CN105519026B

CN105519026B - Interaction method and device for inter-cell synchronization and communication system

Info

Publication number: CN105519026B
Application number: CN201480048548.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王轶; 张磊; 汪巍崴
Original assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
Current assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
Priority date: 2014-01-17
Filing date: 2014-01-17
Publication date: 2020-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2034-01-17
Also published as: CN105519026A; WO2015106445A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an interactive method, an interactive device and a communication system for inter-cell synchronization, wherein the method comprises the following steps: and sending link quality information between the first base station in a synchronization state and the equipment for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information. By the embodiment of the invention, the better equipment for providing the synchronous reference can be selected based on the link quality information, thereby improving the performance of the whole synchronous link.

Description

Interaction method and device for inter-cell synchronization and communication system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to an interaction method, an interaction device, and a communication system for inter-cell synchronization.

Background

Currently, synchronization between different cells (cells) can be achieved by a Global Positioning System (GPS)/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), or by sending a dedicated synchronization protocol over a loop.

However, in some scenarios, for example, a cell may not receive GPS signals indoors, and therefore cannot be synchronized with GPS/GNSS. Also, for example, when the loop of the cell is not ideal, synchronization may not be achieved by the synchronization protocol transmitted over the loop.

In the research of Long Term Evolution (LTE) system heterogeneous network, a mechanism of inter-cell synchronization based on an air interface is introduced. The cell bs providing a clock synchronization reference for other base stations (base stations) may be referred to as a donor base station (also referred to as a donor cell), and the cell bs receiving signals of the donor base station and acquiring synchronization may be referred to as a slave base station (also referred to as a slave cell). The base station may be an eNB, or may be another base station, such as a base station of a micro cell.

In the existing mechanism, the slave base station may monitor a Signal of the doror base station at some time, for example, may monitor a Common Reference Signal (CRS) of the doror base station in a Multimedia Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe of the slave base station to obtain time and frequency synchronization information.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating inter-cell synchronization over the air interface in the prior art. As shown in fig. 1, there may be multiple hops through the synchronization link. Wherein Master eNB 1(MeNB1) may directly acquire synchronization (for example, acquire reference time) through GPS, and synchronization level information of Master eNB1 may be defined as stratum level 0; cell1 uses MastereNB1 as a donor base station to acquire synchronization, and synchronization level information of cell1 may be defined as stratum level 1; the cell2 uses the cell1 as a donor base station to acquire synchronization, and the synchronization level information of the cell2 may be defined as stratum level 2; the cell3 uses the cell2 as a donor base station to acquire synchronization, and the synchronization level information of the cell3 may be defined as stratum level 3.

Similarly, Master eNB 2(MeNB2) may directly acquire synchronization through GPS, and synchronization level information of Master eNB2 may be defined as stratum level 0; the cell4 uses Master eNB2 as a donor base station to acquire synchronization, and the synchronization level information of the cell4 may be defined as stratum level 1; the cell5 uses the cell4 as a donor base station to acquire synchronization, and the synchronization level information of the cell5 may be defined as stratum level 2.

When a base station of a certain cell needs to establish synchronization, signals used for realizing cell synchronization of surrounding cells need to be detected, the base station of one cell can be selected, and stratum level information is requested from the base station. For example, when the base station of cell2 needs to establish synchronization, cell1 can be found, and the base station of cell1 is requested for the stratum level information of cell 1; the base station of cell1 may send its own stratum level information to the base station of cell 2. If the base station of cell2 can also find cell5, the base station of cell5 can request the stratum level information of cell 5.

And the cell base station needing to establish synchronization selects the cell base station with the lowest stratum level as the donor base station. For example, the base station of cell2 would select the base station of cell1 as the donor base station because the stratumlevel of cell1 is 1 and the stratumlevel of cell5 is 2. By selecting the cell base station with the lowest stratum level, the accumulative error can be reduced to a certain extent.

It should be noted that the above background description is only for the sake of clarity and complete description of the technical solutions of the present invention and for the understanding of those skilled in the art. Such solutions are not considered to be known to the person skilled in the art merely because they have been set forth in the background section of the invention.

Disclosure of Invention

However, the inventors have found that there is no further provision in the current standard for how to select a cell base station that provides a synchronization reference. For example, when the stratum levels of the discovered cell base stations are the same, how the cell base station needing to establish synchronization selects the dornor base station is not specified by the existing standard.

On the other hand, the scene of small cells in the heterogeneous network gets more and more attention. In a small cell scenario, synchronization of the cells may bring greater benefits to the system. If the accuracy of inter-cell synchronization can be further improved, the method is more beneficial to a new small cell scene.

The embodiment of the invention provides an interaction method, an interaction device and a communication system for inter-cell synchronization. By adding new link quality information capable of reflecting potential Donor base stations, a better Donor base station can be selected for the slave base station to help.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an interactive method for synchronization between cells, the method including:

and sending link quality information between the first base station in a synchronization state and the equipment for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, an interactive device for synchronization between cells is provided, the interactive device includes:

the information sending unit is used for sending link quality information between the first base station in a synchronization state and the equipment for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station to the second base station, so that the second base station selects the equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication system including:

the base station comprises a first base station and a second base station, wherein the first base station sends link quality information between the first base station and equipment for providing synchronous reference for the first base station to the second base station;

and the second base station selects equipment for providing the synchronous reference according to the link quality information.

According to still another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a base station, the program causes a computer to execute the inter-cell synchronization interaction method as described above in the base station.

According to still another aspect of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to perform the inter-cell synchronization interworking method as described above in a base station.

The embodiment of the invention has the beneficial effect that the new link quality information capable of reflecting the potential Donor base station is added to provide help for the slave base station to select the better Donor base station. The slave base station can select a better Donor base station based on the acquired link quality information of the potential Donor base station, thereby improving the performance of the whole synchronous link.

Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and drawings, indicating the manner in which the principles of the invention may be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not so limited in scope. The embodiments of the invention include many variations, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one or more other embodiments, in combination with or instead of the features of the other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising" when used herein, is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

Drawings

Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. For convenience in illustrating and describing some parts of the present invention, corresponding parts may be enlarged or reduced in the drawings.

Elements and features depicted in one drawing or one embodiment of the invention may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and may be used to designate corresponding parts for use in more than one embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of air interface based inter-cell synchronization in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

fig. 3 is another flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a diagram of an example of an interaction method for inter-cell synchronization according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a diagram of another example of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to embodiment 2 of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an inter-cell synchronization interaction apparatus according to embodiment 3 of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a base station according to embodiment 3 of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an inter-cell synchronization interaction apparatus according to embodiment 4 of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a communication system according to embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The foregoing and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description and drawings, particular embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail as being indicative of some of the embodiments in which the principles of the invention may be employed, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Example 1

The embodiment of the invention provides an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization, which is explained from the side of a device (namely a Donor base station) in a synchronization state. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, the method includes:

step 201, sending link quality information between a first base station in a synchronization state and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the device providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

In this embodiment, the first base station may be a base station already in a synchronized state, and the second base station may be a base station in an unsynchronized state. The base station according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a Macro cell (Macro cell) base station, a Pico cell (Pico cell) base station, or a Femto cell (Femto cell) base station. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a Remote Radio Head (RRH) or the like.

In this embodiment, the device for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station may be a synchronized base station, or may be a GPS. Further, the device providing the synchronization reference may have one or more stages. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the device providing the synchronization reference for the first base station (e.g., the base station of cell1 in fig. 1) is MeNB1, and the device providing the synchronization reference for MeNB1 is GPS. The specific apparatus may be determined according to actual situations with respect to the first base station, the second base station, and the device providing the synchronization reference for the first base station. The following description will be given only by taking a cell base station (e.g., eNB) as an example.

In this embodiment, the link quality information may include: signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) information, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) information, or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) information; but the invention is not limited thereto.

Therefore, the second base station in an unsynchronized state can obtain the link quality information of the first base station (i.e., the potential donor base stations), and in the case of obtaining the link quality information of a plurality of potential donor base stations, the second base station can select, for example, the synchronization device with the best link quality, so as to help the second base station select the better donor base station. As to how to perform synchronization after the donor base station is selected, reference may be made to the prior art, and details thereof are not described herein.

Fig. 3 is another flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 3, the method includes:

step 301, link quality information between a first base station and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station is obtained.

Step 302, the link quality information, the state information of the first base station and/or the synchronization level information are sent to the second base station, so that the second base station selects a device providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information, the state information and/or the synchronization level information.

In this embodiment, the prior art may be adopted to acquire link quality information, such as SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, or the like, between the first base station and a device that provides a synchronization reference for the first base station. The state information of the first base station may be, for example, information indicating that the first base station is in a synchronized state, and the synchronization level information of the first base station may be, for example, stratumlevel information.

In this embodiment, the first base station may send the link quality information and the state information of the first base station to the second base station; or the link quality information and the synchronization level information of the first base station can be sent to the second base station; or the link quality information, the state information of the first base station, and the synchronization level information of the first base station may be transmitted to the second base station. The second base station may select a device providing a synchronization reference according to the link quality information, the state information of the first base station, and/or the synchronization level information of the first base station.

The following description will be given by taking transmission of link quality information and synchronization level information as an example.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, the base station 401 of the macro cell, the base station 402 of the small cell1, and the base station 403 of the small cell2 are in a synchronous state. Wherein, the base station 401 is provided with synchronous reference by GPS, and the stratum level is 0; base station 402 and base station 403 are provided with synchronization references, with stratum levels of 1, respectively, by base station 401. The SINR between base station 401 and base station 402 is-8 dB and the SINR between base station 401 and base station 403 is-4 dB.

When the base station 404 of the small cell3 needs to synchronize, a small cell1 and a small cell2 can be found. Base station 404 may request that base station 402 and base station 403 transmit respective stratum level information and respective link quality information, e.g., SINR, with a previous level donor base station.

Then base station 402 may send a stratum level of 1 and a SINR between base station 401 and base station 402 of-8 to base station 404; base station 403 may send a stratum level of 1 and a SINR between base station 401 and base station 403 of-4 to base station 404. The base station 404 may select one of the base stations (e.g., the base station 402 of the cell 1) as its donor base station according to the stratum level and SINR information respectively sent by the base station 402 and the base station 403.

It is described above that one cell/base station that has acquired synchronization can send the link quality information of itself and its donor cell/base station to other cells/base stations. Wherein, only the link quality information of the cell/base station and the donorcell/base station at the upper stage can be sent; and the link quality information of the cell/base station and the donorcell/base stations of the upper levels or all the upper levels can also be sent.

In this embodiment, the device for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station may further have one or more stages of devices for providing the synchronization reference; the method further comprises the following steps: and transmitting the link quality information between the one or more levels of devices providing the synchronous reference to the second base station. Another example is described below.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of another example of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 5, the base station 501 of the macro cell, the base station 502 of the small cell1, the base station 503 of the small cell2, the base station 504 of the small cell3, the base station 505 of the small cell4, and the base station 506 of the small cell5 are in a synchronized state. Wherein, the base station 501 is provided with synchronous reference by GPS, and the stratum level is 0; base station 502 and base station 503 are provided with synchronization references, with stratum levels of 1, respectively, by base station 501. Base station 504 and base station 505 are provided with a synchronization reference by base station 502, base station 506 is provided with a synchronization reference by base station 503, and the stratum level is 2 respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5, the SINR between base station 501 and base station 502 is-8 dB and the SINR between base station 501 and base station 503 is-4 dB. The SINR between base station 502 and base station 504 is 2dB, and the SINR between base station 502 and base station 505 is 1 dB. The SINR between base station 503 and base station 506 is 2 dB.

When the small cell6 needs to be synchronized, the base station 507 of the small cell6 is a slave base station, and the small cell3, the small cell4 and the small cell5 can be found. Base station 507 may request the stratum level information for base station 504, base station 505, and base station 506, respectively, as well as link quality information, such as SINR, for each and all superior donor base stations.

Then the base station 504 may send a stratum level of 2, an SINR between the base station 504 and the base station 502 of the neighboring previous level small cell1 of 2, and an SINR between the base station 502 of the small cell1 and the base station 501 of the macro cell of-8 to the base station 507. The base station 505 may send a stratum level of 2, an SINR between the base station 505 and the base station 502 of the neighboring upper level small cell1 of 1, and an SINR between the base station 502 of the small cell1 and the base station 501 of the macro cell of-8 to the base station 507. The base station 506 may send a stratum level of 2, an SINR between the base station 503 of the neighboring upper level small cell2 of 2, and an SINR between the base station 503 of the small cell2 and the base station 501 of the macro cell of-4 to the base station 507. The base station 507 of the small cell6 may select one of the base stations (for example, the base station 505) as its donor base station according to the stratum level and SINR information respectively sent by the base station 504, the base station 505, and the base station 506.

Therefore, link quality information between one or more stages of devices providing synchronous reference can be provided, and further help is provided for the second device to select a more optimal donor base station. How to select one doror base station from a plurality of potential doror base stations by the slave base station can be determined according to actual conditions. For example, the base station with the lowest stratum level may be selected first, and then the base station with the best link quality may be selected from the base stations with the lowest stratum level; or the link quality and stratumlevel may be considered jointly, for example, the link quality and stratumlevel of a plurality of potential donor base stations are respectively brought into a performance function, and the base station with the highest synchronization accuracy is selected.

In this embodiment, synchronization between cells may be achieved based on an air interface. Further, the above-described link quality information may be transmitted based on an air interface, an S1 loop, or an X2 loop.

Specifically, the slave base station and the donor base station may send or receive link quality information for synchronization through an interface defined between the base stations. For example, the data may be transmitted or received over an S1 loop, or an X2 loop, or a newly defined interface between base stations, or over an air interface. Through an air interface, the donor base station can actively transmit link quality information, synchronization state information, stratum level and the like between the base station and a device for providing synchronization reference for the base station.

In this embodiment, the base station may carry information related to synchronization (for example, the above-mentioned link quality information, synchronization state information, and Channel level) in the form of a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or may also carry information related to synchronization in a newly defined Physical Channel.

In addition, the physical resources occupied by the channel for transmitting the synchronization related information may be fixed, such as the time period and the time offset thereof, and the occupied frequency domain resources may be one or more sets that may be fixed in advance. The time frequency resources occupied by different base stations can be staggered to avoid strong interference. The time-frequency resources occupied by different base stations may be different according to, for example, the stratum level. The base station receiving the synchronization related information may detect the information on the corresponding resources according to a predetermined rule.

In this embodiment, the link quality information may include a numerical value, for example, the interactive link quality information may be an absolute value. Alternatively, the link quality information may include an interval value reflecting the link quality; may be a value quantized according to a table set by priority.

Table 1 schematically shows link quality indication information. As shown in table 1, for example, the interval of the link quality may be reflected by means of a link indication bit.

TABLE 1

Link quality indication information	Link quality
		000	＜-10dB
001	＜-8dB
		010	＜-6dB
...	...
		110	＜2dB
111	＜4dB

The link quality information is only schematically illustrated above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. How to transmit the link quality information is explained below.

In this embodiment, the link quality information may be periodically transmitted to the second base station; for example, the cell/base station with established synchronization may actively send link quality information to surrounding cells/base stations or subordinate cells/base stations.

Alternatively, the link quality information may be transmitted to the second base station when the trigger condition is satisfied. Wherein the trigger condition may include: receiving a synchronous reference request sent by a second base station; or the first base station reestablishes synchronization; or the first base station judges that the link quality changes.

For example, when one cell initially establishes inter-cell synchronization, it may request other cells/base stations to send link quality information; or when one cell which has established synchronization loses synchronization and needs to reestablish synchronization, other cells/base stations can be requested to send link quality information; or when one cell finds that the link quality is obviously changed, the cell can request the link quality information from other cells/base stations.

The synchronized cell/base station can send the link quality information only after receiving the request of other cells/base stations; or after one cell reestablishes synchronization, the link quality information can be actively sent to other cells/base stations; or when one cell finds that the link quality changes obviously, the cell can actively send the link quality information to other cells/base stations.

It can be known from the foregoing embodiments that, by adding new link quality information that can reflect potential donor base stations, a better donor base station can be selected for a slave base station to help. The slave base station can select a better Donor base station based on the obtained link quality information of the potential Donor base station, thereby improving the performance of the whole synchronous link.

Example 2

The embodiment of the present invention provides an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization, which is described from a side of a device (i.e., a slave base station) that needs to perform synchronization, and the same contents as those in embodiment 1 are not described again.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an interactive method for inter-cell synchronization according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 6, the method includes:

601, a second base station receives link quality information which is sent by one or more first base stations and is between the first base stations and equipment for providing synchronization reference for the first base stations;

in step 602, the second base station selects a device providing a synchronization reference from one or more first base stations according to the received link quality information.

In this embodiment, the first base station may be a base station that is already in a synchronized state, and the second base station may be a base station that is not yet in a synchronized state. Synchronization may be performed after the second base station (slave base station) selects a device (e.g., a donor base station) that provides a synchronization reference. Reference may be made to the prior art for how to synchronize in particular.

In this embodiment, the second base station may further receive status information and/or synchronization level information of the first base station, and the second base station may select a device providing a synchronization reference according to the received link quality information, the status information and/or the synchronization level information of the first base station.

In this embodiment, the second base station may further receive link quality information between one or more levels of devices providing synchronization reference, which is sent by the first base station; the device providing the synchronous reference is selected according to the link quality information between the first base station and the device providing the synchronous reference for the first base station and the link quality information between one or more levels of devices providing the synchronous reference.

Example 3

The embodiment of the present invention provides an interactive apparatus for inter-cell synchronization, and details of the same contents as those in embodiment 1 are not repeated. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an inter-cell synchronization interaction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 7, the interaction apparatus 700 includes:

the information sending unit 701 sends link quality information between the first base station in the synchronization state and the device providing the synchronization reference for the first base station to the second base station, so that the second base station selects the device providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

The link quality information may include: signal to interference plus noise ratio information, reference signal received power information, or reference signal received quality information; but the invention is not limited thereto. In particular implementations, the link quality information may include, for example, a numerical value or an interval value reflecting the link quality.

In one embodiment, the information sending unit 701 may further be configured to send the state information and/or the synchronization level information of the first base station to the second base station.

In another embodiment, the first base station further has one or more stages of devices for providing a synchronization reference; the information sending unit 701 is further configured to send link quality information between one or more levels of devices providing synchronization reference to the second base station.

In another embodiment, the information transmitting unit 701 may transmit the link quality information based on an air interface, an S1 loop, or an X2 loop.

In another embodiment, the information transmitting unit 701 may periodically transmit the link quality information to the second base station. Or the link quality information may be sent to the second base station if the trigger condition is met; wherein the trigger condition may include: receiving a synchronous reference request sent by a second base station; or the first base station reestablishes synchronization; or the first base station judges that the link quality changes.

As shown in fig. 7, the interaction apparatus 700 may further include: an information obtaining unit 702 obtains link quality information between the first base station and a device that provides a synchronization reference for the first base station.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a base station, which is a first base station in a synchronous state and comprises the above interactive device for inter-cell synchronization.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the base station 800 may include: a Central Processing Unit (CPU)200 and a memory 210; the memory 210 is coupled to the central processor 200. Wherein the memory 210 can store various data; further, a program for information processing is stored and executed under the control of the central processor 200 to receive various information transmitted from the user equipment and transmit request information to the user equipment.

In one embodiment, the functions of the inter-cell synchronized interaction means may be integrated into the central processor 200. The central processor 200 may be configured to control as follows: and sending link quality information between the base station in the synchronization state and the equipment for providing the synchronization reference for the base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

The central processor 200 may also be configured to control as follows: and sending the state information and/or the synchronization level information of the base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information, the state information and/or the synchronization level information.

The equipment for providing the synchronous reference for the base station also comprises one or more stages of equipment for providing the synchronous reference; the central processor 200 may also be configured to control as follows: and sending the link quality information between the one or more levels of devices providing the synchronous reference to the second base station.

In another embodiment, the inter-cell synchronous interaction device may be configured separately from the central processor, for example, the inter-cell synchronous interaction device may be configured as a chip connected to the central processor 200, and the function of the inter-cell synchronous interaction device is realized by the control of the central processor.

In addition, as shown in fig. 8, the base station 800 may further include: transceiver 220 and antenna 230, etc.; the functions of the above components are similar to those of the prior art, and are not described in detail here. It is noted that the base station 800 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in fig. 8; furthermore, the base station 800 may also comprise components not shown in fig. 8, which may be referred to in the prior art.

Example 4

The embodiment of the present invention provides an interactive apparatus for inter-cell synchronization, and details of the same contents as those in embodiment 2 are not repeated. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of an inter-cell synchronization interaction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 9, the interaction apparatus 900 includes:

an information receiving unit 901, which receives link quality information sent by one or more first base stations and between a first base station and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station;

a synchronization selection unit 902 selects a device providing a synchronization reference from one or more first base stations according to the received link quality information.

In this embodiment, the first base station may be a base station that is already in a synchronized state. After the synchronization selection unit 902 selects a device (e.g., a donor base station) providing a synchronization reference, synchronization can be performed. Reference may be made to the prior art for how to synchronize in particular.

In one embodiment, the information receiving unit 901 may further receive status information and/or synchronization level information of the first base station, and the synchronization selecting unit 902 may select a device providing a synchronization reference according to the received link quality information, status information and/or synchronization level information.

In another embodiment, the information receiving unit 901 may further receive link quality information between one or more levels of devices providing synchronization reference, which is sent by the first base station; the synchronization selection unit 902 may also select a device providing a synchronization reference according to link quality information between the first base station and a device providing the synchronization reference for the first base station, and link quality information between one or more levels of devices providing the synchronization reference.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a base station, which is a second base station in an unsynchronized state and comprises the above interactive device for inter-cell synchronization. The base station may be constructed as shown in fig. 8.

In one embodiment, the functions of the inter-cell synchronized interaction means may be integrated into the central processor 200. In another embodiment, the inter-cell synchronous interaction device may be configured separately from the central processor, for example, the inter-cell synchronous interaction device may be configured as a chip connected to the central processor 200, and the function of the inter-cell synchronous interaction device is realized by the control of the central processor.

Example 5

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a communication system, which includes a first base station and a second base station, and details of the same contents as those in embodiments 1 to 4 are not repeated.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 10, the communication system 1000 includes a first base station 1001 and a second base station 1002. The first base station 1001 sends link quality information between the first base station 1001 and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station 1001 to the second base station 1002; the second base station 1002 selects a device providing a synchronization reference according to the link quality information.

In this embodiment, the first base station 1001 may be a base station in a synchronization state, and includes the inter-cell synchronization interaction apparatus described in embodiment 3; the second base station 1002 may be a base station in an unsynchronized state, and includes an inter-cell synchronized interaction apparatus as described in embodiment 4.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable program, where when the program is executed in a base station, the program causes a computer to execute the inter-cell synchronization interaction method described in

embodiment

1 or 2 above in the base station.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, where the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the interaction method for inter-cell synchronization in a base station according to

embodiment

1 or 2 above.

The above devices and methods of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware and software. The present invention relates to a computer-readable program which, when executed by a logic section, enables the logic section to realize the above-described apparatus or constituent section, or to realize the above-described various methods or steps. The present invention also relates to a storage medium such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, or the like, for storing the above program.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of the functional blocks described in the figures can be implemented as a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of the functional blocks described in connection with the figures may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or any other such configuration.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art based upon the spirit and principles of this invention, and such modifications and alterations are also within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An interactive method of inter-cell synchronization, the method comprising:

sending link quality information between a first base station in a synchronization state and equipment for providing synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the equipment for providing synchronization reference according to the link quality information;

wherein the link quality information comprises: signal to interference plus noise ratio information, reference signal received power information, or reference signal received quality information.

2. The interaction method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

and sending the state information and/or the synchronization level information of the first base station to the second base station, so that the second base station selects equipment for providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information, the state information and/or the synchronization level information.

3. The interaction method according to claim 1, wherein the device providing the first base station with the synchronization reference further has one or more stages of devices providing the synchronization reference;

the method further comprises the following steps: and sending link quality information between the first base station and the one or more levels of equipment providing synchronous reference to the second base station.

4. The interaction method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: transmitting the link quality information based on an air interface, an S1 interface, an X2 interface, or a newly defined interface between base stations.

5. The interworking method of claim 1, wherein the link quality information is transmitted to the second base station periodically; or

And sending the link quality information to the second base station under the condition that a triggering condition is met.

6. The interaction method of claim 5, wherein the trigger condition comprises:

receiving a synchronous reference request sent by the second base station; or

The first base station reestablishes synchronization; or

And the first base station judges that the link quality changes.

7. The interaction method of claim 1, wherein the link quality information comprises a numerical value or an interval value reflecting link quality.

8. The interworking method of claim 1, wherein prior to transmitting link quality information between a first base station in a synchronized state and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, the method further comprises:

and acquiring link quality information between the first base station and equipment for providing the first base station with synchronous reference.

9. An interactive apparatus for inter-cell synchronization, the interactive apparatus comprising:

an information sending unit, configured to send link quality information between a first base station in a synchronization state and a device providing a synchronization reference for the first base station to a second base station, so that the second base station selects the device providing the synchronization reference according to the link quality information;

10. The interaction device according to claim 9, wherein the information sending unit is further configured to send status information and/or synchronization level information of the first base station to the second base station.

11. The interaction apparatus of claim 9, wherein the device for providing a synchronization reference for the first base station further has one or more stages of devices for providing a synchronization reference;

the information sending unit is further configured to send link quality information between the first base station and the one or more levels of devices providing synchronization reference to the second base station.

12. The interworking apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information transmitting unit transmits the link quality information based on an air interface, an S1 interface, an X2 interface, or a newly defined inter-base station interface.

13. The interaction apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information transmission unit periodically transmits the link quality information to the second base station; or sending the link quality information to the second base station if a trigger condition is satisfied.

14. The interaction device of claim 13, wherein the trigger condition comprises:

receiving a synchronous reference request sent by the second base station; or

The first base station reestablishes synchronization; or

And the first base station judges that the link quality changes.

15. The interaction apparatus of claim 9, wherein the link quality information comprises a numerical value or an interval value reflecting link quality.

16. The interaction device of claim 9, wherein the device further comprises:

and the information acquisition unit is used for acquiring link quality information between the first base station and equipment for providing the synchronization reference for the first base station.

17. A communication system, comprising:

the second base station selects equipment for providing synchronous reference according to the link quality information;

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the first base station is a base station in a synchronized state and the second base station is a base station in an unsynchronized state.