U.S. patent application number 16/596327 was filed with the patent office on 2020-02-06 for small cell and communication control method thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Yingtao LI, Rongdao YU.
Application Number | 20200045561 16/596327 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57883885 |
Filed Date | 2020-02-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200045561 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LI; Yingtao ; et
al. |
February 6, 2020 |
SMALL CELL AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
Abstract
A communication control method is disclosed, including:
connecting, by a small cell by using a built-in soft SIM card or an
inserted SIM card, to a Uu air interface of a macro cell to access
the macro cell; after receiving a broadcast synchronization signal
of the macro cell, synchronizing, by the small cell, with the macro
cell, and acquiring configuration information of the macro cell;
and performing, by the small cell, system configuration for the
small cell according to the configuration information of the macro
cell. A SIM card is added to the small cell, so that the small cell
can access a macro cell in a terminal form, which is equivalent to
addition of a Uu air interface between the small cell and the macro
cell. Therefore, configuration management, performance
optimization, admissible subscriber configuration, and the like are
implemented for the small cell by using this air interface.
Inventors: |
LI; Yingtao; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; YU; Rongdao; (Shenzhen, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. |
Shenzhen |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
57883885 |
Appl. No.: |
16/596327 |
Filed: |
October 8, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15703277 |
Sep 13, 2017 |
10470056 |
|
|
16596327 |
|
|
|
|
PCT/CN2015/085437 |
Jul 29, 2015 |
|
|
|
15703277 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/0803 20130101;
H04W 84/047 20130101; H04B 1/3818 20150115; H04W 56/001 20130101;
H04W 8/186 20130101; H04W 56/00 20130101; H04W 16/32 20130101; H04W
52/00 20130101; H04W 48/08 20130101; H04W 88/04 20130101; H04L 5/14
20130101; H04W 24/02 20130101; H04W 84/045 20130101; H04W 76/00
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 16/32 20060101
H04W016/32; H04W 76/00 20060101 H04W076/00; H04W 56/00 20060101
H04W056/00; H04W 48/08 20060101 H04W048/08; H04W 52/00 20060101
H04W052/00; H04W 24/02 20060101 H04W024/02; H04B 1/3818 20060101
H04B001/3818; H04L 5/14 20060101 H04L005/14; H04L 12/24 20060101
H04L012/24 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: broadcasting, by a small cell, a closed
subscriber group identity (CSG ID) of the small cell, wherein a
terminal belonging to the CSG ID is allowed to access the small
cell, wherein the small cell has a built-in soft subscriber
identity module (SIM) card or an inserted SIM card, and wherein the
small cell establishes a connection to a macro cell by using an air
interface; receiving, by the small cell, an admissible subscriber
list from the terminal, wherein the admissible subscriber list
includes one or more subscribers that are selected by the terminal
from a subscriber list or a contact list of the terminal; and
receiving, by the small cell, an indication from the terminal that
a subscriber in the admissible subscriber list is a subscriber that
is allowed to access the small cell, wherein the admissible
subscriber list comprises mobile numbers of the one or more
subscribers.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the small cell receives an access
request of another terminal after receiving the admissible
subscriber list from the terminal; and wherein: in response to
determining that the another terminal is in the admissible
subscriber list, the small cell allows the another terminal to
access the small cell; and in response to determining that the
another terminal is not in the admissible subscriber list, the
small cell rejects access of the another terminal to the small
cell.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the small cell,
the admissible subscriber list from the terminal comprises:
receiving, by the small cell, by using a link between the terminal
and the macro cell and a link between the macro cell and the small
cell, the admissible subscriber list from the terminal.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing, by the
small cell, a connection to the terminal; receiving, by the small
cell, data transmitted from the terminal; and determining, by the
small cell, whether a link exists between the small cell and a
small cell gateway; wherein if a determining result is that the
link between the small cell and the small cell gateway is normal,
sending, by the small cell to the small cell gateway, the received
data transmitted from the terminal; or, otherwise, sending, by the
small cell, the data to a mobility management entity/serving
gateway (MME/SGW) by using a link between the small cell and the
macro cell and by forwarding via the macro cell, wherein the link
between the small cell and the macro cell is established by the
small cell by using the air interface of the macro cell.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing, by the
small cell, a connection to the terminal; receiving, by the small
cell, data transmitted from the terminal; and determining, by the
small cell, whether a link between a small cell gateway and a
mobility management entity/serving gateway (MME/SGW); wherein if a
determining result is that the link between the small cell gateway
and the MME/SGW is normal, sending, by the small cell to the small
cell gateway, the received data transmitted from the terminal; or,
otherwise, sending, by the small cell, the data to the MME/SGW by
using a link between the small cell and the macro cell and by
forwarding via the macro cell, wherein the link between the small
cell and the macro cell is established by the small cell by using
the air interface of the macro cell.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing, by the
small cell, a connection to a terminal; receiving, by the small
cell, data transmitted from the terminal; and determining, by the
small cell, whether a link between a mobility management
entity/serving gateway (MME/SGW) and a next node is normal; wherein
if a determining result is that the link between the MME/SGW and
the next node is normal, sending, by the small cell to a small cell
gateway, the received data transmitted from the terminal; or,
otherwise, sending, by the small cell, the data to the MME/SGW by
using a link between the small cell and the macro cell and by
forwarding via the macro cell, wherein the link between the small
cell and the macro cell is established by the small cell by using
the air interface of the macro cell.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: establishing, by the
small cell, a connection to a macro cell by using an air interface
between the small cell and the macro cell; receiving, by the small
cell, a pilot signal of the macro cell, and measuring power of the
pilot signal; and adjusting, by the small cell, transmit power of
the small cell according to the measured power of the pilot signal
and an adjustment policy, wherein the adjustment policy is that
when the measured power of the pilot signal of the macro cell is
greater than a threshold, the small cell adjusts the transmit power
to first transmit power, and when the measured power of the pilot
signal of the macro cell is less than the threshold, the small cell
adjusts the transmit power to second transmit power, wherein
maximum transmit power of the small cell is greater than the first
transmit power, wherein the first transmit power is greater than
the second transmit power, and the second transmit power is greater
than zero.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: dividing, by the
small cell, a system bandwidth of the small cell into multiple
frequency bands for transmission of subscriber data; and measuring,
by the small cell, interference signal strengths on different
frequency bands, and scheduling, according to the interference
signal strengths on the different frequency bands, a frequency band
with a low interference signal strength for transmission of the
subscriber data.
9. A small cell, comprising: at least one processor; and a
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at
least one processor and storing programming instructions for
execution by the at least one processor, wherein the programming
instructions instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: broadcasting a closed subscriber group
identity (CSG ID) of the small cell, wherein a terminal belonging
to the CSG ID is allowed to access the small cell, wherein the
small cell has a built-in soft subscriber identity module (SIM)
card or an inserted SIM card, and wherein the small cell
establishes a connection to a macro cell by using an air interface;
receiving an admissible subscriber list from the terminal, wherein
the admissible subscriber list includes one or more subscribers
that are selected by the terminal from a subscriber list or a
contact list of the terminal; and receiving an indication from the
terminal that a subscriber in the admissible subscriber list is a
subscriber that is allowed to access the small cell, wherein the
admissible subscriber list comprises mobile numbers of the one or
more subscribers.
10. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: receiving an access request of another
terminal after receiving the admissible subscriber list of the
terminal; wherein: the small cell allows the another terminal to
access the small cell when the another terminal is in the
admissible subscriber list, and the small cell rejects access of
the another terminal to the small cell, when the another terminal
is not in the admissible subscriber list.
11. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: receiving by using a link between the
terminal and the macro cell and a link between the macro cell and
the small cell, the admissible subscriber list from the
terminal.
12. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: establishing a connection to the terminal;
receiving data transmitted from the terminal; and determining
whether a link between the small cell and a small cell gateway;
wherein if a determining result is that the link between the small
cell and the small cell gateway is normal, sending, by the small
cell to the small cell gateway, the received data transmitted from
the terminal; or, otherwise, sending, by the small cell, the data
to a mobility management entity/serving gateway (MME/SGW) by using
a link between the small cell and the macro cell and by forwarding
via the macro cell, wherein the link between the small cell and the
macro cell is established by the small cell by using the air
interface of the macro cell.
13. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: establishing a connection to a terminal;
receiving data transmitted from the terminal; and determining
whether a link between a small cell gateway and a mobility
management entity/serving gateway (MME/SGW); wherein if a
determining result is that the link between the small cell gateway
and the MME/SGW is normal, sending, by the small cell to the small
cell gateway, the received data transmitted by the terminal; or,
otherwise, sending, by the small cell, the data to the MME/SGW by
using a link between the small cell and the macro cell and by
forwarding via the macro cell, wherein the link between the small
cell and the macro cell is established by the small cell by using
the air interface of the macro cell.
14. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: establishing a connection to a terminal;
receiving data transmitted from the terminal; and determining
whether a link between a mobility management entity/serving gateway
(MME/SGW) and a next node is normal; wherein if a determining
result is that the link between the MME/SGW and the next node is
normal, sending, by the small cell to a small cell gateway, the
received data transmitted from the terminal; or, otherwise,
sending, by the small cell, the data to the MME/SGW by using a link
between the small cell and the macro cell and by forwarding via the
macro cell, wherein the link between the small cell and the macro
cell is established by the small cell by using the air interface of
the macro cell.
15. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: establishing a connection to a macro cell by
using an air interface between the small cell and the macro cell;
receiving a pilot signal of the macro cell, and measuring power of
the pilot signal; and adjusting transmit power of the small cell
according to the measured power of the pilot signal and an
adjustment policy, wherein the adjustment policy is that when the
measured power of the pilot signal of the macro cell is greater
than a threshold, the small cell adjusts the transmit power to
first transmit power, and when the measured power of the pilot
signal of the macro cell is less than the threshold, the small cell
adjusts the transmit power to second transmit power, wherein
maximum transmit power of the small cell is greater than the first
transmit power, wherein the first transmit power is greater than
the second transmit power, and the second transmit power is greater
than zero.
16. The small cell of claim 9, wherein the programming instructions
further instruct the at least one processor to perform the
following operations: dividing a system bandwidth of the small cell
into multiple frequency bands for transmission of subscriber data;
and measuring interference signal strengths on different frequency
bands, and scheduling, according to the interference signal
strengths on the different frequency bands, a frequency band with a
low interference signal strength for transmission of the subscriber
data.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 15/703,277, filed on Sep. 13, 2017, which is a
continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2015/085437,
filed on Jul. 29, 2015. All of the afore-mentioned patent
applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present application relates to communication control
methods on a wireless communications network, and in particular, to
a small cell and a communication control method thereof.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With development and popularization of smartphones, data
traffic of mobile communications is steadily on the rise.
Particularly, as people increasingly use applications, such as
microblog, WeChat, Facebook, and Twitter, it becomes increasingly
hard for conventional cellular communications to meet
ever-increasing communication traffic required by people. According
to statistics, in global mobile communications, approximately 70%
data traffic is generated indoors. This shows that most broadband
data traffic of people, such as that for video services, online
games, microblog browsing, and WeChat, is generated in indoor
environments. Therefore, it is particularly important to improve
indoor signal coverage and indoor user experience for an indoor
subscriber. In recent years, small cells have drawn wide attention
in the communications industry. A small cell is a small-sized
low-power base station, and can provide, based on existing 3G and
4G wireless standard protocols, wireless communications services
for mobile terminals. Small cells are mainly deployed in public
places such as shopping malls, offices, and coffee houses, or
inside homes. The small cell can make up for an indoor coverage
shortage of a macro cell, and avoid difficulties in site selection
for the macro cell. In addition, compared with the macro cell, the
small cell can perform transmission at lower power, and therefore,
the small cell is more environmentally friendly.
[0004] In the prior art, a small cell acts as a small-sized based
station with low power consumption to provide communications
services for mobile subscribers. As shown in FIG. 1, the small cell
is connected to a Mobility Management Entity (MME)/Serving Gateway
(SGW) by using a small cell gateway, to connect to a core network.
In addition, the small cell provides wireless communications
services for terminals within coverage of the small cell. An S1
interface exists between a macro cell and the MME/SGW, and an X2
interface exists between macro cells. A macro cell is connected to
the core network by using the MME/SGW, and provides wireless
communications services for terminals within coverage of the macro
cell.
[0005] However, in the prior art, no communications interface
exists between small cells or between a small cell and a macro
cell. Consequently, on one hand, a small cell cannot obtain related
information such as a working frequency, a frequency band, and a
neighboring cell list of a macro cell; on the other hand, the macro
cell cannot obtain related information such as a working frequency,
an operating environment, and communication performance of the
small cell either. Therefore, it is inconvenient for an operator to
perform configuration management, performance optimization,
interference coordination management, and fault detection, and the
like for a small cell.
SUMMARY
[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a small cell
and a communication control method thereof, so as to implement
convenient configuration management for a small cell by using an
air interface between the small cell and a macro cell.
[0007] According to a first aspect, a communication control method
is provided, where the method includes:
[0008] connecting, by a small cell by using a built-in soft SIM
card or an inserted SIM card, to a Uu air interface of a macro cell
to access the macro cell;
[0009] after receiving a broadcast synchronization signal of the
macro cell, synchronizing, by the small cell, with the macro cell,
and acquiring configuration information of the macro cell; and
[0010] performing, by the small cell, system configuration for the
small cell according to the configuration information of the macro
cell.
[0011] With reference to the first aspect, in a first
implementation manner of the first aspect, the configuration
information of the macro cell includes system information of the
macro cell.
[0012] With reference to the first aspect or the first
implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second
implementation manner of the first aspect, the system information
of the macro cell includes a working frequency of the macro
cell.
[0013] With reference to the first aspect or the first
implementation manner of the first aspect or the second
implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third
implementation manner of the first aspect, the performing, by the
small cell, system configuration for the small cell according to
the configuration information of the macro cell includes:
[0014] configuring a working frequency of the small cell to be the
same as the working frequency of the macro cell.
[0015] With reference to any one of the first aspect or the first
to the third implementation manners of the first aspect, in a
fourth implementation manner of the first aspect, the system
information of the macro cell includes an uplink-to-downlink
subframe configuration ratio in time division multiplexing (TDD, or
Time Division Duplexing).
[0016] With reference to any one of the first aspect or the first
to the fourth implementation manners of the first aspect, in a
fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the performing, by
the small cell, system configuration for the small cell according
to the configuration information of the macro cell includes:
[0017] configuring an uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration
ratio of the small cell in time division multiplexing to be the
same as the uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration ratio of the
macro cell in time division multiplexing.
[0018] With reference to any one of the first aspect or the first
to the fifth implementation manners of the first aspect, in a sixth
implementation manner of the first aspect, the configuration
information of the macro cell includes a physical cell identifier
of the macro cell and system information of a neighboring cell of
the macro cell, and the system message of the neighboring cell of
the macro cell includes at least three physical cell identifiers of
the neighboring cell of the macro cell.
[0019] With reference to any one of the first aspect or the first
to the sixth implementation manners of the first aspect, in a
seventh implementation manner of the first aspect, the performing,
by the small cell, system configuration for the small cell
according to the configuration information of the macro cell
includes:
[0020] determining that a configured physical cell identifier of
the small cell is different from the physical cell identifier of
the macro cell and the physical cell identifiers of the neighboring
cell of the macro cell.
[0021] According to a second aspect, a small cell is provided,
where the small cell connects, by using a built-in soft SIM card or
an inserted SIM card, to an air interface of a macro cell to access
the macro cell, and includes:
[0022] a synchronization receiving circuit, configured to: after
receiving a broadcast synchronization signal of the macro cell,
synchronize with the macro cell, and acquire configuration
information of the macro cell; and
[0023] a configuration circuit, configured to perform system
configuration for the small cell according to the configuration
information of the macro cell.
[0024] According to a third aspect, a method for configuring, by
using a terminal, a subscriber admissible to a small cell is
provided, where the method includes:
[0025] receiving, by the terminal, a closed subscriber group
identity (CSG ID) that is of the small cell and broadcast by the
base station, where only a terminal belonging to the closed
subscriber group is allowed to access the small cell, and the small
cell establishes a connection to a macro cell by using a built-in
soft SIM card or an inserted SIM card and an air interface;
[0026] determining, by the terminal, whether the closed subscriber
group identity is in a closed subscriber group identity list that
is stored by the terminal, and if yes, accessing, by the terminal,
the small cell; and
[0027] selecting, by the terminal, one or more subscribers from a
subscriber list or a contact list of the terminal to form an
admissible subscriber list, sending the admissible subscriber list
to the small cell, and indicating that a subscriber in the
admissible subscriber list is a subscriber that is allowed to
access the small cell, where the admissible subscriber list
includes mobile numbers of the one or more subscribers.
[0028] According to a fourth aspect, a method for configuring a
subscriber admissible to a small cell is provided, where the method
includes:
[0029] broadcasting, by the small cell, a closed subscriber group
identity (CSG ID) of the small cell, where only a terminal
belonging to the closed subscriber group is allowed to access the
small cell, and the small cell has a built-in soft SIM card or an
inserted SIM card, and establishes a connection to a macro cell by
using an air interface; and
[0030] receiving, by the small cell, an admissible subscriber list
of the terminal, where the admissible subscriber list is formed by
one or more subscribers that are selected by the terminal from a
subscriber list or a contact list of the terminal, and receiving an
indication, from the terminal to the cell, that a subscriber in the
admissible subscriber list is a subscriber that is allowed to
access the small cell, where the admissible subscriber list
includes mobile numbers of the one or more subscribers.
[0031] According to a fifth aspect, a data transmission method is
provided, where the method includes:
[0032] establishing, by a small cell, a connection to a terminal,
and receiving data transmitted by the terminal, where the small
cell has a built-in soft SIM card or an inserted SIM card, and
establishes a connection to a macro cell by using an air interface;
and
[0033] determining whether a link between the small cell and a
small cell gateway or between a small cell gateway and an MME/SGW
or between an MME/SGW and a next node is normal; and if a
determining result is that the link is working, sending, by the
small cell, the received data to the small cell gateway, or
otherwise, establishing, by the small cell, a link between the
small cell and the macro cell by using the air interface between
the small cell and the macro cell, and sending, by the macro cell,
the received data to the MME/SGW.
[0034] According to a sixth aspect, an interference coordination
management method of a small cell is provided, where the method
includes:
[0035] establishing, by the small cell, a connection to a macro
cell by using an air interface between the small cell and the macro
cell;
[0036] receiving, by the small cell, a pilot signal of the macro
cell, and measuring power of the pilot signal; and
[0037] adjusting, by the small cell, transmit power of the small
cell according to a measurement result of the power of the pilot
signal and an adjustment policy, where the adjustment policy is
that when the measured power of the pilot signal of the macro cell
is greater than a threshold, the small cell adjusts the transmit
power to first transmit power, and when the measured power of the
pilot signal of the macro cell is less than the threshold, the
small cell adjusts the transmit power to second transmit power,
where maximum transmit power of the small cell>the first
transmit power>the second transmit power>zero.
[0038] A SIM card is added to a small cell provided in the
embodiments of the present application, so that the small cell can
access a macro cell in a terminal form, which is equivalent to
addition of a Uu air interface between the small cell and the macro
cell. Therefore, configuration management, performance
optimization, admissible subscriber configuration, and the like are
implemented for the small cell by using this air interface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of wireless network
communications in the prior art;
[0040] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of wireless network
communications according to the present application;
[0041] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication control
method according to Embodiment 1 of the present application;
[0042] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a small cell according to
Embodiment 2 of the present application;
[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a method for configuring
a subscriber admissible to a small cell according to Embodiment 3
of the present application;
[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission
method according to Embodiment 4 of the present application;
[0045] FIG. 7 is flow block diagram of an interference coordination
management method of a small cell according to Embodiment 5 of the
present application; and
[0046] FIG. 8 is schematic diagram of the interference coordination
management method of a small cell according to Embodiment 5 of the
present application.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0047] The following further details the technical solutions of the
present application with reference to the accompanying drawings and
embodiments.
[0048] In an existing wireless communications system, a small cell
cannot directly communicate with a macro cell because no
communications interface exists between them. However, a small cell
and a macro cell are not independent of each other on a network,
but coexist on one network and affect each other. Therefore, how
small cells or how a small cell and a macro cell communicate with
each other to implement automatic configuration is a concern of the
present application.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 2, in the embodiments of the present
application, a small cell is a small-sized base station having
relatively low power, and is mainly deployed indoors. The small
cell provides wireless communications services for terminals within
relatively small coverage. A wireless protocol standard used for an
air interface of the small cell may be an existing 4G (4th
Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution) technical standard, or may
be the LTE-based LTE-Advanced (Long Term Evolution Advanced)
technical standard, or may be the future fifth generation
communications technology 5G (5th Generation) technical standard. A
terminal within coverage of the small cell accesses the small cell
by using a Uu air interface between the terminal and the small
cell, and then accesses a core network by using a small cell
gateway. The small cell is connected to the small cell gateway by
using an S1 interface. The small cell gateway is responsible for
aggregating and forwarding signaling and data between the small
cell and the core network. A macro cell is a higher-power base
station deployed outdoors with coverage up to several kilometers or
even tens of kilometers. A macro cell provides wireless
communications services for terminals and small cells by using a Uu
air interface. Macro cells are connected to each other by using an
X2 interface. The macro cell is connected to a mobility management
entity (MME)/serving gateway (SGW) by using an S1 interface. The
MME/SGW is responsible for managing subscriber mobility, and
routing and forwarding data packets of subscribers. In addition, it
should be pointed out that the MME/SGW refers to an MME or an
SGW.
[0050] In addition, the small cell has a built-in soft SIM
(subscriber identity module) card or an inserted SIM card. A
globally unique identity of the small cell is built in the SIM
card. By using the SIM, the small cell can access the macro cell in
a terminal form, and communicate with the macro cell by using the
Uu air interface between the small cell and the macro cell. In this
way, authentication, configuration management, performance
optimization control, interference coordination management, and the
like can be performed for the small cell by using a cellular
connection.
Embodiment 1
[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, in a communication control method
according to Embodiment 1 of the present application, a small cell
has a built-in soft SIM card or an inserted SIM card. A globally
unique identity of the small cell is built in the SIM card. By
using the SIM, the small cell can access an air interface in a
terminal form, and synchronize with and access a macro cell by
using the air interface of the macro cell, to obtain system
information of the macro cell and physical cell identifiers of the
macro cell and of a neighboring cell; and perform configuration
management for the small cell according to the obtained system
information of the macro cell and the obtained physical cell
identifiers of the macro cell and of the neighboring cell. In
addition, after the built-in soft SIM card or the inserted SIM card
is provided, the small cell is provided with a globally unique
identity, which provides great convenience for an operator to
perform monitoring and management operations for the small
cell.
[0052] Also referring to FIG. 3, the communication control method
mainly includes the following steps:
[0053] Step 101. A small cell connects, by using a built-in soft
SIM card or an inserted SIM card, to a Uu air interface of a macro
cell to access the macro cell.
[0054] Step 102. After receiving a broadcast synchronization signal
of the macro cell, the small cell synchronizes with the macro cell,
and acquires configuration information of the macro cell.
[0055] Step 103. The small cell performs system configuration for
the small cell according to the configuration information of the
macro cell.
[0056] The configuration information includes a physical cell
identifier of the macro cell, system information of the macro cell,
and system information of a neighboring cell of the macro cell.
[0057] The system information of the macro cell includes a working
frequency and an uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration ratio in
time division multiplexing (TDD, or Time Division Duplexing) of the
macro cell. The synchronization signal may be one synchronization
signal, or may be synchronization signals that include two levels
of signals, such as a primary synchronization signal and a
secondary synchronization signal. The small cell sends a request
message to the macro cell, and receives physical cell identifiers
of the neighboring cell that are sent by the macro cell. There are
at least three physical cell identifiers of the neighboring cell,
and the request message is a request for the physical cell
identifiers of the neighboring cell of the macro cell from the
macro cell.
[0058] The small cell performs system configuration for the small
cell according to the physical cell identifier of the macro cell,
the system information of the macro cell, and the physical cell
identifiers of the neighboring cell of the macro cell. In this way,
automatic configuration of the small cell can be implemented. In
addition, a working frequency of the small cell may be configured
to be the same as the working frequency of the macro cell, and an
uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration ratio in time division
multiplexing of the small cell may be configured to be the same as
the configuration ratio of the macro cell. Moreover, it is ensured
that a physical cell identifier of the small cell is different from
the physical cell identifier of the macro cell and the physical
cell identifiers of the neighboring cell of the macro cell. In this
way, frequency resource utilization on an entire network is high,
and effective coordination with the macro cell is implemented to
avoid interference and generate higher frequency utilization.
[0059] It can be seen that, in this embodiment of the present
application, a SIM card and a corresponding SIM communications
apparatus are added to a small cell, so that the small cell can
access a macro cell in a terminal form, which is equivalent to that
a Uu air interface is added between the small cell and the macro
cell, so that communication and interaction between the small cell
and the macro cell are established by using this air interface. In
this way, the small cell can perform configuration management,
performance optimization, admissible subscriber configuration, and
the like for the macro cell, and further, configuration management
of the small cell is more convenient and more appropriate and
utilization of frequency resources of a system is higher.
Embodiment 2
[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, a small cell in Embodiment 2 of the
present application connects, by using a built-in soft SIM or an
inserted SIM card, to an air interface of a macro cell to access
the macro cell. The small cell includes:
[0061] a synchronization receiving circuit, configured to: after
receiving a broadcast synchronization signal of the macro cell,
synchronize with the macro cell, and acquire configuration
information of the macro cell; and
[0062] a configuration circuit, configured to perform system
configuration for the small cell according to the configuration
information of the macro cell.
[0063] The configuration information includes a physical cell
identifier of the macro cell, system information of the macro cell,
and system information of a neighboring cell of the macro cell.
[0064] The system information of the macro cell includes a working
frequency and an uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration ratio in
time division multiplexing (TDD, or Time Division Duplexing) of the
macro cell. The synchronization signal may be one synchronization
signal, or may be synchronization signals that include two levels
of signals, such as a primary synchronization signal and a
secondary synchronization signal.
[0065] The macro cell sends a request message, and receives, by
using the receiving circuit, physical cell identifiers of the
neighboring cell that are sent by the macro cell. There are at
least three physical cell identifiers of the neighboring cell, and
the request message is a request for the physical cell identifiers
of the neighboring cell of the macro cell from the macro cell.
[0066] The configuration circuit may configure system settings of
the small cell, according to the physical cell identifier of the
macro cell, the system information of the macro cell, and the
physical cell identifiers of the neighboring cell of the macro
cell.
[0067] The synchronization circuit may be further configured to:
configure a working frequency of the small cell to be the same as
the working frequency of the macro cell, configure an
uplink-to-downlink subframe configuration ratio in time division
multiplexing of the small cell to be the same as the configuration
ratio of the macro cell, and determine that a configured physical
cell identifier of the small cell is different from the physical
cell identifier of the macro cell and the physical cell identifiers
of the neighboring cell of the macro cell.
[0068] It can be seen that, a SIM card and a corresponding SIM
communications apparatus are added to a small cell, so that the
small cell can access a macro cell in a terminal form, which is
equivalent to that a Uu air interface is added between the small
cell and the macro cell, so that communication and interaction
between the small cell and the macro cell are established by using
this air interface. In this way, the small cell can perform
configuration management, performance optimization, admissible
subscriber configuration, and the like for the macro cell. Further,
configuration management of the small cell is more convenient and
more appropriate and utilization of frequency resources of a system
is higher.
Embodiment 3
[0069] As shown in FIG. 5, in a method for configuring a subscriber
admissible to a small cell according to Embodiment 3, on a basis
that the small cell has a built-in soft SIM card or an inserted SIM
card, a connection is established by using an air interface between
the small cell and a macro cell, so that a subscriber admissible to
a small cell can be configured by using a communications link
between a terminal device and the macro cell and a communications
link between the small cell and the macro cell.
[0070] The foregoing method for configuring a subscriber admissible
to a small cell includes:
[0071] Step 201. The small cell broadcasts a closed subscriber
group identity (CSG ID) of the small cell, where only a terminal
belonging to the closed subscriber group is allowed to access the
small cell, and the small cell has a built-in soft SIM card or an
inserted SIM card, and the small cell establishes a connection to a
macro cell by using an air interface.
[0072] Step 202. A terminal receives the closed subscriber group
identity broadcast by the small cell, determines whether the closed
subscriber group identity is in a closed subscriber group identity
list that is stored by the terminal, and if yes, accesses the small
cell.
[0073] Step 203. The terminal selects one or more subscribers from
a subscriber list or a contact list of the terminal to form an
admissible subscriber list, sends the admissible subscriber list to
the small cell, and indicates that a subscriber in the admissible
subscriber list is a subscriber that is allowed to access the small
cell, where the admissible subscriber list includes mobile numbers
of the one or more subscribers.
[0074] Step 204. The small cell receives an access request of
another terminal after receiving the admissible subscriber list of
the terminal; and allows the another terminal to access the small
cell if the another terminal is in the admissible subscriber list,
or otherwise, rejects access of the another terminal to the small
cell.
[0075] In addition, by using a Uu air interface between the small
cell and the macro cell, the terminal may further select, according
to the closed subscriber group identity that is obtained by the
terminal from the small cell, a list of subscribers allowed to
access the small cell from the contact list, and transmit the
subscriber list to the small cell by using a link between the
terminal and the macro cell and a link between the macro cell and
the small cell. Then the small cell accepts or rejects access of
another subscriber according to the subscriber list.
Embodiment 4
[0076] As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional process of transmitting
data of a subscriber of a small cell is generally: A terminal
accesses the small cell, and data of the terminal is transmitted to
the small cell by using an air interface between the terminal and
the small cell, then to a small cell gateway by using an interface
between the small cell and the small cell gateway, and then to a
core network by using the small cell gateway.
[0077] Referring to both FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, in a data transmission
method in this embodiment of the present application, a small cell
has a soft SIM card or an inserted SIM card, and a link formed by
using an air interface exists between the small cell and a macro
cell. Therefore, when detecting that a fault occurs on a link
between the small cell and a small cell gateway or between a small
cell gateway and an MME/SGW, the small cell establishes a
connection between the small cell and the macro cell, and forwards
received terminal subscriber data by using the link between the
small cell and the macro cell. In this way, service continuity is
ensured.
[0078] The data transmission method includes the following
steps:
[0079] Step 301. A small cell establishes a connection to a
terminal, and receives data transmitted by the terminal.
[0080] Step 302. Determine whether a link between the small cell
and a small cell gateway or between a small cell gateway and an
MME/SGW or between an MME/SGW and a next node is normal; and if a
determining result is that the link is normal, the small cell
sends, to the small cell gateway, the received data transmitted by
the terminal, or otherwise, the small cell sends the data to the
MME/SGW by using a link between the small cell and a macro cell and
by means of forwarding by the macro cell, where the link between
the small cell and the macro cell is established by the small cell
by using an air interface of the macro cell.
[0081] Whether the link is normal is mainly determined by detecting
whether the sending fails or whether a transmission speed is
abnormally low.
Embodiment 5
[0082] In an interference coordination management method of a small
cell according to Embodiment 5 of the present application, a small
cell has a soft SIM card or a SIM card, and a link formed by using
an air interface exists between the small cell and a macro
cell.
[0083] As shown in FIG. 7, the interference coordination management
method of a base station includes the following steps:
[0084] Step 401. The small cell establishes a connection to a macro
cell by using an air interface between the small cell and the macro
cell.
[0085] Step 402. The small cell receives a pilot signal of the
macro cell, and measures power of the pilot signal.
[0086] Step 403. The small cell adjusts transmit power of the small
cell according to a measurement result of the power of the pilot
signal and an adjustment policy, where the adjustment policy is
that when the measured power of the pilot signal of the macro cell
is greater than a threshold, the small cell adjusts the transmit
power to first transmit power, and when the measured power of the
pilot signal of the macro cell is less than the threshold, the
small cell adjusts the transmit power to second transmit power,
where maximum transmit power of the small cell>the first
transmit power>the second transmit power>zero.
[0087] The threshold is preset. The threshold may be adjusted
continuously in a test process until an appropriate threshold is
selected to minimize mutual interference between the macro cell and
the small cell.
[0088] As shown in FIG. 8, when the power, which is measured by the
small cell, of the pilot signal of the macro cell is less than a
threshold Tp, the small cell performs transmission at power P0,
where P0 is less than maximum power of the small cell. When the
measured power of the pilot signal of the macro cell is greater
than the threshold Tp, the small cell decreases a transmit power to
be less than P0. In this way, frequent handover of a subscriber
between the small cell and the macro cell can be avoided, and
interference between the small cell and the macro cell can also be
effectively managed and coordinated.
[0089] In addition, the small cell divides a system bandwidth of
the small cell into multiple frequency bands for transmission of
subscriber data. The small cell measures interference signal
strengths on different frequency bands, and schedules, according to
the interference signal strengths on the different frequency bands,
a frequency band with a low interference signal strength for
transmission of the subscriber data.
[0090] For example, the small cell schedules and transmits
subscriber data at a given system bandwidth. A bandwidth of 20 MHz
is used as an example. Generally, the system bandwidth (20 MHz) is
divided into multiple frequency bands. For example, the bandwidth
of 20 MHz is divided into 20 frequency bands, and a bandwidth of 1
MHz is for each frequency band. The small cell schedules data
transmission for multiple subscribers, and each subscriber occupies
one or more frequency bands. The small cell measures interference
signal strengths on different frequency bands, and schedules,
according to the interference signal strengths on the frequency
bands, a frequency band with a low interference signal strength for
transmission of the subscriber data. If the small cell finds that
signal interference on some frequency bands are particularly
strong, the small cell may evade these frequency bands with strong
interference, and schedule a frequency band with weaker
interference for transmission of the subscriber. In this way,
reliability of data transmission can be ensured, and a data
transmission error resulting from strong interference is
avoided.
[0091] In the foregoing specific implementation manners, the
objective, technical solutions, and benefits of the present
application are further described in detail. It should be
understood that the foregoing descriptions are merely specific
implementation manners of the present application, but are not
intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.
Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made
without departing from the principle of the present application
should fall within the protection scope of the present
application.
* * * * *