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 for selecting a configuration mode for a femtocell apparatus useful in a wireless network, the method comprising:
determining, by the femtocell apparatus, an occupational level of a plurality of radio resources wherein the occupational level is identified as available when at least one radio resource is available and is identified as unavailable when none of the radio resources are available; and selecting, by the femtocell apparatus, an operating mode from one of a self-configuration mode and a network-based configuration mode for the femtocell apparatus based on the occupational level of the radio resources, wherein the self-configuration mode is selected as the operating mode when the occupational level is available and the network-based configuration mode is selected as the operating mode when the occupational level is unavailable.