HK1151667B - Configuring an identifier for an access point of a femto cell - Google Patents

Description

Configuring an identifier for an access point of a femto cell

Priority requirements according to 35U.S.C. § 119

The present application claims commonly owned U.S. provisional patent application No.60/989054, filed on 19/11/2007 and assigned attorney docket No. 072359P1; U.S. provisional patent application No.60/989057, filed 11/19/2007 and assigned attorney docket No. 072360P1; and the benefits and priority of U.S. provisional patent application No.61/025683 filed on 1/2/2008 and assigned attorney docket No. 080744P1; the disclosure of each of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to communications and more particularly, but not exclusively, to configuring a communication node.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communications (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to multiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly increases, there is a challenge to implement efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance.

To supplement conventional mobile phone network base stations (e.g., macro cells), small coverage base stations may be deployed (e.g., installed in a user's home) to provide more robust indoor wireless coverage to mobile devices. Such small-coverage base stations are commonly referred to as access points, base stations, home nodebs, or femtocells. Typically, such small coverage base stations are connected to the internet and the mobile operator's network via a DSL router or a cable modem.

In practice, these small-coverage base stations may be deployed in an ad-hoc fashion and in large numbers. Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for configuring such base stations.

Disclosure of Invention

The following is a summary of sample aspects of the disclosure. It should be understood that any reference herein to a term aspect may refer to one or more aspects of this disclosure.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to configuring an access point. In various scenarios, such an access point may take the form of a femto node, a relay node, a pico node, or some other type of node.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to configuring an access point based on a configuration of at least one other access point. For example, an access point may obtain configuration information indicating a configuration of at least one neighboring access point and select one or more configuration parameters based on the obtained configuration information.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to determining an identifier to be used by (i.e., transmitted by) an access point. For example, an access point may select an identifier based on an identifier used (i.e., transmitted) by at least one other access point. These identifiers may include, for example, pilot identifiers (e.g., physical cell identifiers). For convenience, the description herein will refer to such identifiers as pilot identifiers.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to autonomous configuration of an access point. For example, once an access point is initialized (e.g., at deployment, power-up, or reset), the access point may determine its location and then configure itself (e.g., by determining a configuration based on its location). Here, the access point may determine radio frequency ("RF") parameters, optimization parameters, or other parameters. For example, the access point may determine a pilot identifier, a carrier frequency, a power profile, some other parameter, or a combination of two or more of these parameters.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to an access point configuring itself with the assistance of a configuration server. For example, an access point may send information such as the location of the access point to a configuration server, which may respond with any neighboring list of access points for the access point. The access point may then obtain configuration information indicating a configuration of the identified neighboring access point and select one or more configuration parameters based on the obtained configuration information.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to providing configuration information to an access point. For example, the configuration server may provide configuration information to the access point based on the location of the access point.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to directing access points to a configuration server. For example, the configuration server may direct the access point to another configuration server to obtain the configuration information.

Drawings

These and other sample aspects of the present disclosure will be described in the following detailed description and appended claims, wherein:

fig. 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of a communication system in which an access point is configured based on received information;

fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a sample coverage area for wireless communication;

fig. 3 is a flow diagram of several sample aspects of operations that may be performed to configure an access point;

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be used in a communication node;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating sample operations involving neighbor discovery;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating sample operations involving neighbor discovery;

fig. 7 is a flow diagram of several sample aspects of operations that may be performed to configure an access point based on the configuration of one or more neighboring nodes;

FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be used in a communication node;

fig. 9 is a flow diagram of several sample aspects of operations that may be performed to configure an access point based on location;

fig. 10 is a flow diagram of several sample aspects of operations that may be performed to configure an access point based on received configuration information;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of several sample aspects of operations that may be performed to direct an access point to a configuration server;

fig. 12 is a diagram of a wireless communication system;

fig. 13 is a diagram of a wireless communication system including a femto node;

FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of a communications component; and

fig. 15-22 are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of an apparatus configured to perform configuration-related operations as taught herein.

In accordance with common practice, the various features shown in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Accordingly, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) or method. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.

Detailed Description

Aspects of the disclosure are described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in many forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. Further, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. Furthermore, an aspect may include at least one element of a claim.

Fig. 1 illustrates several nodes in a sample communication system 100 (e.g., a portion of a communication network). For purposes of illustration, aspects of the disclosure will be described in the context of one or more terminals, access points, and network nodes communicating with each other. It will be appreciated, however, that the teachings herein may be applied to other types of apparatuses or other similar apparatuses referred to using other terminology. For example, an access point as taught herein may be implemented as or referred to as a base station, an enodeb, a home enodeb, and so on. Also, an access terminal as taught herein may be implemented as, or referred to as, a mobile device, user equipment, or the like. Furthermore, a network node may be implemented as, or referred to as, a configuration server; an operations, accounting, and management ("OAM") entity; a mobility manager, etc. Other sample terms are set forth in the discussion below.

An access point in system 100 provides one or more services (e.g., network connections) to one or more wireless terminals (e.g., access terminal 102) that may be installed within an associated geographic area or that may roam throughout the geographic area. For example, at various points in time, an access terminal 102 may connect to an access point 104 or an access point 106. Each of the access points 104 and 106 may communicate with one or more network nodes (represented for convenience by network node 108) to facilitate wide area network connectivity. Such a network node may take various forms, such as one or more radios and/or core network entities (e.g., implemented as described above or as some other suitable network entity).

In some aspects, configuration of an access point, such as access point 104, may be advantageously implemented by providing configuration functionality at the access point. For example, in a network with a large number of access points, it may be more efficient for the overall operation of the network if each access point has the ability to configure itself, at least to some extent. In this way, at least the operator of the network (e.g. a centralized entity managed by the operator) can be relieved of some of the burden of determining the appropriate configuration and keeping track of the configuration of all these access points.

In the example of fig. 1, the access point 104 includes a configuration controller 110 that configures the access point 104. Here, the configuration controller 110 may provide one or more configuration parameters for the access point 104 for communication-related operations. For example, the configuration controller 110 may provide the wireless transceiver 112 with configuration parameters such as a pilot identifier, an operating frequency, and a transmit power.

In some embodiments, the configuration controller 110 defines configuration parameters based on the configuration of at least one other access point (e.g., a neighboring access point). To this end, the configuration controller 110 may receive configuration information from other access points and/or information that may be used to obtain configuration information from other access points.

In some cases, the access point 104 may communicate with the access point 106 to determine a configuration of the access point 106. For example, access point 104 may communicate with access point 106 via a backhaul (e.g., through network node 108). As a more specific example, an enodeb may receive a report of the PCI used by a neighboring enodeb (e.g., via the X2 interface).

Also, the access point 104 may obtain configuration-related information directly from the access point 106 via radio signals. For example, access point 104 may include a downlink receiver (not shown in fig. 1) that receives signals transmitted by access point 106. As a more specific example, a PCI used by an enodeb may be heard over the air at another enodeb with a downlink receiver.

The access point 104 may also obtain configuration-related information via the access terminal (e.g., while the access terminal 102 is being served by the access point 104). For example, the access terminal 102 may forward information it obtained from the access point 106 (e.g., information resulting from the transmission of the access point 106) to the access point 104. As a more specific example, the user equipment may report the PCI used by the enodeb to another enodeb.

In some cases, the access point 104 may receive configuration-related information from the network node 108. For example, network node 108 may identify any neighbors of access point 104 and send this neighbor information to access point 104. The configuration controller 110 then uses the neighbor information to determine the configuration of the indicated neighbor.

In some cases, the network node 108 sends a list of pilot identifiers to the access point 104. The access point 104 may select its pilot identifier from the list. For example, the access point 104 can select the pilot identifier randomly from a list or based on one or more criteria defined. Here, the access point 104 may exclude from its selection any pilot identifiers used by other access points (e.g., neighboring access points).

As a more specific example, the OAM entity may send a list of PCI values to the enodeb. This list may be cell-specific. The enodeb may then select a PCI value for the cell from the PCI list. For example, the enodeb may randomly select a PCI value from the PCI list.

In some cases, the enodeb may restrict the received list by removing PCIs reported by the user equipment, reported by neighboring enodebs, heard over the air via the downlink, obtained by some other method, or obtained by a combination of two or more of these methods. The enode B may then randomly select a PCI value from the restricted list of PCIs or select a PCI value from the restricted list in some other way.

In some cases, the access point 104 may provide information to a configuration server (e.g., as shown by the network node 108) to assist the configuration server in providing configuration information to the access point 104. For example, the access point 104 may determine its location and send corresponding location information to the network node 108. The network node 108 may then determine appropriate configuration information based on the location and send this configuration information to the access point 104, where the configuration controller 110 uses the configuration information to configure the access point 104.

In some cases, a configuration server (e.g., shown as network node 108) may direct an access point to another configuration server to obtain configuration information. For example, upon receiving a request for configuration information from the access point 104, the network node 102 may redirect the access point 104 to another node (e.g., another configuration server). Such redirection may be based on, for example, the location of the access point 104 and/or the load on one or more configuration servers.

Configuration operations such as those described above may be advantageously employed in a network 200 such as that shown in fig. 2, where some access points provide macro coverage and other access points provide smaller coverage in the network 200. The macro coverage area 204 may be provided, for example, by a macro access point of a large area cellular network, such as a 3G network, commonly referred to as a macro cell network or a wide area network ("WAN"). Further, the smaller coverage area 206 may be provided by an access point, such as a residential or building based network environment, which is commonly referred to as a local area network ("LAN"). As an access terminal ("AT") moves through such a network, the access terminal may be served in certain locations by access points that provide macro coverage while in other locations the access terminal may be served by access points that provide smaller coverage. In some aspects, a smaller coverage access point may be used to provide incremental capacity growth, in-building coverage, and different services, all of which enable a more robust user experience.

In the description herein, a node that provides coverage over a larger area (e.g., an access point) may be referred to as a macro node, while a node that provides coverage over a smaller area (e.g., a residence) may be referred to as a femto node. It should be appreciated that the teachings herein may be applicable to nodes associated with other types of coverage areas. For example, a pico node may provide coverage over an area that is smaller than a macro area and larger than a femto area (e.g., coverage within a commercial building). Furthermore, the relay node may provide wireless coverage enabling the access point to communicate with other nodes in the network. In other words, the relay node may provide a wireless backhaul link, assisting in connecting to, for example, a network node or another relay node. In various applications, other terminology may be used to refer to macro nodes, femto nodes, or other access point type nodes. For example, a macro node may be configured or referred to as an access node, base station, access point, enodeb ("eNB"), macro cell, and so on. Also, a femto node may be configured or referred to as a home nodeb, home enodeb, access point, base station, access point base station, enodeb, femto cell, and so on. In some embodiments, a node may be associated with (e.g., divided into) one or more cells or sectors. A cell or sector associated with a macro, femto, or pico node may be referred to as a macro, femto, or pico cell, respectively. For convenience, the description herein may refer generally to the operation and components of access points and femto nodes. It should be appreciated that these operations and components may also be applicable to other types of nodes (e.g., relay nodes and pico nodes).

In the example of fig. 2, several tracking areas 202 (or routing areas or positioning areas) are defined, each of which includes several macro coverage areas 204. Here, the coverage areas associated with tracking areas 202A, 202B, and 202C are depicted by wide lines, with macro coverage areas 204 represented by hexagons. As described above, the tracking area 202 may also include a femto coverage area 206. In this example, each of the femto coverage areas 206 (e.g., femto coverage area 206C) is depicted within one or more macro coverage areas 204 (e.g., macro coverage area 204B). It is to be appreciated, however, that the femto coverage area 206 may not be entirely within the macro coverage area 204. Also, one or more pico or femto coverage areas (not shown) may be defined within a given tracking area 202 or macro coverage area 204.

As illustrated by the small cell in the macro coverage area 204A, a large number of access points, such as femto nodes, may be deployed in the network. In such cases, the access points may be advantageously configured using the teachings herein. In view of the above summary, various techniques that may be used to configure an access point in accordance with the teachings herein will be described with reference to fig. 3-11. Fig. 3-6 relate in some aspects to operations and components that may be used to determine a pilot identifier to be used by an access point. Fig. 7-9 relate in some aspects to operations and components that may be used to configure an access point based on a configuration of at least one other node. Fig. 10 relates in some aspects to operations that may be used to provide configuration information to an access point. Fig. 11 relates in some aspects to operations that may be used to direct an access point to a configuration server.

For purposes of illustration, the operations of fig. 3, 5-7, and 9-11 (or any other operations discussed or taught herein) may be described as being performed by a particular component (e.g., a component of system 100, a component shown in fig. 4, or a component shown in fig. 8). It is recognized, however, that these operations may be performed by other types of components and using a different number of components. It should also be appreciated that one or more of the operations described herein may not be employed in a given implementation.

Fig. 4 and 8 illustrate several sample components that may be incorporated into nodes such as access points, network nodes, and access terminals to perform the configuration operations taught herein. The described components may also be incorporated in other nodes in a communication system. For example, other nodes in the system (e.g., other access points) may include components similar to those described for access point 402 and/or access point 802 to provide similar functionality.

As shown in fig. 4, access point 402 and network node 404 (e.g., a configuration server) may include transceivers 406 and 408, respectively, for communicating with other nodes. The transceiver 406 includes a transmitter 410 for transmitting signals (e.g., messages) and a receiver 412 for receiving signals (e.g., including configuration-related information). The transceiver 408 includes a transmitter 414 for transmitting signals and a receiver 416 for receiving signals. Similarly, access point 802 and network node 804 (e.g., a configuration server) shown in fig. 8 may include a transceiver 806 (including transmitter 808 and receiver 810) and a transceiver 812 (including transmitter 814 and receiver 816), respectively. Moreover, access terminal 818 shown in FIG. 8 can include a transceiver 820 (including a transmitter 822 and a receiver 824).

The nodes of fig. 4 and 8 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with configuration operations as taught herein. For example, as shown in fig. 8, access point 802, network node 804, and access terminal 818 may each include a communication controller 826, 828, and 830 for managing communications (e.g., sending and receiving messages/indicators) with other nodes and for providing other related functionality as taught herein. As also shown in fig. 8, one or more of access point 802, network node 804, and access terminal 818 may include configuration controllers 832 (e.g., including an integrated reference point agent, IRPAgent), 834 (e.g., including an integrated reference point manager, IRPManager), and 836, respectively, for performing configuration-related operations and for providing other related functionality as taught herein. Sample operations of the other components of fig. 4 and 8 are described below.

For convenience, the nodes of fig. 4 and 8 are depicted as including components that may be used in the examples described below in connection with fig. 3-11. In practice, one or more of the illustrated components may not be used in a given example. As an example, in some embodiments, the access terminal 818 may not include the collision detector 838 and/or the configuration controller 836. As another example, in some embodiments, the network node 804 may not include one or more of the configuration controller 834, the neighbor determiner 840, or the configuration server selector 842. As yet another example, in some embodiments, the access point 802 may not include the location determiner 844.

Also, a given node may contain one or more of the described components. For example, a node may contain multiple transceiver components, enabling the node to operate at multiple frequencies simultaneously and/or enabling the node to communicate over different types of technologies (e.g., wired and/or wireless technologies).

Referring now to fig. 3 and 4, an access point may be configured with a pilot identifier based on a pilot identifier used by at least one other access point using the teachings herein. Using this approach, access points in the network may select (e.g., autonomously select) the pilot identifier in a distributed manner. In this way, the likelihood of pilot identifier collision (e.g., when a node hears multiple access points broadcasting the same pilot identifier) in the network may be reduced or eliminated. Furthermore, this can be achieved without the use of a centralized manager that allocates and keeps track of all the pilot identifiers used by all the access points in the network.

The pilot identifier may take various forms and may be referred to using different terminology in different embodiments. For example, the pilot identifier can be referred to as a cell identifier ("cell ID"), a physical cell identifier ("PCI"), or a primary scrambling sequence ("PSC"). Also, the pilot identifier may be associated with a pseudorandom noise sequence ("PN sequence") present in the pilot signal.

As shown at block 302 of fig. 3, in some embodiments, a configuration server (e.g., network node 404 of fig. 4) determines that a list of pilot identifiers may be used by a given access point (e.g., access point 402) and sends the list to the access point. In the example of fig. 4, these operations may be performed by the configuration controller 418.

Here, the list of pilot identifiers may include a subset (e.g., 10 pilot identifiers) of the total set of pilot identifiers (e.g., 512 pilot identifiers) defined for a given network. In some embodiments, the list includes a range of pilot identifiers.

The list of pilot identifiers may be configured by the operator. In some cases, a given list may be applicable in an entire operator's network (e.g., multiple access points in the network may be assigned the same list). In some cases, a unique list may be defined for different access points. For example, each access point in the network may be assigned its own list (although these lists are not all unique)

In some embodiments, the operator may divide the pilot identifier space into different subsets. The pilot identifier space may be partitioned based on various criteria.

In some embodiments, the pilot identifier space is divided into different subsets for different types of access points. For example, a macro access point may be assigned a first subset of pilot identifiers (e.g., pilot identifiers 0-49), a femto node may be assigned a second subset of pilot identifiers (e.g., pilot identifiers 50-499), and a mobile access point may be assigned a third subset of pilot identifiers (e.g., pilot identifiers 500-511).

In some embodiments, the pilot identifier space is divided into different subsets based on the transmit power of the access point. For example, a higher power access point (e.g., a macro access point) may be assigned a first subset of pilot identifiers, and a lower power access point (e.g., a femto node, a pico node, or a relay node) may be assigned a second subset of pilot identifiers.

In some embodiments, the pilot identifier space may be divided into different subsets based on location. For example, different subsets of pilot identifiers may be defined for different geographic areas. The subset of pilot identifiers assigned to a given access point may then depend on the location of the access point.

In view of the above, in some embodiments, the operation of the configuration server at block 302 may be based on information received by the configuration server from the access point 402. For example, at some point in time (e.g., once the access point 402 establishes an internet connection), the access point 402 uses its network connectivity to contact the network node 404 and send the information.

The access point 402 (e.g., the location determiner 420) may determine information representative of the location of the access point 402 and send the information to the network node 404. This information may take various forms. For example, the information indicative of the location of the access point may indicate at least one of: the city in which the access point is located, the state in which the access point is located, the country in which the access point is located, the macro access point serving the access point, the region in which the access point is associated, the cell with which the access point communicates, the network identity or operator with which the cell is associated, GPS coordinates, geographic location or street address.

Additionally, or alternatively, the access point 402 may send information indicative of the type of access point 402 to the network node 404. As described above, this information may take various forms. For example, this type of information may indicate one or more of the following: a device class of the access point 402 (e.g., femto, macro, mobile, etc.), a power class of the access point 402 (e.g., high power, low power, etc.), whether the access point is restricted (e.g., as taught herein), whether the access point is stationary or mobile, or some other feature associated with the access point 402.

The network node 404 (e.g., the configuration controller 418) can then determine a list of pilot identifiers for use by the access point 402 based on information it receives from the access point 402. In some aspects, the network node 404 may use an operator pre-specified range of pilot identifiers to select a valid range of pilot identifiers for use by a specified node type and/or at a specified location.

As described above, some or all of the operations of block 302 may not be used in some implementations. For example, in some cases, a list of pilot identifiers (e.g., ranges) is normalized. In this case, the network node 404 may simply send a list of standard pilot identifiers to the access point 402. Alternatively, the access point 402 can be configured with a list of pilot identifiers, whereby the access point 402 does not receive this information from the network node 404.

As illustrated by block 304 of fig. 3, the access point 402 (e.g., the pilot identifier determiner 422) determines at least one pilot identifier used by at least one other access point. For example, the access point 402 may determine which pilot identifier its neighbors are using.

In some implementations, the access point 402 (e.g., the neighbor discovery controller 424) can perform neighbor discovery to identify its neighbors. As described in more detail below, the access point 402 may discover one-hop neighbors or multi-hop neighbors (e.g., two hops, three hops, etc.). In the latter case, the access point 402 may choose to crawl two or three hops or more to obtain pilot identifier information from more distant neighbors.

In some embodiments, the access point 402 obtains configuration information from its neighbors via neighbor discovery. For example, as a result of a neighbor discovery request issued by the neighbor discovery controller 424, the access point 402 may receive a neighbor discovery response from a neighboring access point (e.g., a one-hop or multi-hop neighbor) that includes a pilot identifier used by the neighboring access point. Such neighbor discovery operations may be performed, for example, via the backhaul.

In some implementations, the access point 402 can obtain pilot identifier information for its neighbors from a server (e.g., the network node 404). For example, the network node 404 (e.g., the neighbor determiner 426) may maintain the information itself or obtain the information upon request. The network node 404 may then send pilot identifier information to the access point 402 in response to the request from the access point 402. In some aspects, the network node 404 may identify pilot identifier information to provide based on the location of the access point 402. For example, in its request, access point 402 may include information indicative of its location. The network node 404 may then identify the nearby access points and determine which pilot identifiers they use. In addition, the network node 404 may consider the transmit power of the access points 402 when determining whether the pilot signals transmitted by these access points may be received by nodes that also receive pilot signals from these access points. In this manner, only those pilot identifiers that could potentially cause pilot identifier collision can be sent to the access point 402.

In some embodiments, the access point 402 may initially obtain a list of its neighbors and then perform neighbor discovery on the access points identified by the list. For example, the network node 404 (e.g., neighbor determiner 426) can send such a list to the access point 402 based on the location of the access point 402 (e.g., as can be provided by the access point 402 to the network node 404). Also, an access terminal associated with access point 402 (e.g., served by access point 402) can send a report to access point 402 indicating which access point the access terminal is currently listening to or has previously heard (i.e., received signals from).

In some embodiments, the access point 402 may determine the pilot identifiers used by its neighbors without having to perform formal neighbor discovery. For example, access point 402 can include a downlink receiver (e.g., as shown by receiver 412) configured to detect pilot signals from neighboring access points. That is, the access point 402 may receive the configuration information over the air. In this case, the access point 402 can determine the pilot identifiers used by these neighboring access points based on the detected signals (e.g., based on PN sequences derived from the received pilot signals), and optionally, the identities of the neighbors (e.g., by analyzing information in other downlink messages).

In some embodiments, the access point 402 may receive a pilot identifier or other neighbor information from an access terminal (e.g., the access terminal 102 of fig. 1). For example, an access terminal associated with access point 402 can send a report to access point 402 indicating the pilot signals that the access terminal is receiving. Here, the access terminal may derive information (e.g., a pilot identifier, PN sequence, or other access point identity information) from the signal it receives and forward the information to the access point 402.

As shown at block 306 of fig. 3, the access point 402 (e.g., pilot identifier selector 428) selects a pilot identifier to be used by the access point 402 based on the pilot identifier determined at block 304 and the specified list of pilot identifiers (if applicable). For example, the access point 402 can select a pilot identifier from a specified list that does not conflict with (e.g., is not the same as) any pilot identifiers used by neighboring access points.

The access point 402 may attempt to avoid collision with pilot identifiers of its immediate neighbors (e.g., one-hop neighbors) and optionally multi-hop neighbors. Multi-hop neighbor discovery is discussed in more detail below in conjunction with fig. 5 and 6.

The access point 402 may sort the pilot identifiers of its neighbors into several groups and use these groups in the pilot identifier selection process. Such groups may be organized in a variety of ways. For example, the first group can include pilot identifiers heard by the access point 402 and/or pilot identifiers reported by access terminals associated with the access point 402. The second group may include two-hop neighbors identified in neighbor discovery, but only those identified via a neighbor list provided by a neighboring femto node (e.g., a low power access point). The third group may include two-hop neighbors identified in neighbor discovery, but only those identified via a neighbor list provided by a neighboring macro access point (e.g., a high power access point). Here, a distinction between groups two and three may be employed because neighboring macro access points may report a large number of femto node neighbors, most of which may be far from access point 402, and therefore, are less likely to cause collisions with the pilot identifier used by access point 402.

Continuing with the above example, if one of the pilot identifiers in the specified list is not used by any of the neighbors of the access point 402 (any of the identifiers for sets one, two, and three), the access point 402 can simply select that pilot identifier. Conversely, if all pilot identifiers in the designated set are used by at least one of the neighbors, the access point 402 can determine whether any pilot identifiers of the designated set only conflict with access points of group three (i.e., do not conflict with group one or group two). If so, the access point 402 may select one of the pilot identifiers in order to minimize the risk of collision. If all pilot identifiers of a given list conflict with group one or group two, the access point 402 can select a pilot identifier that conflicts with group two only (if such a pilot identifier exists). In some embodiments, the access point 402 is not allowed to select a pilot identifier from group one. If there are multiple pilot identifiers to select, the access point 402 may select one of the pilot identifiers randomly or in some other specified manner.

The access point 402 is then configured to wirelessly communicate using the selected pilot identifier, as shown at block 308. For example, the transmitter 410 may use the selected pilot identifier to generate the pilot signal it broadcasts.

As shown at block 310, the access point 402 may continue to monitor (e.g., using the operations of block 304) the pilot identifiers used by its neighbors so that the access point may continue to ensure that the pilot identifiers it is using do not collide with the pilot identifiers used by the neighbors. Such collisions may be caused, for example, by a new access point that was recently installed near access point 402, or by a mobile access point that entered into the vicinity of access point 402. Also, pilot identifier collision (e.g., collision) may occur if two access points that are not within listening range of each other select the same pilot identifier. Such collisions may eventually be detected, for example, by access terminals receiving signals from both access points. In this case, one or both of the two access points may be configured to change their pilot identifiers. As described below in connection with fig. 7, an access terminal that detects a collision may notify one or both of the associated access points. For example, an access terminal may connect to one of the access points to communicate the information, or may send the information to the relevant access point using a connection that the access terminal has to another access point.

Upon identifying a collision, the access point 402 can perform operations similar to those described above to select a new pilot identifier that does not collide with any pilot identifiers used by any neighboring access points. Thus, using these techniques, the access point 402 can independently recover from pilot identifier collisions (e.g., pilot identifier collision). For example, upon receiving a collision notification or identifying a collision, the access point 402 can move its current pilot identifier into a set of identifiers designated as forbidden (e.g., set one above) and repeat the above.

In some cases, upon changing its pilot identifier, the access point 402 may drop all connections it currently owns and force the associated access terminals to reconnect. As an optimization, the access point 402 can send a message in advance to inform the access terminal of the new pilot identifier and the time at which the access point 402 will switch to using the new pilot identifier. In this way, handover to a new pilot identifier can be achieved with minimal interference to the service.

Referring now to fig. 5 and 6, an access point may discover its neighbors using access point initiated neighbor discovery and/or access terminal assisted neighbor discovery. Fig. 5 shows an example of access point initiated neighbor discovery. Fig. 6 illustrates an example of access terminal assisted neighbor discovery.

In fig. 5, access point a may initiate neighbor discovery upon learning the presence of neighboring access point B. For example, as described above, access point a may listen to broadcast information of its RF neighbors (e.g., using a downlink receiver) or otherwise obtain information of its neighbors. As shown at block 502 in fig. 5, access point a may then learn the identifier (e.g., address) of one of its neighbors.

Access point a (e.g., through operation of a neighbor discovery controller component) may directly connect to the neighbor over the backhaul and exchange neighbor discovery messages. For example, access point a sends a neighbor discovery request ("ND request") to access point B. In response, access point B sends a neighbor discovery report ("ND report") to access point a (e.g., by operation of a neighbor discovery controller component). Similarly, access point B sends a neighbor discovery request to access point a and receives a neighbor discovery report in response.

Advantageously, the report from access point B may include information about its neighbors (e.g., access point C). For example, the information about access point C may include sufficient information (e.g., an identifier, an address, etc.) to enable another node to access point C. Here, it should be appreciated that access point C may be a two-hop (or more) neighbor of access point a (e.g., access point a cannot hear access point C). In some embodiments, access point B may automatically include information about its neighbors in its report. Alternatively, access point a may specifically request that access point B include this information in the report.

Access point a may thus communicate with the multi-hop neighbors using any information it receives from the one-hop neighbors (e.g., access point B) about any multi-hop neighbors. For example, as shown in fig. 5, access point a sends a neighbor discovery request to access point C and receives a neighbor discovery report in response. Similarly, access point C sends and receives neighbor discovery reports to access point a in response. In a similar manner as described above, the neighbor discovery report from access point C may include information about the neighbors of access point C (not shown in fig. 5). In this way, access point a may obtain information about its three-hop neighbor.

In fig. 6, access point a learns about its neighbors through access terminal assisted neighbor discovery. Here, the access terminal sends a pilot report to its serving access point (access point a) indicating all pilots (e.g., pilot ID2 and other pilot IDs) that the access terminal is receiving. If the pilot ID in the pilot report is new to access point A, access point A may use the access terminal to resolve the address (e.g., IP address) of the new access point. For example, access point a can send a sector ID request and other appropriate requests (e.g., including the pilot ID of the new access point) to the access terminal. The access terminal may then send a sector response to access point a that includes the corresponding sector ID (or the access terminal sends some other appropriate response).

Access point a may then perform a neighbor discovery exchange with the new access point (e.g., access point B). As described above in connection with fig. 5, access point a may receive information about a two-hop neighbor (e.g., access point C) from access point B and then perform a neighbor discovery exchange with the two-hop neighbor.

Referring now to fig. 7-9, the teachings herein are applicable to the configuration of a generic access point. For example, the various configuration parameters for an access point may be determined using the techniques described above, as well as other techniques described herein. Examples of such configuration parameters include, but are not limited to, frequency band, carrier frequency, pilot identifier, maximum transmit power, and transmit power profile.

As shown in block 702 of fig. 7, the access point 802 (e.g., neighbor discovery controller 846) may optionally determine the identities of its neighbors. For example, in a manner similar to that described above, the access point 802 may receive a list of its neighbors from a configuration server (e.g., network node 804). Here, an operator may provide one or more centralized configuration servers within its network to assist in configuring access points in the network. Once the access point 802 is initialized, it may initiate a configuration process.

In some aspects, initialization of the access point 802 involves the access point 802 acquiring connectivity with the operator network. Here, the access point 802 may need to be authenticated before it is allowed to access the operator network.

In addition, the access point 802 may locate the configuration server. For example, the access point 802 may be preconfigured with a well-known address (e.g., IP address) of the configuration server. Alternatively, the access point 802 may know the operator of the network (e.g., operator. com) to which it is connected, so that the access point 802 can make a DNS query for the FQDN "config _ server. operator. com" and receive the IP address in return. In other embodiments, the access point 802 may use some other technique to obtain the appropriate address information. The access point 802 may then establish communication with the configuration server. For example, communication may be established using standardized SNMP or other configuration protocols such as NetConf, OMA DM, CWMP (TR 069), or DOCSIS, or using proprietary CLI on SSH.

As described above, the configuration server may provide the neighbor list to the access point based on the location information the configuration server receives from the access point. These operations will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of fig. 9 and the nodes 802 and 804 of fig. 8.

As shown in block 902 of fig. 9, after initialization of access point 802, location determiner 844 can determine a location of access point 802. The location determiner 844 can determine location in a variety of ways. For example, the location may be determined using global positioning system ("GPS") technology, assisted GPS technology, network-based location determination methods, RF-based methods, or some other suitable method.

The access point 802 sends its location-related information (e.g., an estimate of its location) to the network node 804, as shown in block 904. In some embodiments, this operation may be initiated by the access point 802 (e.g., once the access point 802 connects to the configuration server). In some embodiments, the configuration server may explicitly (e.g., via a request) query the location information as part of its connection establishment protocol. The access point 802 may also send other information (e.g., power profile, node type) to the network node 804, which the network node 804 may use to provide an appropriate response.

As shown at block 906, once the network node 804 (e.g., the neighbor determiner 840) receives the location information from the access point 802, the network node 804 identifies neighbors of the access point 802 and generates a neighbor list. This neighbor list may include, for example, any macro access points that are relatively close to the access point 802 and any other access points (e.g., femto nodes, etc.) that are in geographic proximity to the access point 802.

The neighbor list may be a function of the power class (or power profile) of the access point 802 and its neighbors. For example, a distant macro access point transmitting at high power may be a neighbor of the access point 802. Conversely, low power access points (e.g., femto nodes) that are closer to the access point 802 may not be included in the neighbor list if their coverage areas do not interact with the access point 802. Thus, in some cases, the access point 802 may transmit power class information to the network node 802 along with the location information. Further, the network node 804 may obtain power-related information from other access points in the network. Once the neighbor list is generated, the network node 804 transmits the neighbor list to the access point 802, as shown at block 908.

Referring again to fig. 7, as shown at block 704, the access point 802 (e.g., configuration controller 832) determines the configuration of its neighbors. As described above, the access point 802 may acquire configuration information of its neighbors in various ways. For example, the access point 802 may connect directly with the neighbor via the backhaul and thereby read the selected set of parameters. The access point 802 may listen over the air to discover one or more parameters (e.g., pilot identifiers as described above) of neighboring access points. The access point 802 may use access terminal assisted neighbor discovery whereby access terminals associated with the access point 802 may send configuration information to the access point 802. For example, the access terminal 818 (e.g., the configuration controller 836) may inform the access point 802 of the neighbor access points that the access terminal 818 hears. Also, the access point 802 may receive configuration information for the neighbor nodes from a configuration server, such as the network node 804 (e.g., configuration controller 834), as discussed herein. It should be appreciated that access point 102 can obtain configuration information using one or more of the techniques described herein or using other techniques.

As shown at block 706, access point 802 (e.g., configuration determiner 848) may specify a configuration for access point 802 based on the configuration information obtained at block 704. In some aspects, the access point 802 may autonomously select its set of parameters (e.g., RF parameters) based on the parameters (e.g., RF parameters) of its neighbors.

In some cases, the access point 802 may select its power profile based on the power profiles of its neighbors. For example, the access point 802 may select to use the same power profile as its neighbors. Alternatively, the access point 802 may select a power profile that is complementary to the power profile used by its neighbors. A power profile may define, for example, a maximum transmit power, different transmit powers for different conditions, or other power parameters.

As described above, in some cases, the access point 802 may select a pilot identifier (e.g., pilot PN) based on the pilot identifiers used by its neighbors. For example, the access point 802 may select a different pilot identifier than its neighbors.

In some cases, the access point 802 may select a carrier (e.g., RF band) based on the carriers used by its neighbors. For example, a neighboring node in the network may select a complement of carrier priorities (e.g., indicated by a carrier mask or some other suitable indication) in order to implement an interference management scheme. Here, each access point may radiate more energy on some carriers and less energy (e.g., or no energy at all) on other carriers. If neighboring access points select these carrier priorities in a complementary manner, it can ensure that access terminals associated with each access point can have a better interference environment on at least some of the carriers. To achieve this in an autonomous manner, a new access point (e.g., the most recently initialized access point) may determine the carrier priorities used by its neighbors and choose its own carrier priority to be as complementary as possible to them.

In some aspects, the configuration of the access point 802 may depend on its location. For example, a configuration server (e.g., configuration controller 834) may specify a list (e.g., subset) of parameters (e.g., allowed parameter ranges) that may be used by the access point. The specified list may be based on the location of the access point 802, as described above in connection with fig. 3. For example, a particular list of power profiles that may be used by the access point 802 may be specified based on the location of the access point 802. Similarly, a particular list of frequency bands that can be used by the access point 802 can be specified based on the location of the access point 802. At a wide level, the city, state, or country in which the access point 802 is currently located may limit the frequency band that the access point 802 may use. For example, the same operator may own different frequency bands in different countries, or the operator may specify that different frequency bands are used in different cities.

In some embodiments, the configuration information may include specific optimization parameters (e.g., non-radio parameters). Such parameters may include, for example, a security key that may be used to obtain one or more services (e.g., network connectivity). Such parameters may also include addresses of other nodes to which the access point 802 may need to connect.

As shown at block 708 of fig. 7, the access point 802 may then communicate or otherwise operate using the configuration specified at block 706. For example, as described above, transceiver 806 may be configured with the determined RF parameters to determine which pilot identifiers to advertise, on which carriers to operate, and the transmit power levels to use on those carriers.

As shown at block 710, the access point 802 may continue to monitor the configuration of its neighbors to detect collisions (e.g., collisions). As described above, in the event of a conflict, the access point 802 may perform configuration operations to resolve the conflict as described above.

In some implementations, the access point 802 can receive a collision indication from an access terminal (e.g., access terminal 818). For example, if access terminal 818 detects a collision (e.g., collision detector 838 detects that two access points use the same pilot identifier), access terminal 818 can send a corresponding message to access point 802. Based on this message, configuration controller 802 may perform the operations described above to select different configurations for access point 802.

It should be appreciated that the operations and components described above in connection with fig. 7-9 may be applied to the configurations described herein with reference to the other figures. These operations and components may be used, for example, to configure a pilot identifier for an access point (e.g., as described above in connection with fig. 3-6).

Referring now to fig. 10 and 11, in some embodiments, an access point may obtain configuration information from another node (e.g., a configuration server), whereby the configuration information depends on the location of the access point. For convenience, the operations of fig. 10 and 11 will be described in the context of the access point 802 and the network node 804 of fig. 8.

As shown in blocks 1002 and 1004 of fig. 10, the access point 802 (e.g., location determiner 844) determines its location and provides this information to the network node 804. This operation may then be similar to the position determination operation described above (e.g., at blocks 902 and 904).

As shown at block 1006, the network node 804 (e.g., configuration controller 834) determines configuration information for the access point 802 based on the received location information. For example, as described above, the configuration information may include RF parameters, optimization parameters, other parameters, or a combination of two or more of these parameters. In some cases, such operation may result in a completely new configuration being defined for access point 802. Alternatively, the network node 804 may define only a portion of the parameters used by the access point 802.

The network node 804 sends configuration information to the access point 802, as shown in block 1008. The access point 802 is then configured to use the received configuration information (block 1010).

Referring now to fig. 11, in some cases, a configuration server may choose to redirect an access point to a different configuration server. Such a determination may be made, for example, based on the location of the access point and/or the load on the configuration server.

The access point 802 sends a message to the network node 804 to obtain configuration information, as shown in block 1102. As described above, such a message may include information indicative of the location of access point 802.

As shown at block 1104, the network node 804 (e.g., the configuration server selector 842) may determine whether to provide the requested configuration information. For example, the network node 804 may determine that another configuration server (e.g., closer to the access point 802) should process the request based on the location of the access point 802. Also, the network node 804 may select to redirect the request based on the load at the network node 804. For example, if the network node 804 is heavily loaded, the network node 804 may redirect the request to another configuration server that is less heavily loaded.

If the network node 804 decides to process the request, the network node 804 may provide the requested configuration information to the access point 802, as shown at blocks 1106 and 1108. For example, this operation may be similar to the operation described above in connection with fig. 10.

As shown at block 1110, if the network node 804 decides (e.g., based on its load or proximity of the access point 802) that the request will not be processed, the network node 804 (e.g., the configuration server selector 842) identifies another configuration server that can provide configuration information for the access point 802. To this end, the network node 804 may maintain a database that includes information about other configuration servers on the network. Additionally or alternatively, the network node 804 may be configured to perform discovery, or communicate with another node to obtain this information.

As shown at block 1112, the network node 804 sends an indication of another configuration server (e.g., in the form of a redirect message) to the access point 802. In some implementations, the indication can include information that will enable the access point 802 to determine another configuration server address. For example, the indication may include a location (e.g., a city) of the configuration server. Upon receiving this information, access point 802 may determine the address of another configuration server (e.g., via a DNS query).

In some embodiments, the indication may include an address of another configuration server. In some embodiments, the redirection may be accomplished by the configuration server setting a parameter indicating the address of the different configuration server. Upon determining that there is a subsequent change in this parameter, the access point 802 will attempt to establish a connection with the new configuration server.

The access point 802 may therefore send a message to another configuration server to obtain configuration information, as shown at block 1114. Once the access point 802 completes its configuration exchange with the configuration server, the access point 802 may begin user communication operations.

As noted above, the teachings herein may be implemented in networks employing macro access points, femto nodes, relay nodes, and the like. Fig. 12 and 13 show examples of how access points may be deployed in such a network. Fig. 12 illustrates in a simplified manner how a cell 1202 (e.g., a macrocell 1202A-1202G) of a wireless communication system 1200 can be served by a corresponding access point 1204 (e.g., an access point 1204A-1204G). Here, the macro cell 1202 may correspond to the macro coverage area of fig. 2. As shown in fig. 12, access terminals 1206 (e.g., access terminals 1206A-1206L) can be dispersed throughout the system over time at different locations. Each access terminal 1206 may communicate with one or more access points 1204 on a forward link ("FL") and/or a reverse link ("RL") at a given moment, depending on whether the access terminal 1206 is active and whether it is in, for example, soft handoff. By using such a cellular scheme, the wireless communication system 1200 may provide service over a large geographic area. For example, each of the macro cells 1202A-1202G may cover several square miles in an adjacent neighborhood or rural environment.

Fig. 13 illustrates an example of how one or more femto nodes can be deployed within a network environment (e.g., system 1200). In the system 1300 of fig. 13, a plurality of femto nodes 1310 (e.g., femto nodes 1310A and 1310B) are installed in a network environment of small coverage area coverage (e.g., in one or more user residences 1330). Each femto node 1310 may be coupled to a wide area network 1340 (e.g., the internet) and a mobile operator core network 1350 (e.g., including the network nodes discussed herein) via a DSL router, cable modem, wireless link, or other connectivity means (not shown).

The owner of the femto node 1310 may subscribe to mobile services, such as 3G mobile services provided through the mobile operator core network 1350. Further, access terminal 1320 may be capable of operating in both macro environments and in smaller area coverage (e.g., residential) network environments. In other words, depending on the current location of the access terminal 1320, the access terminal 1320 may be served by either the macro cell access point 1360 associated with the mobile operator core network 1350 or by any of a set of femto nodes 1310 (e.g., the femto nodes 1310A and 1310B located within the corresponding user residence 1330). For example, a user may be served by a standard macro access point (e.g., access point 1360) when the user is not at home, and by a femto node (e.g., node 1310A) when the user is at or near home. Here, femto node 1310 may be backward compatible with legacy access terminal 1320.

Femto node 1310 may be deployed on a single frequency, or in the alternative, on multiple frequencies. Depending on the particular configuration, one or more of the single frequency or the multiple frequencies may overlap with one or more frequencies used by a macro access point (e.g., access point 1360).

In some aspects, the access terminal 1320 may be configured to connect to a preferred femto node (e.g., a home femto node of the access terminal 1320) whenever such a connection is possible. For example, it may be desirable for an access terminal 1320A to communicate only with a home femto node 1310A or 1310B whenever the access terminal 1320A is within the user's residence 1330.

In some aspects, if the access terminal 1320 is operating within the macrocell network 1350 but is not on its most preferred network (e.g., as defined in the preferred roaming list), the access terminal 1320 may continue to search for the most preferred network (e.g., the preferred femto node 1310) with better system reselection ("BSR"), which may involve periodically scanning available systems to determine which better systems are now available and then attempting to associate with such preferred systems. With the acquisition entry, the access terminal 1320 may limit the search for specific frequency bands and channels. For example, the search for the most preferred system may be repeated periodically. Upon discovering the preferred femto node 1310, the access terminal 1320 selects the femto node 1310 to camp within its coverage area.

Femto nodes may be restricted in some aspects. For example, a given femto node may only provide particular services to particular access terminals. In deployments with so-called restricted (or closed) association, a given access terminal may be served only by a defined set of macro cell mobile networks and femto nodes (e.g., femto node 1310 located within corresponding user residence 1330). In some embodiments, a node may be restricted from providing at least one of the following for at least one node: signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service.

In some aspects, a restricted femto node (which may also be referred to as a closed subscriber group home node B) is a node that provides service to a restricted provisioned group of access terminals. This group may be temporary or permanent, as desired. In some aspects, a closed subscriber group ("CSG") may be defined as a set of access points (e.g., femto nodes) that share a common access control list of access terminals. The channel in which all femto nodes (or all restricted femto nodes) in an area operate can be referred to as a femto channel.

Various relationships then exist between a given femto node and a given access terminal. For example, an open femto node may refer to a femto node with no restricted association from the perspective of a re-access terminal (e.g., the femto node allows access to any access terminal). A restricted femto node may refer to a femto node that is restricted in some manner (e.g., restricted for association and/or registration). A home femto node may refer to a femto node to which an access terminal is authorized to access and operate on (e.g., to provide permanent access for a defined set of one or more access terminals). A guest femto node may refer to a femto node to which an access terminal is temporarily authorized to access or operate on. A foreign femto node may refer to a femto node on which an access terminal is not authorized to access or operate on, except in the case of a possible emergency (e.g., 911 call).

From the perspective of a restricted femto node, a home femto node may refer to an access terminal that is authorized to access the restricted femto node (e.g., the access terminal has permanent access to the femto node). A guest access terminal may refer to an access terminal that has temporary access to a restricted femto node (e.g., restricted based on deadline, time of use, number of bytes, number of connections, or some other criterion or criteria). An alien access terminal may refer to an access terminal that is not granted access to a restricted femto node except for possible emergency situations, such as a 911 call (e.g., an access terminal that has no credentials or may be registered with a restricted femto node).

For convenience, the disclosure herein describes various functionality in the context of a femto node. It is to be appreciated, however, that a pico node or a relay node may provide the same or similar functionality for different (e.g., larger) coverage areas. For example, a pico node or a relay node may be restricted, a home pico node or a home relay node may be defined for a given access terminal, and so on.

The teachings herein may be implemented in various types of communication devices. In some aspects, the teachings herein may be implemented in a wireless device that may be deployed in a multiple access communication system that may support communication for multiple wireless access terminals simultaneously. Here, each terminal may communicate with one or more access points via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (also called the downlink) refers to the communication link from the access point to the terminals, and the reverse link (also called the uplink) refers to the communication link from the terminals to the access point. Such communication links may be established via a single-in single-out system, a multiple-in multiple-out ("MIMO") system, or some other type of system.

To illustrate, fig. 14 depicts sample communication components that can be employed in a wireless device in the context of a MIMO-based system 800. The system 1400 employs a plurality (N)_T) Transmitting antenna and a plurality of (N)_R) And the receiving antenna is used for data transmission. Can be substituted by N_TA transmitting antenna and N_RMIMO channel formed by multiple receiving antennas is decomposed into N_SIndividual channels, also called spatial channels, where N_S≤min{N_T，N_R}。N_SEach of the independent channels is paired with a dimensionShould be used. MIMO systems may achieve higher performance (e.g., higher throughput and/or greater reliability) if the additional dimensionalities created by the multiple transmit and receive antennas are utilized.

System 1400 can support time division duplex ("TDD") and frequency division duplex ("FDD"). In a TDD system, the forward and reverse link transmissions are on the same frequency region, so the reciprocity principle allows the estimation of the forward link channel from the reverse link channel. This enables the access point to extract transmit beamforming gain on the forward link when multiple antennas are available at the access point.

System 1400 includes a wireless device 1410 (e.g., an access point) and a wireless device 1450 (e.g., an access terminal). At the device 1410, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source 1412 to a transmit ("TX") data processor 1414.

In some aspects, each data stream is transmitted over a respective transmit antenna. TX data processor 1414 formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data for each data stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot data using OFDM techniques. The pilot data is typically a known data pattern that is processed in a known manner and may be used at the receiver system to estimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and coded data for the data stream can then be modulated (i.e., symbol mapped) based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK, or M-QAM) to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, and modulation for each data stream can be determined by instructions performed by processor 1430. A data memory 1432 may store program code, data, and other information used by the processor 1430 or other components of the device 1410.

The modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a TX MIMO processor 1420, which TX MIMO processor 1420 may further process the modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). The TXMMIMO processor 1420 then processes N_TA transceiver ("XCVR") 1422A to1422T provide N_TA stream of modulation symbols. In some aspects, TX MIMO processor 1420 applies beamforming weights to the symbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is being transmitted.

Each transceiver 1422 receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. Then respectively from N_TThe antennas 1424A through 1424T transmit N from the transceivers 1422A through 1422T_TA modulated signal.

At device 1450, N_RThe antennas 1452A through 1452R receive the transmitted modulated signals and provide a received signal from each antenna 1452 to a respective transceiver ("XCVR") 1454A through 1454R. Each transceiver 1454 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) a respective received signal, digitizes the conditioned signal, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding "received" symbol stream.

Receive ("RX") data processor 1460 then performs processing on the received data from N based on a particular receiver processing technique_RA transceiver 1454 receives and processes the NR received symbol streams to provide N_TA stream of "detected" symbols. RX data processor 1460 then demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. The processing by RX data processor 1460 is complementary to that performed by TX MIMO processor 1420 and TX data processor 1414 at device 1410.

A processor 1470 periodically determines which precoding matrix to use (as described below). Processor 1470 formulates a reverse link message comprising a matrix index portion and a rank value portion. A data memory 1472 may store program code, data, and other information used by the processor 1470 or other components of the device 1450.

The reverse link message may comprise various information regarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. The reverse link message is then processed by a TX data processor 1438, modulated by a modulator 1480, conditioned by transceivers 1454A through 1454R, and transmitted back to the device 1410, and the TX data processor 1438 also receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a data source 1436.

At device 1410, the modulated signals from device 1450 are received by antennas 1424, conditioned by transceivers 1422, demodulated by a demodulator ("DEMOD") 1440, and processed by a RX data processor 1442 to extract the reverse link message transmitted by device 1450. Processor 1430 then determines which pre-coding matrix to use for determining the beamforming weights then processes the extracted message.

Fig. 14 also illustrates that the communication components may include one or more components that perform configuration ("CONFIG") control operations as taught herein. For example, a configuration control component 1490 may cooperate with the processor 1430 and/or other components of the device 1410 to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g., device 1450) as taught herein. Similarly, a configuration control component 1492 may cooperate with the processor 1470 and/or other components of the device 1450 to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g., device 1410) as taught herein. It should be appreciated that for each of the devices 1410 and 1450, the functionality of two or more of the described components may be provided by a single component. For example, a single processing element may provide the functionality of configuration control element 1490 and a single processing element may provide the functionality of configuration control element 1492 and processor 1470.

The teachings herein may be incorporated into various communication systems and/or system components. In some aspects, the teachings herein may be employed in a multiple-access system capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., by specifying one or more bandwidths, transmit powers, encoding, interleaving, etc.). For example, the teachings herein may be applied to any one or combination of the following technologies: code division multiple access ("CDMA") systems, multi-carrier CDMA ("MCCDMA"), wideband CDMA ("W-CDMA"), high speed packet access ("HSPA", "HSPA +") systems, time division multiple access ("TDMA") systems, frequency division multiple access ("FDMA") systems, single carrier FDMA ("SC-FDMA") systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access ("OFDMA") systems") systems or other multiple access techniques. A wireless communication system employing the teachings herein may be designed to implement one or more standards such as IS-95, CDMA2000, IS-856, W-CDMA, TDSCDMA, and others. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology such as universal terrestrial radio access ("UTRA"), CDMA2000, or some other technology. UTRA includes W-CDMA and low chip rate ("LCR"). CDMA2000 technology covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. TDMA networks may implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications ("GSM"). OFDMA networks may implement methods such as evolved UTRA ("E-UTRA"), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-And so on. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are parts of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System ("UMTS"). The teachings herein may be implemented in 3GPP long term evolution ("LTE") systems, ultra mobile broadband ("UMB") systems, and other types of systems. LTE is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. Although certain aspects of the disclosure may be described using 3GPP terminology, it is apparent that the teachings herein may be applied to 3GPP (Re199, Re15, Re16, Re17) technology as well as 3GPP2(IxRTT, 1xEV-DO RelO, RevA, RevB) technology and other technologies.

The teachings herein may be incorporated into (e.g., implemented in or performed by) various devices (e.g., nodes). In some aspects, a node (e.g., a wireless node) implemented in accordance with the teachings herein may comprise an access point or an access terminal.

For example, an access terminal may comprise, be implemented as, or referred to as, a user equipment, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a mobile node, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user agent, a user device, or some other terminology. In some implementations, an access terminal may comprise a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a session initiation protocol ("SIP") phone, a wireless local loop ("WLL") station, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects taught herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smart phone), a computer (e.g., a laptop), a portable communication device, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal data assistant), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, or a satellite radio), a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device for communicating via a wireless medium.

An access point may include, be implemented as, or referred to as, node B, e a node B, a radio network controller ("RNC"), a base station ("BS"), a radio base station ("RBS"), a base station controller ("BSC"), a base transceiver station ("BTS"), a transceiver function ("TF"), a radio transceiver, a radio router, a basic service set ("BSs"), an extended service set ("ESS"), or some other similar terminology.

In some aspects, a node (e.g., an access point) may comprise an access node for a communication system. Such an access node may provide, for example, connectivity to or from a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link to the network. Thus, an access node may enable another node (e.g., an access terminal) to access a network or some other function. Further, it should be appreciated that one or both of the nodes may be portable or, in some cases, relatively non-portable.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that a wireless node may be capable of sending and/or receiving information in a non-wireless manner (e.g., via a wired connection). Thus, the receivers and transmitters discussed herein may include appropriate communication interface components (e.g., electrical or optical interface components) to communicate over a non-wireless medium.

The wireless nodes may communicate over one or more wireless communication links based on or otherwise supporting any suitable wireless communication technology. For example, in some aspects a wireless node may be associated with a network. In some aspects, the network may comprise a local area network or a wide area network. The wireless device may support or otherwise use one or more of a variety of wireless communication technologies, protocols, or standards (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, etc.) such as those discussed herein. Similarly, the wireless node may support or otherwise use one or more of a variety of corresponding modulation or multiplexing schemes. The wireless node may then include appropriate components (e.g., air interfaces) to establish and communicate via one or more wireless communication links using the above or other wireless communication techniques. For example, a wireless node may include a wireless transceiver associated with transmitter and receiver components, which may include various components (e.g., signal generators and signal processors) that facilitate communication over a wireless medium.

The components described herein may be implemented in a number of ways. Referring to fig. 15-22, devices 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, and 2200 are illustrated as a series of interrelated functional blocks. In some aspects, the blocks may be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some aspects, the functions of these functional blocks may be implemented, for example, using at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., an ASIC). As described herein, an integrated circuit may include a processor, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. The functions of these blocks may also be implemented in some other manner as taught herein. In some aspects, one or more of the dashed blocks in fig. 15-22 are optional.

Devices 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, and 2200 may include one or more modules that may perform one or more of the functions described above with reference to the figures. For example, identifier determination module 1502 or conflict identification module 1516 may correspond to, for example, an identifier determiner as described herein. The identifier selection module 1504 may correspond to, for example, an identifier selector as described herein. The type sending module 1506 or the location sending module 1510 may correspond to, for example, a transmitter as discussed herein. The list receiving module 1508 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as discussed herein. The neighbor receiving, generating, and transmitting module 1512 and the access point identification module 1514 may correspond to, for example, a neighbor discovery controller as described herein. The identifier list determination module 1602 may correspond to, for example, a configuration controller as described herein. The list sending module 1604 may correspond to, for example, a transmitter as discussed herein. The receiving module 1606 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as discussed herein. The neighbor determination and transmission module 1608 may correspond to, for example, a neighbor determiner as described herein. The access point identification module 1702 may correspond to, for example, a neighbor discovery controller as described herein. The configuration determination module 1704 may correspond to, for example, a configuration determiner as described herein. The configuration specification module 1706 may correspond to, for example, a configuration controller as described herein. Conflict identification module 1708 may correspond to, for example, a configuration determiner as described herein. The sending module 1710 may correspond to, for example, the transmitter discussed herein. The receiving module 1712 may correspond to, for example, the receiver discussed herein. The receiving module 1802 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as discussed herein. The access point determination module 1804 may correspond to, for example, a neighbor determiner as described herein. The transmitting means 1806 may correspond to, for example, a transmitter as discussed herein. The configuration determining module 1808 may correspond to, for example, a configuration controller as described herein. The location information sending module 1902 may correspond to, for example, a location determiner as described herein. The configuration information receiving module 1904 may correspond to, for example, a configuration controller as described herein. The server location module 1906 may correspond to, for example, a communications controller as discussed herein. The location information receiving module 2002 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as discussed herein. The configuration information determination module 2004 may correspond to, for example, a configuration controller as described herein. The configuration information sending module 2006 may correspond to, for example, the transmitter discussed herein. The messaging module 2102 may correspond to, for example, a transmitter as discussed herein. The configuration server indicates that the receiving module 2104 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as described herein. The address determination module 2106 may correspond to, for example, a communication controller as discussed herein. The request receiving module 2202 may correspond to, for example, a receiver as discussed herein. The configuration server identification module 2204 may correspond to, for example, a configuration server selector as described herein. The indication sending module 2206 may correspond to, for example, the transmitter discussed herein.

It should be understood that the use of references herein to any element such as "first," "second," etc. is not intended to limit the quantity or order of such elements generally. Rather, these references may be used herein as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements or instances of elements. Thus, reference to first and second elements does not imply that only two elements may be employed there or that the first element must somehow precede the second element. Also, unless otherwise specified, a group of elements may include one or more elements. Furthermore, as used in the specification or claims, the term "in the form of at least one of" A, B or "C" means "a or B or C or any combination of these elements.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, mechanisms, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two, which may be designed using source coding or some other technique), various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which may be referred to herein, for convenience, as "software" or a "software module"), or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit ("IC"), an access terminal, or an access point. The IC may include 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, electrical components, optical components, mechanical components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein and may execute code or instructions that reside within the IC, external to the IC, or both. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may 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 core, or any other such configuration.

It should be apparent that any specific order or hierarchy of steps in any disclosed process is an example of a sample approach. It will be apparent that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged based on design preferences while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disks and discs include Compact Discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. In general, it should be appreciated that the computer-readable medium may be implemented in any suitable computer program product.

In view of the foregoing, in some aspects a first method of communication comprises: transmitting information from the access point indicating a location of the access point; and receiving configuration information for the access point at the access point, wherein the configuration information is based on the information indicative of the location. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the first communication method: the configuration information includes at least one RF parameter; the configuration information comprises at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, and a transmit power profile; the access point sends information representing the position to a configuration server, and the access point receives configuration information from the configuration server; the method also includes receiving a request for information representative of the location from a configuration server, wherein the access point transmits the information representative of the location in response to the request; the method also includes locating a configuration server; the configuration information comprises at least one optimization parameter; wherein the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: the city in which the access point is located, the country in which the access point is located, the macro access point serving the access point, the region associated with the access point, the cell with which the access point communicates, GPS coordinates, geographic location, and street address; the access point includes a femto node or a relay node.

In some aspects, a second method of communication comprises: receiving information indicative of a location of an access point; determining configuration information for the access point based on the information representative of the location; and sending the configuration information to the access point. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the second communication method: the configuration information includes at least one RF parameter; the configuration information comprises at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, and a transmit power profile; the method further includes sending a request for information representative of a location, wherein the information representative of a location is received in response to the request; the configuration information comprises at least one optimization parameter; the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: the city in which the access point is located, the country in which the access point is located, the macro access point serving the access point, the region associated with the access point, the cell with which the access point communicates, GPS coordinates, geographic location, and street address; the method is performed by a configuration server.

In some aspects, a third method of communication includes: sending a first message to a first configuration server to obtain configuration information for an access point; receiving an indication of a second configuration server from the first configuration server in response to the first message; and sending a second message to the second configuration server to obtain configuration information for the access point. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the third communication method: the indication comprises an address of the second configuration server; the method further comprises determining an address of the second configuration server based on the indication; the first message comprises information representative of a location of an access point, the indication of the second configuration server being received based on the information representative of the location; the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: a city in which the access point is located, a country in which the access point is located, a macro access point serving the access point, a region associated with the access point, a cell with which the access point communicates, an operator network served by the access point, GPS coordinates, geographic location, and street address; the configuration information includes at least one RF parameter; the configuration information comprises at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, and a transmit power profile; the configuration information comprises at least one optimization parameter; the access point includes a femto node or a relay node.

In some aspects, a fourth method of communication comprises: receiving, at a first configuration server, a request for configuration information for an access point; identifying a second configuration server that can provide configuration information; and sending an indication of the second configuration server in response to the request. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the fourth communication method: the identification of the second configuration server is based on the load at the first configuration server and/or the load at the second configuration server; the identification of the second configuration server is based on the location of the first configuration server and/or the location of the second configuration server; the request including information indicative of a location of an access point, the identification of the second configuration server being based on the information indicative of the location; the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: a city in which the access point is located, a country in which the access point is located, a macro access point serving the access point, a region associated with the access point, a cell with which the access point communicates, an operator network served by the access point, GPS coordinates, geographic location, and street address; the indication comprises an address of the second configuration server; the configuration information includes at least one RF parameter; the configuration information comprises at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, and a transmit power profile; the configuration information includes at least one optimization parameter.

In some aspects, a fifth method of communication comprises: identifying at least one neighbor access point of the first access point; determining at least one configuration of the at least one neighbor access point; and designating at least one configuration for a first access point at the first access point based on at least one configuration of at least one neighbor access point. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the fifth communication method: the specification of the at least one configuration comprises specifying at least one RF parameter; the specification of the at least one configuration comprises specifying at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, a transmit power profile, and a set of carrier priorities; the specification of the at least one configuration comprises specifying a power profile that is the same as a power profile of the at least one neighbor access point; the designation of the at least one configuration comprises designating a pilot identifier that is different from any pilot identifier used by at least one neighbor access point; the designation of the at least one configuration comprises designating a set of carrier priorities that is complementary to another set of carrier priorities used by at least one neighbor access point; the method further comprises the following steps: identifying a conflict between the determined at least one configuration and a configuration previously specified for the first access point and specifying a conflict-free configuration for the first access point in response to the identification of the conflict; determining that the at least one configuration comprises at least one of the group consisting of: receiving configuration information over-the-air at a first access point, receiving configuration information from an associated access point at the first access point, receiving configuration information via a backhaul at the first access point, and receiving configuration information from a server at the first access point; determining the at least one configuration comprises receiving information indicative of the at least one configuration of the at least one multi-hop neighbor access point; identifying at least one neighbor access point comprises: the first access point transmitting information representative of a location of the first access point and/or a power profile of the first access point, and receiving at the first access point an indication of at least one neighbor access point, wherein the indication is based on the transmitted information; the first access point sending information representative of the location to a configuration server, the first access point receiving an indication from the configuration server; a first access point transmitting information representative of a location to at least one other neighbor access point, the first access point receiving an indication from the at least one other neighbor access point; the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: a city in which the first access point is located, a country in which the first access point is located, a macro access point serving the first access point, a region associated with the first access point, a cell with which the first access point communicates, an operator network served by the first access point, GPS coordinates, a geographic location, and a street address; the first access point comprises a femto node or a relay node.

In some aspects, a sixth method of communication comprises: receiving information indicative of a location of a first access point; determining at least one neighbor access point of the first access point based on information representative of location; and sending an indication of the at least one neighbor access point to the first access point. Further, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also be applied to the sixth communication method: the method further includes receiving information representative of a power profile of a first access point, wherein the determination of the at least one neighbor access point is further based on the information representative of the power profile; the method further includes receiving information representative of a power profile of at least one other access point, wherein the determination of the at least one neighbor access point is further based on the information representative of at least one power profile; the method further comprises the following steps: determining at least one configuration of the at least one neighbor access point and sending an indication of the at least one configuration to the first access point; the at least one configuration includes at least one RF parameter; the at least one configuration comprises at least one of the group consisting of a frequency band, a carrier frequency, a pilot identifier, a maximum transmit power, and a transmit power profile; the information indicative of the location indicates at least one of the group consisting of: a city in which the first access point is located, a country in which the first access point is located, a macro access point serving the first access point, a region associated with the first access point, a cell with which the first access point communicates, GPS coordinates, a geographic location, and a street address; the method is performed by a configuration server.

In some aspects, for example, functionality corresponding to one or more of the above aspects relating to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth communication methods may be implemented in a device using a structure as taught herein. Further, the computer program product may include code for causing a computer to provide functionality corresponding to one or more of the above aspects relating to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth communications methods.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (61)

1. A method of communication of an access point, comprising:

receiving a list of Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs);

determining at least one PCI associated with at least one other access point; and

selecting a PCI for the access point based on the at least one PCI and the received list of PCIs,

wherein the determination of the at least one PCI comprises receiving at least one of a PCI of at least one multi-hop neighbor access point or PCI information from at least one associated user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point comprises an enodeb and the at least one other access point comprises at least one other enodeb.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises:

removing from the list at least one of the group consisting of: PCI reported by the user equipment, PCI reported by the neighbor enodeb, and PCI received over the air with the downlink receiver; and

selecting a PCI from the list for a cell associated with the access point after the removing.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the PCI comprises randomly selecting the PCI from the list after the removing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the PCI comprises selecting a PCI that is not used by the at least one other access point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the PCI comprises selecting a PCI from a list of PCIs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the list comprises a subset of a set of PCIs.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting the PCI further comprises selecting the PCI in a random manner from the list.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the list from a configuration server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the configuration server comprises an operations, billing and management entity.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is configurable by an operator.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is associated with at least one specified type of access point.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one specified type relates to at least one of the group consisting of: an access point transmit power; access point mobility; and whether to restrict the access point from providing at least one of signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service to at least one node.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending information indicating the type of the access point to a server; and

receiving the list from the server, wherein the list is based on the type.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is associated with a geographic area.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the list is based on a location of the access point.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending information indicating a location of the access point to a server; and

receiving the list from the server, wherein the list is based on the information indicating the location.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one PCI comprises receiving PCI information over the air from the at least one other access point.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one PCI comprises receiving PCI information via a backhaul.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one PCI comprises receiving at least one neighbor report including the at least one PCI.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one PCI of the at least one multi-hop neighbor access point is received via at least one neighbor report.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the PCI for the access point comprises:

classifying each PCI of the at least one PCI according to an associated hop count to the access point; and

if no conflict-free PCI is available, the PCI is selected based on the classification.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one PCI comprises:

receiving information related to a two-hop or three-hop access point from a one-hop access point; and

communicating with the two-hop or three-hop access point to determine a PCI used by the two-hop or three-hop access point.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first neighbor report from one of the at least one other access point;

generating a second neighbor report identifying any access points identified by the first neighbor report; and

transmitting the second neighbor report in response to a neighbor discovery request.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the at least one other access point by receiving a signal over the air from at least one neighbor access point.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the at least one other access point by receiving an indication of at least one neighbor access point from a configuration server.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a conflict between the determined at least one PCI and a PCI previously designated for the access point; and

assigning a collision-free PCI for the access point in response to the identification of the collision.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein identifying the conflict comprises receiving an indication of the conflict from an associated user equipment.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point comprises a femto node or a relay node.

30. An apparatus for communication, the apparatus being an access point, comprising:

a list receiver configured to receive a list of Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs);

an identifier determiner configured to determine at least one PCI associated with at least one other access point; and

an identifier selector configured to select a PCI for the access point based on the at least one PCI and the received list of PCIs,

wherein the identifier determiner is configured to: determining the at least one PCI by receiving at least one of a PCI of at least one multi-hop neighbor access point or PCI information from at least one associated user device.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the access point comprises an enodeb and the at least one other access point comprises at least one other enodeb.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier selector is further configured to:

removing from the list at least one of the group consisting of: PCI reported by the user equipment, PCI reported by the neighbor enodeb, and PCI received over the air with the downlink receiver; and is

Selecting the PCI from the list for a cell associated with the access point after the removing.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the identifier selector is further configured to randomly select the PCI from the list after the removing.

34. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier selector is further configured to select the PCI by selecting a PCI that is not used by the at least one other access point.

35. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier selector is further configured to select the PCI by selecting the PCI from a list of the PCIs.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the list comprises a subset of a set of PCIs.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the identifier selector is further configured to select the PCI by selecting the PCI in a random manner from the list.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the list is associated with at least one specified type of access point.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the at least one specified type relates to at least one of the group consisting of: an access point transmit power; access point mobility; and whether to restrict the access point from providing at least one of signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service to at least one node.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the list is associated with a geographic area.

41. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the list is based on locations of the access points.

42. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier determiner is further configured to determine the at least one PCI by receiving PCI information over the air from the at least one other access point.

43. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier determiner is further configured to determine the at least one PCI by receiving PCI information via a backhaul.

44. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier determiner is further configured to determine the at least one PCI by receiving at least one neighbor report that includes the at least one PCI.

45. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the identifier determiner is further configured to receive at least one PCI of the at least one multi-hop neighbor access point via at least one neighbor report.

46. An apparatus for communication, the apparatus being an access point, comprising:

means for receiving a list of Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs);

means for determining at least one PCI associated with at least one other access point; and

means for selecting a PCI for the access point based on the at least one PCI and the received list of PCIs,

wherein the means for determining at least one PCI is configured to receive at least one of a PCI of at least one multi-hop neighbor access point or PCI information from at least one associated user device.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the access point comprises an eNodeB and the at least one other access point comprises at least one other eNodeB.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for selecting is configured to:

removing from the list at least one of the group consisting of: PCI reported by the user equipment, PCI reported by the neighbor enodeb, and PCI received over the air with the downlink receiver; and is

Selecting the PCI from the list for a cell associated with the access point after the removing.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the means for selecting selects the PCI by randomly selecting the PCI from the list after the removing.

50. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for selecting selects the PCI by selecting a PCI that is not used by the at least one other access point.

51. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for selecting selects the PCI by selecting the PCI from a list of PCIs.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the list comprises a subset of a set of PCIs.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the means for selecting selects the PCI by selecting the PCI in a random manner from the list.

54. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the list is associated with at least one specified type of access point.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the at least one specified type relates to at least one of the group consisting of: an access point transmit power; access point mobility; and whether to restrict the access point from providing at least one of signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service to at least one node.

56. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the list is associated with a geographic area.

57. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the list is based on locations of the access points.

58. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for determining the at least one PCI is configured to receive PCI information from the at least one other access point over the air.

59. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for determining the at least one PCI is configured to receive PCI information via a backhaul.

60. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the means for determining the at least one PCI is configured to receive at least one neighbor report comprising the at least one PCI.

61. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein means for determining is for receiving the at least one PCI of the at least one multi-hop neighbor access point via at least one neighbor report.