CN103458494A

CN103458494A - Method and equipment for synchronizing base stations

Info

Publication number: CN103458494A
Application number: CN2012101720585A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 谌丽; 秦飞; 傅婧
Original assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT
Current assignee: China Academy of Telecommunications Technology CATT; Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2012-05-29
Filing date: 2012-05-29
Publication date: 2013-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-29
Also published as: CN103458494B

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention discloses a method and equipment for synchronizing base stations, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method and the equipment are used for effectively synchronizing the base stations of a local IP (internet protocol) access system. The scheme includes that the method comprises setting a synchronization layer grade of a certain base station as the lowest synchronization layer grade if an effective synchronization source cannot be found by the certain base station, and determining whether the synchronization layer grade of the certain base station conflicts with a synchronization layer grade of the corresponding adjacent base station or not; resetting the synchronization layer grade of the certain base station if the synchronization layer grade of the certain base station conflicts with the synchronization layer grade of the corresponding adjacent base station, selecting the conflicting corresponding adjacent base station to be used as the synchronization source of the certain base station and synchronizing the certain base station with the synchronization source; fixing the synchronization layer grade of the certain base station as the lowest synchronization layer grade if the synchronization layer grade of the certain base station does not conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the corresponding adjacent base station and synchronizing the corresponding adjacent base station with the certain base station. According to the scheme, the method and the equipment have the advantage that the base stations can be synchronized even if the effective synchronization source cannot be found.

Description

Method and device for synchronizing base stations

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for base station synchronization.

Background

In order to meet the increasing data service demand of users, a base station local IP access system based on a Long term evolution (Long term evolution, LTE) system is developed. In the base station local IP Access system, a local wireless network is constructed, and a base station (Access Point, also called as an Access Point base station) device provides network coverage and wireless Access service for a user. Since the base station local IP access system adopts a flat network architecture, it can simply and inexpensively implement access of User Equipment (UE) to an external network, as shown in fig. 1. The architecture is based on an access network completely, a core network of an LTE system is eliminated, and a data transmission path and network complexity are simplified. This base station local IP access architecture is also referred to as LTE-Hi system.

The base station local IP access system is based on a time division synchronous code division multiple access-Long Term Evolution (TD-SCDMA Long Term Evolution, TD-LTE) technology, and meets the requirement of the TD-LTE system on synchronization between base stations. This is because in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system using the same frequency point for uplink and downlink, if the base stations are not synchronized, uplink transmission sent by a terminal in an adjacent cell will cause interference to downlink transmission and reception in the cell, and severe interference can be avoided only by strict synchronization.

Similar to the base station local IP access system, LTE Femto, i.e. LTE home base station (HomeeNodeB, HeNB), is used.

The LTE femtocell mainly adopts the following three synchronization technologies:

first, Global Positioning Systems (GPS);

if the HeNB is provided with a GPS receiver and can obtain GPS satellite synchronization signals, the GPS can provide accurate synchronization time service (100 ns) for the HeNB, however, the use of the GPS is limited by the environment, the HeNB can hardly work particularly in an indoor environment, and the cost is high.

Second, the Institute of Electrical and electronics Engineers (IEEE Institute of Electrical and electronics Engineers, IEEE) 1588v 2;

under good backhaul link network support (which may be an optical fiber ethernet network laid by an operator), 1588v2 can also provide microsecond synchronization accuracy, but high-quality backhaul link support is not available in all scenarios, and cables and X Digital Subscriber Lines (XDSL) also have a problem of unstable time delay, which may have a great influence on synchronization accuracy.

Thirdly, monitoring the network;

the network listening scheme can work under the condition that the GPS and 1588v2 schemes cannot be used, so the network listening scheme is an indispensable synchronization mechanism for the TD-LTE HeNB. The network listen mechanism refers to a method of acquiring synchronization by receiving a signal of a network node (synchronization source) that has synchronized. The HeNB is strictly forbidden to transmit after being started but before synchronization is obtained, the HeNB must monitor the signals of synchronized nodes to perform network synchronization before performing normal transmission, and the synchronization is periodically maintained subsequently. For a HeNB, its synchronization source may select a macro base station (MeNB) that has synchronized, and the HeNB obtains timing by receiving a synchronization signal or reference symbol of the MeNB, as shown in fig. 2 a. However, when the coverage of the macro cell network is not ideal, or the HeNB is located deep in a building, the acquisition of the synchronization signal of the macro base station may be affected to some extent, and at this time, the synchronization of the HeNB may be achieved in a multi-hop manner, that is, the HeNB is synchronized with the synchronized HeNB, as shown in fig. 2 b.

For multi-hop synchronization, the concept of a synchronization layer needs to be introduced, the synchronization layer can be defined as the number of hops that pass between the HeNB and the GPS source that need to be synchronized, and the level of the synchronization layer of a certain HeNB is 1 greater than that of the last-level source that obtains synchronization. For example, the MeNB in fig. 2a and 2b has a synchronization layer level of 0, the HeNB1 has a synchronization layer level of 1, and the HeNB2 has a synchronization layer level of 2.

The 3GPP discusses the following three network listening mechanisms:

first, monitoring based on Primary Synchronized Signal (PSS)/Secondary Synchronized Signal (SSS). The HeNB under the mechanism is synchronized by receiving the PSS/SSS of the synchronization node, and the PSS/SSS tracking the HeNB during the silence period can not carry out normal transmission.

Second, the monitoring is based on Multimedia Broadcast multicast service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes. The HeNB declares the silent subframe as an MBSFN subframe, and the UE ignores the subframe when receiving the subframe. The method is suitable for both single-hop and multi-hop synchronization mechanisms, and under the multi-hop condition, the HeNB of each layer can declare some subframes as MBSFN subframes in a certain period, and the MBSFN subframe positions declared by the HeNBs of different layers are different. Limited to the maximum MBSFN subframe configuration, 4 hops are maximally supported.

Third, based on the listening of the TDD special subframe configuration. By configuring fewer downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS) symbols for the HeNB and more DwPTS symbols for the MeNB, the HeNB can measure Cell-specific pilot signals (CRS) of the MeNB by using the time of its guard time slot (GP) to acquire synchronization. However, since the general DwPTS configuration principle is to adopt more DwPTS symbol configurations for indoor and other small-coverage high-capacity cells, and adopt less-symbol DwPTS configurations for outdoor location-wide-coverage cells, the configuration requirement of the synchronization method is exactly opposite to the network configuration principle of the DwPTS, the network configuration of the operator is limited to a certain extent, and the method cannot support network synchronization of more than 2 hops generally.

The system based on local IP access is usually used in indoor and hot spot areas, and a high frequency band different from that of an LTE system is probably adopted, so that the synchronization is difficult to realize by using a macro base station as a synchronization source to perform network monitoring, even if part of base stations based on the local IP access system (hereinafter referred to as LTE-Hi base stations) obtain an absolute synchronization source, when the LTE-Hi base stations are intensively deployed in the indoor hot spot area, the maximum number of synchronization layers specified by a TD-LTE network monitoring mechanism cannot meet the requirement.

In summary, when the base station based on the local IP access system is densely deployed in the indoor hot spot area, the base station cannot obtain an absolute synchronization source, or cannot obtain an effective synchronization source due to the limited maximum number of synchronization layers of the TD-LTE.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a base station synchronization method and base station synchronization equipment, which are used for solving the problem of how to effectively synchronize a base station based on a local IP access system.

A method of base station synchronization, the method comprising:

after the base station does not search for an effective synchronous source, setting the synchronous layer grade of the base station as the lowest synchronous layer grade, and determining whether the synchronous layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronous layer grade of an adjacent base station;

if so, resetting the level of the synchronization layer of the base station, and selecting a conflicted adjacent base station as a synchronization source to realize the synchronization with the synchronization source;

if not, the synchronization layer grade of the base station is fixed to be the lowest synchronization layer grade, so that the adjacent base station and the base station are synchronized.

A method of base station synchronization, the method comprising:

a base station receives configuration information containing a synchronization layer grade sent by gateway equipment;

the base station sets the self synchronous layer grade according to the configuration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade, determining a synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source.

A method of base station synchronization, the method comprising:

the base station reports the position information of the base station in the registration process of OAM; receiving configuration information which is returned by OAM and contains the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station; the adjacent base station is the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade of the base station, which is determined by the OAM according to the position information of the base station;

and the base station searches a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station and synchronizes with the synchronization source.

A synchronization information feedback method, the method comprising:

the method comprises the steps that gateway equipment receives information of a synchronization layer grade of a base station, wherein the information is sent by the base station;

the gateway equipment determines whether the synchronous layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station or not, and returns feedback information to the base station according to the determination result.

A synchronization information feedback method, the method comprising:

the gateway equipment determines the synchronous layer grade of the base station;

and the gateway equipment sends the configuration information containing the synchronization layer grade to the base station.

A synchronization information feedback method, the method comprising:

receiving the position information of the base station reported by the base station in the registration process by OAM;

the OAM determines an adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade of the base station according to the position information of the base station, and sends configuration information containing the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station to the base station.

A base station, the base station comprising:

a setting unit, configured to set the synchronization layer level of the base station as a lowest synchronization layer level after a valid synchronization source is not searched;

a determining unit configured to determine whether a synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with a synchronization layer level of a neighboring base station;

a first processing unit, configured to reset a synchronization layer level of the base station when the determining unit determines a conflict, and select a conflicting neighboring base station as a synchronization source, so as to implement synchronization with the synchronization source;

and the second processing unit is used for fixing the synchronization layer grade of the base station to be the lowest synchronization layer grade when the determining unit determines that the base station does not conflict, so that the adjacent base station and the base station are synchronized.

A base station, the base station comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive configuration information containing a synchronization layer level sent by a gateway device;

the synchronization unit is used for setting the self synchronization layer grade according to the configuration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade, determining a synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source.

A base station, the base station comprising:

a reporting unit, configured to report location information of the base station in a registration process of the OAM;

a receiving unit, configured to receive configuration information including synchronization layer level information of a neighboring base station, which is returned by the OAM; the adjacent base station is the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade of the base station, which is determined by the OAM according to the position information of the base station;

and the synchronization unit is used for searching a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station and synchronizing with the synchronization source.

A gateway device, the gateway device comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive information of a synchronization layer level of a base station sent by the base station;

and the feedback unit is used for determining whether the synchronous layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station or not and returning feedback information to the base station according to the determination result.

A gateway device, the gateway device comprising:

a determining unit, configured to determine a synchronization layer level of a base station;

and the sending unit is used for sending the configuration information containing the synchronization layer grade to a base station.

An OAM, the OAM comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive location information of a base station reported by the base station in a registration process;

and the configuration unit is used for determining the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronous layer grade of the base station according to the position information of the base station and sending the configuration information containing the synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station to the base station.

In the first base station synchronization scheme provided by the embodiment of the present invention, after a base station does not search for an effective synchronization source, the base station sets the synchronization layer level of the base station to be the lowest synchronization layer level, and determines whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of an adjacent base station; if so, resetting the level of the synchronization layer of the base station, and selecting a conflicted adjacent base station as a synchronization source to realize the synchronization with the synchronization source; if the base station does not conflict with the base station, the level of the synchronization layer of the base station is fixed to be the lowest level of the synchronization layer, so that the adjacent base station and the base station are synchronized.

In the second base station synchronization scheme provided by the embodiment of the present invention, a base station receives configuration information including a synchronization layer level sent by a gateway device, and sets its own synchronization layer level according to the configuration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade, determining a synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source. Therefore, the method and the system indicate the synchronization layer level of the base station through the gateway equipment, and the base station performs synchronization according to the indicated synchronization layer level, so that the problem of how to perform synchronization on the base station is solved.

In the third base station synchronization scheme provided in the embodiment of the present invention, a base station reports location information of the base station in a registration process of OAM, receives configuration information including synchronization layer level information of an adjacent base station returned by OAM, searches for a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer level information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizes with the synchronization source. Therefore, the scheme indicates the synchronization layer level of the synchronization source to the base station through OAM, and the base station searches the synchronization source according to the indicated synchronization layer level to perform synchronization, so that the problem of how to perform synchronization on the base station is solved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a base station local IP access system in the prior art;

fig. 2a and fig. 2b are schematic diagrams of a network monitoring mechanism in the prior art;

fig. 3a is a schematic flowchart of a first base station synchronization method for a base station side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3b is a schematic flowchart of a first base station synchronization method for a gateway device side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4a is a schematic flowchart of a second base station synchronization method for a base station side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4b is a schematic flowchart of a second base station synchronization method for a gateway device side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5a is a schematic flowchart of a third base station synchronization method for a base station side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5b is a schematic flowchart of a third base station synchronization method for an OAM side according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6a and fig. 6b are schematic diagrams illustrating a mechanism for performing synchronization layer negotiation between an AP and a GW in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6c is a diagram illustrating the GW assigning the AP synchronization layer level in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6d is a schematic diagram of the AP requesting, GW specifying the AP synchronization layer level in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6e is a schematic diagram illustrating that the GW confirms the base station synchronization layer level setting through the neighboring base station in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6f is a schematic diagram of the GW rejecting the base station synchronization layer level setting through the neighboring base station in the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a first base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a second base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a third base station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a first gateway device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a second gateway device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an OAM device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to solve the problem of how to perform effective synchronization on a base station based on a local IP access system, embodiments of the present invention provide a first base station synchronization method.

Referring to fig. 3a, for a base station side, a first method for synchronizing a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 301: after the base station does not search for an effective synchronous source, setting the synchronous layer grade of the base station as the lowest synchronous layer grade, and determining whether the synchronous layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronous layer grade of an adjacent base station; here, that a valid synchronization source is not searched means that the synchronization source is not searched or the synchronization layer level of the searched synchronization source reaches the maximum synchronization layer level;

step 302: if so, resetting the level of the synchronization layer of the base station, and selecting a conflicted adjacent base station as a synchronization source to realize the synchronization with the synchronization source;

step 303: if not, the synchronization layer grade of the base station is fixed to be the lowest synchronization layer grade, so that the adjacent base station and the base station are synchronized.

In step 301, it is determined whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station, and the specific implementation may adopt one of the following two methods:

firstly, determining whether the synchronization layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station by searching the adjacent cell signals;

specifically, searching signals of adjacent cells within a first set time length, and if signals of a same-frequency adjacent cell with a synchronization layer grade being the lowest synchronization layer grade are not searched, determining that the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not in conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station;

if the signal of the same-frequency adjacent cell of which the synchronous layer grade is the lowest synchronous layer grade is searched, the signal of the same-frequency adjacent cell is monitored continuously within the time of a second set time length, if the synchronous layer grade of the same-frequency adjacent cell is always the lowest synchronous layer grade within the time of the second set time length, the synchronous layer grade of the base station is determined to conflict with the synchronous layer grade of the base station where the same-frequency adjacent cell is located, and if the synchronous layer grade of the same-frequency adjacent cell changes within the time of the second set time length, the synchronous layer grade of the base station is determined not to conflict with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station.

Secondly, sending the information of the synchronization layer grade of the base station to gateway equipment; and determining whether the synchronization layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the feedback information of the gateway equipment.

Specifically, if the feedback information of the gateway device is the confirmation information, it is determined that the synchronization layer level of the base station does not conflict with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station, and if the feedback information of the gateway device is the rejection information, it is determined that the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station;

the confirmation information is information sent by the gateway equipment after determining that the synchronous layer grade of the base station does not conflict with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronous layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations; the rejection information is information sent by the gateway equipment after determining that the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations; or,

the confirmation information is information sent when the gateway equipment receives the confirmation information replied by the adjacent base station or does not receive the reply of the adjacent base station within the set time length after sending the information of the synchronization layer grade of the base station to each adjacent base station; the rejection information is sent when the gateway device receives rejection information replied by the adjacent base station after sending the information of the synchronization layer level of the base station to the adjacent base station.

Correspondingly, in step 302, the colliding neighboring base stations are selected as the synchronization source, and the specific implementation may adopt one of the following two methods:

firstly, when the received rejection information contains the information of the conflicted adjacent base station, selecting the adjacent base station indicated by the information as a synchronization source;

secondly, searching signals of the adjacent cells, and selecting the base station where the searched adjacent cell with the lowest synchronization layer grade is located as a synchronization source.

In step 302, the synchronization layer level of the base station is reset, which may be implemented as follows: the synchronization layer level of the base station is reset to a synchronization layer level one level higher than the lowest synchronization layer level.

As shown in fig. 3b, for the gateway device side, the first synchronization information feedback method provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 311: the method comprises the steps that gateway equipment receives information of a synchronization layer grade of a base station, wherein the information is sent by the base station;

step 312: the gateway equipment determines whether the synchronous layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station or not, and returns feedback information to the base station according to the determination result.

The specific implementation of step 312 may be as follows:

if the gateway equipment determines that the synchronization layer grade of the base station does not conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information (including the synchronization layer grade) of all the base stations and the adjacent cell information, the gateway equipment returns confirmation information to the base station; if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is determined to conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations, returning rejection information to the base station; or,

after the gateway equipment sends the information of the synchronization layer level of the base station to the adjacent base station, if the confirmation information replied by the adjacent base station is received or the reply of the adjacent base station is not received within the set time length, the confirmation information is returned to the base station; and if the rejection information replied by the adjacent base station is received, returning the rejection information to the base station.

In order to solve the problem of how to perform effective synchronization on a base station based on a local IP access system, embodiments of the present invention provide a second method for synchronizing a base station.

Referring to fig. 4a, for the base station side, the second method for synchronizing a base station according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 401: a base station receives configuration information containing a synchronization layer grade sent by gateway equipment;

step 402: the base station sets the own synchronous layer grade according to the configuration information, namely the own synchronous layer grade is set as the synchronous layer grade in the configuration information; if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade, determining a synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source; if the synchronization layer level of the base station is the lowest synchronization layer level, the neighboring base station will synchronize with the base station.

In step 401, the base station receives configuration information containing a synchronization layer level sent by the gateway device, and the specific implementation may be as follows:

after accessing a network, a base station receives configuration information containing a synchronization layer grade sent by gateway equipment; or,

after the base station does not search for an effective synchronization source, the base station sends a synchronization level request message to the gateway equipment; and receiving the configuration information containing the synchronization layer level returned by the gateway equipment.

The above method for determining the synchronization source may be as follows:

when the received configuration information also contains adjacent cell information, determining a base station where an adjacent cell with the lowest synchronization layer grade is located according to the adjacent cell information, and taking the determined base station as a synchronization source; here, the neighbor cell information may include information such as a synchronization layer level of the neighbor cell; or,

and searching signals of the adjacent cells, and selecting the base station where the searched adjacent cell with the lowest synchronization layer grade is located as a synchronization source.

Preferably, after the base station receives the configuration information, the base station receives reconfiguration information sent by the gateway device after the network deployment changes, and the reconfiguration information includes the updated synchronization layer level; the base station resets the self synchronous layer grade according to the reconfiguration information, namely, the self synchronous layer grade is set as the synchronous layer grade in the reconfiguration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade after resetting, re-determining the synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the re-determined synchronization source.

Likewise, the above method for re-determining the synchronization source may be as follows:

when the received reconfiguration information also contains adjacent cell information, determining a base station where an adjacent cell with the lowest synchronization layer grade is located according to the adjacent cell information, and taking the determined base station as a synchronization source; or,

As shown in fig. 4b, for the gateway device side, the second synchronization information feedback method provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 411: the gateway equipment determines the synchronous layer grade of the base station; the synchronization layer level of the base station can be stored in the gateway equipment in advance, and the gateway equipment determines the synchronization layer level of the base station according to the stored information;

step 412: and the gateway equipment sends the configuration information containing the synchronization layer grade to the base station.

In step 412, the gateway device sends the configuration information including the synchronization layer level to the base station, which may be implemented as follows:

after the base station accesses the network, the gateway equipment sends the configuration information containing the synchronous layer grade to the base station; or,

and after receiving a synchronization level request message sent by the base station when the effective synchronization source is not searched, the gateway equipment sends the configuration information containing the synchronization layer level to the base station.

Preferably, after the gateway device sends the configuration information including the synchronization layer level to the base station, the gateway device sends the reconfiguration information to the base station after the network deployment changes, where the reconfiguration information includes the updated synchronization layer level. The updated synchronization layer level is the synchronization layer level that is reset for the base station after the network deployment changes.

In order to solve the problem of how to perform effective synchronization on a base station based on a local IP access system, embodiments of the present invention provide a third method for synchronizing a base station.

Referring to fig. 5a, for the base station side, the third method for synchronizing a base station according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 501: a base station reports the position information of the base station in the registration process of a maintenance and administration entity (OAM); receiving configuration information which is returned by OAM and contains the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station; the adjacent base station is the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronous layer grade in all the adjacent base stations of the base station, which is determined by the OAM according to the position information of the base station;

step 502: and the base station searches a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station in the configuration information and synchronizes with the synchronization source, namely searches signals of an adjacent cell containing the synchronization layer grade, takes the adjacent cell as the synchronization source and synchronizes with the synchronization source.

Preferably, after the base station synchronizes with the searched synchronization source, the following steps may be performed:

A. if the synchronization with the synchronization source is successful, returning a synchronization success indication containing the information of the synchronization source to the OAM;

B. if the synchronization with the synchronization source fails, a synchronization failure indication containing the information of the synchronization source is returned to the OAM, the configuration information containing the redetermined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station, which is returned again by the OAM, is received, the synchronization source is redetected according to the redetermined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station, the synchronization source is synchronized with the redetected synchronization source, and the step A is returned.

Preferably, after step 501, the base station receives configuration information that is retransmitted after the OAM is changed in the network deployment, where the retransmitted configuration information includes the newly determined synchronization layer level information of the neighboring base station; searching the synchronous source again according to the redetermined synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizing with the redetermined synchronous source; if the synchronization is successful, a success indication is returned to the OAM, and the level of the synchronization layer of the base station is reset to be higher than that of the synchronization layer of the searched synchronization source by one level; and if the synchronization fails, maintaining the current synchronization layer level, and sending an indication that the synchronization layer level is unchanged to the OAM.

As shown in fig. 5b, for the OAM side, the third method for synchronizing a base station according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

step 511: receiving the position information of the base station reported by the base station in the registration process by OAM;

step 512: the OAM determines an adjacent base station with the lowest synchronous layer grade in all adjacent base stations of the base station according to the position information of the base station, and sends configuration information containing the synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station to the base station.

Further, after the OAM sends the configuration information to the base station, if the OAM receives a synchronization success indication containing information of the synchronization source sent by the base station, the OAM determines and stores a synchronization layer level of the base station according to the synchronization success indication, and the synchronization layer level of the base station is determined to be a synchronization layer level one level higher than the synchronization layer level of the synchronization source;

if receiving a synchronization failure indication which is sent by a base station and contains information of a synchronization source, the OAM determines an adjacent base station of the base station again according to the position information of the base station; and transmitting configuration information including the re-determined synchronization layer level information of the neighboring base station to the base station. Here, the newly determined neighboring base station may be a neighboring base station with a lowest synchronization layer level among the neighboring base stations that have not been selected, and if there is no neighboring base station that has not been selected, the newly determined neighboring base station may be the OAM, the synchronization layer level information of the OAM may be set to null, and after the base station synchronizes with the OAM and returns a synchronization confirmation message, the OAM records the synchronization layer level of the base station as the lowest synchronization layer level.

Preferably, after the OAM sends the configuration information to the base station, after the OAM changes in network deployment, one neighboring base station of the base station is re-determined according to the location information of the base station, that is, a neighboring base station with the lowest synchronization layer level among the neighboring base stations is re-determined, and the configuration information including the re-determined synchronization layer level information of the neighboring base station is sent to the base station. And if a subsequent OAM receives a synchronization success indication which is sent by the base station and contains the information of the synchronization source, determining and storing the synchronization layer grade of the base station according to the synchronization success indication, wherein the synchronization layer grade of the base station is determined to be one grade higher than the synchronization layer grade of the synchronization source.

The invention is illustrated below with reference to specific examples:

the invention provides a base station synchronization method based on a local IP access system, which comprises the following steps: the synchronization source relation in network deployment is adjusted through self-adaptive coordination among network nodes based on a local IP access system, and effective synchronization among base stations is realized.

The method specifically comprises the following three conditions:

case 1: and the base station distributes and automatically adjusts the level of the synchronization layer.

When no synchronous source is available, the base station adjusts the frequency point of the base station to be the available frequency point farthest from the frequency point of the adjacent cell, and the available frequency point is defined as the lowest synchronization layer 0. The neighboring base stations can be synchronized therewith and set to a higher synchronization layer. When a plurality of adjacent base stations declare to be the lowest layer synchronous source, an evasion mechanism needs to be introduced.

The evasion mechanism is as follows: the base station 1 sets the self synchronization layer level as 0, searches the synchronization layer setting of the adjacent cell within the time T0, and if the same-frequency adjacent cell of the synchronization layer level 0 is not searched within the time T0, the base station 1 stabilizes the self synchronization layer level as 0; if the synchronous layer grade of the searched co-frequency cell 2 is 0, starting a timer T1, and continuously monitoring the cell 2, if the synchronous layer grade of the cell 2 is still 0 after the timer T1 is overtime, setting the self synchronous layer of the base station 1 as 1, and taking the base station where the cell 2 is as a synchronous source. T0 is set to a value greater than the time required for the base station to measure all neighbor cell synchronization layer levels, T1 is set to a value greater than the time required to re-measure one cell synchronization layer level, and T0 and T1 may be set by the OAM configuration or the base station itself. To further avoid collisions, T1 may be set to take any value in a uniform distribution over a range [ Tmin, Tmax ].

Case 2: GW manages the synchronous layer grade of adjacent base station;

the first scheme is as follows: the GW stores synchronization layer information and neighbor cell information of all base stations, and when a base station determines its own synchronization layer level, transmits a synchronization layer level determination request message to the GW, where the synchronization layer level includes a synchronization layer level selected by the base station itself, and if the GW determines that the synchronization layer level selected by the base station does not conflict with other neighbor base stations, feeds back confirmation information to the base station, as shown in fig. 6 a; otherwise, feedback reject message and carry the configured synchronization layer level information for the base station, as shown in fig. 6 b.

Scheme II: GW directly configures the synchronous layer grade for the base station;

the GW stores base station synchronization layer level information and neighbor cell information, as shown in fig. 6c, when the base station accesses the network, it sends configuration information to the base station, where the configuration information includes the synchronization layer level and may also include neighbor cell information to be synchronized, and the base station determines the synchronization layer level and determines the synchronization source according to the received configuration. When a base station is powered on and powered off to change the network deployment situation, the GW may send a reconfiguration message to the AP to reconfigure synchronization layer level information of the AP, and the like. Or,

as shown in fig. 6d, after the base station accesses the network, the base station sends configuration request information to the GW, where the configuration request information may include a desired synchronization layer level, and the GW sends configuration information to the base station, where the configuration information includes a configured synchronization layer level and may also include information of neighboring cells to be synchronized, and the base station determines the synchronization layer level and determines a synchronization source according to the received configuration. When a base station is powered on and powered off to change the network deployment situation, the GW may send a reconfiguration message to the AP to reconfigure synchronization layer level information of the AP, and the like.

The third scheme is as follows: the GW collects and feeds back the synchronous layer grade information to an adjacent base station;

the GW does not store the synchronization layer information of the base station, and after the base station selects the synchronization layer level, the base station sends the synchronization layer level information to the GW; GW sends synchronization layer level query to other base stations, if all neighboring base stations do not reply or reply to acknowledgement, GW feeds back acknowledgement to the base station, as in fig. 6 e; if there is a neighboring base station replying with the reject message and carrying the synchronization layer message, the GW forwards the message to the base station, as in fig. 6 f. And the base station adjusts the grade of the synchronization layer according to the feedback information and determines a synchronization source according to the grade state of the synchronization layer of the adjacent cell.

And the adjacent base station judges whether the basis of feedback confirmation or rejection conflicts with the current synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station. E.g., both neighboring base stations AP1 and AP2 are set to sync layer level 0, the AP2 will feed back a reject message and advise the AP1 to set to sync layer level 1.

Case 3: configuring a base station synchronization layer level by OAM;

here, OAM is a Network management unit (NM), and a plurality of APs are managed below. The OAM stores location information of all APs registered with it and its synchronization layer level.

After a new AP is started, reporting own position information in the process of registering the new AP, roughly determining the information of neighboring base stations (namely the APs) around the new AP by the OAM according to the position information, selecting the neighboring base station with the lowest synchronous layer grade in the neighboring base stations, and sending the neighboring base stations and the synchronous layer grade to the APs in configuration parameters. And the AP determines a synchronization source according to the received configuration information and performs synchronization. If the synchronization is successful, a success indication is returned to the OAM, and the OAM determines and stores the synchronization layer level of the AP according to the indication; if the synchronization is unsuccessful, a failure indication is returned, the OAM may continue to select other neighboring base stations as its synchronization source according to the location information, and send the neighboring base stations and the synchronization layer level to the AP in the configuration parameters.

When a base station is powered on or powered off to change the network deployment situation, a configuration message can be sent to the AP so as to reconfigure the synchronization layer level of the AP and the information of the adjacent base station.

The first embodiment is as follows: the base station automatically adjusts the level of a synchronous layer;

the method comprises the following steps: and the base station searches a synchronous source, if the synchronous source is searched, the self synchronous layer grade is set as the synchronous layer grade of the synchronous source plus 1, network monitoring is carried out on the synchronous source to realize synchronization, and the synchronous layer grade determining process is finished. If there is no sync source or no valid sync source (no valid sync source means that the sync layer level of the searched sync source has reached the maximum level), step two is performed.

Step two: and the base station sets the working frequency point to an available frequency point which is farthest away from the frequency point of the adjacent cell, and sets the level of a self synchronization layer to be 0. Starting a timer T0, searching the synchronization layer level of the adjacent cell, if the adjacent cell with the synchronization layer level of 0 is not searched after T0 is overtime, executing the step four; and if the adjacent cell with the synchronization layer level of 0 is searched, executing the step three.

Step three: and starting a timer T1, detecting the adjacent cell with the synchronization layer level of 0, if the adjacent cell changes the synchronization layer level when T1 times out, executing the step four, otherwise, setting the synchronization level of the adjacent cell to be 1, and taking the adjacent cell as a synchronization source to finish the synchronization layer level determination process.

Step four: the synchronization layer level of the fixed base station is 0.

Further description will be made by taking AP1 and AP2 as examples. The T0 of the AP1 and the AP2 are configured to be the same value by default, and random numbers are taken in uniform distribution among T1-AP1 and T1-AP2 of [ Tmin, Tmax ].

AP1 and AP2 are simultaneously on in adjacent locations and neither has a valid synchronization source. AP1, AP2 are simultaneously set to sync layer level 0 and each initiates T0. The AP1 finds the AP2, starts T1-AP1, and when the T1-AP1 time-out, the AP2 synchronization layer level is still 0, and the AP1 synchronization layer level is set to 1. The AP2 discovers AP1, starts T1-AP2, detects that AP1 synchronization layer level changes to 1, terminates T1-AP2, and maintains the synchronization layer level at 0.

Example two: base station and GW negotiate the grade of synchronous layer;

Step two: and the base station sets the working frequency point to an available frequency point which is farthest away from the frequency point of the adjacent cell, and sets the level of a self synchronization layer to be 0. And sending base station configuration information to the GW, wherein the base station configuration information comprises synchronization layer grade information.

Step three: the GW receives base station configuration information sent by the base station, determines whether the base station can be used as a synchronization layer level 0 or not according to base station synchronization layer level information and adjacent cell information stored by the GW, and replies confirmation information if the base station can be used as the synchronization layer level 0; if there is another neighbor cell with a synchronization layer level of 0, a rejection message is replied and optionally the base station is advised to set the synchronization layer level to 1.

Step four: and the base station receives the feedback information of the GW and determines the level of the synchronization layer. And if the base station synchronization layer level is set to be 1, determining a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer level condition of the adjacent cell.

Example three: GW specifies base station synchronization layer class (GW direct specified);

the base station has just accessed the network:

the method comprises the following steps: after the base station finishes the access process, GW determines that a new base station is accessed, and sends base station configuration information to the base station, wherein the base station configuration information comprises the synchronization layer grade information of the base station and can also comprise the information of adjacent cells needing to be synchronized;

step two: the base station receives the base station configuration information sent by the GW, configures the own synchronization layer level according to the synchronization layer level information in the base station configuration information, and monitors the synchronization layer level of the adjacent cell to determine a synchronization source.

Or,

the network deployment situation changes:

the method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that network deployment is changed, GW determines the level of a synchronization layer of a base station needing to be changed, and sends base station reconfiguration information to the base station, wherein the base station reconfiguration information comprises the level information of the synchronization layer of the base station and can also comprise information of adjacent cells needing to be synchronized;

step two: the base station receives base station reconfiguration information sent by the GW, configures the own synchronization layer level according to the synchronization layer level information in the base station reconfiguration information, and monitors the synchronization layer level of the adjacent cell to determine a synchronization source.

Example four: GW specifies base station synchronization layer level (AP request, GW directly specifies);

Step two: and sending base station synchronization layer grade request information to the GW, wherein the synchronization layer grade suggested by the base station is optionally included (not necessarily 0).

Step three: GW determines the synchronous layer grade of the base station and sends base station configuration information to the base station, wherein the base station configuration information comprises the synchronous layer grade information of the base station;

step four: the base station receives the base station configuration information sent by the GW, configures the own synchronization layer level according to the synchronization layer level information in the base station configuration information, and monitors the synchronization layer level of the adjacent cell to determine the synchronization source.

Example five: GW collects feedback to adjacent base station;

the method comprises the following steps: the base station 1 searches for a synchronous source, if the synchronous source is searched, the self synchronous layer grade is set as the synchronous layer grade of the synchronous source plus 1, network monitoring is carried out on the synchronous source to realize synchronization, and the synchronous layer grade determining process is finished. If there is no synchronization source or no valid synchronization source (no valid synchronization source means that the neighbor cell synchronization source level has reached the maximum level), step two is executed.

Step two: the base station 1 sends base station configuration information, which includes synchronization layer level information, to the GW.

Step three: the GW transmits base station configuration information of the base station 1, which includes synchronization layer level information, to other base stations. If the other base stations reply the confirmation message or the GW does not receive the feedback of the other base stations within the time length T1, executing the step four; and if one base station replies the rejection information and optionally carries the suggested synchronization layer grade, executing the step five.

Step four: the GW transmits the determination information to the base station 1.

Step five: the GW sends rejection information to the base station 1 and sends the proposed sync layer level configuration.

Step six: and the base station determines the level of a synchronization layer and determines a synchronization source according to the requirement.

Example six: OAM independently configures the level of a synchronization layer for each base station;

AP-just-access network:

the method comprises the following steps: after the AP is started, reporting own position information in the process of registering the AP, roughly determining the information of neighboring base stations (namely the AP) around the AP by the OAM according to the position information, selecting the neighboring base station with the lowest synchronous layer grade in the neighboring base stations, and sending the selected neighboring base station and the synchronous layer grade information thereof to the AP in configuration parameters.

Step two: and the AP receives the base station configuration information sent by the OAM and monitors the level of a synchronization layer of the adjacent cell to determine a synchronization source.

If the synchronization is successful, a success indication is returned to the OAM, and the OAM confirms and stores the synchronization layer level (synchronization layer level +1 of the synchronization source) of the current AP according to the indication; and if the synchronization is unsuccessful, the OAM continuously selects the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade from the unselected adjacent base station set according to the position information, and sends the selected adjacent base station and the synchronization layer grade information thereof to the AP in the configuration parameters, and the AP repeats the step two until a proper synchronization source is selected.

If there is no suitable synchronization source after trying all the neighboring base stations, the OAM sets the selected base station as itself in the configuration information, sets the synchronization layer level information as null, and sends it to the AP. After the AP returns the acknowledgement message, the OAM records the synchronization layer level of the AP as 0.

Or,

the network deployment situation changes:

the method comprises the following steps: network deployment changes, OAM determines to change the synchronous layer grade and position information of AP, determines the AP needing to change the synchronous grade, and sends configuration information to the APs, wherein the configuration information includes the grade information of AP synchronous layer;

step two: and the AP receives the configuration information sent by the GW and tries to monitor the synchronization layer level of the adjacent cell according to the synchronization layer level information in the configuration information to determine a synchronization source.

If the synchronization is successful, a success indication is returned to the OAM, and the OAM confirms and stores the synchronization layer level (synchronization layer level +1 of the synchronization source) of the current AP according to the indication; if not, the AP still maintains the original synchronization level and sends an keep-unchanged indication to the OAM.

Referring to fig. 7, an embodiment of the present invention provides a base station, where the base station includes:

a setting unit 70, configured to set the synchronization layer level of the base station as a lowest synchronization layer level after a valid synchronization source is not searched;

a determination unit 71 configured to determine whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station;

a first processing unit 72, configured to reset the synchronization layer level of the base station when the determining unit determines a conflict, and select a conflicting neighboring base station as a synchronization source, so as to implement synchronization with the synchronization source;

a second processing unit 73, configured to fix the synchronization layer level of the base station to the lowest synchronization layer level when the determining unit determines that there is no collision, so as to synchronize the neighboring base station with the base station.

Further, the determining unit 71 is configured to:

determining whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the adjacent base station by searching the adjacent cell signal; or,

sending the information of the synchronization layer grade of the base station to gateway equipment; and determining whether the synchronization layer grade of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the feedback information of the gateway equipment.

Further, the determining unit 71 is configured to:

searching signals of adjacent cells within a first set time length, and if signals of same-frequency adjacent cells with the synchronization layer grade being the lowest synchronization layer grade are not searched, determining that the synchronization layer grade of the base station does not conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station;

Further, the determining unit 71 is configured to:

if the feedback information of the gateway equipment is confirmation information, determining that the synchronous layer grade of the base station is not conflicted with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station, and if the feedback information of the gateway equipment is rejection information, determining that the synchronous layer grade of the base station is conflicted with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station;

the confirmation information is information sent when the gateway equipment receives the confirmation information replied by the adjacent base station or does not receive the reply of the adjacent base station within the set time length after sending the information of the synchronization layer grade of the base station to the adjacent base station; the rejection information is sent when the gateway device receives rejection information replied by the adjacent base station after sending the information of the synchronization layer level of the base station to the adjacent base station.

Further, the first processing unit 72 is configured to:

when the rejection information contains the information of the conflicted adjacent base station, selecting the adjacent base station indicated by the information as a synchronization source; or,

Further, the first processing unit 72 is configured to:

the synchronization layer level of the base station is reset to a synchronization layer level one level higher than the lowest synchronization layer level.

Referring to fig. 8, an embodiment of the present invention provides a base station, where the base station includes:

a receiving unit 80, configured to receive configuration information including a synchronization layer level sent by a gateway device;

a synchronization unit 81 configured to set a synchronization layer level of itself according to the configuration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade, determining a synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source.

Further, the receiving unit 80 is configured to:

after a base station is accessed to a network, receiving configuration information containing a synchronization layer grade sent by gateway equipment; or,

after a valid synchronization source is not searched, sending a synchronization level request message to gateway equipment; and receiving the configuration information containing the synchronization layer level returned by the gateway equipment.

Further, the base station further includes:

an updating unit 82, configured to receive reconfiguration information sent by the gateway device after the network deployment changes, where the reconfiguration information includes an updated synchronization layer level;

resetting the self synchronous layer grade according to the reconfiguration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade after resetting, re-determining the synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source.

Further, the synchronization unit 81 is configured to:

when the configuration information further comprises adjacent cell information, determining a base station of an adjacent cell with the lowest synchronization layer grade according to the adjacent cell information, and taking the determined base station as a synchronization source; or,

Referring to fig. 9, an embodiment of the present invention provides a base station, where the base station includes:

a reporting unit 90, configured to report the location information of the base station in a registration process of an OAM to a maintenance and management entity;

a receiving unit 91, configured to receive configuration information including synchronization layer level information of a neighboring base station, which is returned by OAM; the adjacent base station is the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade of the base station, which is determined by the OAM according to the position information of the base station;

and a synchronization unit 92, configured to search for a synchronization source according to the synchronization layer rank information of the neighboring base station, and synchronize with the synchronization source.

Further, the base station further includes:

an indicating unit 93, configured to return a synchronization success indication including information of the synchronization source to the OAM when synchronization with the synchronization source is successful;

and when the synchronization with the synchronization source fails, returning a synchronization failure indication containing the information of the synchronization source to the OAM, receiving configuration information which is returned again by the OAM and contains the redetermined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station, searching the synchronization source again according to the redetermined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizing with the redetermined synchronization source.

Further, the base station further includes:

an updating unit 94, configured to receive configuration information that is retransmitted after the OAM changes in the network deployment, where the retransmitted configuration information includes synchronization layer level information of a newly determined neighboring base station; searching the synchronous source again according to the redetermined synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizing with the redetermined synchronous source;

if the synchronization is successful, a success indication is returned to the OAM, and the level of the synchronization layer of the base station is reset to be higher than that of the synchronization layer of the searched synchronization source by one level; and if the synchronization fails, maintaining the current synchronization layer level, and sending an indication that the synchronization layer level is unchanged to the OAM.

Referring to fig. 10, an embodiment of the present invention provides a gateway device, where the gateway device includes:

a receiving unit 101, configured to receive information of a synchronization layer level of a base station sent by the base station;

the feedback unit 102 is configured to determine whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with a synchronization layer level of an adjacent base station, and return feedback information to the base station according to a determination result.

Further, the feedback unit 102 is configured to:

if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is determined not to conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations, returning confirmation information to the base station; if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is determined to conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations, returning rejection information to the base station; or,

after the information of the synchronization layer grade of the base station is sent to the adjacent base station, if confirmation information replied by the adjacent base station is received or the reply of the adjacent base station is not received within a set time length, the confirmation information is returned to the base station; and if the rejection information replied by the adjacent base station is received, returning the rejection information to the base station.

Referring to fig. 11, an embodiment of the present invention provides a gateway device, where the gateway device includes:

a determining unit 111, configured to determine a synchronization layer level of a base station;

a sending unit 112, configured to send configuration information including the synchronization layer level to a base station.

Further, the sending unit 112 is configured to:

after the base station is accessed to the network, the configuration information containing the synchronization layer grade is sent to the base station; or,

and after receiving a synchronization level request message sent when the base station does not search for a valid synchronization source, sending configuration information containing the synchronization layer level to the base station.

Further, the gateway device further includes:

the reconfiguration unit 113 is configured to send reconfiguration information to the base station after the network deployment changes, where the reconfiguration information includes the updated synchronization layer level.

Referring to fig. 12, an embodiment of the present invention provides a maintenance and management entity OAM, where the OAM includes:

a receiving unit 121, configured to receive location information of a base station reported by the base station in a registration process;

a configuration unit 122, configured to determine, according to the location information of the base station, an adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer level of the base station, and send configuration information including synchronization layer level information of the adjacent base station to the base station.

Further, the OAM further includes:

a processing unit 123, configured to, when receiving a synchronization success indication that includes information of a synchronization source and is sent by a base station, determine and store a synchronization layer level of the base station according to the synchronization success indication;

when receiving a synchronization failure indication which is sent by a base station and contains information of a synchronization source, re-determining an adjacent base station of the base station according to the position information of the base station, and sending configuration information containing the re-determined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station to the base station.

Further, the OAM further includes:

the reconfiguration unit 124 is configured to, after the network deployment is changed, re-determine one neighboring base station of the base station according to the location information of the base station, and send configuration information including synchronization layer level information of the re-determined neighboring base station to the base station.

In conclusion, the beneficial effects of the invention include:

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for base station synchronization, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station comprises:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said determining whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station by searching for neighboring cell signals comprises:

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station according to the feedback information of the gateway device specifically comprises:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting the conflicting neighbor base stations as synchronization sources comprises:

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein said resetting the synchronization layer level of the base station comprises:

7. A method for base station synchronization, the method comprising:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving, by the base station, the configuration information containing the synchronization layer level sent by the gateway device specifically includes:

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein after the base station receives the configuration information, further comprising:

a base station receives reconfiguration information sent by gateway equipment after network deployment changes, wherein the reconfiguration information comprises an updated synchronization layer grade;

the base station resets the self synchronous layer grade according to the reconfiguration information; and if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is not the lowest synchronization layer grade after resetting, re-determining the synchronization source and realizing the synchronization with the synchronization source.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the determining a synchronization source specifically comprises:

11. A method for base station synchronization, the method comprising:

a base station reports the position information of the base station in the registration process of an OAM (operation administration and maintenance) entity; receiving configuration information which is returned by OAM and contains the synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station; the adjacent base station is the adjacent base station with the lowest synchronization layer grade of the base station, which is determined by the OAM according to the position information of the base station;

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

a base station receives configuration information which is retransmitted after OAM changes in network deployment, wherein the retransmitted configuration information comprises newly determined synchronization layer grade information of an adjacent base station; searching the synchronous source again according to the redetermined synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizing with the redetermined synchronous source;

14. A method for feeding back synchronization information, the method comprising:

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the gateway device determines whether the synchronization layer level of the base station conflicts with the synchronization layer level of the neighboring base station, and returns feedback information to the base station according to the determination result, and specifically includes:

if the gateway equipment determines that the synchronous layer grade of the base station does not conflict with the synchronous layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronous layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations, the gateway equipment returns confirmation information to the base station; if the synchronization layer grade of the base station is determined to conflict with the synchronization layer grade of the adjacent base station according to the stored synchronization layer information and the adjacent cell information of all the base stations, returning rejection information to the base station; or,

16. A method for feeding back synchronization information, the method comprising:

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said gateway device sending configuration information including said synchronization layer level to a base station, specifically comprising:

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein after the gateway device sends configuration information containing the synchronization layer level to the base station, further comprising:

and the gateway equipment sends reconfiguration information to the base station after the network deployment changes, wherein the reconfiguration information comprises the updated synchronization layer grade.

19. A method for feeding back synchronization information, the method comprising:

an OAM (operation administration and maintenance) entity receives the position information of a base station reported by the base station in the registration process;

20. The method of claim 19, wherein after the OAM sends the configuration information to the base station, further comprising:

if receiving a synchronization success indication which contains information of a synchronization source and is sent by a base station, the OAM determines and stores a synchronization layer grade of the base station according to the synchronization success indication;

if receiving a synchronization failure indication containing information of a synchronization source sent by a base station, the OAM redetermines a neighboring base station of the base station according to the position information of the base station, and sends configuration information containing the redetermined synchronization layer level information of the neighboring base station to the base station.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein after the OAM sends the configuration information to the base station, further comprising:

after the OAM changes in network deployment, one adjacent base station of the base station is redetermined according to the position information of the base station, and the configuration information containing the redetermined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station is sent to the base station.

22. A base station, comprising:

23. The base station of claim 22, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

24. The base station of claim 23, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

25. The base station of claim 23, wherein the determining unit is configured to:

26. The base station of claim 24, wherein the first processing unit is to:

27. The base station according to any of claims 22-26, wherein said first processing unit is configured to:

28. A base station, comprising:

29. The base station of claim 28, wherein the receiving unit is configured to:

30. The base station of claim 28 or 29, wherein the base station further comprises:

the updating unit is used for receiving reconfiguration information sent by the gateway equipment after the network deployment changes, wherein the reconfiguration information comprises the updated synchronization layer level;

31. The base station according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the synchronization unit is configured to:

32. A base station, comprising:

a reporting unit, configured to report location information of the base station in a registration process of an OAM to a maintenance and management entity;

33. The base station of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises:

an indication unit, configured to return a synchronization success indication including information of the synchronization source to the OAM when synchronization with the synchronization source is successful;

34. The base station of claim 32, wherein the base station further comprises:

the updating unit is used for receiving the configuration information which is retransmitted after the OAM is changed in network deployment, wherein the retransmitted configuration information comprises the newly determined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station; searching the synchronous source again according to the redetermined synchronous layer grade information of the adjacent base station, and synchronizing with the redetermined synchronous source;

35. A gateway device, characterized in that the gateway device comprises:

36. The gateway device of claim 35, wherein the feedback unit is to:

37. A gateway device, characterized in that the gateway device comprises:

38. The gateway device of claim 37, wherein the sending unit is to:

39. The gateway device according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that the gateway device further comprises:

and the reconfiguration unit is used for sending reconfiguration information to the base station after the network deployment is changed, wherein the reconfiguration information comprises the updated synchronization layer grade.

40. An maintenance and management entity, OAM, comprising:

41. The OAM of claim 40, further comprising:

the processing unit is used for determining and storing the synchronization layer grade of the base station according to the synchronization success indication when receiving the synchronization success indication which contains the information of the synchronization source and is sent by the base station;

42. The OAM of claim 40, further comprising:

and the reconfiguration unit is used for re-determining one adjacent base station of the base station according to the position information of the base station after the network deployment is changed, and sending the configuration information containing the re-determined synchronization layer grade information of the adjacent base station to the base station.