JP5766842B2 - Communication system, small base station apparatus and server apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication system having a plurality of base stations, a small base station apparatus, and a server apparatus .

  In order to respond to the rapid increase in traffic in recent mobile communication systems, there is an increasing demand for small base stations with smaller cells (wireless communication areas) than conventional macro base stations. Since the small base station is deployed in multiple stations for traffic countermeasures, it is assumed that the small base station is installed in the cell of the conventional macro base station. For this reason, there is a problem that inter-cell interference occurs between the macro base station and the small base station. As a technique for reducing this inter-cell interference, an inter-cell interference control technique in the time domain (subframe unit) on the assumption that the macro base station and the small base station are time-synchronized with each other is known ( For example, see Patent Document 1). In this inter-cell interference control technique, a macro base station sets a subframe group called ABS (Almost Blank Subframe) that does not perform downlink transmission, and an ABS pattern table indicating the subframe group is stored in a subordinate small base station. Notify Based on the ABS pattern, the small base station performs scheduling for determining resource allocation to the subordinate mobile station (user apparatus), and stops downlink transmission to the mobile station based on the scheduling.

  However, in the inter-cell interference control technology using the above-described conventional ABS, when the macro base station performs control to uniformly stop the downlink transmission based on the ABS pattern set and notified, the mobile base station moves. There is a risk that the throughput of downlink transmission to the station may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress a decrease in the throughput of downlink transmission to a mobile station and between a plurality of base station apparatuses in which at least a part of wireless communication areas overlap. It is to provide a communication system that can reduce interference.

A communication system according to the present invention includes a macro base station apparatus that is a base station apparatus of an interference source, and an interference target that is located in a cell of the macro base station apparatus and whose own cell is smaller than the cell of the macro base station apparatus. A communication system comprising at least one small base station device that is a base station device, and a server device that can communicate with each of the macro base station device and the small base station device, wherein the small base station device includes: Based on a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station apparatus, synchronization means for performing time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus, and measurement for measuring an interference signal level received from the macro base station apparatus Means, and information on the measured interference signal level, and synchronization success / failure information indicating whether or not the time synchronization processing with the macro base station device has been successful is transmitted to the server device. Information transmitting means, wherein the server device receives the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure information from the small base station device, and the interference signal level information and the synchronization. Determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in a radio communication frame for downlink transmission to a mobile station based on success / failure information; When determining that at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame is necessary, the macro base station apparatus determines whether the transmission stop target subframe is determined. Information transmitting means for transmitting information, wherein the macro base station apparatus transmits information on the subframe to be stopped from the server apparatus. Comprising the signal information receiving means, on the basis of the information of the sub-frame transmission be stopped, and transmission control means for controlling to stop the downlink transmission in said transmission stop target sub frame.
The server device according to the present invention is a macro base station device that is a base station device of an interference source, and is located in a cell of the macro base station device, and its own cell is smaller than a cell of the macro base station device. A server apparatus capable of communicating with each of at least one small base station apparatus that is a base station apparatus, and information on interference signal level in the small base station apparatus, and between the small base station apparatus and the macro base station apparatus The interference signal based on the information receiving means for receiving from the small base station device, the information on the interference signal level, and the synchronization success / failure information. Count the small base station device whose level is larger than a predetermined threshold and succeeded in time synchronization processing with the macro base station device, and based on the counted result, downlink transmission to the mobile station When determining that it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame, and determining that the downlink transmission needs to be stopped, the radio Determining means for determining at least one subframe to be transmitted in the communication frame; and information transmitting means for transmitting information on the determined subframe to be transmitted to the macro base station apparatus.
The small base station apparatus (interfered base station apparatus) according to the present invention is located in the cell of the macro base station apparatus that is the base station apparatus of the interference source, and its own cell is more than the cell of the macro base station apparatus. A synchronization unit that performs time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus based on a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station apparatus, and a macro base station apparatus Measuring means for measuring the interference signal level, information on the measured interference signal level, and synchronization success / failure information indicating whether or not the time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus has succeeded is transmitted to the server apparatus And an information transmission means.
In these communication systems, server devices, and small base station devices, only a subframe of a radio communication frame is used only for a macro base station device that is determined by the server device to have a high interference signal level and that it is necessary to stop downlink transmission. Downlink transmission at can be stopped. In addition, the information on the subframes subject to transmission stop used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station apparatus can be determined by the server apparatus so that the downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station does not decrease. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus in which at least a part of the radio communication area overlaps, while suppressing a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station.
In the communication system, the determination unit of the server apparatus determines whether the interference signal level is greater than a predetermined threshold and the macro base station apparatus based on the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure information. It is also possible to count the small base station devices that have succeeded in the time synchronization processing and determine whether or not it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station device based on the counting result.
Further, in the server apparatus, the determination unit determines whether the interference signal level is greater than a predetermined threshold and the time between the macro base station apparatus based on the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure information. The small base station apparatus that has succeeded in the synchronization processing may be counted, and it may be determined based on the count result whether it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus.
In these communication systems and server apparatuses, the macro base station apparatus is used only when the number of small base station apparatuses having high interference signal levels from the macro base station apparatus is a predetermined number or more and the influence of interference from the macro base station apparatus is high. Downlink transmission from can be stopped. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station. Moreover, the number of small base station devices having a high interference signal level from the macro base station device used for determining whether or not to stop downlink transmission from the macro base station device is the number of macro bases on which the interference is reduced. Counting is only performed for the interfered base station that has succeeded in time synchronization processing with the station apparatus. Accordingly, it is possible to more reliably and effectively reduce interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus in which at least a part of the wireless communication area overlaps.
Further, in the communication system, the determination unit of the server apparatus determines the number of small base station apparatuses in which the interference signal level is greater than a predetermined threshold and the time synchronization process with the macro base station apparatus has succeeded. Accordingly, the number of subframes subject to transmission stop may be increased.
Further, in the server device, the determining unit is configured according to the number of small base station devices in which the interference signal level is greater than a predetermined threshold and the time synchronization process with the macro base station device is successful. The number of subframes subject to transmission stop may be increased.
In these communication systems and server devices, the number of subframes to be transmitted is increased in accordance with the number of small base station devices having high interference signal levels from the macro base station device. Interference with the base station apparatus can be more reliably and effectively reduced.
In the communication system, the information transmitting unit of the small base station apparatus may include base station identification information that can identify the macro base station apparatus in information transmitted to the server apparatus.
In the small base station apparatus (interfered base station apparatus), the information transmitting means may include base station identification information that can identify the macro base station apparatus in the information transmitted to the server apparatus. .
In these communication systems and small base station apparatuses, it is possible to easily specify a transmission destination macro base station apparatus that transmits information on a subframe to be transmitted from the server apparatus, based on the base station identification information.

Another communication system of the present invention includes a macro base station apparatus that is a base station apparatus that is an interference source, and an interfered cell that is located in a cell of the macro base station apparatus and whose own cell is smaller than the cell of the macro base station apparatus At least one small base station device, the small base station device based on a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station device. A synchronization unit that executes time synchronization processing with the station device, a measurement unit that measures an interference signal level received from the macro base station device, and a downlink for the mobile station based on the information on the measured interference signal level. Determining means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in a transmission radio communication frame; and the downlink transmission Request transmitting means for transmitting to the macro base station apparatus a control request for requesting stop of the downlink transmission when it is determined that the stop is necessary, and the macro base station apparatus transmits the control request to the small size A request receiving means for receiving from the base station apparatus, a determining means for determining at least one transmission stop target subframe in the radio communication frame based on the control request, and a determination in the determined transmission stop target subframe Transmission control means for stopping downlink transmission.
In addition, another small base station apparatus (an interfered base station apparatus) according to the present invention is located in a cell of a macro base station apparatus that is a base station apparatus of an interference source, and its own cell is the macro base station apparatus. A synchronization unit for performing time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus based on a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station apparatus, the base station apparatus being smaller than a cell; and the macro base station Measuring means for measuring the interference signal level received from the apparatus, and at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile station based on the measured interference signal level information from the macro base station apparatus Successful time synchronization processing between the determination means for determining whether or not to stop downlink transmission and the macro base station apparatus determines that it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission If the, and a request transmitting means for transmitting a request for stopping the downlink transmission to the macro base station.
Furthermore, in another macro base station apparatus (interference source base station apparatus) according to the present invention, a small base station apparatus having a smaller cell than the macro base station apparatus is located in the cell of the macro base station apparatus. A control request for requesting stop of downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in a radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile station. A request receiving means for receiving from a small base station apparatus receiving interference with a downlink transmission signal; and a determining means for determining at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame based on the control request; Transmission control means for stopping downlink transmission in the determined subframe to be stopped for transmission.
In these communication systems and base station apparatuses, only the macro base station apparatus determined by the small base station apparatus that the interference signal level is high and the downlink transmission needs to be stopped is the downlink in some subframes of the radio communication frame. Transmission can be stopped. In addition, the information on the transmission stop target subframe used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station apparatus can be determined by the macro base station apparatus so that the downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station does not decrease. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus while suppressing a decrease in the throughput of downlink transmission to the mobile station.
Also, downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus can be stopped only for a small base station apparatus having a high interference signal level from the macro base station apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station. In addition, the small base station apparatus that transmits a control request to the macro base station apparatus is only the small base station apparatus that has succeeded in time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus that is a premise for reducing interference. Therefore, interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus can be more reliably and effectively reduced.
Further, in the communication system, the determination unit of the macro base station apparatus may increase the number of subframes subject to transmission stop according to the number of small base station apparatuses that have transmitted the control request.
Further, in the macro base station apparatus, the determination unit may increase the number of subframes subject to transmission stop according to the number of small base station apparatuses that have transmitted the control request.
In these communication systems and base station apparatuses, since the number of subframes to be transmitted is increased according to the number of small base station apparatuses having high interference signal levels from the macro base station apparatus, the macro base station apparatus Interference with the small base station apparatus can be more reliably and effectively reduced.

Still another communication system according to the present invention includes a macro base station apparatus that is a base station apparatus of an interference source, and a cell that is located within the cell of the macro base station apparatus and is smaller than the cell of the macro base station apparatus A communication system comprising at least one small base station device that is an interfered base station device, wherein the small base station device is based on a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station device, Based on the information on the measured interference signal level, synchronization means for performing time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus, measurement means for measuring the interference signal level received from the macro base station apparatus, and a mobile station Determining means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in a downlink transmission radio communication frame; A determination to determine at least one transmission stop target subframe in the radio communication frame when it is determined that transmission stop is necessary and time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus is successful And information transmitting means for transmitting information on the determined subframe to be stopped for transmission to the macro base station apparatus, wherein the macro base station apparatus transmits information on the subframe to be stopped for transmission to the macro base station apparatus. Information receiving means for receiving from the small base station apparatus, and transmission control means for stopping downlink transmission in the transmission stop target subframe based on the information of the transmission stop target subframe.
Still another small base station apparatus according to the present invention is an interfered base station apparatus that is located in a cell of a macro base station apparatus and whose own cell is smaller than the cell of the macro base station apparatus, Based on the downlink radio signal received from the source macro base station apparatus, the synchronization means for executing time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus, and the interference signal level received from the macro base station apparatus are measured. Whether or not it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus of the interference source for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile station based on the measurement means and the information of the measured interference signal level A determination means for determining whether or not the downlink transmission needs to be stopped, and determining at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame Comprising a determination unit that, in the macro base station of the interference source, and information transmitting means for transmitting the information of the sub-frame transmission be stopped with the determined, the.
In these communication systems and small base station apparatuses, only the macro base station apparatus determined by the small base station apparatus that the interference signal level is high and the downlink transmission needs to be stopped, in some subframes of the radio communication frame. Downlink transmission can be stopped. In addition, the information on the transmission stop target subframe used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station apparatus can be determined by the small base station apparatus so that the downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station does not decrease. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus while suppressing a decrease in throughput of downlink transmission to the mobile station.
Also, downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus can be stopped only for a small base station apparatus having a high interference signal level from the macro base station apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile station. In addition, the small base station apparatus that determines the subframe to be stopped for transmission is only the small base station apparatus that has succeeded in time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus that is a premise for reducing interference. Therefore, interference between the macro base station apparatus and the small base station apparatus can be more reliably and effectively reduced.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to control to stop downlink transmission in some subframes of a radio communication frame only for an interference source base station apparatus having a high interference signal level. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between base stations while suppressing a decrease in throughput of downlink transmission to the mobile station.

Explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the mobile communication system by which the base station which has a base station apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the server apparatus are arrange | positioned. The functional block diagram which shows the schematic structural example of the principal part of the base station apparatus of this embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the synchronous acquisition and cell ID extraction in the synchronous acquisition and cell ID extraction part provided in the base station apparatus of a small base station. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the format of the radio | wireless communication frame of LTE downlink used for a synchronous acquisition process. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the symbol slot timing identification by a primary synchronous channel (P-SCH). Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the symbol slot timing identification by a secondary synchronization channel (S-SCH. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of control and transmission / reception of information in the small base station of the interfered which comprises the communication system which concerns on this embodiment, the macro base station of an interference source, and a server apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the radio | wireless communication frame of a LTE downlink when a small base station to be interfered performs a synchronous process with the macro base station of an interference source by an air listening system, and a macro base station performs ABS control. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of control and information transmission / reception in the macro base station of the interfered small base station which comprises the communication system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and an interference source. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of control and transmission / reception of information in the macro base station of the interfered small base station which comprises the communication system which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and an interference source.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile communication system in which a base station having a base station apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a server apparatus are arranged. In FIG. 1, the mobile communication system according to the present embodiment is a communication system compliant with LTE (Long Term Evolution) specifications, and within a macro base station 10 and a cell 10A that is a radio communication area of the macro base station 10. A small base station 20 is provided, and a server device 40 capable of communicating with each of the base stations 10 and 20 via a communication line. A cell 20 </ b> A that is a wireless communication area of the small base station 20 is included inside the cell 10 </ b> A of the macro base station 10. The mobile devices 30 and 31 as mobile stations (user devices) are located in the cell 10A of the macro base station 10 and are in a state where wireless communication for telephone or data communication is possible with the macro base station 10. . Moreover, since the mobile devices 30 and 31 are located at the outer edge of the cell 20A of the small base station 20 (boundary portion with the cell 10A of the macro base station 10), radio signals emitted from the mobile devices 30 and 31 are There is a situation in which the small base station 20 is reached or a radio signal emitted from the small base station 20 reaches the mobile devices 30 and 31.

  In FIG. 1, one macro base station 10 and one small base station 20 are illustrated, but there may be a plurality of macro base stations 10 and small base stations 20. In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates the case where two mobile devices 30 are located in the same cell, but the number of mobile devices 30 located in the same cell may be one or more than three. Also good.

  The macro base station 10 is a wide area base station that covers a macro cell that is a wide area having a radius of about several hundred m to several km that is installed outdoors in a mobile communication network. Sometimes referred to as “Macro e-Node B”, “MeNB” or the like. The macro base station 10 is connected to other base stations through, for example, a wired communication line, and can communicate with a predetermined communication interface. The macro base station 10 is connected to a core network of a mobile communication network through a communication line 50 such as a line termination device and a dedicated line, and is connected with various nodes such as a server device 40 on the core network. Communication is possible through the communication interface.

  The small base station 20, unlike a wide area macro base station, has a wireless communication range of several meters to several hundred meters, and is a small-capacity base that can be installed indoors such as ordinary homes, stores, and offices. Station. Since the small base station 20 is provided so as to cover an area smaller than an area covered by a wide-area macro base station in the mobile communication network, the small base station 20 is referred to as “Femto base station”, “Home e-Node B”, It may be called “Home eNB”. The small base station 20 is also connected to the core network of the mobile communication network via a communication line 51 such as a line termination device and a broadband public communication line such as an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) line or an optical line. It is possible to communicate with various nodes such as the server device 40 via a predetermined communication interface.

  When the mobile devices 30 and 31 which are mobile stations as user equipment (UE) used by a user are located in the cell 10A of the macro base station 10 or the cell 20A of the small base station 20, the mobile devices 30 and 31 Wireless communication can be performed with a corresponding macro base station or small base station using a predetermined communication method and wireless communication resources. The mobile devices 30 and 31 are configured using hardware such as a computer device having a CPU and a memory, an external communication interface unit for a core network, a wireless communication unit, and the like, and the base station 10 is executed by executing a predetermined program. , 20 and so on.

  The server device 40 is configured using hardware such as a computer device having a CPU, a memory, and the like, and an external communication interface unit for a core network. The server device 40 executes various processes for reducing interference described later by executing a predetermined program, and communicates with the macro base station 10 and the small base station 20 via the communication lines 50 and 51. can do. Further, the computer device of the server device 40, based on the information on the interference signal level received from the interfered small base station 20, sets the macro of the interference source for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile device. It functions as a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop downlink transmission from the base station 10. The computer device of the server device 40 also functions as a determination unit that determines at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame when it is determined that the downlink transmission needs to be stopped. The computer device of the server device 40 cooperates with the external communication interface unit to receive information on the interference signal level in the interfered small base station 20 from the small base station 20, and the macro base station of the interference source. 10 also functions as information transmission means for transmitting information on the determined subframe to be stopped for transmission.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a main part of the base station apparatus 200 constituting the small base station 20 of the present embodiment. In addition, since the base station apparatus of the macro base station 10 can be configured in the same manner as in the past, the description thereof is omitted.

  The base station device 200 is configured using hardware such as a computer device having a CPU, a memory, and the like, an external communication interface unit for the core network, a wireless communication unit, and the like, and will be described later by executing a predetermined program. It is possible to execute various processes for suppressing interference, and to perform wireless communication with the mobile devices 30 and 31 using a predetermined communication method and wireless communication resources.

  In FIG. 2, a base station apparatus 200 includes a radio signal path switching unit 201, a duplexer (DUP) 202, a downlink radio reception unit 203, an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) demodulation unit 204, an interference measurement unit 205, and an uplink measurement unit 205. A radio reception unit 206 and an SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access) demodulation unit 207 are provided. Furthermore, the base station apparatus 200 includes an OFDM modulation unit 208, a downlink radio transmission unit 209, a control unit 210, and a synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211. The base station device 200 is configured by a computer device including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, a high frequency circuit device, and the like. Note that the base station apparatus 200 may include an antenna.

Downlink radio reception section 203 receives a radio signal including broadcast information modulated by the OFDM scheme for downlink defined in LTE from macro base station 10 via antenna and radio signal path switching section 201. .
The OFDM demodulator 204 demodulates a radio signal modulated by the OFDM method to obtain a received signal.
The interference measurement unit 205 functions as a measurement unit that measures the interference signal level. The interference measurement unit 205 measures the signal level of the interference wave (hereinafter referred to as “interference signal level”) transmitted from the macro base station 10 that is the interference source, from the reception signal demodulated by the OFDM demodulation unit 204, and the interference. The measurement result of the signal level is passed to the control unit 210.

The synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 specifies a cell ID (PCI: Physical Cell ID) as base station identification information for identifying a neighboring base station based on the received signal received by the downlink radio reception unit 203, and performs interference. A synchronization acquisition process is performed as a time synchronization process for synchronizing the time with the macro base station 10 which is the source base station. As described above, the synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 functions as a synchronization unit that performs time synchronization processing with the macro base station 10 based on the downlink radio signal received from the macro base station 10 as an interference source. To do. Further, the synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 uses a value of a synchronization acquisition success / failure flag (for example, 1: success, 0: failure) as synchronization success / failure information indicating whether or not the synchronization acquisition processing is successful, and an interference source. A cell ID (PCI _M ) of a certain macro base station 10 is passed to the control unit 210. A processing example in the synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 will be described in detail later.

  The SC-FDMA demodulation unit 207 performs SC-FDMA demodulation processing on the reception signal received by the uplink radio reception unit 206 and passes the demodulated data to the control unit 210.

The OFDM modulation unit 208 transmits the downlink signal data transmitted from the control unit 210 to the mobile devices 30 and 31 residing in the cell 20A of the local station with a predetermined power. Modulate with method.
Further, when the base station apparatus 200 receives information on a subframe to be transmitted from the server apparatus 40, the OFDM modulation unit 208 is controlled to stop downlink transmission only for a specific subframe in the radio communication frame. The
The downlink radio transmission unit 209 transmits the transmission signal modulated by the OFDM modulation unit 208 via the duplexer 202, the radio signal path switching unit 201, and the antenna.

The control unit 210 is configured by a computer device, for example, and controls and executes various processes by reading and executing a predetermined program.
Further, the control unit 210 functions as an information transmission unit that transmits information on the interference signal level measured by the interference measurement unit 205 to the server device 40 in cooperation with the external communication interface unit. The information transmitted to the server device includes the value of the synchronization acquisition success / failure flag and the cell ID (PCI _M ) of the macro base station 10 that is the interference source.
The control unit 210 also functions as an information receiving unit that receives ABS pattern information, which is information on a subframe to be stopped for transmission, from the server device 40 in cooperation with the external communication interface unit.
In addition, the control unit 210 controls to stop downlink transmission in a specific transmission stop target subframe based on the information (ABS pattern information) of the transmission stop target subframe received from the server device 40. It also functions as a means.

  Next, a detailed processing example in the synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 will be described. In the present embodiment, a method called “air listening” is used as a time synchronization method suitable for reducing interference in the base station apparatus 200. This air listening method is a method of detecting a downlink signal of a neighboring base station (in this embodiment, the macro base station 10 as an interference source) and synchronizing based on the signal.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of synchronization acquisition and cell ID extraction in the synchronization acquisition / cell ID extraction unit 211 provided in the base station apparatus 200 of the small base station 20. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a format of an LTE downlink radio communication frame used for synchronization acquisition processing. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of symbol / slot timing identification using a primary synchronization channel (P-SCH). FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of symbol / slot timing identification using a secondary synchronization channel (S-SCH). P-SCH and S-SCH are downlink physical channels, respectively, and are used for time synchronization between a mobile station and a base station in each cell. In this embodiment, P-SCH and S-SCH are used for time synchronization between base stations.

  Here, the “symbol” is a unit of information transmitted by wireless communication. One symbol is generated by one modulation of information to be transmitted, and the information amount (number of bits) of one symbol is determined by the modulation method.

In FIG. 3, the base station apparatus 200 of the small base station 20 stops the downlink transmission periodically (for example, once a day) and enters a listening mode for receiving LTE downlink signals from neighboring base stations. In the listening mode, the small base station 20 first identifies the cell IDs of neighboring base stations. Here, the cell ID is defined by the following equation (1). N _ID ⁽²⁾ in the formula is a unique ID (0-2), and N _ID ⁽¹⁾ is a cell ID group (0-167).

  Here, the LTE downlink signal received by the base station apparatus 200 from the neighboring base station has a radio communication frame as shown in FIG. 4 on the time axis. A wireless communication frame having a predetermined length (10 msec in the illustrated example), which is one unit of an LTE downlink signal, is a predetermined number (10 in the illustrated example) of subframes having a predetermined length (1.0 msec in the illustrated example). (SBF # 0 to SBF # 9). Each subframe is divided into a predetermined number (two in the illustrated example) of slots of a predetermined length (0.5 msec in the illustrated example). Since a transmission time interval (TTI) that is a minimum time unit of LTE downlink scheduling is one subframe, a resource block (RB) that is a minimum unit of radio resources to a scheduled mobile station (UE) is provided for each subframe. ) Is assigned.

  Each slot constituting the subframe is divided into a predetermined number (seven in the illustrated example) of symbols (SMB # 0 to SMB # 6). Various physical channels are assigned with this slot as one unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in each of the 0th subframe (SBF # 0) and the 5th subframe (SBF # 5), the S-SCH is allocated to the 5th symbol (SMB # 5) of the 1st slot. P-SCH is allocated to the sixth symbol (SMB # 6). The P-SCH signal is common between SBF # 0 and SBF # 5, but the S-SCH signal is different between SBF # 0 and SBF # 5.

The process of specifying the cell ID in the base station apparatus 200 includes the following two-step procedure (procedure A and procedure B).
[Procedure A]
First, the base station apparatus 200 initializes a cell ID group (N _ID ⁽¹⁾ ), a unique ID (N _ID ⁽²⁾ ), and a maximum correlation value Cmax (step 101). Thereafter, a P-SCH replica signal uniquely determined from the unique ID (N _ID ⁽²⁾ ) is internally generated (step 102). Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the sliding correlation between the P-SCH replica signal and the downlink received signal is taken to obtain the maximum correlation value Ca (step 103). Here, when the maximum correlation value Ca is larger than the predetermined threshold Ta (YES in step 104), it is considered that there is a neighboring base station corresponding to the cell ID including the unique ID, and the procedure B is performed. Further, the timing at which the maximum correlation value Ca is obtained is defined as an OFDM symbol timing and a slot timing.

[Procedure B]
Next, the base station apparatus 200 internally generates an S-SCH replica signal uniquely determined from the cell ID group (N _ID ⁽¹⁾ ) (step 105). Here, two types of replica signals for subframe # 0 and subframe # 5 are generated as S-SCH replica signals. Next, the S-SCH of the downlink reception signal is obtained from the timing identified in the procedure A. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the correlation between the S-SCH of the downlink received signal and the replica signal of the previous S-SCH is obtained, and the maximum correlation value Cb is obtained (step 106). When the maximum correlation value Cb is larger than the threshold value Tb (YES in Step 107 and Step 108), the cell ID (N _ID ^cell ) is obtained from the unique ID obtained in the procedure A and the cell ID group based on the equation (1). ) Is obtained (step 109). Further, the frame timing is obtained from the timing at which the correlation value exceeding the threshold value Tb is obtained.

  Next, the base station apparatus 200 becomes the base station having the highest total Cmax of the maximum correlation value Ca of P-SCH and the maximum correlation value Cb of S-SCH among the plurality of neighboring base stations that specify the cell ID. On the other hand, synchronization acquisition is performed (steps 102 to 113). Specifically, a replica signal of a downlink signal for synchronization acquisition (P-SCH, S-SCH, CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal)) is generated internally from the cell ID of the specified base station. Next, a sliding correlation is established between each replica signal and the downlink reception signal, and synchronization is established by matching the frame timing of the local station to the point where the correlation value becomes the maximum value.

  Moreover, the base station apparatus 200 measures the interference signal level from the surrounding base station which is the object of synchronization with the establishment of the synchronization. Specifically, the base station apparatus 200 measures CRS received power (RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power) of the neighboring base station (the macro base station 10 in the example of the present embodiment) that has established the synchronization. The measured value is the interference signal level.

Next, an example of interference reduction in the communication system of this embodiment will be described.
7A and 7B illustrate an example of control and transmission / reception of information in the interfered small base station 20, the macro base station 10 serving as an interference source, and the server device 40 constituting the communication system of the present embodiment. FIG. The example of FIG. 7 is an example in the case where the downlink transmission interference wave from the macro base station interferes with the downlink transmission desired wave transmitted from the small base station 20 to the mobile devices 30 and 31.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the small base station 20 performs the above-described synchronization acquisition and cell ID extraction processing, and then includes the interference signal level I _M [dBm] of the macro base station 10 as an interference source. Information is transmitted to the server device 40. This information includes the interference signal level I _M [dBm], the own cell ID (PCI _H ) that is identification information of the small base station 20, and the cell ID (PCI) that is identification information of the macro base station 10 that is the interference source. _M ) and information on a synchronization acquisition success / failure flag indicating whether synchronization acquisition has succeeded (synchronization acquisition success or synchronization acquisition failure).

Next, the server apparatus 40 receives the information from the small base station 20 compares the interference signal level I _M included in the information, and interference predetermined threshold. Here, when the interference signal level I _M is has and synchronization acquisition exceeds the interference threshold are successful, it increments the ABS counter increments by one the value of the ABS counter.

Next, based on the value of the ABS counter, the server device 40 stops downlink transmission from the macro base station 10 of the interference source (hereinafter referred to as “ABS control”) for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile device. ")" Is determined. Here, when it is determined that the ABS control is necessary, the server device 40 determines at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame. The transmission stop target subframe is determined according to the value of the ABS counter using, for example, a preset table shown in Table 1. Here, Table 1 shows ABS patterns for four radio communication frames, that is, 40 subframes. For example, if the value of the ABS counter is 11, the index numbers are “3”, “7”, “11”, “15”. The subframes corresponding to “19”, “23”, “27”, “31”, “35”, and “39” are determined as the transmission stop target subframes.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the server device 40 receives the ABS pattern information ([0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, , 1, 0, 0, 0, 1,...]) Are transmitted to the base stations 10 and 20. When the base station apparatus of the macro base station 10 serving as the interference source receives the ABS pattern information from the server apparatus 40, the subframe specified by the ABS pattern information (in the example shown, SBF # 3, SBF # 7,... Control to stop downlink transmission for ()).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, only the macro base station 10 of the interference source determined by the server device 40 that the interference signal level is high and the downlink transmission needs to be stopped is determined by the ABS control. It is possible to stop downlink transmission in some subframes. In addition, the server apparatus 40 determines the transmission stop target subframe information (ABS pattern information) used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station 10 so that the downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device does not decrease. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between a plurality of base stations 10 and 20 in which at least a part of the wireless communication area overlaps, while suppressing a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, as shown in Table 1, the interfered base station apparatus in which the interference signal level is larger than a predetermined threshold and the time synchronization process with the macro base station 10 of the interference source is successful. Depending on the number of subframes, the number of subframes subject to transmission suspension is increased. As described above, the number of subframes to be transmitted is increased according to the number of interfered base stations having a high interference signal level from the macro base station 10, so that interference between a plurality of base stations can be more reliably performed. It can be effectively reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the cell ID (PCI _M ) serving as base station identification information that can identify the macro base station 10 as the interference source is included in the information transmitted from the interfered small base station 20 to the server device 40. Therefore, the server apparatus 40 can easily identify the macro base station 10 of the transmission destination interference source that transmits the ABS pattern information including the information of the transmission stop target subframe.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the interfered small base station 20 executes time synchronization processing with the macro base station 10 based on the downlink radio signal received from the macro base station 10 as the interference source. Yes. When the synchronization process is performed by the air listening method using the downlink radio signal received from the macro base station 10 as the interference source as described above, the interference from the macro base station 10 can be effectively reduced as follows. Can do.

FIG. 8 shows an example of an LTE downlink radio communication frame when the interfered small base station 20 performs synchronization processing with the macro base station 10 as an interference source by the air listening method and the macro base station 10 executes ABS control. It is explanatory drawing which shows.
Since the small base station 20 is time-synchronized based on the downlink radio signal from the macro base station 10, the transmission timing t _H of downlink transmission scheduled by the small base station 20 is scheduled by the macro base station 10. Is delayed by Δt _M from the transmission timing t _{M of the} downstream transmission. Here, “Δt _M ” is a delay time until the downlink radio signal transmitted from the macro base station 10 reaches the small base station 20. Usually, the distance between the mobile station and the small base station 20 (number m~ tens m) is sufficiently shorter than the distance between the macro base station 10 the mobile station (hundreds m~ number miles), the Delta] t _M Is substantially the same as the delay time until the downlink radio signal transmitted from the macro base station 10 reaches the mobile station. Further, Δt _H in the figure is a delay time until the downlink radio signal transmitted from the small base station 10 reaches the mobile device. Here, assuming that the distance between the small base station 10 and the mobile device is 30 [m], Δt _H is about 0.1 [μsec]. This Δt _H is not only sufficiently smaller than the above Δt _M but also sufficiently smaller than the symbol length (71.35 [μsec]). In the example of FIG. 8, interference occurs in the rear end portions of subframes # 2 and # 6 in which downlink transmission from the macro base station 10 is stopped. This time corresponds to a sufficiently short Δt _H of about [μsec]. Therefore, the desired downlink signal transmitted from the small base station 20 to the mobile device is not substantially interfered, and is not easily influenced by the downlink interference signal transmitted from the macro base station 10.

  In the above embodiment, the number of interfered base stations having a high interference signal level from the macro base station 10 as an interference source is a predetermined number or more (for example, 10 or more), and the influence of interference from the macro base station 10 is present. Control may be performed so that downlink transmission from the macro base station 10 is stopped only when the value is high. In this case, a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device can be more reliably suppressed.

[Embodiment 2]
FIGS. 9A and 9B are examples of control and transmission / reception of information in the interfered small base station 20 and the interference source macro base station 10 constituting the communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing shown. In this embodiment, ABS control can be performed so as to reduce interference between base stations without using a server device. In the present embodiment, description of portions common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

In FIG. 9A, the small base station 20 executes the synchronization acquisition and cell ID extraction processing as in the case of the first embodiment described above. Specifically, the small base station 20 periodically (for example, once a day) searches for neighboring base stations, identifies the base station with the highest interference level (for example, the macro base station 10), and Station identification information (for example, physical cell ID (PCI _M )) is acquired. Further, the small base station 20 establishes synchronization (synchronization acquisition) based on the downlink radio signal from the searched macro base station 10 and measures the interference signal level I _M [dBm] from the macro base station 10. .

Next, the small base station 20 determines whether or not ABS control is necessary based on the interference signal level I _M [dBm] of the macro base station 10 as an interference source. The small base station 20 determines that ABS control is necessary, and when synchronization acquisition with the macro base station 10 is successful, an ABS request flag (ABS request) as a control request for requesting ABS control, Information of the own cell ID (PCI _H ) that is identification information of the base station 20 is transmitted to the macro base station 10 via the communication line 52.

  Next, the macro base station 10 holds the information received from the small base station 20, and when the information is new, increments the ABS counter and increases the value of the ABS counter by one.

  Next, the macro base station 10 determines at least one transmission stop target subframe in the radio communication frame based on the value of the ABS counter. As in the first embodiment, this transmission stop target subframe is determined according to the value of the ABS counter using, for example, a preset table shown in Table 1.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the macro base station 10 receives the ABS pattern information ([0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0) including the information of the determined subframes to be stopped. , 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,...)) Based on the subframe (in the example shown, SBF # 3, SBF # 7,...) Specified by the ABS pattern information. Control to stop transmission. Further, the macro base station 10 allows the small base station 20 to execute the ABS control as necessary, so that the ABS pattern information ([0, 0, 0, 1 , 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, ...]) to the small base station 20.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, only the macro base station 10 of the interference source determined by the small base station 20 that the interference signal level is high and the downlink transmission needs to be stopped is determined by the ABS control. Downlink transmission in some subframes can be stopped. Moreover, the subframe information (ABS pattern information) to be transmitted to be used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station 10 is a macro base station which is an interference source so that the downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device does not decrease. 10 can be determined. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between a plurality of base stations 10 and 20 in which at least a part of the wireless communication area overlaps, while suppressing a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device.

[Embodiment 3]
FIGS. 10A and 10B are examples of control and information transmission / reception in the interfered small base station 20 and the macro base station 10 of the interference source constituting the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing shown. In this embodiment, ABS control can be performed so as to reduce interference between base stations without using a server device. In the present embodiment, description of portions common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

In FIG. 10A, the small base station 20 executes the synchronization acquisition and cell ID extraction processing as in the case of the first embodiment described above. Specifically, the small base station 20 periodically (for example, once a day) searches for neighboring base stations, identifies the base station with the highest interference level (for example, the macro base station 10), and Station identification information (for example, physical cell ID (PCI _M )) is acquired. Further, the small base station 20 establishes synchronization (synchronization acquisition) based on the downlink radio signal from the searched macro base station 10 and measures the interference signal level I _M [dBm] from the macro base station 10. .

Next, the small base station 20 determines whether or not ABS control is necessary based on the interference signal level I _M [dBm] of the macro base station 10 as an interference source. When the small base station 20 determines that the ABS control is necessary and succeeds in acquisition of synchronization with the macro base station 10, the small base station 20 includes the radio base station 10 in the radio communication frame based on the interference signal level I _M of the macro base station 10. At least one subframe to be transmitted is determined.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the small base station 20 determines that the macro base station 10 receives the ABS pattern information ([0, 0, 0, 1) including information on the determined subframes to be stopped. , 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0,...]) Are transmitted to the macro base station 10 via the communication line 52. The macro base station 10 controls to stop downlink transmission for the subframes (SBF # 3, SBF # 7,... In the illustrated example) specified by the ABS pattern information received from the small base station 20. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, only the macro base station 10 of the interference source determined by the small base station 20 that the interference signal level is high and the downlink transmission needs to be stopped is determined by the ABS control. Downlink transmission in some subframes can be stopped. Moreover, the subframe information (ABS pattern information) that is the transmission stop target used for the downlink transmission stop control in the macro base station 10 is such that the small base station 20 that is interfered with does not decrease the throughput of the downlink transmission to the mobile station. Can be determined by. Therefore, it is possible to reduce interference between a plurality of base stations 10 and 20 in which at least a part of the wireless communication area overlaps, while suppressing a decrease in downlink transmission throughput for the mobile device.

10 Macro base stations (neighboring base stations)
10A Macro base station cell 20 Small base station 20A Small base station cell 30 Mobile device (mobile station, user equipment, MUE)
40 Server device 50, 51 Communication line

JP 2012-129793 A

Claims (7)

And at least one small base station device cells located in the cell of the macro base station apparatus location itself is the base station apparatus smaller the interfered than the cell of the macro base station apparatus is a base station apparatus of the interference source, A server device capable of communicating with each of the macro base station device and the small base station device, and a communication system comprising:
The small base station device is:
Periodic transmission is stopped periodically to enter a listening mode for receiving a downlink radio signal from the macro base station apparatus, and a primary synchronization channel (P-SCH) signal received from the macro base station apparatus and a secondary synchronization channel ( Based on the downlink radio signal including the S-SCH signal and the reference signal (CRS) , time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus by an air listening method is performed , and the macro base station apparatus hand stage measure the interference signal level,
Information transmitting means for transmitting the information on the measured interference signal level and synchronization success / failure flag information indicating whether or not the time synchronization processing between the macro base station device is successful to the server device,
The server device
Information receiving means for receiving the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure flag information from the small base station device;
Based on the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure flag information, the small base station device having the interference signal level larger than a predetermined threshold and succeeding in time synchronization processing with the macro base station device is counted. Then, based on the counting result, a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile station;
When it is determined that the downlink transmission needs to be stopped, a determination unit that determines at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame;
Wherein the macro base station apparatus, a communication system, wherein the obtaining Bei and a data transmitting means for transmitting the information of the sub-frame transmission be stopped to the determined.   The communication system of claim 1.
  Further comprising a macro base station device of a cell in which the at least one small base station device is located,
  The macro base station apparatus
    Information receiving means for receiving information on the subframe to be stopped from the server device;
    And a transmission control unit that stops downlink transmission in the subframe targeted for transmission stop based on information of the subframe targeted for transmission stop. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The determination unit of the server device is configured to stop the transmission according to the number of small base station devices in which the interference signal level is greater than a predetermined threshold and the time synchronization process with the macro base station device has succeeded. A communication system characterized by increasing the number of subframes. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The information transmission means of the small base station apparatus includes base station identification information that can identify the macro base station apparatus in information transmitted to the server apparatus. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The small base station apparatus location, the signal of the primary synchronization channel included in the radio signals of the downlink from the macro base station apparatus based on the cell ID of the macro base station (P-SCH), secondary synchronization channel (S- SCH) and a reference signal (CRS) replica signal are generated, a sliding correlation between the replica signal and a downlink radio signal received from the macro base station apparatus is calculated, and the correlation value is maximized. A communication system characterized by executing a time synchronization process with the macro base station apparatus by the air listening method so as to match the frame timing of the own station.   A small base station device that is located in a cell of the macro base station device and whose own cell is smaller than the cell of the macro base station device,
  Periodic transmission is stopped periodically to enter a listening mode for receiving a downlink radio signal from the macro base station apparatus, and a primary synchronization channel (P-SCH) signal received from the macro base station apparatus and a secondary synchronization channel ( Based on the downlink radio signal including the S-SCH signal and the reference signal (CRS), time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus by an air listening method is performed, and the macro base station apparatus Means for measuring the interference signal level of
  Information transmitting means for transmitting to the server device information on the measured interference signal level and synchronization success / failure flag information indicating whether or not the time synchronization processing with the macro base station device is successful. A small base station device characterized.   A macro base station apparatus which is a base station apparatus of an interference source and at least one small-sized base station apparatus which is located in a cell of the macro base station apparatus and whose own cell is smaller than the cell of the macro base station apparatus A server device capable of communicating with a base station device,
  Information on the interference signal level from the macro base station apparatus measured by the small base station apparatus, the signal of the primary synchronization channel (P-SCH) received from the macro base station apparatus, and the secondary synchronization channel (S-SCH) Synchronization success / failure indicating whether or not the small base station apparatus succeeded in the time synchronization processing with the macro base station apparatus by the air listening method based on the downlink radio signal including the first signal and the reference signal (CRS) Information receiving means for receiving flag information from the small base station device;
  Based on the interference signal level information and the synchronization success / failure flag information, the small base station device having the interference signal level larger than a predetermined threshold and succeeding in time synchronization processing with the macro base station device is counted. Then, based on the counting result, a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to stop the downlink transmission from the macro base station apparatus for at least one subframe in the radio communication frame for downlink transmission to the mobile station;
  When it is determined that the downlink transmission needs to be stopped, a determination unit that determines at least one transmission stop target subframe in the wireless communication frame;
  A server apparatus comprising: information transmission means for transmitting information on the determined subframe to be stopped for transmission to the macro base station apparatus.