Sprint Spectrum L.p.

T-mobile Innovations LLC

Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Tri Duong

Sanghoon Sung

Yun Sung Kim

Pinal Tailor

Udit Thakore

Hau Van Tran

Sandeep Mangrulkar

Minho Song

Dhaval Dipak Mehta

Yu Wang

Bharatwajan Raman

Aaron Pawlowski

Min Ho Song

Harsh Mehta

Systems and methods are provided for managing the power of a secondary node in an E-Utran/New Radio Dual Connectivity (ENDC) configured wireless communication network. In response to determining that one or more transmission blocking conditions have been met, a master node communicates an instruction to the secondary node via a data connection cable or an X2 logical interface to not transmit downlink signals, reducing overall power network power consumption and inter-nodal inference when ENDC resources are not required.

Power management of secondary node based on network conditions

Systems and methods are provided for managing the power of a secondary node in an E-Utran/New Radio Dual Connectivity (ENDC)&#x2014;configured wireless communication network. In response to determining that one or more transmission blocking conditions have been met, a master node communicates an instruction to the secondary node via a data connection cable or an X2 logical interface to not transmit downlink signals, reducing overall power network power consumption and inter-nodal inference when ENDC resources are not required.

Access nodes in a network are configured to periodically measure cell loads and exchange cell load measurements with neighbors. At each access node, cell loads are compared with load thresholds, and with neighboring loads, to determine whether or not load balancing operations should be triggered. Load balancing operations include reducing or increasing an effective coverage area of one or both of the congested cell and the neighbor cell by adjusting a handover threshold parameter, such as a threshold signal level. Adjusting thresholds at a congested cell triggers more handovers from the congested cell to the non-congested cell. Similarly, adjusting thresholds at a non-congested cell prevents handovers from the non-congested cell to the congested cell.

Dynamic handover threshold adjustment for load balancing

A method and corresponding system for configuring an eNodeB for improved circuit-switched-fallback (CSFB) service. The method includes detecting that, during past CSFB call setup for UEs served by the eNodeB, UEs reported as a strongest fallback coverage area a fallback coverage area that is not included in the eNodeB's CSFB-candidate data. And the method includes responsively (i) determining, based on location information and based on an identifier of the reported fallback coverage area, a node of the fallback network that the eNodeB's network can contact to facilitate CSFB call setup in the reported fallback coverage area, and (ii) adding to the CSFB-candidate data a record of the reported coverage area in association with a node identifier of the determined node, the added record being thereafter useable by the eNodeB to facilitate CSFB call setup in the reported fallback coverage area for a UE served by the eNodeB.

Dynamic configuration of eNodeB to facilitate circuit switched fallback service

A wireless access point serve wireless User Equipment (UEs) using Multiple User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO). In the wireless access point, radio circuitry wirelessly receives network signaling from the UEs. Control circuitry processes the network signaling and determines initial power allocations to the UEs and initial MU-MIMO groups of the UEs. The control circuitry processes the initial power allocations and the initial MU-MIMO groups and determines new power allocations and new MU-MIMO groups. The radio circuitry wirelessly transmits MU-MIMO signals to the UEs in the new MU-MIMO groups using the new power allocations.

Multiple user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) optimization using user equipment (UE) power allocation

Systems and methods are described for managing conflicts between a load balancing protocol and a neighbor relations protocol. Network characteristics for an access node in communication with a plurality of wireless devices may be determined. The plurality of wireless devices may be classified into a high priority class and a low priority class based on a traffic requirement for each of the wireless devices. The determined network conditions my then be compared to a criteria. Based on the comparison, the high priority class of wireless devices may be instructed to perform one of a neighbor relations protocol and a load balancing protocol.

Systems and methods for managing conflicts between access node protocols

Systems and methods are described for preventing premature processing during beam forming. It may be determined, at an access node, that a wireless device has received data using a beam formed transmission from the access node. A gap may be calculated between a reported signal level for the wireless device and a transmission scheme used to transmit downlink data to the wireless device. A threshold value may then be adjusted based on the calculated gap, where the threshold value is used to determine when the wireless device scans a plurality of frequency bands. The adjusted threshold value may be transmitted to the wireless device.

Systems and methods for preventing premature processing during beam forming

Systems and methods are described for scheduling transmissions from an access node in a communication network. A plurality of data packets may be received at a buffer of an access node. A discard timer may be started on receipt of the data packets. When the discard packet timer expires, a number of data packets in the buffer and an associated aggregated queuing delay may be determined. The aggregated queuing delay may be compared to target block error rate (BLER). The target BLER may be modified when the aggregated queuing delay and the number of data packets exceed a target threshold. Data packets may be transmitted from the access node using the modified BLER.

Systems and methods for scheduling transmissions from an access node

A method and system to help manage air interface resources for communication between a user equipment device (UE) and a base station. As disclosed, a UE or base station detect a situation where a transport block that the base station would allocate to the UE would be too small to hold carry a packet that the UE would seek to transmit, and the UE and base station responsively switch to a mode of operation in which the UE will receive a multi-TTI transport block allocation rather than a single-TTI transport block allocation. Given a per-TTI limitation of available air interface resources, the allocation of a transport block spanning multiple TTIs may thus provide the UE with increased air interface capacity for transmission, thus optimally allowing the UE to transmit without a need for segmentation.

Method and apparatus for managing air interface resource allocation based on evaluation of transport block capacity

A method of operating a communication system includes communicating data between an access node and a wireless device using carrier aggregation. This carrier aggregation includes communicating using at least a primary carrier and a secondary carrier. The communication system determines that conditions for the secondary carrier meet a beamforming requirement criteria. The communication system determines an angle of arrival of the primary carrier. Based on the angle of arrival determined for the primary carrier, beamforming is applied to the secondary carrier.

Secondary component carrier beamforming

Systems and methods are described for generating a common subframe pattern in a wireless communication network. Frame numbers associated with a plurality of access nodes operating on the same frequency channel in a coverage area are synchronized. A unique almost blank subframe (ABS) ratio associated with each of the plurality of access nodes is determined. A common subframe pattern may be generated based on the determined unique ABS ratios. The common subframe pattern may be provided to each of the plurality of access nodes operating in the coverage area. Traffic may be scheduled using the generated common subframe pattern and the synchronized frame numbers.

Systems and methods for load and interference coordination in a wireless communication network

Systems and methods are described for determining a modulation and coding scheme for a small cell. A small cell may receive a first signal level for a first signal received at a wireless device and a second signal level for a second signal received at the wireless device, wherein the received first signal is from the small cell and the received second signal is from a macro cell. The small cell may also receive a channel quality indicator from the wireless device that indicates a channel quality for communications between the wireless device and the small cell. A signal level metric may be calculated based on the first signal level, the second signal level, and the received channel quality indicator. A modulation and coding scheme for a transmission from the small call may be determined, wherein the transmission is associated with an almost blank subframe transmission from the macro cell.

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Annandale, VA, United States of America

Tri Duong