, and part or all of the data plane traffic is transferred to the SmallCell.

It should be noted that, if the macro cell determines that the number of UEs in the positions of at least two smallcells determined to be inactive exceeds a preset third threshold, it is determined that the smallcells meeting the condition are activated.

Further, if the macro cell determines that the macro cell and the SmallCell determined to be activated belong to the same base station, SmallCell activation is directly initiated;

or,

and if the macro cell determines that the macro cell and the activated SmallCell belong to different base stations, sending a SmallCell activation request to the operation and maintenance center, and initiating SmallCell activation by the operation and maintenance center.

In addition, the deactivation of the SmallCell in idle time is specifically divided into three cases:

firstly, if the macro cell receives a system message that the number of the UEs sent by the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, a closing indication of the SmallCell is sent to an operation maintenance center, and a core network is informed that the SmallCell is closed.

Secondly, if the SmallCells which do not belong to the macro base station management and can send the system messages determine that the number of the UE of the SmallCells is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells are closed by the base stations to which the SmallCells belong.

And thirdly, if the macro cell detects that the number of the UE in the SmallCell which can not send the system message is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, sending a closing instruction of the SmallCell to an operation and maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCell is closed.

Referring to fig. 4, in the embodiment of the present invention, the specific process of managing the smalllcell located at the edge of the macro cell or adjacent to the macro cell includes:

in the pre-configuration stage, the macro cell acquires the identification information, the position information and the state information of all SmallCells located at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells from an operation and maintenance center.

Step 400: the macro cell timing determines the number of UEs leaving the macro cell coverage according to the ratio of Reference Signal Receiving Power to Reference Signal Receiving Quality of different cells for the UEs, Reference Signal Receiving Power (RSRP)/Reference Signal Receiving Quality (RSRQ) measurement results.

Specifically, the method for the macro cell to determine the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell includes:

if the macro cell receives the A2 event reported by the UE but does not receive the A3 event reported by the UE when the preset time threshold is reached, it is determined that the UE leaves the coverage of the macro cell.

The event A2 is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the serving cell for the UE is lower than a preset seventh threshold, and the event A3 is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of other co-frequency cells for the UE is higher than a preset eighth threshold of the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the serving cell for the UE.

Step 410: and if the number of the UE which is leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to the preset sixth threshold, the macro cell initiates the position information query aiming at the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell.

It should be emphasized that the triggering of the macro cell to perform the location information query of the UE at the edge of the macro cell is that the number of UEs reporting the a2 event and not reporting the A3 event reaches the preset lower threshold. Therefore, the UE reporting a2 but not reporting A3 event is leaving the coverage of the macro cell, and the UE reporting A3 event is at the border between the macro cell and the neighboring cells of the macro cell.

The method for the macro cell to initiate the location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell includes:

firstly, a macro cell receives AOA corresponding to each UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell through an intelligent antenna;

secondly, the macro cell initiates a random access request to the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, calculates a TA corresponding to each UE, and determines the distance between each UE and the base station based on the TA of each UE.

Finally, the macro cell determines the position information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell based on the AOA corresponding to each UE and the distance between each UE and the base station.

Step 420: and the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated according to the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

Specifically, the macro cell determines to activate a smallcall cell if it is determined that the number of UEs at the position of an inactive smallcall cell exceeds a preset ninth threshold, based on the query result of the position information of the UE at the edge of the macro cell, in combination with the position information and the state information of all smallcalls at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

For example, referring to fig. 5, in the pre-configuration stage, the macro cell acquires identification information, location information, and status information of all smalllcells located at the edge of the macro cell and in neighboring cells from the operation and maintenance center. Wherein SmallCell #0 and SmallCell #1 are inactive SmallCells.

Here, the UE in SmallCell #1 reports an a2 event but does not report an A3 event when reaching a preset time threshold, which indicates that the UE is leaving the coverage of the macro cell, and the UE in SmallCell #1 reports an A3 event, that is, the measurement result of the cell a is better than the measurement result of the macro cell, and determines that the UE is located at the boundary between the macro cell and the cell a, as shown in fig. 5.

And the macro cell determines that the number of the UE which is leaving the coverage of the macro cell is more than or equal to a preset sixth threshold according to the RSRP/RSRQ measurement results of different cells aiming at the UE, and then triggers the position information query aiming at the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell. And the macro cell determines to activate the SmallCell #1 when determining that the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCell #1 exceeds a preset third threshold based on the query result of the position information of the UE at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells at the edge of the macro cell and the adjacent cell.

Therefore, when the macro cell has a network coverage problem or a network interference problem, the inquiry of the UE position information in the macro cell can be triggered, and the SmallCell to be activated is determined based on the position information inquiry result of the UE and the SmallCell information in the pre-configuration stage, so that the interference elimination and the network coverage problem of the macro cell can be timely eliminated, and the data of the macro cell can be timely shunted. Here, the data offloading may also be handover or bearer separation.

or,

firstly, if the macro cell receives a system message that the number of the UEs sent by the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, a closing indication of the SmallCell is sent to an operation maintenance center, and a core network is informed that the SmallCell is closed.

Secondly, if the SmallCells which do not belong to the macro base station management and can send the system messages determine that the number of the UE of the SmallCells is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, sending a closing indication of the SmallCells to an operation maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCells are closed by the base stations to which the SmallCells belong.

And thirdly, if the macro cell detects that the number of the UE in the SmallCell which can not send the system message is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, sending a closing instruction of the SmallCell to an operation and maintenance center, and informing a core network that the SmallCell is closed.

In addition, it should be noted that although the two smallcall management methods provided by the present invention are respectively directed to different application scenarios, the implementation processes of the two application scenarios are not in conflict and are processed in parallel.

Referring to fig. 6, the management apparatus of the small cell smalllcell includes:

a first calculation unit 60 for calculating the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at regular time;

a first query unit 61, configured to initiate location information query for all user equipment UE in a macro cell when it is determined that throughput of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset first threshold or congestion time of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset second threshold;

the first processing unit 62 is configured to determine the smallcells that need to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macrocell in combination with the location information and the state information of all smallcells in the macrocell.

Preferably, when initiating location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, the first querying unit 61 is specifically configured to:

the first pre-configuration unit 63 is configured to acquire identification information, location information, and state information of all smallcalls within a coverage area from an operation and maintenance center, where the location information of each smallcall includes at least a direction angle of the smallcall with respect to a macrocell and a distance between the smallcall and the macrocell, and the state information of each smallcall includes at least an activated or deactivated state of the smallcall.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell, the first processing unit 62 is specifically configured to:

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

the first activation unit 64 is used for directly initiating the activation of the SmallCell when the macro cell is determined and the activated SmallCell is determined to belong to the same base station;

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

a first deactivation unit 65, configured to, when receiving a system message that the number of UEs sent by the SmallCell that belongs to the macro base station management and is capable of sending system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or that the out-of-service time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, send a closing instruction of the SmallCell that belongs to the macro base station management and is capable of sending system information to the operation and maintenance center, and notify the core network that the SmallCell that belongs to the macro base station management and is capable of sending system information is closed;

or,

Referring to fig. 7, the management apparatus of the small cell SmallCell includes:

a second calculating unit 70, configured to determine the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell at regular time according to a measurement result of a ratio RSRP/RSRQ of reference signal received power to reference signal received quality of UEs in different cells;

a second querying unit 71, configured to, when it is determined that the number of UEs leaving coverage of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset sixth threshold, initiate, by the macro cell, location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell;

the second processing unit 72 is configured to determine the smalllcell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, in combination with the location information and the state information of all smalllcells located at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

Preferably, when the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined according to the RSRP/RSRQ measurement results of different cells for the UEs at a certain time, the second calculating unit 70 is specifically configured to:

Preferably, when initiating the location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, the second querying unit 71 is specifically configured to:

and initiating a random access request to the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell, calculating to obtain a TA corresponding to each UE, and determining the distance between each UE and the base station based on the TA of each UE.

and a second pre-configuration unit 73, configured to acquire, from the operation and maintenance center, identification information, location information, and state information of all smallcalls located at an edge of the macrocell and in neighboring cells, where the location information of each smallcall at least includes a direction angle of the smallcall with respect to the macrocell and a distance between the smallcall and the macrocell, and the state information of each smallcall at least includes an activated or deactivated state of the smallcall.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell and in combination with the location information and the state information of all smallcells located at the edge of the macro cell and the neighboring cells, the second processing unit 72 is specifically configured to:

and if the number of the UE at the position of the inactivated SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset ninth threshold, the inactivated SmallCell is determined to be activated.

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

a second activation unit 74, configured to directly initiate SmallCell activation when it is determined that the macrocell and the activated SmallCell belong to the same base station;

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

a second deactivation unit 75, configured to, when receiving a system message that the number of UEs sent by the smallcells that belong to the macro base station management and can send system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, send a close indication of the smallcells that belong to the macro base station management and can send system information to the operation and maintenance center, and notify the core network that the smallcells that belong to the macro base station management and can send system information are closed;

or,

The smallcall cell management device includes a processor 800, a transceiver 810, and a memory 820, wherein:

the processor 800, which is used to read the program in the memory 820, executes the following processes:

A transceiver 810 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 800.

Preferably, when initiating the location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, the processor 800 is specifically configured to:

the processor 800 is configured to obtain identification information, location information, and state information of all smallcalls within a coverage area from an operation and maintenance center, where the location information of each smallcall at least includes a direction angle of the smallcall with respect to a macrocell and a distance between the smallcall and the macrocell, and the state information of each smallcall at least includes an activated or deactivated state of the smallcall.

Preferably, when determining the SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell, the processor 800 is specifically configured to:

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

the processor 800 is configured to directly initiate SmallCell activation when it is determined that the macrocell and the activated SmallCell belong to the same base station;

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

the processor 800 is configured to send a closing instruction of the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation and maintenance center when receiving a system message that the number of UEs sent by the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset fourth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset fifth threshold, and notify the core network that the SmallCell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is closed;

or,

determining the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell according to the measurement result of the ratio RSRP/RSRQ of the reference signal receiving power and the reference signal receiving quality of the UE aiming at different cells; when the number of the UE leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined to be larger than or equal to a preset sixth threshold, the macro cell initiates position information query aiming at the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell; and determining the SmallCells needing to be activated based on the inquiry result of the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell and the position information and the state information of all SmallCells positioned at the edge of the macro cell and adjacent cells.

Preferably, when the number of UEs leaving the coverage of the macro cell is determined at a certain time according to the measurement results of RSRP/RSRQ of UEs in different cells, the processor 800 is specifically configured to:

Preferably, when initiating the location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell, the processor 800 is specifically configured to:

the processor 800 is configured to obtain, from an operation and maintenance center, identification information, location information, and state information of all smallcalls located at an edge of a macrocell and in neighboring cells, where the location information of each smallcall includes at least a direction angle of the smallcall with respect to the macrocell and a distance between the smallcall and the macrocell, and the state information of each smallcall includes at least an activated or deactivated state of the smallcall.

Preferably, when determining the smalllcell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell and the location information and the state information of all smalllcells located at the edge of the macro cell and in neighboring cells, the processor 800 is specifically configured to:

Preferably, after determining the activated smalllcell, further comprising:

or,

Preferably, further comprising:

the processor 800 is configured to send a closing instruction of the smallcall cell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation and maintenance center when receiving a system message that the number of UEs in the smallcall cell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the out-of-service time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold, and notify the core network that the smallcall cell which belongs to the macro base station management and can send the system information is closed;

or,

and the SmallCells are used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which cannot send the system message to the operation and maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which cannot send the system message are closed when the number of the UE in the SmallCells which cannot send the system message is detected to be lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold.

Where in fig. 8, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with various circuits being linked together, particularly one or more processors represented by processor 800 and memory represented by memory 820. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 810 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a transceiver providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The processor 800 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 820 may store data used by the processor 800 in performing operations.

In summary, when the network is busy and a network congestion problem occurs, the method triggers the macro cell to query the location information of the UEs in the macro cell, and determines to activate the SmallCell and activate the SmallCell to be activated in time if the number of UEs at a SmallCell location is determined to exceed a preset threshold, in combination with the location information and the state information of the SmallCell, thereby achieving data distribution to the macro cell and effectively sharing a network load to solve the network congestion problem.

When the network is busy, if the problem of network coverage or network interference occurs, the macro cell is triggered to inquire the position information of the UE positioned at the edge of the macro cell, and the position information and the state information of the SmallCell are combined, if the number of the UE at the position of one SmallCell is determined to exceed a preset threshold, the SmallCell is determined to be activated, the SmallCell needing to be activated is activated in time, then the data distribution of the macro cell is realized, and the problem of network interference or network coverage is effectively eliminated.

When the SmallCell is idle, if the number of the UE of one SmallCell is lower than a preset threshold or the service-free time exceeds the preset threshold, the SmallCell is deactivated to achieve the purpose of saving electricity.

By adopting the method, when the macro cell and the SmallCell are used for mixed networking, the SmallCells meeting the conditions can be activated or deactivated in time, the service efficiency of the SmallCells is improved, and the purpose of saving electricity is achieved. In addition, the method adopted by the invention does not need to increase the overhead of air interface signaling, and is simple and easy to realize.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the embodiments of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to encompass such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for managing a SmallCell is characterized by comprising the following steps:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a macro cell initiates a location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, comprising:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to calculating the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell at the macro cell timing, further comprising:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the macro cell determines the SmallCells needing to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell and by combining the location information and the state information of all SmallCells within the coverage area of the macro cell, and the method comprises the following steps:

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising, after the macrocell determines an activated SmallCell:

or,

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

or,

7. A method for managing a SmallCell is characterized by comprising the following steps:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein macro cell timing determines the number of UEs that are leaving the macro cell coverage from measurements of RSRP/RSRQ of different cells for UEs, comprising:

9. The method of claim 7, wherein a macro cell initiates a location information query for UEs located at an edge of the macro cell, comprising:

10. The method of claim 7, wherein before the macro cell timing determining the number of UEs that are leaving the macro cell coverage from measurements of reference signal received power to reference signal received quality ratios, RSRP/RSRQ, of different cells for UEs, further comprising:

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining, by the macro cell, the SmallCells that need to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the edge of the macro cell in combination with the location information and the state information of all SmallCells located at the edge of the macro cell and the neighboring cells comprises:

12. The method of any one of claims 7-11, further comprising, after the macrocell determines an activated SmallCell:

or,

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

or,

14. A management device for a SmallCell, comprising:

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, when initiating the location information query for all UEs in the macro cell, the first querying element is specifically configured to:

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein prior to timing the calculation of the throughput of the macro cell or the congestion time of the macro cell, further comprising:

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein when determining a SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of all UEs in the macro cell in combination with the location information and status information of all smallcells within the coverage area of the macro cell, the first processing unit is specifically configured to:

18. The apparatus of any one of claims 14-17, further comprising, after determining the activated SmallCell:

or,

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

or,

20. A management device for a SmallCell, comprising:

a second query unit, configured to initiate location information query for the UE located at the edge of the macro cell when it is determined that the number of UEs leaving coverage of the macro cell is greater than or equal to a preset sixth threshold;

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein when the number of UEs leaving the macro cell coverage is determined from the RSRP/RSRQ measurements of different cells for UEs at a timing, the second calculating unit is specifically configured to:

when an A2 event reported by the UE is received, but an A3 event reported by the UE is not received when a preset time threshold is reached, determining that the UE leaves the coverage of the macro cell, wherein the A2 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell is lower than a preset seventh threshold, and the A3 event is that the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of other co-frequency cells for the UE is higher than a preset eighth threshold of the measurement result of the RSRP/RSRQ of the UE by the serving cell.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein when initiating a location information query for a UE located at the edge of the macro cell, the second querying unit is specifically configured to:

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein prior to timing the determination of the number of UEs leaving the macro cell coverage from the measurement of the ratio of reference signal received power to reference signal received quality, RSRP/RSRQ, for UEs by different cells, further comprises:

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein when determining a SmallCell that needs to be activated based on the query result of the location information of the UE located at the macro cell edge in combination with the location information and the state information of all smallcells located at the macro cell edge and the neighboring cells, the second processing unit is specifically configured to:

25. The apparatus of any one of claims 20-24, further comprising, after determining the activated SmallCell:

or,

26. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

the second deactivation unit is used for sending a closing indication of the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information to the operation and maintenance center and informing the core network that the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information are closed when receiving the system information that the number of the UE in the SmallCells which belong to the macro base station management and can send the system information is lower than a preset tenth threshold or the service-free time exceeds a preset eleventh threshold;

or,