JP5573173B2 - Base station equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a base station apparatus that performs wireless communication with a terminal apparatus.

In a wireless communication system including a plurality of base station apparatuses, when communication areas (cells) set by the plurality of base station apparatuses overlap, a signal transmitted from a base station apparatus It may reach the terminal device in the cell of the base station device and become an interference signal for the terminal device.
It is well known that such interference can be suppressed by beam forming. That is, while directing a beam to a terminal device in its own cell (hereinafter also referred to as its own terminal device), to a terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as another terminal device) in a cell of another base station device. By performing the beam forming so that the null beam is directed, the signal (interference signal) from the own base station apparatus becomes difficult to reach other terminal apparatuses, and the interference is suppressed. 1).

Nobuyoshi Kikuma, "Adaptive signal processing by array antenna", Science and Technology Publishing, November 25, 1998

By the way, in the said radio | wireless communications system, as a base station apparatus, the macro base station apparatus which forms the cell (macro cell) of the magnitude | size of several kilometers, for example, and the comparatively small cell (about several dozen meters installed in the said macro cell ( There is one provided with a femto base station apparatus that forms a femto cell) in the macro cell.
In the wireless communication system, since the femto cell formed by the femto base station apparatus is formed in the macro cell, almost the entire area thereof overlaps with the macro cell. Further, since the femto base station apparatus is installed at an arbitrary place in the macro cell by the user, the downlink signal of the femto base station apparatus may interfere with a terminal apparatus connected to the macro base station apparatus or the femto base station apparatus In addition to the case where the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device connected to the mobile station interferes with the macro base station device, a plurality of femto base station devices that form a femto cell adjacent to each other and the terminal devices connected thereto are mutually connected. In some cases, interference may occur, and there may be various cases in which interference occurs.
For this reason, even if the base station apparatus uses the beam forming, there are cases where it is difficult to suitably suppress interference in the various situations described above.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and it aims at providing the base station apparatus which can suppress interference more effectively according to various situations.

(1) The present invention is a base station apparatus that performs communication by allocating radio resources for each basic unit region for allocating radio resources to a terminal apparatus to be connected, and with other base station apparatuses An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an allocation status of each basic unit area for radio resources allocated to other terminal apparatuses that perform communication, and own terminal apparatus that is connected to the transmission power of the own downlink signal and / or to itself And a control unit for controlling the transmission power of the uplink signal for each basic unit area based on the information.

  According to the base station apparatus having the above configuration, the control unit transmits the own and / or own terminal apparatus based on the information indicating the allocation status of each basic unit area for the radio resources allocated to other terminal apparatuses. Since the power is controlled for each basic unit area, for example, the transmission of the necessary basic unit area is set such that only the transmission power of the basic unit area allocated to other terminal devices is relatively lowered. Transmission power can be controlled so as to suppress interference individually for only power. That is, the control unit can perform interference control for individually suppressing interference with other terminal devices and / or other base station devices by individually controlling only the transmission power of the necessary basic unit region. As a result, interference can be more effectively suppressed according to various situations.

(2) The control unit specifies a basic unit area allocated to the other terminal device based on the information, and sets and controls a first upper limit value for transmission power of the specified basic unit area. It is preferable to do.
In this case, the control unit can identify a basic unit region that may cause interference with other base station devices and / or other terminal devices, and further, for the transmission power of the identified basic unit region, The first upper limit value can be set so as to control the transmission power within a range that does not give rise to interference, thereby effectively suppressing interference.

(3) It is preferable that the said control part sets and controls the 2nd upper limit larger than said 1st upper limit about the transmission power of basic unit area | regions other than the specified said basic unit area.
In this case, the transmission power of the terminal unit itself and / or its own terminal device in the basic unit region (identified basic unit region) allocated to another terminal device has a first upper limit value smaller than the second upper limit value. Since the range is adjusted, the transmission power of the basic unit areas other than the specified basic unit area is set to be relatively small. As a result, since the basic unit region that is not assigned to the other terminal device has a low possibility of interference, it is assigned to the other terminal device while maintaining its communication quality by maintaining a relatively large transmission power. Interference can be suppressed by keeping the transmission power value low for the basic unit area.

(4) The control unit may set a first upper limit value for transmission power of the own downlink signal according to an amount of interference that the own downlink signal gives to the other terminal device. The first upper limit value can be set in a range in which the own downlink signal does not interfere with other terminal devices, thereby suppressing the interference of the own downlink signal with other terminal devices. it can.

(5) When the other base station apparatus is a base station apparatus that forms a femtocell, the control unit determines its own downlink signal based on a path loss value with the other base station apparatus. Can estimate the amount of interference given to the other terminal device.
In this case, since the other base station apparatus forms a femto cell, the other terminal apparatus connected to the base station apparatus exists in a relatively narrow femto cell formed by the other base station apparatus. For this reason, it can be considered that another base station apparatus and another terminal apparatus exist in the substantially the same position seeing from self. As a result, the path loss value between itself and the other base station apparatus can be regarded as the path loss value between itself and the other terminal apparatus. The amount of interference given to the terminal device can be estimated.

(6) If the distance between the terminal apparatus and the other terminal apparatus and the distance between the terminal apparatus and the other base station apparatus are sufficiently secured, interference is caused in each case. Although the possibility of giving becomes low, if the distance is relatively small, the possibility of giving interference increases. That is, if the distance between the side that gives interference and the side that gives interference increases, the possibility of giving interference increases. Therefore, the control unit determines whether or not it is based on position information about the position of the other terminal device. If the distance between the terminal device and another terminal device is known, it is possible to estimate the amount of interference that the downlink signal gives to the other terminal device.

(7) Furthermore, the control unit determines a first upper limit on transmission power of the uplink signal of the terminal device according to an amount of interference that the uplink signal of the terminal device of the own device gives to the other base station device. A value may be set. In this case, the first upper limit value can be set in a range in which the uplink signal of the own terminal device does not interfere with other base station devices. It is possible to suppress interference that the uplink signal of the device gives to other base station devices.

(8) When the self is a base station apparatus forming a femto cell, the control unit determines that an uplink signal of the self terminal apparatus is based on a path loss value with the other base station apparatus. The amount of interference given to the other base station apparatus can be estimated.
In this case, since it is a base station apparatus that forms a femto cell, its own terminal apparatus connected to itself exists in a relatively narrow femto cell set by itself. For this reason, when viewed from other base station apparatuses, it can be considered that the own terminal apparatus and the own terminal apparatus exist at substantially the same position. Thereby, the path loss between itself and the other base station apparatus can be regarded as the path loss between the own terminal apparatus and the other base station apparatus, and based on this path loss, It is possible to estimate the amount of interference that an uplink signal gives to another base station apparatus.

(9) Also, as described above, since the possibility of giving interference increases if the distance between the side that gives interference and the side that gives interference increases, the control unit itself, the other base station If the distance between the other base station device and the own terminal device is grasped based on the position information of the device and the own terminal device, the uplink signal of the own terminal device gives the other base station device The amount of interference can be estimated.

(10) To obtain a path loss with another base station device, it is necessary to receive a known signal from the other base station device. Therefore, path loss value acquisition for acquiring a path loss value between the receiving unit that receives the downlink signal from the other base station apparatus and the other base station apparatus using a known signal included in the received downlink signal It is preferable to further include a portion.
In this case, a downlink signal is received by the receiving unit, and a path loss value can be obtained from a known signal included in the downlink signal.

(11), (12) Further, as described above, the distance between itself and the other terminal apparatus, and the distance between the terminal apparatus and the other base station apparatus are relatively If it is small, the possibility of causing interference increases, so that the control unit can determine the distance between itself and the other terminal device and / or between the terminal device of the own device and the other base station device. The first upper limit value may be set according to the distance of the terminal, and more specifically, the distance between itself and the other terminal device, and / or the terminal device of the self It is preferable to set the first upper limit value smaller as the distance from the other base station device is smaller.
In this case, when there is a high possibility of causing interference due to the small distance, the first upper limit value is set small, so that interference can be more effectively suppressed.

(13) In general, a base station apparatus that forms a femto cell is set to give priority to communication between a base station apparatus that forms a macro cell in a wide area and a terminal apparatus connected to the base station apparatus.
Therefore, when the self is a base station device that forms a femto cell, the base station device further includes a determination unit that determines whether the other base station device is a base station device that forms a femto cell, The control unit can also set the first upper limit value according to the determination result of the determination unit. In this case, whether or not another base station device is a base station device forming a femto cell. Accordingly, the first upper limit value can be suitably set.

(14) More specifically, when the control unit determines that the other base station device is a base station device forming a femto cell, the control unit determines that the other base station device is a femto cell. It is preferable to perform transmission power control by setting the first upper limit value larger than when it is determined that the base station apparatus does not form the base station apparatus.
In this case, when the determination unit determines that the other base station device is not a base station device forming a femto cell, and can recognize that the other base station device is a base station device forming a macro cell, The upper limit value of is set relatively small. As a result, the interference suppression effect on the base station apparatus in which the self and its own terminal apparatus form the macro cell and the terminal apparatus connected to the base station apparatus, and the interference suppression on the base station apparatus forming the femto cell and the terminal apparatus connected thereto It can be set to be relatively larger than the effect, and can be set to increase the priority of communication between the base station apparatus forming the macro cell and the terminal apparatus connected thereto.

  According to the base station apparatus of the present invention, interference can be more effectively suppressed according to various situations.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system provided with the base station apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of each uplink and downlink radio frame in LTE. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of DL frame. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of a UL frame. In FIG. 1, it is a block diagram which shows the structure of femto BS. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an output control part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of MS2 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process about control of the transmission power of the downlink transmission signal which an output control part performs. In FIG. 1, it is a figure which shows the relationship of the interference in each of communication between macro BS and macro MS and communication between femto BS and femto MS. (A) shows an example of radio resource allocation status for a part of the downlink radio frame of the macro BS and an example of setting of the upper limit value of the transmission signal of the downlink radio frame of the femto BS in the same area. (B) is the figure which showed the aspect of the setting of the upper limit of the transmission power in the frequency direction in the time T1 in (a). In FIG. 1, communication between a femto BS (FBS # 1) and a femto MS (FMS # 1), a femto BS (FBS # 2) as another BS, and a femto MS (FMS # 2) as another MS It is a figure which shows the relationship of the interference in each communication between these. It is the figure which showed an example of the aspect of the setting of the upper limit of the transmission power in a frequency direction. It is a flowchart which shows the process about control of the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of femtoMS2b which the output control part 20 performs. An example of the allocation status of radio resources allocated to a macro MS in an uplink radio frame between the macro BS and the macro MS when another BS is a macro BS, and a femto in the same area as the uplink frame It is the figure which showed an example of the setting of the upper limit of the transmission signal of the uplink radio frame between BS and femto MS. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the output control part of femto BS which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of processes performed when it is determined in step S103 in the flowchart in FIG. 8 that another BS is a macro BS, which is performed by the output control unit of the present embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship of femto BS, macro MS, and macro BS. It is a block diagram of femto BS which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the result of having calculated | required the electric power average value for every resource block which a measurement process part calculates | requires. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an output control unit 20. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the other aspect of an output control part. It is a block diagram which shows the other aspect of femto BS.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First embodiment]
[1. Configuration of communication system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless communication system including a base station apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The wireless communication system includes a plurality of base station devices 1 and a plurality of terminal devices 2 (mobile terminals) that can perform wireless communication with the base station device 1.
The plurality of base station apparatuses 1 are compared with a plurality of macro base station apparatuses (Macro Base Stations) 1a forming a communication area (macrocell) MC having a size of several kilometers, for example, and are installed in the macrocell MC. A plurality of femto base station apparatuses (Femto Base Stations) 1b forming a small femtocell FC.

Macro base station apparatus 1a (hereinafter also referred to as macro BS 1a) can perform radio communication with terminal apparatus 2 in its own macro cell MC.
Further, the femto base station apparatus 1b (hereinafter also referred to as a femto BS 1b) is arranged, for example, in a place where it is difficult to receive the radio wave of the macro BS 1a, such as indoors, and forms the femto cell FC. The femto BS 1b can wirelessly communicate with the terminal device 2 (hereinafter also referred to as MS2) in the femto cell FC formed by the femto BS 1b. In this system, a place where the radio wave of the macro BS 1a is difficult to receive, etc. However, by installing a femto BS 1b that forms a relatively small femto cell FC at that location, it is possible to provide services to the MS 2 with sufficient throughput.
In the following description, the MS 2 connected to the femto BS 1b is also referred to as a femto MS 2b, and the MS 2 connected to the macro BS 1a is also referred to as a macro MS 2a.

  The radio communication system according to the present embodiment is a system for mobile phones to which, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) is applied, and communication based on LTE is performed between each base station device and a terminal device. . In LTE, a frequency division duplex (FDD) scheme can be adopted. In the present embodiment, the communication system will be described as adopting an FDD scheme. Note that the communication system is not limited to the LTE and is not limited to the FDD system, and may be a TDD (Time Division Duplex) system, for example.

[2. LTE frame structure]
In the FDD scheme that can be adopted in LTE that the communication system according to the present embodiment complies with, an uplink signal (a transmission signal from the terminal device to the base station device) and a downlink signal (a transmission signal from the base station device to the terminal device) By assigning different use frequencies to each other, uplink communication and downlink communication are simultaneously performed.
In the present embodiment, OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is adopted for downlink radio communication, and SC-FDMA (Single Carrier-Frequency Multiple Access) is adopted for uplink radio communication.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of uplink and downlink radio frames in LTE. The radio frame (DL frame) and the uplink radio frame (UL frame), which are downlink basic frames in LTE, each have a time length of 10 milliseconds, from # 0 to # 9. It is composed of 10 subframes. These DL frames and UL frames are arranged in the time axis direction with their timings aligned.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of a DL frame. In the figure, the vertical axis direction represents frequency, and the horizontal axis direction represents time.
Each subframe constituting the DL frame is composed of two slots (for example, slots # 0 and # 1). One slot is composed of seven (# 0 to # 6) OFDM symbols (in the case of Normal Cyclic Prefix).
Also, in the figure, a resource block (RB: Resource Block) that is a basic unit area in data transmission is defined by 12 subcarriers in the frequency axis direction and 7 OFDM symbols (1 slot) in the time axis direction. Therefore, for example, when the frequency bandwidth of the DL frame is set to 5 MHz, 300 subcarriers are arranged, so that 25 resource blocks are arranged in the frequency axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a transmission area for the base station apparatus to allocate a control channel necessary for downlink communication to the terminal apparatus is secured at the head of each subframe. This transmission area is allocated with symbols # 0 to # 2 (three symbols at the maximum) of the slot located at the head side in each subframe, and PDSCH (PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel, where user data is stored) Control channel configuration indication channel for notifying downlink control channel (PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel) including allocation information and the like of PUSCH (explained) and PUSCH (PDSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel, explained later) and information on PDCCH (PCFICH: Physical Control Format Indicator Channel), hive for PUSCH Hybrid ARQ indication channel (PhysicalHydrogenARB) for transmitting a reception success notification (ACK: Acknowledgement) and a reception failure notification (NACK: Negative Acknowledgment) of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) Assigned.

  In addition to the allocation information, the PDCCH includes information related to uplink transmission power control information, which will be described later, and a report instruction for downlink CQI (Channel Quality Indicator).

Also, in the DL frame, a broadcast channel (PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel) for notifying the terminal device of the system bandwidth and the like by broadcast transmission is assigned to the first subframe # 0. PBCH is arranged with four symbol widths at the positions of symbols # 0 to # 3 in the slot on the rear side in first subframe # 0 in the time axis direction, and in the frequency axis direction, the center of the bandwidth of the DL frame Are allocated for 6 resource block widths (72 subcarriers). This PBCH is configured to be updated every 40 milliseconds by transmitting the same information over four frames.
PBCH stores main system information such as a communication bandwidth, the number of transmission antennas, and a structure of control information.
Also, in the PBCH, information on an allocation position of a system information block (SIB) 1 stored in the PDSCH and transmitted to the MS connected thereto, and a radio frame number necessary for demodulation of the corresponding PDSCH A master information block (MIB: Master Information Block) including the.

  Of the 10 subframes constituting the DL frame, each of the first (# 0) and sixth (# 5) subframes is a signal for identifying a base station apparatus or a cell. One synchronization signal and second synchronization signal (P-SCH: Primary Synchronization Channel, S-SCH: Secondary Synchronization Channel) are assigned.

P-SCH is arranged with a single symbol width at the position of symbol # 6 which is the last OFDM symbol of the leading slot in each of subframe # 0 and subframe # 5 in the time axis direction, and in the frequency axis direction. , 6 resource block widths (72 subcarriers) are arranged at the center of the DL frame bandwidth. The P-SCH is information for the terminal device to identify each of a plurality (three) sectors obtained by dividing the cell of the base station device, and three patterns are defined.
S-SCH is arranged with a single symbol width at the position of symbol # 5, which is the second OFDM symbol from the end of the first slot in each of subframe # 0 and subframe # 5, in the time axis direction. In the axial direction, 6 resource block widths (72 subcarriers) are arranged at the center of the DL frame bandwidth. This S-SCH is information for the terminal device to identify each of communication areas (cells) of a plurality of base station devices, and 168 patterns are defined.

P-SCH and S-SCH define 504 types (168 × 3) of patterns by combining with each other. The terminal apparatus can recognize in which sector of which base station apparatus the terminal is present by acquiring the P-SCH and S-SCH transmitted from the base station apparatus.
A plurality of patterns that can be taken by P-SCH and S-SCH are predetermined in the communication standard and are known in each base station apparatus and each terminal apparatus. That is, P-SCH and S-SCH are known signals that can take a plurality of patterns, respectively.

  P-SCH and S-SCH may be used as signals for synchronization between base stations that synchronize communication timing and / or frequency between base station apparatuses, in addition to the case where terminal apparatuses synchronize with base station apparatuses. Used.

Resource blocks in other areas to which the above-described channels are not allocated are used as the above-described downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for storing user data and the like. The PDSCH is an area shared and used by a plurality of terminal devices, and stores user data, control information for each terminal device, and the like.
As the control information to be stored, the above-described SIB1 can be cited. SIB1 includes, for example, information related to information allocation positions such as SIB2 that is a flag indicating whether the currently connected BS1 is a macro or a femto, and SIB9 that indicates downlink transmission power of the BS1. Yes.
The allocation of user data stored in the PDSCH is notified to the terminal device by downlink allocation information regarding downlink radio resource allocation stored in the PDCCH allocated at the head of each subframe. This downlink allocation information is information indicating radio resource allocation for each PDSCH, and the terminal apparatus can determine whether or not data for itself is stored in the subframe based on this downlink allocation information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of the UL frame. In the figure, the vertical axis direction represents frequency, and the horizontal axis direction represents time.
The structure of the UL frame is basically the same as that of the DL frame, and each subframe is composed of two slots (for example, slots # 0 and # 1), and one slot has seven (# 0 to # 6) OFDM symbols.
The same applies to a resource block (RB) as a basic unit area in data transmission, and is defined by 12 subcarriers in the frequency axis direction and 7 OFDM symbols (1 slot) in the time axis direction.

  A physical random access channel (PRACH) used for communication for the first access before the terminal apparatus connects to the base station apparatus is assigned to the UL frame. The PRACH has a frequency bandwidth of 6 resource blocks (72 subcarriers), and the allocation is notified to the terminal device by the PBCH (broadcast channel) of the DL frame.

An uplink control channel (PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel) is allocated to both ends of each subframe in the frequency axis direction. The PUCCH is used for transmission of information on HARQ ACK and NACK for PDSCH, information on downlink CQI, and the like. The allocation of the PUCCH is notified to the terminal device by the PBCH of the DL frame.
Also, a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for measuring the CQI of the uplink signal of the terminal apparatus is assigned to the last symbol of each subframe.

Resource blocks in other areas to which the above-described channels are not allocated are used as the above-described uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for storing user data and the like. The PUSCH is an area shared and used by a plurality of terminal apparatuses, and stores control information and the like in addition to user data.
The user data allocation for the PUSCH is notified to the terminal apparatus by uplink allocation information related to uplink radio resource allocation stored in the PDCCH of the DL frame. The uplink allocation information is information indicating radio resource allocation for each PUSCH, and the terminal apparatus can recognize the PUSCH used for its own transmission by this uplink allocation information.

[3. Configuration of base station apparatus]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the femto BS 1b in FIG. Here, the configuration of the femto BS 1b will be described, but the configuration of the macro BS 1a is also substantially the same as that of the femto BS 1b.
The femto BS 1b provides to other base station apparatuses and the like in addition to the signal processing of the transmission / reception signal exchanged between the antenna 3, the transmission / reception unit (RF unit) 4 to which the antenna 3 is connected, and the RF unit 4. And a signal processing unit 5 that performs processing for suppressing interference.

[3.1 RF section]
The RF unit 4 includes an upstream signal reception unit 11, a downstream signal reception unit 12, and a transmission unit 13. The uplink signal receiving unit 11 is for receiving an uplink signal from the MS 2, and the downlink signal receiving unit 12 is for receiving a downlink signal from another macro BS 1a or another femto BS 1b. The transmission unit 13 is for transmitting a downlink signal to the MS 2.

In addition, the RF unit 4 includes a circulator 14. The circulator 14 is for giving a reception signal from the antenna 3 to the upstream signal reception unit 11 and the downstream signal reception unit 12 side, and giving a transmission signal output from the transmission unit 13 to the antenna 3 side. The filters included in the circulator 14 and the transmission unit 13 prevent the reception signal from the antenna 3 from being transmitted to the transmission unit 13 side.
Further, the filter included in the circulator 14 and the upstream signal receiving unit 11 prevents the transmission signal output from the transmitting unit 13 from being transmitted to the upstream receiving unit 11 side. Further, the filters included in the circulator 14 and the upstream signal receiving unit 12 prevent the transmission signal output from the transmitting unit 13 from being transmitted to the upstream signal receiving unit 12 side.

  The upstream signal receiving unit 11 includes a filter that allows only the upstream signal frequency band to pass, an amplifier, an A / D converter, and the like, acquires an upstream signal from the MS 2 from the reception signal received by the antenna 3, Is converted into a digital signal and output to the signal processing unit 5. As described above, the uplink signal receiving unit 11 is a receiving unit configured in conformity with reception of the uplink signal from the MS 2, and is a receiving unit that is essentially necessary as a base station apparatus.

  The transmission unit 13 includes a D / A converter, a filter, an amplifier, and the like. The transmission unit 13 receives a transmission signal output as a digital signal from the signal processing unit 5, converts it into an analog signal, amplifies it, and amplifies it from the antenna 3. It has a function of transmitting as a downlink signal.

The upstream signal receiving unit 11 and the transmitting unit 13 described above are functions necessary for performing original communication with the MS 2, but the femto BS 1 b of the present embodiment further includes the downstream signal receiving unit 12. Yes. This downlink signal receiving unit 12 is for receiving a downlink signal transmitted by another BS1 (other base station apparatus) other than itself.
In the present embodiment, the downlink signal of another BS 1 received by the downlink signal receiving unit 12 is used for synchronization processing between base stations, acquisition of allocation information, and the like.

  Since the frequency band of the downlink signal transmitted by another BS1 is different from the frequency band of the uplink signal, in a normal base station apparatus including only the uplink signal processing unit 11, the downlink signal transmitted by the other base station apparatus is transmitted. Cannot receive.

  That is, in the FDD scheme, unlike the TDD scheme, an uplink signal and a downlink signal having different frequency bands simultaneously exist on the transmission path, so the uplink signal receiving unit 11 passes only the signal in the uplink signal frequency band and transmits the downlink signal frequency. Designed to block the signal. For this reason, the upstream signal receiver 11 cannot receive signals of other frequencies (particularly downstream signals).

Therefore, the RF unit 4 of the present embodiment includes a downlink signal receiving unit 12 for receiving the downlink signal transmitted by another BS 1, in addition to the uplink signal receiving unit 11.
The downlink signal receiving unit 12 includes a filter, an amplifier, an A / D conversion unit, and the like that pass only the frequency band of the downlink signal from the other BS1, and from other BS1 than the received signal received by the antenna 3. Are received, amplified, converted into a digital signal, and output.
The downlink reception signal output from the downlink signal reception unit 12 is provided to a synchronization control unit 15, a second demodulation unit 16, and a path loss value acquisition unit 17 described later included in the signal processing unit 5.

[3.2 Signal Processing Unit]
The signal processing unit 5 has a function for performing signal processing of transmission / reception signals transmitted / received between the upper layer of the signal processing unit 5 and the RF unit 4, and is provided from the upstream signal receiving unit 11. A first demodulator 18 that demodulates the received uplink signal as uplink received data and outputs the demodulated signal to the upper layer; and a modulator 19 that modulates various transmission data provided from the upper layer.
The modulation unit 19 modulates the transmission data given from the upper layer by a predetermined method for each predetermined data unit based on a command from a scheduler (not shown) and the modulated data for each resource block unit. It has a function of assigning DL frames and generating its own downlink transmission signal.
Further, when the modulation unit 19 generates its own downlink transmission signal, the uplink transmission power control information for causing the terminal device connected to the modulation unit 19 to adjust the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal to the PDCCH of its own downlink transmission signal. It has the function of adjusting the transmission power of the said terminal device by storing and transmitting to the said terminal device.

  Furthermore, the modulation unit 19 has a function of setting the transmission power of the own downlink transmission signal and the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of the terminal device connected to the modulation unit 19 for each resource block, and an output control unit 20 described later. The transmission power of the own downlink transmission signal is adjusted for each resource block based on the downlink transmission power control information output from the. Similarly, the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of the terminal apparatus causes the terminal apparatus to adjust the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal for each resource block according to the uplink transmission power control information transmitted to the terminal apparatus.

Correction units 21 and 22 are arranged between the first demodulation unit 18 and the upstream signal reception unit 11 and between the modulation unit 19 and the transmission unit 13, respectively. The correction units 21 and 22 have a function of adjusting the frame timing and subcarrier frequency for the uplink reception signal received by the uplink signal reception unit 11 and the radio frame of its own downlink transmission signal. These correction units 21 and 22 are controlled by the synchronization control unit 15.
The synchronization control unit 15 has a function of acquiring a downlink reception signal output by the downlink signal reception unit 12 and performing a synchronization process (air synchronization) for synchronizing its own radio frame with other BS1 radio frames. Yes.

  Specifically, the synchronization control unit 15 uses the P-SCH and S-SCH included in the acquired downlink reception signal from the other BS1, and uses the timing error of its own frame timing with respect to the frame timing of the other BS1. And the frequency error of the own subcarrier with respect to the frequency of the subcarrier of other BS1 can be calculated | required. Further, the synchronization control unit 15 controls the correction units 21 and 22, and based on each error described above, the frame timing and subcarrier for the own downlink transmission signal and the uplink reception signal received by the uplink signal reception unit 11 Can be synchronized to correct the other frequency to match that of the other BS1.

Here, the other BS1 that is the synchronization source may be one that takes air synchronization with another BS1, or a method other than air synchronization, such as autonomously determining the frame timing by a GPS signal. May determine the frame timing.
However, the macro BS 1a can use another macro BS 1a as a synchronization source, but cannot use the femto BS 1b as a synchronization source. The femto BS 1b can use the macro BS 1a as a synchronization source, and can also use another femto BS 1b as a synchronization source.

The signal processing unit 5 further includes a second demodulation unit 16, a path loss value acquisition unit 17, a control information acquisition unit 23, and a determination unit 24.
The second demodulator 16 demodulates the downlink received signal of the other BS 1 given from the downlink signal receiver 12, and outputs the downlink received data obtained by the demodulation to the control information acquisition unit 23. The second demodulator 16 is provided with the received signal after the synchronization processing is performed by the synchronization controller 15. For this reason, since the second demodulator 16 is provided with a signal that coincides with its own operation timing, it can perform demodulation processing.

The control information acquisition unit 23 acquires necessary control information from various information included in the downlink reception data, and outputs the acquired control information to the path loss value acquisition unit 17, the determination unit 24, and the output control unit 20. To do.
The control information acquisition unit 23 decodes the PDCCH of the downlink reception data given from the second demodulation unit 16, and other BS1 stored in the PDCCH is connected to the other BS1 as control information given to the output control unit 20 Downlink allocation information and uplink allocation information for notifying MS2 (hereinafter also referred to as other MS2) to be acquired. Then, the downlink allocation information and the uplink allocation information are output to the output control unit 20 as information indicating the allocation status of radio resources allocated by the other BS 1 to the other MS 2.

The path loss value acquisition unit 17 acquires the path loss value of the downlink reception signal based on the control information given from the control information acquisition unit 23 and the downlink reception signal given from the downlink signal reception unit 12.
Based on the control information provided from the control information acquisition unit 23, the determination unit 24 determines whether another BS1 that is a transmission source of the downlink reception signal is a femto BS or a macro BS, and the determination result Is output to the output control unit 20.
The output control unit 20 determines the transmission power of its own downlink transmission signal from the downlink allocation information from the control information acquisition unit 23, the uplink allocation information, the path loss value of the downlink signal from other BS1, and the determination result of the determination unit 24. And the transmission power control information for adjusting the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of the MS 2 connected to itself (hereinafter also referred to as the self MS 2) is generated and output to the modulation unit 19.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the output control unit 20. In the figure, the output control unit 20 includes an interference amount estimation unit 20a that estimates the amount of interference that the MS 2 can give to another BS 1 from the path loss value, the estimated interference amount, the downlink allocation information, the uplink allocation information, And based on the determination result of the determination unit 24, the upper limit value setting unit 20b for setting the upper limit value of the transmission power for the own downlink transmission signal and the uplink transmission signal of the own MS2, respectively, Within the range of the upper limit value, a control unit 20c is provided that causes the modulation unit 19 to perform processing related to adjustment of the transmission power of both transmission signals.

[4. Configuration of terminal device]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MS 2 in FIG. The macro MS 2a and the femto MS 2b are different depending on whether the connection destination is the macro BS 1a or the femto BS 1b, and the configurations thereof are the same.
The MS 2 includes an antenna 41, a transmission / reception unit 42 that transmits and receives a downlink signal from the BS 1 connected to the antenna 41, and an uplink signal to be transmitted, and an input / output unit for inputting and outputting transmission / reception data. An output unit 43 and a control unit 44 that controls the transmission / reception unit 42 and the input / output unit 43 and performs processing necessary for communication with the BS 1 such as modulation / demodulation are provided.
The control unit 44 has a function of receiving various control information included in the downlink signal from the BS 1 to which the control unit 44 is connected, and performing communication with the BS 1 according to the control information. As the control information, uplink assignment information indicating a frequency band assigned to the uplink signal of the MS 2, information on transmission power, and information on a modulation scheme are given from BS1.
That is, the BS 1 performs control related to the uplink signal of the MS 2 by transmitting various control information to the MS 2 connected to the BS 1.

In the wireless communication system, the femto BS 1b is installed in the macro cell MC formed by the macro BS 1a after the macro BS 1a is installed, and the femto cell FC is formed in the macro cell MC. Therefore, the femto BS 1b may interfere with the macro MS 2a that communicates with the macro BS 1a by the downlink signal transmitted by the femto BS 1b. Further, the femto MS 2b that communicates with the femto BS 1b may interfere with the macro BS 1a due to an uplink signal transmitted by the femto MS 2b.
Further, the femto BS 1b may interfere with another femto MS 2b that communicates with another femto BS 1b arranged in the vicinity by a downlink signal transmitted by the femto BS 1b. Further, the femto MS 2b that communicates with the femto BS 1b may interfere with another femto BS 1b by an uplink signal transmitted by the femto MS 2b.
On the other hand, the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment transmits the above interference to the transmission power of its own (own device) downlink transmission signal and / or the transmission power of the upstream transmission signal of the femto MS 2b that connects itself (own device). Even if there are various cases in which there is a possibility of causing the interference as described above, it has a function of effectively suppressing the interference. Hereinafter, this function will be described in detail.

[5. (Function to suppress interference)
The femto BS 1b of this embodiment has a different interference suppression method depending on whether the other BS 1 is a femto BS 1b or a macro BS 1a. Accordingly, the femto BS 1b first determines whether the other BS 1 is the macro BS 1a or the femto BS 1b. Hereinafter, the determination method will be described.

[5.1 Method for Determining whether Other BS is Macro BS or Femto BS]
As described above, the femto BS 1b receives the downlink signal of the other BS 1 received by the downlink signal receiving unit 12, and transmits the other BS 1 to the other MS 2 from the downlink reception data obtained by demodulating. It has a function to acquire control information.
First, the synchronization control unit 15 of the femto BS 1b performs a search (neighbor cell search) based on the downlink signal received by the downlink signal reception unit 12 to determine whether another BS 1 exists in the vicinity. When the downlink signal of another BS1 is acquired by the neighbor cell search, the synchronization control unit 15 performs synchronization processing using the downlink signal (downlink received signal) of this other BS1.

Next, the femto BS 1b performs the above-described synchronization process, acquires the downlink reception signal of another BS 1 again, and causes the second demodulation unit 16 to demodulate. Downlink reception data obtained by demodulating the downlink reception signal is provided to the control information acquisition unit 23. The control information acquisition unit 23 refers to the MIB included in the PBCH in the frame in the demodulated data, and acquires information regarding the allocation position of the SIB1 stored in the PBSCH. Furthermore, the control information acquisition unit 23 acquires SIB1 from the acquired information, and acquires information related to the allocated positions of SIB2 and SIB9 included in SIB1. As a result, the control information acquisition unit 23 acquires SIB2 and SIB9 from the demodulated data.
The control information acquisition unit 23 outputs the acquired control information SIB2 to the determination unit 24, and also outputs the control information SIB9 to the path loss value acquisition unit 17.

The SIB2 is a flag indicating whether the BS1 is a macro or a femto as described above, and the determination unit 24 refers to the SIB2 given from the control information acquisition unit 23, so that another BS1 is a macro BS1a. Or femto BS1b.
SIB9 is information indicating the downlink transmission power of BS1 as described above. Here, the transmission power of BS1 is set larger in macro BS1a that forms a wide range of macrocells MC than in femtoBS1b that forms a relatively narrow range of femtocells FC. The above determination can also be made by obtaining and referring to the control information obtaining unit 23.

[5.2 Method of Acquiring Path Loss Value of Downlink Received Signal from Other BS]
As will be described later, the path loss value acquisition unit 17 of the femto BS 1b according to the present embodiment estimates the amount of interference caused by the uplink transmission signal of the own femto MS 2b with respect to the other BS 1, and thus the femto BS 1b that is the own femto BS 1b. The path loss value of the downlink signal from the other BS1 is acquired.
Below, the method to acquire the path loss value of the downlink signal from other BS1 received by the path loss value acquisition part 17 is demonstrated.

  As described above, the path loss value acquisition unit 17 of the femto BS 1b performs the downlink reception signal based on the SIB9 that is control information provided from the control information acquisition unit 23 and the downlink reception signal provided from the downlink signal reception unit 12. Get the path loss value.

  Specifically, the path loss value acquisition unit 17 obtains, as a path loss value, a channel gain between a downlink signal transmitted by another BS and a received signal when the femto BS 1b that is itself receives the downlink signal.

  The path loss value acquisition unit 17 uses reference signals, which are known signals that are arranged at a predetermined position among a plurality of symbols constituting a radio frame as downlink signals transmitted by other BSs.

The channel gain is obtained as follows. The power of the received signal is represented by the following formula (1). In the following formula, the unit of each value is “dBm”.
Received signal power Y (n) = H × X (n) + Z (n) (1)

In the above equation (1), X (n) is power at the time of transmission of a downlink signal (reference signal) transmitted by another BS1, Z is thermal noise or interference power from another base station apparatus, and H is transmission. It shows the path characteristics, that is, the channel gain.
Here, the average value of | Y (n) × conj (X (n)) | is expressed as the following formula (2) by using the above formula (1).
E [| Y (n) × conj (X (n)) |] =
H × E [| X (n) | ² ] + E [| Z (n) × conj (X (n)) |]
= H × E [| X (n) | ² ] (2)

From the above equation (2), the transmission path characteristic H is expressed as the following equation (3).
H = E [| Y (n) X (n) ^H |] / E [| X (n) X (n) ^H |] (3)
(X (n) ^H is the complex conjugate transpose of X (n))

The power Y (n) of the received signal can be obtained from the downlink received signal received by itself, and the power X (n) at the time of transmission of the downlink signal (reference signal) transmitted by the other BS 1 It can be obtained from SIB9 which is information indicating the downlink transmission power of BS1.
As described above, the path loss value acquisition unit 17 acquires the path loss value by obtaining the channel gain H.

[5.3 Suppression of interference caused by downlink transmission signal of femto BS]
Next, transmission power control processing performed by the output control unit 20 in order to suppress interference that the downlink transmission signal of the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment gives to other MSs 2 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the transmission power of the downlink transmission signal performed by the output control unit 20.
When the output control unit 20 first acquires the path loss value from the path loss value acquisition unit 17, the determination result from the determination unit 24, and the downlink allocation information from the control information acquisition unit 23 (step S101), the output control unit 20 obtains the downlink allocation information. Referring to the resource block assigned to the other MS 2 on the downlink side is specified (step S102).
Next, the output control unit 20 determines whether the other BS1 is the femto BS1b from the determination result (step S103).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship of interference in communication between the macro BS 1a and the macro MS 2a and communication between the femto BS 1b and the femto MS 2b in FIG. In FIG. 9, for the femto BS 1b and the femto MS 2b, the FBS # 1 in FIG. 1 and the FBS # 1 connected thereto are shown.
FIG. 9 shows a case where the femto BS 1b receives the downlink signal DL1 from the macro BS 1a, and determines in step S103 that the other BS 1 is not the femto BS 1b, that is, the macro BS 1a.

  In the case of FIG. 9, the femto BS 1b transmits a downlink signal DL2 to the femto MS 2b that is its own MS 2 connected to the femto BS 1b. The downlink signal DL2 may interfere with the macro MS2a as another MS1 connected to the macro BS1a that is another BS1. This is because the downlink signal DL2 from the femto BS 1b reaches the macro MS 2a as the interference wave DL 21 depending on the position where the macro MS 2a exists.

  Here, the macro MS 2a tries to acquire information stored in the resource block allocated to the macro MS 2a based on the downlink allocation information stored in the downlink signal DL1 from the macro BS 1a. In the downlink signal DL2 of the wave DL21, that is, the femto BS 1b, if only the resource block allocated to the macro MS 2a is set to a transmission power that does not reach the macro MS 2a, the interference given to the macro MS 2a is suppressed. Can do.

  Returning to FIG. 8, when it is determined in step S103 that the other BS1 is the macro BS1a, the upper limit setting unit 20b of the output control unit 20 determines the resource block allocated to the macro MS2a that is the other MS2. A preset first upper limit value stored in advance is set for the transmission power in the allocated resource block, and stored in advance for the transmission power in the unallocated resource block not allocated to the macro MS 2a. A predetermined second upper limit value is set (step S104).

  FIG. 10A shows an example of radio resource allocation status for a part of the downlink radio frame of the macro BS 1a, and an example of setting the upper limit value of the transmission signal of the downlink radio frame of the femto BS 1b in the same area. FIG. 10B is a diagram showing an aspect of setting the upper limit value of the transmission power in the frequency direction at time T1 in FIG.

FIG. 10A shows the allocation status for each resource block and the setting of the upper limit value. In the upper diagram, the resource blocks indicated by hatching located in the frequency band f1 indicate the allocated resource blocks, and the resource blocks without hatching indicate the unallocated resource blocks. In the figure, only PDSCH is shown for easy understanding.
As shown in the figure, the output control unit 20 of the femto BS 1b sets the transmission power value Pd1 as the first upper limit value for the allocated resource block, and sets the second upper limit value for the unallocated resource block. A transmission power value Pd2 is set.
As shown in FIG. 10B, the transmission power value Pd2 of the second upper limit value is set to a value larger than the transmission power value Pd1 of the first upper limit value. The second upper limit value (the transmission power value Pd2) is set to a value necessary for forming its own femtocell FC. The first upper limit value (the transmission power value Pd1) is set to a value that does not interfere with the MS 2 located in the vicinity of the own femtocell FC.

10A illustrates the case where each allocation resource block is located in the same frequency band f1, but the same setting is also made when a plurality of allocation resource blocks are located in other frequency bands of the same timing. .
As described above, the upper limit setting unit 20b sets the upper limit for the transmission power of its own downlink transmission signal for each resource block based on the downlink allocation information.

  Returning to FIG. 8, after setting the upper limit value of the transmission power as described above, the control unit 20c of the output control unit 20 causes the modulation unit 19 to transmit the downlink transmission signal within the range of the set upper limit value. The transmission power is adjusted for each resource block (step S105), and the process ends.

  In this case, the output control unit 20 adjusts the transmission power of the allocated resource block within the range of the first upper limit value that is a value that does not interfere with the MS 2 located in the vicinity of the own femtocell FC. Therefore, the interference which the downlink transmission signal of femto BS1b gives to macro MS2a can be suppressed.

FIG. 11 shows communication between the femto BS 1a (FBS # 1) and the femto MS 2a (FMS # 1) in FIG. 1, the femto BS 1b (FBS # 2) as the other BS 1, and the femto MS 2b ( It is a figure which shows the relationship of the interference in each communication between FMS # 2).
In FIG. 11, when the femto BS 1b (FBS # 1) that is itself receives the downlink signal DL3 from the femto BS 1b (FBS # 2), it is determined in step S103 that the other BS 1 is the femto BS 1b. Shows the case.
In the description below with reference to FIG. 11, the femto BS 1b (FBS # 1) that is itself is simply FBS # 1, the femto MS2a (FMS # 1) that is connected to the FBS # 1 is simply FMS # 1, and the other femto BS1b (FBS # 2) is simply referred to as FBS # 2, and femto MS2a (FMS # 2) connected to FBS # 2 is also simply referred to as FMS # 2.

  In the case of FIG. 11, FBS # 1 transmits downlink signal DL2 to FMS # 1 connected to FBS # 1. This downlink signal DL2 may interfere with FMS # 2 connected to FBS # 2. This is because the downlink signal DL2 from the FBS # 1 may reach the FMS # 2 as the interference wave DL22.

  This case is also the same as the case shown in FIG. 9, and in the interference wave DL22, that is, the downlink signal DL2 of FBS # 1, only the resource block assigned to FMS # 2 does not reach FMS # 2. If the transmission power is set to, the interference given to FMS # 2 can be suppressed.

Returning to FIG. 8, when it is determined in step S103 that the other BS1 is the femto BS1b (FBS # 2), the interference amount estimation unit 20a of the output control unit 20 transmits the own downlink transmission signal to the FBS # 2. The amount of interference given to the connected FMS # 2 is estimated (step S106).
In this case, the allocated resource block specified in step S102 is a resource block allocated to FMS # 2.

  Here, since FMS # 2 exists in femtocell FC, which is a relatively narrow area formed by FBS # 2, these FMS # 2 and FBS # 2 exist at substantially the same position as viewed from FBS # 1. Assuming that, the path loss value for FBS # 1 of downlink signal DL3 from FBS # 2 can be estimated as the path loss value for FBS # 2 of interference wave DL22 (downlink signal DL2) from FBS # 1. Furthermore, since the path loss value is a propagation loss according to the mutual distance, it can be estimated how much power the interference wave has reached the interfered side from its current transmission power. For this reason, the amount of interference can be estimated from the estimated path loss value.

As described above, based on the path loss value of the downlink signal from the FBS # 2 for the FBS # 1 given from the pathloss value acquisition unit 17, the interference amount estimation unit 20a receives from the FBS # 1 given to the FMS # 2. Estimate the amount of downlink signal interference.
The amount of interference can be expressed by the following formula (4). In the following formula, the unit of each value is “dBm”.
Amount of interference = Pt−L (4)
However, Pt is a transmission power value and L is a path loss value.

When the interference amount is obtained in step S106, the upper limit value setting unit 20b obtains a first upper limit value to be set for the transmission power in the allocated resource block based on the interference amount (step S107).
The first upper limit value is obtained by setting a predetermined offset value Po to a transmission power value Pt that is a value (interference allowance value) at which it can be determined that the amount of interference does not affect the interfered side in Equation (4). Use the added value. That is, the transmission power value Pd3 as the first upper limit value is represented by the following equation (5). In the following formula, the unit of each value is “dBm”.
Transmission power value Pd3 = interference allowance value + L + Po (5)

  The offset value Po is a value that is added only when the other BS1 is the femto BS1b, and is set to be relatively larger than the transmission power value when the other BS1 is the macro BS1a, as will be described later. It is a value for.

  Next, the upper limit setting unit 20b sets a first upper limit obtained from the amount of interference for the transmission power in the allocated resource block, which is a resource block allocated to FMS # 2, and is allocated to the macro MS 2a. The second upper limit value is set for the transmission power in the unallocated resource block (step S108).

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an aspect of setting an upper limit value of transmission power in the frequency direction. In FIG. 12, the frequency band f2 indicates a portion corresponding to the allocated resource block, and the other portion corresponds to the unallocated resource block.
In principle, the transmission power value Pd3 of the first upper limit value of transmission power set in the allocated resource block is obtained based on the above formula (5), and, as shown in FIG. It is set to a value larger than the transmission power value Pd1 of the first upper limit value and smaller than the transmission power value Pd2 of the second upper limit value when determined as the macro BS1a.

For this reason, in the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment, the interference suppression effect for the macro MS 2a is set to be relatively larger than the interference suppression effect for the FMS # 2.
In general, it is preferable that the femto BS 1b is set to perform communication by giving priority to communication by the macro BS 1a forming the macro cell MC. This is because the communication performed by the macro BS 1a forming the macro cell which is a wide communication area is highly public.

In contrast, the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment includes a determination unit 24 that determines whether or not another BS 1 is a femto BS 1b, and the output control unit 20 sets the allocation resource block as described above. Since the first upper limit value to be set is set according to the determination result of the determination unit 24, the first upper limit value can be preferably set according to whether or not the other BS1 is the macro BS1a.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the interference suppression effect for the macro MS 2a is set to be relatively larger than the interference suppression effect for the FMS # 2, so that the macro is more effective than the communication using the FBS # 2. It can be set to increase the priority for communication by the BS 1a.

  As described above, the upper limit value setting unit 20b sets the upper limit value related to the transmission power of its own downlink transmission signal for each resource block based on the downlink allocation information (step S108), and then the output control unit The 20 control units 20c cause the modulation unit 19 to adjust the transmission power of the downlink transmission signal for each resource block within the range of the set upper limit value (step S105), and the process ends.

[5.4 Suppression of interference by uplink transmission signal of femto MS]
Next, processing performed by the output control unit 20 of the femto BS 1b according to the present embodiment in order to suppress interference that the uplink transmission signal of the femto MS 2b gives to other BSs will be described.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of the femto MS 2b performed by the output control unit 20.
First, when the output control unit 20 acquires a path loss value, a determination result, and uplink allocation information (step S201), the output control unit 20 refers to the uplink allocation information to determine an allocation resource block allocated to another MS 2 on the uplink side. Specify (step S202).

  Next, the interference amount estimation unit 20a of the output control unit 20 estimates the amount of interference that the uplink transmission signal of its own femto MS2b gives to the other BS1 (step S203).

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the own femto MS2b (FMS # 1) exists in the femtocell FC that is a relatively narrow area formed by the femto BS1b (FBS # 1). Therefore, if it is considered that the femto MS2b (FMS # 1) and the femto BS1b (FBS # 1) exist at substantially the same position as seen from the other BS1, the macro BS1a (FBS # 2), the macro BS1a (FBS # 2) ), The path loss value for the femto BS1b (FBS # 1) of the downlink signal DL1 (DL3) from the macro BS1a (FBS # 2) of the interference wave UL21 (UL22) (uplink signal UL2) from the femto MS2b (FMS # 1). It is possible to estimate the path loss value for. As described above, since the path loss value is a propagation loss according to the distance between each other, it can be estimated how much power the interference wave has reached the interfered side from its current transmission power. For this reason, the amount of interference can be estimated from the estimated path loss value.

Furthermore, in the case shown in FIG. 9, since the distance between the macro BS 1a and the femto BS 1b and the femto MS 2b is relatively larger than the distance between the femto BS 1b and the femto MS 2b, the estimation should be performed with higher accuracy. Can do.
As described above, the interference amount estimation unit 20a provides its own femto to other BS1 based on the path loss value of the downlink signal from the other BS1 with respect to its own femto BS1b given from the pathloss value acquisition unit 17. The amount of uplink signal interference from the MS 2b is estimated.

When the interference amount is obtained in step S203, the upper limit setting unit 20b determines from the determination result whether another BS1 is a femto BS1b (step S204).
When it is determined that the other BS1 is not the femto BS1b (macro BS1a) (in the case of FIG. 9), the upper limit value setting unit 20b of the output control unit 20 determines the allocation resource block based on the interference amount obtained in step S203. A transmission power value Pu1 is obtained as a first upper limit value set for the transmission power (step S205).

  On the other hand, when determining that the other BS1 is the femto BS1b (in the case of FIG. 11), the upper limit setting unit 20b sets the first upper limit to be set for the transmission power in the allocated resource block based on the amount of interference. A transmission power value Pu3 is obtained (step S206).

The transmission power value Pu3 is obtained in the same manner as the above equation (5). The transmission power value Pu1 is set to a value obtained by subtracting the offset value Po added to the transmission power value Pu3. That is, the transmission power values Pu1 and Pu3 are expressed as the following formulas (6) and (7). In the following formula, the unit of each value is “dBm”.
Transmission power value Pu1 = interference allowable value + L (6)
Transmission power value Pu3 = interference allowable value + L + Po (7)

  The offset value Po is a value that is added only when the other BS1 is a femto BS1b, and is a value that is set to be relatively larger than the transmission power value when the other BS1 is a macro BS1a. . That is, when the other BS1 is the femto MS 2b, the upper limit value setting unit 20b obtains the transmission power value Pu1 based on the interference amount, and then adds the offset value Po, thereby transmitting as the first upper limit value. The power value Pu3 is obtained.

  After obtaining the first upper limit value in step S205 or step S206, the upper limit value setting unit 20b sets the first upper limit value obtained in the above step for the transmission power in the assigned resource block, and assigns it to the macro MS 2a. A transmission power value Pu2 is set as the second upper limit value stored in advance for the transmission power in the unallocated resource block that has not been assigned (step S207).

  FIG. 14 shows an example of the allocation status of radio resources allocated to the macro MS 2b in the uplink radio frame between the macro BS 1a and the macro MS 2a when the other BS 1 is the macro BS 1a, and the same as this uplink frame. It is the figure which showed an example of the setting of the upper limit of the transmission signal of the uplink radio frame between femto BS1b and femto MS2b in an area | region. In the figure, only the PUSCH is shown for easy understanding.

FIG. 14 shows the allocation status for each radio frame and the setting of the upper limit value. Further, in the upper diagram, the hatched area located in the frequency band f3 indicates a portion configured by the allocated resource block, and the non-hatched area indicates a section configured by the unallocated resource block. Is shown.
As shown in the figure, the output control unit 20 of the femto BS 1b sets a first upper limit value (transmission power value Pu1 or Pu3) for an area configured with allocated resource blocks, and is configured with unallocated resource blocks. The second upper limit value (transmission power value Pu2) is set for the part that has been set.

The transmission power value Pu2 of the second upper limit value is set to a value that is necessary and sufficient for the uplink transmission signal of the femto MS 2b to which this area is assigned to perform wireless communication with the connected femto BS 1b.
In principle, the transmission power values Pu1 and Pu3 are determined by the above formulas (6) and (7), but are set to be smaller than the transmission power value Pu2.

  Even in this case, the output control unit 20 determines whether the first upper limit value is the transmission power value Pu1 or the transmission power value Pu3 set to a value larger than Pu1 based on the determination result of the determination unit 24. Therefore, the priority is set to be higher for the communication by the macro BS 1a than for the communication by the FBS # 2.

  As described above, the upper limit setting unit 20b sets the upper limit for the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal of the femto MS 2b that is its own MS 2 for each resource block based on the uplink allocation information, the determination result, and the path loss value. To do.

Returning to FIG. 13, as described above, after setting the upper limit value related to the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal, the control unit 20 c of the output control unit 20 causes the modulation unit 19 to within the range of the set upper limit value. The transmission power of the uplink transmission signal is adjusted for each resource block (step S208), and the process ends.
That is, the output control unit 20 generates control information for controlling the transmission output of the uplink transmission signal including the set upper limit value and the like, and gives this to the modulation unit 19. The modulation unit 19 stores the control information in the downlink transmission signal and gives it to the own femto MS 2b, and causes the femto MS 2b to adjust the transmission power of the uplink transmission signal for each resource block based on the control information.

  According to the femto BS1b of the present embodiment configured as described above, the output control unit 20 is based on allocation information that is information indicating an allocation status for each resource block for radio resources allocated to other MS2. Since the transmission power of the self and its own femto MS2b is controlled for each resource block so as not to interfere with other MS2 and other BS1, interference is individually performed only for the transmission power of the necessary resource block. It can be controlled to suppress. That is, the output control unit 20 can perform interference control that individually suppresses interference with other MSs 2 and / or other BSs 1 by individually controlling only the transmission power of necessary resource blocks. As a result, interference can be more effectively suppressed according to various situations.

  Further, in the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment, the output control unit 20 assigns the allocation resource block that may cause interference between the other BS 1 and the other MS 2 by being assigned to the other MS 2. Since the first upper limit value is set so as to control the transmission power within a range that does not cause interference with respect to the transmission power of the specified allocation resource block that is specified based on the information, the interference can be effectively suppressed. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the output control unit 20 controls the transmission power of unallocated resource blocks that are resource blocks other than the specified allocated resource block by setting a second upper limit value that is larger than the first upper limit value. Therefore, the transmission power of the own or own femto MS 2b in the allocated resource block is adjusted in the range of the first upper limit value that is smaller than the second upper limit value, and is relative to the transmission power of the unallocated resource block. Is set small. As a result, for unallocated resource blocks with a low risk of interference, the communication quality can be maintained by maintaining a relatively large transmission power, and for the allocated resource blocks, interference can be suppressed by keeping the transmission power value low.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the output control unit 20 of the femto BS 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that the signal processing unit 5 includes a position information acquisition unit 30 that acquires position information of each BS 1 and each MS 2. About another point, it is the same as that of 1st embodiment.

  The femto MS 2b of the present embodiment indicates the amount of interference that its own MS 2 can give to other BSs 1, the path loss value from the path loss value acquisition unit 17, and the location information of each BS 1 and each MS 2 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 30. Estimate using.

  The position information acquisition unit 30 acquires the position information of the position where the self is installed from the upper layer, the position information of the own femto MS 2b, the position information of the other BS1, and the position information of the other MS 2 The position information is output to the interference amount estimation unit 20a of the output control unit 20.

In the following, processing when the femto MS 2b which is the self when the other BS 1 is the macro BS 1a (in the case of FIG. 9) suppresses interference given to the macro BS 1a which is another MS 2 will be described.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing after the output control unit 20 of this embodiment determines that another BS1 is the macro BS1a in step S103 in the flowchart in FIG. In the present embodiment, portions other than the processing shown in FIG. 16 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the figure, when it is determined in step S103 that the other BS1 is not the femto BS1b (macro BS1a), the interference amount estimation unit 20a of the output control unit 20 determines that the position information acquired from the position information acquisition unit 30 The position information of the femto BS 1b, the position information of the macro BS 1a, and the position information of the macro MS 2a that is the other MS 2 are acquired. Next, the interference amount estimation unit 20a calculates a distance R1 between the femto BS 1b and the macro MS 2a and a distance R2 between the macro BS 1a and the macro MS 2a (step S301).

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the femto BS 1b, the macro MS 2a, and the macro BS 1a.
As shown in the figure, if the distance R2 between the macro BS 1a and the macro MS 2a is sufficiently smaller than the distance R1 between the femto BS 1b and the macro MS 2a, the macro BS 1a and the macro MS 2a exist at the same position as viewed from the femto BS 1b. Thus, the distance R1 can be regarded as substantially the same as the distance R3 between the femto BS 1b and the macro BS 1a. As a result, the amount of interference can be estimated using the path loss value between the femto BS 1b and the macro BS 1a acquired by the path loss value acquisition unit 17.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the interference amount estimation unit 20 determines whether or not the distance R2 is sufficiently smaller than the distance R1 (step S302). As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the distance R2 is sufficiently smaller than the distance R1, the interference amount estimation unit 20a determines the path loss value of the downlink signal from the macro BS 1a to the femto BS 1b, which is given from the path loss value acquisition unit 17. Based on this, the interference amount of the downlink signal from the femto BS 1b given to the macro MS 2a is estimated (step S303).

When the interference amount is obtained in step S303, the upper limit setting unit 20b obtains a first upper limit value to be set for the transmission power in the allocated resource block based on the interference amount (step S304).
Here, transmission power value Pd4 calculated | required as a 1st upper limit is shown like following formula (8). In the following formula, the unit of each value is “dBm”.
Transmission power value Pd4 = interference allowable value + L (8)

  Accordingly, in FIG. 8, the offset power Po is set to a value smaller than the transmission power value Pd3 obtained as the first upper limit value in step S107.

  Then, the upper limit value setting unit 20b sets the first upper limit value obtained from the interference amount for the transmission power in the allocated resource block, and the predetermined second value for the transmission power in the unallocated resource block. An upper limit value (transmission power value Pd2) is set (step S305).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S302 that the distance R2 is not sufficiently smaller than the distance R1, the upper limit value setting unit 20b of the output control unit 20 is a resource block assigned to the macro MS2a that is another MS2. A predetermined first upper limit value (transmission power value Pd1) stored in advance is set for the transmission power in the allocated resource block, and the transmission power in the unallocated resource block not allocated to the macro MS2a is set. Then, a predetermined second upper limit value (transmission power value Pd2) stored in advance is set (step S306).

  When the upper limit value is set in step S305 or S306, the process proceeds to step S105. Step S105 is as described in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment, the own MS 2 can give the other BS 1 based on the path loss value from the path loss value acquisition unit 17 and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 30. Since the amount of interference is estimated, the amount of interference can be suitably estimated according to the situation determined by the positional relationship between the femto BS 1b, the macro BS 1a, and the macro MS 2a.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a femto BS 1b according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
The difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is that a measurement processing unit 31 is provided instead of the second demodulation unit 16 and the path loss value acquisition unit 17, and a position information acquisition unit 30 is provided. It is a point.

  As shown in the second embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 30 is the position information of the position where the self is installed from the upper layer, the position information of the own femto MS 2b, the position information of other BS1, etc. The position information of the MS 2 is acquired, and the acquired position information is output to the interference amount estimation unit 20 a of the output control unit 20.

The femto BS 1b of the present embodiment acquires allocation information related to radio resources allocated to other MSs 2 by measurement processing performed by the measurement processing unit 31.
Moreover, the upper limit set with respect to the transmission power of an allocation resource block and an unallocation resource block is set based on the positional information of each BS1 and each MS2 which the positional information acquisition part 30 acquires.
Hereinafter, the function of the measurement processing unit 31 will be described.

The measurement processing unit 31 has a function for performing measurement (measurement processing) of transmission conditions such as transmission power and use frequency for downlink signals from other BS1 and uplink signals from other MS2.
Specifically, the measurement processing unit 31 acquires the downlink reception signal of the other BS1 received by the downlink signal reception unit 12 and the uplink reception signal of the other MS2 received by the uplink signal reception unit 11, and receives these signals. The received signal power is obtained for each resource block.

The measurement processing unit 31 temporarily stops transmission by its own transmission unit 13 in order to acquire a downlink signal of another BS 1 necessary for performing the measurement processing.
Moreover, in order to acquire the uplink reception signal of other MS2 required for the measurement process, it may be controlled to temporarily stop the transmission of the uplink signal to its own femto MS2b. This is because the upstream signal receiving unit 11 receives both the upstream signal of its own femto MS 2 b and the upstream signal of another MS 2.
Note that the measurement process is preferably performed immediately after the synchronization process is performed, as will be described later.

When the measurement processing unit 31 acquires the downlink reception signal from the downlink signal reception unit 12, the measurement processing unit 31 obtains an average value (power average value) of received power for each resource block.
The measurement processing unit 31 extracts each part estimated to be a resource block unit in the time axis direction from the acquired downlink reception signal. Further, each part extracted is divided into parts estimated as the frequency width of the resource block, and the power of the part for each frequency is obtained as an average power value of each resource block.
When the measurement processing unit 31 obtains the power average value of each resource block, it outputs this to the control information acquisition unit 23 as measurement result information.

The measurement processing unit 31 obtains the downlink signal before demodulation from the downlink signal receiving unit 12, and obtains the power average value for each resource block from this signal. Therefore, from this signal, the portion estimated to be a resource block unit is obtained. Take out in the time axis direction. For this reason, it is necessary to recognize the frame timing of another BS1 that is the transmission source of the downlink reception signal.
Here, if the frame timing is synchronized between the other BS1 and itself, the frame timing of the other base station apparatus can be grasped from its own frame timing. It is possible to accurately estimate the unit of the resource block in and to obtain the power average value with high accuracy. For this reason, the measurement process is preferably performed immediately after the synchronization process is performed.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a result of obtaining an average power value for each resource block obtained by the measurement processing unit 31. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the resource blocks arranged in the frequency direction, and the vertical axis indicates the power average value.
As shown in the figure, in each resource block, there are a power average value that appears relatively high and a power average value that appears low, and in resource blocks where the power average value appears relatively high, user data is stored, It can be seen that other MSs 2 are assigned as radio resources.

On the other hand, since the user data for the MS 2 is not allocated to the resource block in which the power average value appears relatively low, it can be seen that this band is not allocated to another MS 2.
As described above, according to the measurement result information obtained by the measurement process, it is possible to grasp the allocation status of the radio resources allocated to the other MS 2 by the other BS 1 for each resource block.

The measurement processing unit 31 performs the measurement process on the uplink reception signal in the same manner as the above-described downlink reception signal, and outputs the result to the control information acquisition unit 23 as measurement result information.
The control information acquisition unit 23 generates downlink allocation information and uplink allocation information as information indicating the allocation status of radio resources allocated by the other BS 1 to the other MS 2 from the above measurement result information, and outputs the information. Output to the control unit 20.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the output control unit 20 of the present embodiment. In the figure, when the upper limit setting unit 20b acquires the downlink allocation information and the uplink allocation information from the control information acquisition unit 23, the upper limit value setting unit 20b is allocated to other MSs 2 on the downlink side and the uplink side with reference to these allocation information. An allocated resource block and an unallocated resource block are specified.
Further, the upper limit value setting unit 20b includes other BS1s that can be estimated as the transmission source of the downlink reception signal and the uplink reception signal received by the measurement process among the positional information of each BS1 and MS2 given from the positional information acquisition unit 30. The position information of other MS2 is acquired.
Further, the upper limit setting unit 20b also acquires position information of the femto BS 1b that is itself and the femto MS 2b that is its own MS2.
Then, the upper limit setting unit 20b obtains the distance between the femto BS 1b that is its own and the other MS 2, and the distance between its own femto MS 2b and the other BS 1.

If the distance between the self femto BS 1b and the other MS 2 and the distance between the own femto MS 2b and the other BS 1 are sufficiently secured, the possibility of causing interference between them is low. However, if the distance is relatively small, the possibility of giving interference increases.
For this reason, the upper limit setting unit 20b according to the present embodiment is configured according to the distance between its own femto BS1b and another MS2, and the distance between its own femto MS2b and another BS1. In this case, the first upper limit value set to the transmission power of the allocated resource block is set, and more specifically, the first upper limit value is set to be smaller as the distance is smaller.

The upper limit value setting unit 20b preliminarily determines the distance between its own femto BS1b and another MS2, and the distance between its own femto MS2b and another BS1, as described above. A table representing the relationship with the suitably set first upper limit value is stored, and the first upper limit value is obtained and set from the distance obtained from each position information with reference to this table. Note that the predetermined second upper limit value is set for the transmission power of the unallocated resource block.
In addition, in this embodiment, since the determination part which determines whether other BS1 which 1st embodiment has is macro BS1a or femto BS1b is not provided, it is the same 1st upper limit regardless of which other BS1 is. Set.
Based on the upper limit set as described above, the control unit 20c of the output control unit 20 controls the transmission power of itself and the femto MS 2b.

  According to the femto BS 1b of the present embodiment, there is a possibility that interference may occur due to the small distance between the femto BS 1b that is the self and the other MS 2 and the distance between the self femto MS 2b and the other BS 1. If it is high, the first upper limit value is set small, so that interference can be more effectively suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the upper limit setting unit 20b is assumed to be the transmission source of the downlink reception signal and the uplink reception signal received by the measurement process, among the location information of each BS1 and MS2 given from the location information acquisition unit 30. The location information of other BS1 and other MS2 that can be obtained is acquired, but if the location information of other BS1 and other MS2 that can be estimated as the transmission source cannot be specified, the upper limit setting unit 20b Set the upper limit.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.
In the first and second embodiments, the interference amount is estimated based on the path loss value from the other BS1 with respect to the femto BS1b that is the self. For example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to obtain the position information of each BS 1 and each MS 2 from only the position information acquisition unit 30 and estimate the interference amount from only this position information.
In this case, as described above, if the distance between the interfering side and the interfered side is relatively small, the possibility that interference will occur increases. Therefore, the distance between the interfering side and the interfered side in advance. By knowing the relationship between the transmission power and the interference amount, the interference amount given to the other MS 2 and the other BS 1 by the self and its own femto MS 2 b can be estimated based on the position information.

  Further, the femto BS 1b of each of the above embodiments includes the downlink signal receiving unit 12 in order to receive the downlink signal of the other BS1, but for example, the femto BS 1b has the configuration of the MS 2b as shown in FIG. 7 as it is. By providing, you may comprise so that it may function also as MS2, while providing the function as BS1. In this case, while the self communicates with the own femto MS 2b as the femto BS 1b, the part functioning as the MS 2 can function as the other MS 2 to communicate with the other BS 1. As a result, allocation information and the like between other BS1 and other MS2 can be acquired more easily.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the interference that the downlink signal of the own MS gives to the other MS 2 and the interference that the uplink signal of the MS 2 of the MS gives to the other BS 1 is suppressed is exemplified. It can also be configured to suppress only one of interference caused by its own downlink signal to other MS2 or interference caused by its own MS2 uplink signal to other BS1.

  Further, the position information acquisition unit 30 of the second and third embodiments is configured to acquire the position information of each BS1 and each MS2 from an upper layer. For example, each BS1 and each MS2 includes a GPS. The position information of each BS1 and each MS2 can be acquired by storing each position information in each transmission signal transmitted by these and receiving the signal by the BS1 of the present invention.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the downlink signal receiving unit 12 acquires the frame timing of other BS1 necessary for the synchronization process and the allocation information regarding the radio resource allocated to the other MS2 necessary for output control. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame timing timing information of the other BS 1, the allocation information, and the like can be obtained via a wired line such as a LAN. In this case, the downlink signal receiving unit 12 for receiving the downlink signal of the other BS1 is not necessary, and a simpler configuration can be achieved.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the meanings described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base station apparatus 1a Macro base station apparatus 1b Femto base station apparatus 12 Downstream signal receiving part 17 Path loss value acquisition part 20 Output control part 23 Control information acquisition part (acquisition part)
24 Judgment part MC Macrocell FC Femtocell

Claims (6)

A base station device that performs communication by allocating radio resources for each basic unit region for allocating radio resources to a terminal device to be connected,
An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an allocation status for each basic unit area for radio resources allocated to other terminal apparatuses that communicate with other base station apparatuses;
A control unit that controls transmission power of its own downlink signal and / or transmission power of its own terminal device connected to itself for each basic unit region based on the information,
The control unit specifies a basic unit area allocated to the other terminal device based on the information, and controls and sets a first upper limit value for transmission power of the specified basic unit area,
The control unit further sets a first upper limit value for the transmission power of the own downlink signal according to the amount of interference that the own downlink signal gives to the other terminal device,
The other base station apparatus is a base station apparatus forming a femtocell,
The base station apparatus characterized in that the control unit estimates an interference amount of its own downlink signal to the other terminal apparatus based on a path loss value with the other base station apparatus. A base station device that performs communication by allocating radio resources for each basic unit region for allocating radio resources to a terminal device to be connected,
  An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an allocation status for each basic unit area for radio resources allocated to other terminal apparatuses that communicate with other base station apparatuses;
  A control unit that controls transmission power of its own downlink signal and / or transmission power of its own terminal device connected to itself for each basic unit region based on the information,
The control unit specifies a basic unit area allocated to the other terminal device based on the information, and controls and sets a first upper limit value for transmission power of the specified basic unit area,
The control unit sets a first upper limit value for the transmission power of the uplink signal of the terminal device according to the amount of interference that the uplink signal of the terminal device gives to the other base station device,
  The self is a base station device that forms a femtocell,
  The said control part is a base station apparatus which estimates the interference amount which the uplink signal of the said terminal device gives to the said other base station apparatus based on the path loss value between the said other base station apparatuses. A receiving unit for receiving a downlink signal from the other base station device;
  The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a path loss value acquisition unit that acquires a path loss value with the other base station apparatus using a known signal included in the received downlink signal. A base station device that performs communication by allocating radio resources for each basic unit region for allocating radio resources to a terminal device to be connected,
  An acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an allocation status for each basic unit area for radio resources allocated to other terminal apparatuses that communicate with other base station apparatuses;
  A control unit that controls transmission power of its own downlink signal and / or transmission power of its own terminal device connected to itself for each basic unit region based on the information,
  The control unit specifies a basic unit area allocated to the other terminal device based on the information, and controls and sets a first upper limit value for transmission power of the specified basic unit area,
  The self-base station device that forms a femtocell, and further includes a determination unit that determines whether the other base station device is a base station device that forms a femtocell,
  The control unit is a base station apparatus that sets the first upper limit value according to a determination result of the determination unit. When the determination unit determines that the other base station device is a base station device that forms a femto cell, the control unit determines that the other base station device is not a base station device that forms a femto cell. The base station apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transmission power control is performed by setting the first upper limit value to be larger than the case where the first upper limit value is set. The said control part sets and controls the 2nd upper limit larger than said 1st upper limit about the transmission power of basic unit fields other than the specified basic unit field, and controls The base station apparatus according to any one of 5.

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