Node activity monitoring in heterogeneous networks using energy sensors

In Heterogeneous Networks, small cells are usually deployed without operator supervision. Their proper operation highly depends on their self-adaptation capability, especially in dense HetNets where various small cells coexist in the same macrocell. This capability requires the small-cell base stations to continuously sense the radio environment, so they can dynamically adapt their operational setting (e.g. transmission power, carrier/channel selection, etc.) to the environmental conditions. In this work we propose a new method for a small base station to monitor the activity of the rest of nodes in the macrocell. We consider a centralized sensing procedure based on the fusion of the energy levels measured by the users of the small cell at their locations. In particular, we present an efficient algorithm that enables the small base station to monitor the activity of the rest of nodes. In addition, the algorithm also provides the gain of the channels between the nodes and the users of the small cell.