Methods and apparatus for configuration of femtocells in a wireless network

摘要

Methods and apparatus that enable and optimize the simultaneous operation of several wireless femtocells having overlapping coverage areas. In one embodiment of the invention, a resource allocation (e.g., time-frequency grid for an OFDM or TDMA based wireless network) governs the simultaneous operation of several femtocells with overlapping coverage areas by specifying uses for resources. A resource allocation unit (RAU) entity is disclosed for managing and modifying resource allocations for femtocells. The community of femtocells can flexibly share resources according to the time-frequency grid, thereby maximizing spectral efficiency without requiring substantial network overhead.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
at a femtocell apparatus:
scanning to determine available radio resources; andselecting between a self-configuration mode and a network-based configuration mode based on the available radio resources for a wireless network,
wherein in the self-configuration mode, the femtocell apparatus selects the at least one available resource as a downlink,wherein in the network-based configuration mode, the femtocell apparatus receives a downlink radio resource from the wireless network.