Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-18
2001-02-06
Le, Thanh Cong (Department: 2749)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S067150, C455S453000, C455S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185437
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the management of a cellular radio telephone system. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of reconfiguration of such a system, for example as a result of changing traffic requirements, and to apparatus which permits the use of such a method.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
A cellular mobile telecommunications system divides the geographical area which it covers into a plurality of cells. Each cell typically includes a base station (alternatively, each base station may serve more than one cell), and the different base stations are each connected to a base station controller which can transmit commands to the various base stations.
In use of such a system, situations arise in which it becomes necessary to reconfigure the system. For example, if a base station becomes inoperative, traffic in the cell or cells associated therewith must be reassigned to other base stations. On the other hand, cells may need to be split, either because of a general increase in the number of subscribers using the system, or because of a temporary increase in the number of subscribers present in one particular cell. Splitting the cell then increases the traffic capacity in the area served by that cell.
WO92/21182 discloses a method and apparatus for performing reconfiguration of a cellular network. In accordance with the procedure disclosed in WO92/21182, the existing cell parameters are copied to a database in an administrative centre in the network; the desired changes to the cell parameters are entered by the network planners; the suggested parameter changes are verified for consistency by a computer system, and amended if required; the new cell parameters are sent from the administrative centre to the base station controllers and hence to the base stations; and the reconfiguration then becomes effective.
Commands are sent from the administration centre to the base station controllers in man-machine language. Moreover, these commands must be sent in a specific order, commands must be sent relating to a large number of parameters, and each of the commands must be checked for consistency. All of these points mean that reconfiguration is a lengthy process, which requires large amounts of signalling between the administration centre and the base station controller.
WO92/21182 further discloses that the administration centre may store predefined sets of changes, for use in the event that a particular base station or base station controller is out of service. However, even in the event that one of these predefined sets of changes is to be implemented, the changes are still subject to consistency checks, and details of all of the predefined changes must be transmitted from the administration centre to the base station controllers affected by the changes.
Thus, the time consuming consistency checks must still be carried out, and large amounts of signalling must be performed before the reconfiguration can be implemented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a number of cell profiles (that is, sets of cell parameters) are predefined, and stored both in the administration centre and in each base station controller. In the event of a reconfiguration, a simple command can be sent from the administration centre to the affected base station controllers, and the reconfiguration can be implemented immediately, without requiring additional consistency checks, because the predefined cell profiles will be known to be consistent. Further, because the desired new cell profile is already stored in the relevant base station controller, it is only necessary to send a short message thereto, and it is not necessary to transmit full details of the new cell parameters, thus reducing the load on the links between the administration centre and the affected base station controllers.
This has the advantage that system reconfigurations can be carried out much more simply.
Moreover, because there is in principle no limit on the number of cell profiles which can be stored, and because further changes to the stored cell profiles can also be implemented, there is no loss of flexibility for the operator in reconfiguring the system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5434798 (1995-07-01), Madebrink et al.
patent: 5781628 (1998-07-01), Alperovich et al.
patent: 5842130 (1998-11-01), Oprescu-Surcobe et al.
patent: 5848244 (1998-12-01), Wilson
patent: 92/21182 (1992-11-01), None
Cong Le Thanh
Le Lana
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
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