Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8688117B2/en
Timestamp: 2020-01-18 21:02:25
Document Index: 271108453

Matched Legal Cases: ['§119', 'art 16', 'art 16', 'Application No. 2009', 'art 0', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3']

US8688117B2 - Seamless handover and load balance between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations - Google Patents
Seamless handover and load balance between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations Download PDF
US8688117B2
US8688117B2 US12/395,823 US39582309A US8688117B2 US 8688117 B2 US8688117 B2 US 8688117B2 US 39582309 A US39582309 A US 39582309A US 8688117 B2 US8688117 B2 US 8688117B2
US12/395,823
US20090310568A1 (en
2009-03-02 Application filed by Fujitsu Ltd filed Critical Fujitsu Ltd
2009-03-02 Assigned to FUJITSU LIMITED reassignment FUJITSU LIMITED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KOJIMA, YUJI, CHEN, WEI-PENG, ZHU, CHENXI
2009-12-17 Publication of US20090310568A1 publication Critical patent/US20090310568A1/en
2014-04-01 Publication of US8688117B2 publication Critical patent/US8688117B2/en
The teachings of the present disclosure relate to seamless handover between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations that includes scheduling a null period in a femto base station's communications activity. The method also includes monitoring mobile station activity during the null period at the femto base station. A candidate mobile station is identified based on the monitoring. An identifier of the candidate mobile station is transmitted from the femto base station to a macro base station. The identifier may be used to initiate handover of service of the candidate mobile station from the macro base station to the femto base station.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/061,544, titled “Handover and Load Balance Between Macro Base Stations and Public Accessible Femto-Base Stations,” filed Jun. 13, 2008, by Wei-Peng Chen et al.
The present invention relates generally to wireless networking, and more particularly to seamless handover and load balance between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations.
According to another embodiment, a system is provided for seamless handover between macro base stations and publicly accessible base stations. A femto base station is provided. The femto base station is operable to schedule a null period in a femto base station's communications activity. The femto base station may monitor mobile station activity during the null period. The femto base station may then identify a candidate mobile station. An identifier of the candidate mobile station may be transmitted from the femto base station to a macro base station. This identifier may be used to initiate handover of service of the candidate mobile station from the macro base station to the femto base station.
WiMAX network 205 c may have its own gateway 234 and 0servers 232. Similar to the servers and gateways of ISP network 205 a, gateway 234 and servers 232 may ensure that the user has a valid WiMAX account and that network 205 c is able to access network 205 b. Servers 232 may also contain information, data, instructions and/or logic that may be used to provision various features and functionality of fBS 250. For example, they may provide fBS 250 with channel information for its wireless connection 290 b with endpoint 270.
transmitting traffic load information from a femto base station to a macro base station;
receiving a request from the macro base station to schedule a null period for monitoring of mobile station activity at the femto base station based on the traffic load information, wherein the null period is one of a null zone in an uplink subframe or a null frame;
scheduling the null period in the femto base station's communications activity;
monitoring mobile activity during the null period at the femto base station; identifying a candidate mobile station based on the monitoring;
transmitting an identifier of the candidate mobile station from the femto base station to the macro base station to initiate handover of service of the candidate mobile station from the macro base station to the femto base station.
determining that the femto base station has capacity to service the candidate mobile station.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the macro base station initiates an unsolicited handover request to the candidate mobile station, the unsolicited handover request initiating a handover of service to the femto base station.
receiving at the candidate mobile station from the macro base station identification information associated with the femto base station that identified the candidate mobile station;
scanning for the femto base station by the candidate mobile station; and
initiating by the mobile station a handover of service from the macro base station to the femto base station after the mobile station identifies the femto base station.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing a subcarrier allocation associated with the femto base station during the null period.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the subcarrier allocation associated with the femto base station during the null period is aligned with a subcarrier allocation associated with the macro base station.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein aligning the subcarrier allocation comprises aligning a permutation associated with the macro base station.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the null period comprises a portion of an uplink subframe.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate mobile station is determined by being frequently monitored mobile station.
a femto base station operable to:
transmit traffic load information from a femto base station to a macro base station;
receive a request from the macro base station to schedule a null period for monitoring of mobile station activity at the femto base station on the traffic load information, wherein the null period is one of a null zone in an uplink subframe or a null frame;
schedule the null period in the femto base station's communications activity;
monitor mobile station activity during the null period at the femto base station;
identify a candidate mobile station based on the monitoring;
transmit an identifier of the candidate mobile station from the femto base station to the macro base station to initiate handover of service of the candidate mobile station from the macro base station the femto base station.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the femto base station is further operable to:
determine that the femto base station has capacity to service the candidate mobile station.
12. The system of claim 10, further comprising: the macro base station; and
wherein the macro base station initiates an unsolicited handover request to the candidate mobile station.
13. The system of claim 10, further comprising: the macro base station, wherein the macro base station is operable to:
transmit identification information associated with the femto base station that identified the candidate mobile station; and
the candidate mobile station, wherein the candidate mobile station is operable to:
scan for the femto base station; and
initiate a handover of service from the macro base station to the femto base station after the mobile station identifies the femto base station.
receive identification information associated with the femto base station that identified the candidate mobile station;
initiate a scan for the femto base station; and
15. The system of claim 10, wherein the femto base station is further operable to:
change a subcarrier allocation associated with the femto base station during the null period.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the subcarrier allocation associated with the femto base station during the null period is aligned with a subcarrier allocation associated with the macro base station.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein aligning the subcarrier allocation comprises aligning a permutation associated with the macro base station.
18. The system of claim 10, wherein the null period comprises a portion of an uplink subframe.
19. The system of claim 10, wherein the candidate mobile station is determined by being a frequently monitored mobile station.
US12/395,823 2008-06-13 2009-03-02 Seamless handover and load balance between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations Active 2031-11-26 US8688117B2 (en)
JP2009141687A JP5423167B2 (en) 2008-06-13 2009-06-12 Wireless communication system and method
US20090310568A1 US20090310568A1 (en) 2009-12-17
US8688117B2 true US8688117B2 (en) 2014-04-01
US12/395,798 Abandoned US20090312024A1 (en) 2008-06-13 2009-03-02 Seamless Handover Between Macro Base Stations and Publicly Accessible Femto Base Stations
US12/395,823 Active 2031-11-26 US8688117B2 (en) 2008-06-13 2009-03-02 Seamless handover and load balance between macro base stations and publicly accessible femto base stations
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JP5423167B2 (en) 2014-02-19
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CHEN, WEI-PENG;ZHU, CHENXI;KOJIMA, YUJI;SIGNING DATES FROM 20090225 TO 20090226;REEL/FRAME:022329/0600