CN116981011A

CN116981011A - Seamless mobility solution for wireless devices

Info

Publication number: CN116981011A
Application number: CN202310474161.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·萨姆布瓦尼; P·特里帕蒂; D·尼基斯克; S·巴拉萨博拉曼尼安; D·J·舍克
Original assignee: Apple Inc
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2022-04-29
Filing date: 2023-04-28
Publication date: 2023-10-31

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to seamless mobility solutions for wireless devices. A user equipment may include a transmitter and a receiver coupled to an antenna to enable the user equipment to transmit and receive user data with a base station of a wireless network. However, the user equipment may perform a search of consumed power to determine a base station for connection. Furthermore, the connection may be affected by blocking and transitioning during mobility scenarios. In this way, it may be beneficial for the user equipment to implement mobility procedures. For example, the user equipment may form links with multiple base stations of a cell cluster for a transition. In another example, the wireless network may generate a map with the locations of the base stations and beam characteristics for the user equipment to determine the coverage area and reduce the number of transitions. In yet another example, the user equipment may receive blocking information to predict blocking and implement a mobility procedure to maintain wireless service during blocking.

Description

Seamless mobility solution for wireless devices

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/336,467, entitled "Seamless Mobility Solutions," filed on 4 months 29 of 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to maintaining wireless communication services with user equipment (e.g., mobile wireless communication devices).

Background

A user equipment may include a transmitter and a receiver coupled to one or more antennas for wireless coupling (e.g., enabling wireless signal transmission and/or reception) with a wireless network (e.g., including one or more base stations supporting one or more cells). To detect a base station, the user equipment may perform a power consuming search procedure, such as scanning over a frequency range to detect a base station. The user equipment may then join the wireless network by communicatively coupling to the base station. However, the performance of the relevant network as measured by signal characteristics (e.g., strength or quality) may be affected by any number of factors, such as movement of the user equipment, obstructions or obstructions between the user equipment and the base station, and so on.

For example, in high frequency networks (e.g., having millimeter wave (mmWave) or sub-terahertz (sub-THz) frequencies), coverage may be limited to certain areas. As the user equipment moves, the user equipment may enter or leave multiple coverage areas supported by multiple base stations, resulting in a transition (e.g., handoff) of service from the currently coupled base station to the target base station. Such frequent handovers may result in signal delays and/or service interruptions. Further, the signal characteristics may depend on a path (e.g., line of sight) between the user equipment and the connected base station. When the line of sight is blocked, the signal characteristics decrease or, in some cases, the connection between the user equipment and the base station may be interrupted. Thus, it may be desirable to maintain mobility procedures for wireless communication services of a user equipment.

Disclosure of Invention

The following sets forth a summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, the disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below.

In one embodiment, a user equipment may comprise: one or more antennas; a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver. The processing circuit may be configured to: the method includes detecting a first base station using the transceiver, synchronizing with the first base station, and receiving a first indication of a cell cluster including the first base station and a plurality of additional base stations using the transceiver. The processing circuitry may also use the transceiver to transmit user data to or receive user data from the first base station via the one or more antennas, and to receive signal characteristics of the first base station and the plurality of additional base stations. The processing circuitry may then request a transition to transmit or receive user data to or from a second base station of the plurality of additional base stations based on the signal characteristics, and transmit or receive the user data to or from the second base station via the one or more antennas using the transceiver based on a response to the request.

In another embodiment, a base station may comprise: a transmitter; a receiver; and processing circuitry coupled to the transmitter and the receiver. The processing circuit may be configured to: the method comprises receiving a first indication of a location of a user equipment using the receiver, generating a cell cluster comprising the base station and a plurality of additional base stations within range of the location, and transmitting a second indication of the cell cluster using the transmitter. The processing circuitry may also receive a request to transition to the better performing base station of the cell cluster based on signal characteristics of the base station and the better performing base station relative to the user equipment, the plurality of additional base stations including the better performing base station, and schedule the user equipment to transmit or receive user data on the better performing base station.

In yet another embodiment, a method may include: communicatively coupled to a base station by processing circuitry of a user equipment; and receiving, using a receiver of the user equipment, an indication of a cell cluster from the base station, wherein the cell cluster may include the base station and a plurality of additional base stations. The method may also include receiving, by the processing circuit, a signal characteristic from each of the plurality of additional base stations using the receiver, transmitting, based on the signal characteristic, a request to transition to a better performing base station of the cell cluster using a transmitter of the user equipment, and communicatively coupling to the better performing base station based on a response to the request.

Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation to various aspects of the present invention. Other features may also be added to these various aspects. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For example, various features discussed below in connection with one or more of the illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of the above aspects of the present invention, alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended only to familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts of embodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimed subject matter.

Drawings

Various aspects of the disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings described below in which like numerals refer to like parts.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a functional diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter of the user equipment of fig. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a receiver of the user equipment of fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system including the user equipment of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network supported by a base station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a communication system including the user equipment of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network supported by a cell cluster, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6B is a schematic diagram of a communication system including the user equipment of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network supported by a cell cluster 120, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for enabling the user equipment of fig. 1 to transition between base stations of the cell cluster of fig. 6, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network supported by a first cell cluster in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 8B is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network supported by a second cluster of cells in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 9 is a perspective view of the user equipment of fig. 1 utilizing a map indicating coverage of different base stations in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method of enabling the user equipment of fig. 1 to transition between base stations based on the map and predicted route of fig. 9, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 blocked by a stationary object from communicating with a base station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 blocked by a moving object from communicating with a base station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment of fig. 1 predicting a barrier based on barrier information in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and is also provided with

Fig. 14 is a flow chart of a method of enabling the user equipment of fig. 1 to receive an indication of blocking and to implement a mobility procedure in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The use of the terms "substantially," "near," "about," "near," and/or "substantially" should be understood to include proximity to the target (e.g., design, value, and amount), such as within the limits of any suitable or conceivable error (e.g., within 0.1% of the target, within 1% of the target, within 5% of the target, within 10% of the target, within 25% of the target, etc.). Furthermore, it should be understood that any exact value, number, measurement, etc. provided herein is contemplated to include approximations of those exact values, numbers, measurement, etc. (e.g., within the limits of suitable or contemplated errors).

The present disclosure relates to maintaining wireless communication services for user equipment by implementing mobility procedures. As discussed above, a user equipment (e.g., a mobile communication device) may join a wireless communication network by communicatively coupling or connecting to a base station. In high frequency (e.g., mmWave, sub-THz) networks, coverage may be limited to certain areas. During a mobility scenario, a user equipment may enter or leave coverage supported by a different base station, resulting in a transition (e.g., handover) from a currently connected base station to a target base station. In one embodiment, a user equipment may be connected to a cell cluster consisting of a plurality of cells supported by a plurality of base stations. For example, a cell cluster may include a primary cell supported by a primary base station and an additional (e.g., secondary) cell supported by an additional (e.g., secondary) base station. The user equipment may maintain (e.g., monitor) links with each base station of the cell cluster while transmitting user data to or receiving user data from the master base station. However, as the user equipment moves within the cell cluster, the signal characteristics of the user equipment (e.g., at the receiver) may drop below a threshold. The user equipment may request a handover from the primary base station to another (e.g., better performing, target) base station within the cell cluster. Additionally or alternatively, as the user equipment moves, base stations may be added to or removed from the cell cluster (e.g., by a cloud server, master base station). In this way, the user equipment may transition (e.g., seamlessly transition) between base stations of the cell cluster, thereby maintaining wireless network service while reducing or eliminating disruption to wireless network service.

In one embodiment, a user equipment may implement a mobility procedure to save power and trigger a transition (e.g., a seamless transition). In particular, the wireless network may generate a map indicating the location of the base station, the beam direction of the base station, and the coverage area of the beam for the user equipment. When the user equipment moves (e.g., along a busy street), it may determine a predicted route. The user equipment may also determine or receive an indication of one or more obstacles or obstructions (e.g., moving objects, static objects) along the predicted route. Based on the predicted route and the map, the user equipment may determine base stations along its route and predict handover, thereby implementing a mobility procedure. Furthermore, the user equipment may save power by reducing the search procedure by utilizing the location of the base station within the map (e.g., as opposed to dynamically determining the base station in real time).

In additional or alternative embodiments, the user equipment may utilize a mobility procedure to mitigate line of sight obstruction. That is, signals (e.g., downlink) from the base station may travel in a direct path (e.g., line of sight) to the user equipment, and vice versa (e.g., in the case of uplink signals). As such, signal characteristics (e.g., strength or quality) may depend on a line of sight between the user equipment and the base station. When the line of sight is blocked, the signal characteristics may decrease (e.g., to the point where the data of the received signal may not have a level sufficient to be processed). For example, blocking may include moving objects (e.g., moving vehicles) or static objects (e.g., trees) that interfere with the connection. In the case of moving objects, the blocking duration may depend on the speed and size of the object; while in the case of static objects, the blocking duration may depend on the speed of the user equipment and the size of the object. In some cases, the user equipment may receive an indication of blocking information from other user equipment, the wireless network, or the mobile object itself. The user equipment may then perform a mobility procedure before the connection is subject to blocking.

For example, the user equipment may receive an indication of a blockage and request a handover to another base station that is not or less affected by the blockage (e.g., a better performing base station, a target base station). In another example, a user equipment may utilize a Reflective Intelligent Surface (RIS) to relay network connection elements and maintain connections during blocking. In yet another example, it may be beneficial to suspend the connection briefly for a predetermined duration (e.g., which may be based on blocking) and resume operation after that. Performing the mitigation procedure before blocking occurs may help maintain wireless service and reduce or eliminate signal degradation and/or wireless service interruption (e.g., due to disconnection).

In view of the above, fig. 1 is a block diagram of a user equipment 10 (e.g., an electronic device, a wireless communication device, a mobile communication device, etc.) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The user equipment 10 may include, among other things, one or more processors 12 (collectively referred to herein as a single processor, which may be implemented in any suitable form of processing circuitry) a memory 14, a non-volatile storage 16, a display 18, an input structure 22, an input/output (I/O) interface 24, a network interface 26, and a power supply 29. The various functional blocks shown in fig. 1 may include hardware elements (including circuits), software elements (including machine-executable instructions), or a combination of hardware and software elements (which may be referred to as logic). The processor 12, memory 14, non-volatile storage 16, display 18, input structure 22, input/output (I/O) interface 24, network interface 26, and/or power supply 29 may each be coupled directly or indirectly to each other (e.g., through or via another component, communication bus, network) to transmit and/or receive data between each other. It should be noted that fig. 1 is only one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in the user equipment 10.

For example, the user equipment 10 may include any suitable computing device, including a desktop or notebook computer (e.g., as available from Apple Inc. of Coprinus Calif.) Pro、MacBookmini, or Mac->In the form of (a)), a portable electronic or handheld electronic device such as a wireless electronic device or a smart phone (e.g., in the form of Apple inc. Available from kubi-nod, california>In the form of a model) tablet (e.g., in the form of an Apple inc. Available from kutique, california>In the form of a model) of a wearable electronic device (e.g., in Apple Inc. available from Apple Inc. of Coptis, calif.)Form of (c), or other similar devices. It should be noted that the processor 12 and other related items in fig. 1 may be embodied in whole or in part in software, hardware, or both. Further, the processor 12 and other related items in fig. 1 may be a single stand-alone processing module, or may be wholly or partially incorporated within any of the other elements within the user equipment 10. Processor 12 may be implemented with a combination of general purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entity that can calculate or otherwise manipulate information. Processor 12 may include one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, or both, and perform the various functions described herein.

In the user equipment 10 of fig. 1, the processor 12 may be operatively coupled with the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage 16 to execute various algorithms. Such programs or instructions for execution by the processor 12 may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture that includes one or more tangible computer-readable media. The tangible computer readable medium may include memory 14 and/or nonvolatile storage 16, alone or in combination, to store instructions or routines. Memory 14 and nonvolatile storage 16 may include any suitable articles of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard disk drives, and optical disks. Further, programs encoded on such computer program products (e.g., an operating system) may also include instructions executable by the processor 12 to enable the user equipment 10 to provide various functions.

In some implementations, the display 18 may facilitate viewing of images generated on the user equipment 10 by a user. In some embodiments, the display 18 may include a touch screen that may facilitate user interaction with a user interface of the user equipment 10. Further, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the display 18 may include one or more Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), light Emitting Diode (LED) displays, organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays, active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and/or other display technologies.

The input structure 22 of the user equipment 10 may enable a user to interact with the user equipment 10 (e.g., press a button to increase or decrease the volume level). Just like the network interface 26, the I/O interface 24 may enable the user equipment 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. In some embodiments, the I/O interface 24 may include an I/O port for hardwired connection for charging and/or content manipulation using standard connectors and protocols, such as the lighting connector provided by Apple inc. Of kubi, california, universal Serial Bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols. The network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more of the following interfaces: personal Area Networks (PANs), such as Ultra Wideband (UWB) orA network; local Area Network (LAN) or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), such as using one of the IEEE 802.11x series of protocols (e.g. +.>) Is a network of (a); and/or a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as with third generationPartner project (3 GPP) related standards including, for example, 3 rd generation (3G) cellular networks, universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 4 th generation (4G) cellular networks, long term evolution->A cellular network, a long term evolution licensed assisted access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, a 5 th generation (5G) cellular network and/or a new air interface (NR) cellular network, a 6 th generation (6G) or super 6G cellular network, a satellite network, a non-terrestrial network, etc. In particular, the network interface 26 may include one or more interfaces, for example, for using a cellular communication standard that defines and/or implements a 5G specification for a frequency range for wireless communication, including a mmWave frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 gigahertz (GHz) or sub-THz). The network interface 26 of the user equipment 10 may allow communication over the aforementioned network (e.g., 5G, wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, etc.).

The network interface 26 may also include, for example, one or more interfaces for: a broadband fixed wireless access network (e.g.,) Mobile broadband wireless network (mobile +.>) Asynchronous digital subscriber line (e.g. ADSL, VDSL), digital video terrestrial broadcasting +.>Network and extended DVB handset>A network, an Ultra Wideband (UWB) network, an Alternating Current (AC) power line, etc.

As shown, the network interface 26 may include a transceiver 30. In some embodiments, all or part of transceiver 30 may be disposed within processor 12. Transceiver 30 may support the transmission and reception of various wireless signals (e.g., user data) via one or more antennas and, thus, may include a transmitter and a receiver. The power source 29 of the user equipment 10 may include any suitable power source, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an Alternating Current (AC) power converter.

Fig. 2 is a functional diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the processor 12, memory 14, transceiver 30, transmitter 52, receiver 54, and/or antenna 55 (shown as 55A-55N, collectively antennas 55) may be coupled to each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, communication bus, network) to transmit and/or receive data between each other.

The user equipment 10 may include a transmitter 52 and/or a receiver 54 that respectively transmit and receive data between the user equipment 10 and external devices via, for example, a network (e.g., including a base station or access point) or a direct connection. As shown, the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54 may be combined into the transceiver 30. The user equipment 10 may also have one or more antennas 55A-55N electrically coupled to the transceiver 30. Antennas 55A-55N may be configured in an omni-directional or directional configuration, a single beam, dual beam or multi-beam arrangement, or the like. Each antenna 55 may be associated with one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple ones of antennas 55A-55N of an antenna group or module are communicatively coupled to respective transceivers 30 and each transmit radio frequency signals that may be advantageously and/or destructively combined to form a beam. The user equipment 10 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers and/or multiple antenna for each communication standard. In some implementations, the transmitter 52 and the receiver 54 may transmit and receive information via other wired or wired systems or devices.

As shown, the various components of the user equipment 10 may be coupled together by a bus system 56. The bus system 56 may include, for example, a data bus, a power bus other than a data bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus. The components of the user equipment 10 may be coupled together or accept or provide input to each other using some other mechanism.

As described above, the transceiver 30 of the user equipment 10 may include a transmitter and a receiver coupled to at least one antenna to enable the user equipment 10 to transmit and receive wireless signals (e.g., user data). Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a transmitter 52 (e.g., transmit circuitry) that may be part of transceiver 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the transmitter 52 may receive outgoing data 60 in the form of digital signals to be transmitted via one or more antennas 55. Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 62 of transmitter 52 may convert the digital signal to an analog signal and modulator 63 may combine the converted analog signal with a carrier signal. Mixer 64 may combine the carrier signal with a local oscillator signal 65 (which may include a quadrature component signal) from a local oscillator 66 to generate a radio frequency signal. A Power Amplifier (PA) 67 receives the radio frequency signal from mixer 64 and may amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate level to drive transmission of the signal via one or more antennas 55. A filter 68 (e.g., filter circuitry and/or software) of the transmitter 52 may then remove unwanted noise from the amplified signal to generate transmit data 70 to be transmitted via the one or more antennas 55. The filter 68 may include any suitable filter or filters that remove unwanted noise from the amplified signal, such as a band pass filter, a band reject filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and/or a decimation filter. In addition, the transmitter 52 may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may not include some of the components shown, such that the transmitter 52 may transmit outgoing data 60 via one or more antennas 55. For example, the transmitter 52 may include additional mixers and/or digital up-converters (e.g., for converting an input signal from a baseband frequency to an intermediate frequency). As another example, if power amplifier 67 outputs the amplified signal within or substantially within the desired frequency range, transmitter 52 may not include filter 68 (such that filtering of the amplified signal may not be necessary).

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a receiver 54 (e.g., a receive circuit) that may be part of transceiver 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the receiver 54 may receive the received data 80 from the one or more antennas 55 in the form of analog signals. A Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) 81 may amplify the received analog signal to an appropriate level for processing by receiver 54. The mixer 82 may combine the amplified signal with a local oscillator signal 83 (which may include quadrature component signals) from a local oscillator 84 to generate an intermediate or baseband frequency signal. Filter 85 (e.g., filter circuitry and/or software) may remove undesirable noise, such as cross-channel interference, from the signal. Filter 85 may also remove additional signals received by one or more antennas 55 at frequencies other than the desired signal. The filter 85 may include one or more any suitable filters for removing unwanted noise or signals from the received signal, such as a band pass filter, a band reject filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and/or a decimation filter. Demodulator 86 may remove the radio frequency envelope from the filtered signal and/or extract a demodulated signal from the filtered signal for processing. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 88 may receive the demodulated analog signal and convert the signal to a digital signal of the incoming data 90 for further processing by the user equipment 10. Additionally, the receiver 54 may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may not include some of the components shown, such that the receiver 54 may receive the received data 80 via one or more antennas 55. For example, receiver 54 may include additional mixers and/or digital downconverters (e.g., for converting the input signal from an intermediate frequency to a baseband frequency).

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 including the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network 102 supported by base stations 104A, 104B (collectively 104) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, base stations 104 may include next generation NodeB (gnob or gNB) base stations, and may provide 5G/new air interface (NR) coverage to user equipment 10 via wireless communication network 102. Base station 104 may include any suitable electronic device, such as a communication hub or node, that facilitates, supports, and/or implements network 102. In some embodiments, the base station 104 may comprise an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station, and may provide 4G/LTE coverage to the user equipment 10 via the wireless communication network 102. Each of the base stations 104 may include at least some of the components of the user equipment 10 shown in fig. 1 and 2, including one or more processors 12, memory 14, storage 16, transceiver 30, transmitter 52, receiver 54, and associated circuitry shown in fig. 4. It should be appreciated that while the present disclosure may use 5G/NR as an example specification or standard, embodiments disclosed herein may be applicable to other suitable specifications or standards (e.g., such as the 4G/LTE specification, sixth generation (6G), beyond 6G, etc.). Further, the network 102 may include any suitable number of user equipment 10 (e.g., one or more user equipment 10, four or more user equipment 10, ten or more user equipment 10, etc.) and/or base stations 104 (e.g., one or more base stations 104, four or more base stations 104, ten or more base stations 104, etc.).

To connect to the first base station 104A, the user equipment 10 may scan to detect the base station 104 of the wireless network 102. In particular, when the user equipment 10 enters the coverage area of the base station 104A (e.g., the geographic area for which the base station 104 provides network coverage), the user equipment 10 may detect the first base station 104A by receiving Radio Frequency (RF) signals. The user equipment 10 may synchronize with the first base station 104A by aligning its signal with the RF signal of the first base station 104A. Further, the first base station 104A may broadcast or transmit system information (e.g., downlink data) indicating the frequency bands supported by the base station 104A. The system information may also include timing specifications, power specifications, global Positioning System (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coordinates, and/or other suitable information for enabling the user equipment to establish a connection with the base station 104A. The user equipment 10 may receive the system information and establish a communication link (e.g., connection) with the base station 104A and the wireless network 102. For example, the base station 104 and/or the wireless network 102 may transmit user data on channels allocated to communication links of the user equipment 10. Further, the user equipment 10 may monitor signal characteristics of the communication link, such as signal strength, signal quality, etc. In other words, the base station 104 may transmit user data to or receive user data from the user equipment 10 over a channel allocated to the user equipment 10 or an established communication link. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may transmit an indication of its capabilities (e.g., uplink data) to the base station 104.

However, in some cases, the user equipment 10 may be in a movable position (e.g., relative to the base station 104) or an object may interfere with the connection, which is referred to herein as a "mobility scenario. For example, movement of the user equipment 10 may cause the user equipment to leave the coverage area of the first base station 104A, thereby degrading the connection. The user equipment 10 may perform a power consuming search procedure to determine a target base station (e.g., the second base station 104B) for the connection and send an indication of the request to transition (e.g., handover) to the second base station 104B. The wireless communication network 102 may schedule a transition from the first base station 104A to the second base station 104B. However, control signaling for handover may cause service interruption (e.g., signal delay) and throughput of the user equipment 10 may be compromised due to a continuous and impaired connection with the first base station 104A. Additionally or alternatively, the mobile object may block the connection between the user equipment 10 and the first base station 104A, thereby resulting in a service outage. In this way, it may be beneficial for the user equipment 10 to implement one or more mobility procedures to reduce or eliminate interruption to wireless network services.

The devices and/or user equipment disclosed herein may include the user equipment 10 as described above. Additionally, the cells and/or network nodes disclosed herein may include a base station 104 as described above. Further, the networks disclosed herein may include a wireless communication network 102.

In view of the above, fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 including the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network 102 supported by a cell cluster 120, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the cell cluster 120 may include one or more cells 122 (e.g., supported by the base station 104), including a primary cell 122a (e.g., supported by the base station 104 a). Each cell 122 is supported by a respective base station 104. For example, the base station 104 may have antennas 55 configured in an omni-directional configuration and provide coverage of an area for wireless service. In other words, the cell 122 may be a coverage area provided by the base station 104. For example, the user equipment 10 may enter a cell 122 of the base station 104, be communicatively coupled to the base station 104, and receive wireless services. In a mobility scenario, the user equipment 10 may also leave the cell 122 and the signal characteristics may drop below a threshold, causing wireless service degradation. In this way, the user equipment 10 may request handover.

In the example shown, the cell cluster 120 includes seven cells 122 (e.g., supported by seven respective base stations 104); one cell 122 of the cell cluster 120 may serve as a primary cell 122a (e.g., supported by the primary base station 104 a) and provide coverage to the user equipment 10. However, the cell cluster 120 may include any suitable number of cells 122 (e.g., two cells 122, four cells 122, ten cells 122, etc.) supported by any suitable number of base stations 104.

The user equipment 10 is communicatively coupled or connected to each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120, but only uses the primary base station 104a to transmit or receive user data. For example, the user equipment 10 may establish a link (e.g., open a channel) with each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120. The user equipment 10 may monitor the link conditions to determine the signal characteristics of each base station 104. The signal characteristics may include signal quality (e.g., reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR)), signal strength (e.g., reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)), power signal, signal delivery, etc. For example, due to the close proximity between the first base station 104b and the user equipment 10, the link of the first base station 104b may have acceptable signal quality (e.g., above a threshold). In another example, blocking between the second base station 104c and the user equipment 10 may result in poor signal strength (e.g., below a threshold). By monitoring the link of each base station 104, the user equipment 10 may determine the better performing base station 104 based on the signal characteristics.

The master base station 104a may be a better performing base station 104 of the cell cluster 120. For example, the master base station 104a may be in the center of the cell cluster 120 with the strongest signal strength (relative to the base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120). Furthermore, the signal quality of the primary base station 104a may be greater than the signal quality of the first cell 122b, which may cause the user equipment 10 to connect to the primary base station 104a through the first base station 104 b.

In another example, the user equipment 10 may enter the primary cell 122a and connect to the primary base station 104a to transmit or receive user data. The user data may include data specific to the operation of the software application on the user equipment 10 being requested or initiated by the user, such as for transmitting or receiving messages (e.g., email, short Message Service (SMS) text messages, streaming, gaming, chat, video conferencing, etc.). For example, the primary base station 104a may be used to transmit downlink and uplink user data. However, in some cases, the signal characteristics of the primary base station 104a may decrease below a threshold. For example, during a mobility scenario, the user equipment 10 may move in the travel direction 126 and leave the primary cell 122a, thereby causing the signal characteristics to decrease below a threshold. In another example, the connection with the primary base station 104a may fail (e.g., due to lack of signal strength, connection failure, power failure), causing the signal characteristics of the user equipment 10 (e.g., at the receiver 54) to drop below a threshold. In yet another example, the object may block the line of sight and thus the connection between the user equipment 10 and the primary base station 104 a. As such, the user equipment 10 may utilize mobility procedures to switch between base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120 in order to maintain wireless service.

In some cases, the user equipment 10 may request to switch beams (e.g., generated by multiple antennas) of the primary base station 104a supporting the primary cell 122a to maintain the connection. In other cases, the user equipment 10 may request a transition from the primary base station 104a to the target base station 104d. The target base station 104d may be a better performing base station 104 with better signal characteristics than the current primary base station 104a or an additional base station 104 of the cell cluster 120 that may begin providing coverage to the user equipment 10. In the example shown, the user equipment 10 may travel in the travel direction 126 and leave the primary cell 122a, thereby causing a reduction in signal characteristics. The user equipment 10 may enter a neighbor cell 122d supported by a target base station 104d, which is a neighbor base station 104 in the direction of travel 126. In this way, the user equipment 10 may request a transition from the primary base station 104a to the target base station 104d.

To transition (e.g., seamless transition) between the primary base station 104a to the target base station 104d, the user equipment 10 may use lower layer (e.g., layer 2, physical layer, medium Access Control (MAC) layer, etc.) signaling to avoid slower higher layer (e.g., radio Resource Control (RRC) layer) signaling procedures. In some embodiments, the uplink channel may allow the user equipment 10 to begin monitoring the downlink control channel of the target base station 104d when the user equipment 10 monitors the primary base station 104a to receive downlink scheduling information. The wireless network 102 may schedule a transition for the user equipment 10 to connect to the target base station 104d to enable a seamless transition from the primary base station 104a to the target base station 104d. As the user equipment 10 maintains links with each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120, the wireless network 102 may transition the data link to the target base station 104d by scheduling the user equipment 10 to use the target base station 104d. Once the user equipment 10 detects scheduling on the target base station 104d, the transition (e.g., handover) is completed and the user equipment 10 may stop monitoring the downlink control channel of the primary base station 104 a. In other words, the user equipment 10 may use the target base station 104d to transmit and receive user data.

Fig. 6B is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 including the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to a wireless communication network 102 supported by a cell cluster 120, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. During a mobility scenario, the user equipment 10 may enter and leave the cells 122 of the cell cluster 120. In some cases, the cell 122 in which the user equipment 10 is located may be a primary cell 122a that provides coverage to the user equipment 10.

As described with respect to fig. 6A, the user equipment 10 may be located in the primary cell 122a, move in the direction of travel 126, and enter the target cell 122d. The user equipment 10 may request a transition from the primary base station 104a (supporting the primary cell 122 a) to the target base station 104d (supporting the target cell 122 d). After the transition, the target cell 122d may become a new primary cell 122e (supported by the new primary base station 104 e), and the old primary base station 104a may act as the base station 104 of the cell cluster 120, as shown in fig. 6B. That is, the user equipment 10 may use the new primary base station 104e to transmit and receive user data and monitor the link of the old primary base station 104 a.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method 140 for enabling the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 to transition between base stations 104 of a cell cluster 120, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., controller) that may control components of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, such as the processor 12, may perform the method 140. In some embodiments, the method 140 may be implemented by using the processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16. For example, the method 140 may be performed, at least in part, by one or more software components, such as the operating system of the user equipment 10, the network 74, and/or the base station 104; one or more software applications of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, and the like. Although method 140 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in a different order than shown and that certain described steps may be skipped or not performed at all.

In process block 142, the base station 104 determines the location of the user equipment 10. For example, the base station 104 may receive an indication of the location of the user equipment 10 from uplink user data transmitted by the user equipment 10. In another example, the wireless network 102 may determine the location of the user equipment 10 based on the location of the connected base station 104. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may determine its location and send an indication of the location (e.g., GPS coordinates or GNSS coordinates) to the base station 104.

In process block 144, the base station 104 determines the cell cluster 120 based on the location of the user equipment 10. Cell cluster 120 may be maintained by a central unit, primary cell 122a, cloud server, etc. The wireless network 102 may have network information indicating one or more base stations 104, locations of the base stations 104, beam characteristics of the base stations 104, or other information used to determine the cell clusters 120. For example, the wireless network 102 may determine one or more base stations 104 within a threshold region of the user equipment 10 to form the cell cluster 120. In areas with fewer base stations 104, the size of the cell clusters 120 (e.g., the covered area) may be larger than the size of the cell clusters 120 formed in areas densely populated by the base stations 104. In another example, the wireless network 102 may determine a threshold number of base stations 104 for the cell cluster 120.

In process block 146, the base station 104 sends an indication to the user equipment 10 indicating the cell cluster 120. The base station 104 may transmit an indication of the cell cluster 120 as downlink data. The indication may include the number of base stations 104, the location of the base stations 104 (e.g., GPS coordinates or GNSS coordinates), downlink data for each base station 104, and so on. Further, as described with respect to fig. 8A and 8B, the base station 104 may be added to or removed from the cell cluster 120 during a mobility scenario. In this way, the base station 104 may periodically send an indication of the cell cluster 120 to the user equipment 10.

In process block 148, the user equipment 10 receives an indication of the cell cluster 120. Upon receiving the indication, the user equipment 10 may scan the cell cluster 120 in process block 150 in preparation for a future transition. That is, the user equipment 10 may establish a link with each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120 to determine the signal characteristics of each base station 104. For example, the user equipment 10 may monitor the links of the cells 122 to determine signal strength, signal quality, power signals, and/or signal delivery. Based on the signal characteristics of each cell 122, the cell cluster 120 may determine the better performing base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120. The user equipment 10 may select one or more signal characteristics for use in determining a better performing base station 104. For example, the user equipment 10 may monitor signal strength and signal quality to determine a better performing base station 104. In one embodiment, the user equipment 10 may apply a weighting system by assigning a weight to each signal characteristic and determine a better performing base station 104 based on the weight applied to the corresponding signal characteristic.

In process block 152, the user equipment 10 connects to the base station 104 of the cell cluster 120 based on the signal characteristics. In some embodiments, the user equipment 10 may connect to a better performing base station 104 based on signal characteristics. The connected cell may serve as the primary cell 122a. The user equipment 10 may use the primary base station 104a to transmit or receive user data while monitoring links with the base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120. In some embodiments, the user equipment 10 may be centered on the cell 122 of the cell cluster 120 and connected to the base station 104 supporting the cell 122.

In process block 154, the user equipment 10 monitors the base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine or receive signal strength, signal quality, power signal, and/or signal delivery for each link for each base station 104 in preparation for a possible transition. In another example, the user equipment 10 may monitor channel conditions of each base station 104 of the cell cluster.

In decision block 156, the user equipment 10 may determine whether the signal characteristics of the primary base station 104a are below a threshold. For example, the user equipment 10 may periodically determine whether the signal characteristic (e.g., strength or quality) of the primary base station 104a decreases below a threshold. In some cases, the user equipment 10 may move out of the primary cell 122a, causing a reduction in signal characteristics. In other cases, blocking may occur, causing the signal characteristics from the master base station 104a to decrease.

However, in some cases, the signal characteristics may not decrease below the threshold. If the signal characteristic is not below the threshold, the method may return to process block 154 and the user equipment 10 continues to monitor the cells 122 of the cell cluster 120.

If the signal characteristic is below the threshold, the user equipment 10 sends an indication to transition to the target base station 104d in process block 158. Since the user equipment 10 maintains a link with each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120, the user equipment 10 may immediately determine the better performing base station 104d based on the signal characteristics. That is, the user equipment 10 may determine the better performing base station 104 as the target base station 104d. For example, a better performing base station 104d may have a stronger or strongest signal quality than other base stations 104 within the cell cluster 120. In this way, the user equipment 10 may determine the target base station 104d for the transition. In response to determining the target base station 104d, the user equipment 10 may request scheduling to the target base station 104d. In some cases, the user equipment 10 may begin transmitting or receiving user data to or from the target base station 104d, rather than waiting for a command signal from the base station 104 for a transition.

At process block 160, the base station 104 receives an indication to transition to the target base station 104d. The user equipment 10 may request scheduling by lower layers to avoid signal delays in higher layers and the base station 104 may receive requests by lower layers. In process block 162, the base station 104 transitions the user equipment 10 to the target base station 104d. That is, the wireless communication network 102 may begin transmitting data to or receiving data from the user equipment 10 through the target base station 104d. Once the user equipment 10 detects the transition on the target base station 104d, the transition (e.g., handover) is completed and the user equipment 10 may stop monitoring the downlink control channel of the primary base station 104 a. In other words, the user equipment 10 may use the target base station 104d to immediately transmit and receive user data. In this way, the user equipment 10 may not wait for command signaling from the wireless communication network 102, and alternatively, the user equipment 10 may begin using the target base station 104d in response to determining that the signal characteristic decreases below the threshold (e.g., from decision block 156). In this way, the method 140 may enable the user equipment 10 to maintain wireless communication service while reducing or eliminating interruption to wireless communication service during handover.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to the wireless communication network 102 supported by the first cell cluster 120A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The cell cluster 120 (cloud server, primary cell, central unit of the wireless network 102) may be maintained based on the location of the user equipment 10. Maintaining the cell cluster 120 may require the user equipment 10 to exchange information (e.g., downlink or uplink data) with the wireless network 102. For example, the wireless network 102 may receive an indication of the location of the user equipment 10 and create the cell cluster 120 based on the number of base stations 104 surrounding the location of the user equipment 10. That is, the wireless network 102 and/or the base stations 104 may determine the number of base stations 104 surrounding the location of the user equipment 10. The smaller cell clusters 120 may be formed by combining base stations 104 within a smaller (e.g., 50 meters, 100 meters, etc.) radius from the location of the user equipment 10, while the larger cell clusters 120 may include base stations 104 within a larger (e.g., 1 kilometer, multiple kilometers, etc.) radius from the location of the user equipment 10. In another example, smaller clusters of cells 120 may be formed in areas with high base station density, such as cities, urban areas. Larger cell clusters 120 may be formed in areas with low base station density, such as rural areas. In some cases, the wireless network 102 may determine the number of base stations 104 within a predetermined radius where the user equipment 10 is located. If the number of base stations 104 is greater than the threshold, the wireless network 102 may generate a smaller cluster of cells 120 (e.g., an area having a radius less than a predetermined radius). If the number of base stations 104 is less than the threshold, the wireless network 102 may generate a larger cluster of cells 120 (e.g., an area having a radius greater than a predetermined radius). Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network 102 may form the cell clusters 120 based on frequencies (e.g., mmWave, GHz, sub-THz) used for the connections. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network 102 may determine a mobility type (e.g., driving, walking) of the user equipment 10 to determine a cell cluster size. For example, a smaller cluster of cells 120 may be formed for a first mobility type (e.g., walking) because the period of time for traveling a particular distance (e.g., 50 meters) may be greater than the period of time for a second mobility type (e.g., driving). In such examples, a larger cell cluster 120 may be formed for the second mobility type because frequent transitions (e.g., handovers) may be required to maintain wireless service. To facilitate such transitions, each base station 104 of the cell cluster 120 may apply a standardized configuration with minimal base station specific parameters (e.g., the same DCI).

In the example shown, the first cell cluster 120A may include seven cells 122 (supported by seven base stations 104). The user equipment 10 may be located in a primary cell 122a (supported by a primary base station 104 a). However, the user equipment 10 may move in the direction of travel 126, causing the user equipment 10 to leave the primary cell 122a and enter the neighboring cell 122d (supported by the target base station 104 d). As described with reference to fig. 6A, 6B, and 7, the user equipment 10 may send an indication of a request to transition to the target base station 104d, and the base station 104 may receive the indication of the request and schedule the user equipment 10 to the target base station 104d. As the user equipment 10 moves within the first cell cluster 120A, base stations 104 may be added or removed to form a second cell cluster 120B, further described with respect to fig. 8B. For example, the wireless network 102 may add base stations in the travel direction 126 or remove base stations 104 from the cell cluster 120 such that the cell cluster 120 moves with the user equipment 10 during a mobility scenario. In view of the above, fig. 8B is a schematic diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 communicatively coupled to the wireless communication network 102 supported by the second cell cluster 120B, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, after transitioning from the primary base station 104a to the target base station 104d, the wireless network 102 may add or remove base stations 104 from the cell cluster 120 such that the user equipment 10 remains within the cell cluster 120 during the mobility scenario. The second cluster of cells 120B may include nine cells 122. The location of the second cell cluster 120B may be shifted in the direction of travel 126 (e.g., the direction of movement of the user equipment 10) relative to the first cell cluster 120A described with respect to fig. 8A. For example, wireless network 102 may extend first cell cluster 120A in travel direction 126 by adding neighboring (e.g., surrounding) base stations 104 that are adjacent to new primary cell 122a (previously target cell 122 d). In this way, the user equipment 10 may remain within the cell cluster 120 while moving in the travel direction 126. In the example shown, the second cell cluster 120B includes five new cells 122 (supported by five new base stations 104) in the direction of travel 126. The wireless network 102 may send an indication of the new base station 104 and the user equipment 10 may begin monitoring the link in preparation for the potential transition.

Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network 102 may remove one or more base stations 104 in response to the transition. For example, three cells 122 opposite the travel direction 126 may be removed from the second cluster of cells. To remove a base station 104 from a cell cluster 120 (e.g., the first cell cluster 120A or the second cell cluster 120B), the wireless network 102 may send an indication to the user equipment 10 to stop monitoring the links of the removed base station 104, and the user equipment 10 may stop monitoring the links of the removed cell 122. Although the illustrated example adds more base stations 104 to the cell cluster 120, in some cases, the wireless network 102 may remove one or more current base stations 104 from the cell cluster 120 in response to adding one or more new base stations 104 to the cell cluster 120. As such, in some embodiments, the number of base stations 104 of the cell cluster 120 may remain constant. In this way, the overall signal characteristics of the user equipment 10 may be improved, signal delays may be reduced, and service interruptions at transitions may be reduced.

In high frequency networks, coverage may be limited to certain areas, so the user equipment 10 may perform power-consuming search operations to identify such coverage. Furthermore, frequent transitions may be required to maintain wireless service during mobility scenarios. In this way, the user equipment 10 may frequently perform a power-consuming search operation. For example, the user equipment 10 may move along a busy street having a plurality of objects (e.g., obstacles). The user equipment 10 may connect to the first base station 104a along the route but quickly leave the coverage area of the first base station 104 a. In this way, the user equipment 10 may search for the second base station 104b for coverage and transition. However, the second base station 104b may provide poor signal characteristics or coverage for a limited time, thereby requiring the user equipment 10 to perform another search for a better performing base station 104. In some cases, the search procedure may be reduced or eliminated by providing the user equipment 10 with a map and coverage information indicating the location of the base station 104.

In view of the above, fig. 9 is a perspective view of the user equipment of fig. 1 utilizing a map 170 indicating coverage of different base stations 104 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some cases, to determine the base station 104 of the wireless network 102, the user equipment 10 may perform a search for consumed power. To avoid or reduce searching, the wireless network 102 may generate a map 170 having the locations of the base stations 104 and the coverage area (e.g., of the beam 172) of each base station 104. In this way, the user equipment 10 may actively connect to the base station 104 along the predicted route, rather than reactively searching for the base station 104 each time it leaves the coverage area. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine to travel in a straight line (e.g., along a street) and predict that the route continues along the line. In another example, the route may be a historical route that is periodically traveled by the user equipment 10. The user equipment 10 may utilize time (e.g., day, week, time) and location (e.g., school, work, home) to predict a route. In yet another example, the user equipment 10 may receive an indication on a map software application that generates a route; and as the user equipment 10 travels along the route, the user equipment 10 may predict the route from the route generated by the map software application.

In the illustrated example, each base station 104 may transmit beams 172 through multiple antennas, which provide network coverage to the user equipment 10. For example, the beam 172 may have a frequency (e.g., radio frequency), be directed in one direction, have a shape, have a size (e.g., width, length, angle), have a height, and the like. For example, the beam 172 may include a short range beam, a long range beam, a wide beam, a narrow beam, and the like. Further, the beam width may include a horizontal direction and/or a vertical direction, and the shape may include a cone, a pencil, a triangle, and the like. The wireless network 102 may receive, determine, and/or save beam characteristics during network planning or implementation phases by operators and providers. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless network 102 may use a sensing operation to detect the location of a static obstacle (such as a building located in the beam direction). In some implementations, the wireless network 102 can determine coordinates of coverage provided by the beam 172 based on the network deployment. For example, wireless network 102 may determine coordinates indicating the location of base station 104, the shape of beam 172, the boundaries of beam 172, coordinates of the boundaries of beam 172, and the like. The wireless network 102 may share location coordinates of the coverage (e.g., longitude and latitude coordinates of the coverage of beam 172).

After the user equipment 10 connects to the first base station 104A, the user equipment 10 may receive a map 170 including the location of the base station 104 and coverage information (e.g., beam characteristics). The user equipment 10 may utilize the map 170 to implement mobility procedures based on its location, predicted route, and/or movement relative to the base station 104. For example, if the user equipment 10 leaves the coverage area of a beam, the user equipment 10 may utilize the map 170 and its location to determine subsequent coverage areas of other beams. In another example, the user equipment 10 may determine the order and periodicity of the search procedure by prioritizing subsequent beams along its route (e.g., capable of providing network coverage along the route) over base stations 104 that are not along the route (e.g., capable of not providing network coverage along the route, but only capable of providing brief or limited network coverage along the route). The user equipment 10 may determine signal characteristics of the base stations 104 along the route for future use, thereby ensuring updated Radio Resource Management (RRM) (e.g., power delivery, handover criteria) and/or Channel State Information (CSI) measurements (e.g., downlink control channels) for mobility decisions (e.g., handovers), and reducing or eliminating measurements for base stations 104 that may not provide coverage along the route. In this way, knowing the location of the base station 104 may not only allow the user equipment 10 to save power by reducing or eliminating search procedures (e.g., RRM measurements, CSI measurements), but may also improve performance by prioritizing procedures for the base station 104 along the route of the user equipment 10.

For example, the map 170 may include a first base station 104A transmitting a first beam 172A, a second base station 104B transmitting a second beam 172B, and a third base station 104C transmitting a third beam 172C. As an example, the user equipment 10 may travel along a route 176 that enters and exits multiple coverage areas. Through the map 170, the user equipment 10 may improve the mobility procedure by reducing the number of handovers required. For example, without using the map 170, the user equipment 10 may connect to the first base station 104A, transition to the second base station 104B, and then transition to the third base station 104C to maintain cell coverage. The user equipment 10 may leave the coverage area of the first base station 104A and search for neighboring base stations 104 for coverage. In this way, the user equipment 10 may react to leaving the coverage area, which may lead to a service outage.

Through the map 170, the user equipment 10 may actively determine base stations 104 along the route 174 for wireless service. In certain embodiments, the user equipment 10 may compare the coverage area of each base station 104 relative to (e.g., along) the predicted route 174 to a threshold. If the coverage area of the base station 104 is less than the threshold, the user equipment 10 may not connect and determine a different base station 104 along the route 174 for connection. Returning to fig. 170, the user equipment 10 may determine that the coverage provided by the first base station 104A and the third base station 104C is greater than a threshold and the coverage provided by the second base station 104B is less than a threshold. In practice, the second base station 104B may provide coverage to a limited area relative to the predicted route 174 of the user equipment. In this way, the user equipment 10 may connect to the first base station 104A and transition to the third base station 104C. In this way, the user equipment 10 may reduce the number of handovers along the predicted route 174.

Furthermore, by providing coverage information to the user equipment 10, the user equipment 10 may save power by not performing a search procedure or reducing the number of search procedures, thus optimizing mobility procedures. Accordingly, the user equipment 10 may actively determine the base stations 104 along the route 174. In other words, instead of dynamically performing handover and beam switching when the user equipment 10 leaves the coverage area, the user equipment 10 may consider its location and map 170 to improve the mobility procedure.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method 200 of enabling the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 to transition between base stations 104 of the wireless communication network 102 based on a map 170, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., controller) that may control components of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, such as the processor 12, may perform the method 200. In some implementations, the method 200 may be implemented by using the processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16. For example, the method 200 may be performed, at least in part, by one or more software components, such as the operating system of the user equipment 10, the network 74, and/or the base station 104; one or more software applications of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, and the like. Although method 200 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in a different order than shown and that certain described steps may be skipped or not performed at all.

In process block 202, the base station 104 (and/or the network 102) generates a map 170 indicating beam locations, beam directions, and/or beam shapes of one or more base stations 104, base stations 104 (and/or other base stations 104 of the network 102). For example, the base station 104 (and/or the network 102) may determine coordinates indicative of the location of the base station 104, the shape of the beam 172, the boundaries of the beam 172, coordinates of the boundaries of the beam 172, and so forth. For example, during a network planning or implementation phase, one or more operators and/or providers may determine the location and coverage area of base station 104. The operator and/or provider may also determine the beam characteristics (e.g., direction, shape) of each base station 104. Further, operators and providers may specify the frequency of the base station 104, the type of base station 104, and so on. Such network information may be used by the wireless network 102 to generate the map 170. Additionally or alternatively, base stations 104 may be added or removed over time. In this way, the map 170 may be periodically updated to include changes in the base station 104.

In process block 204, the user equipment 10 determines a location. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine the location based on GPS coordinates or GNSS coordinates. The user equipment 10 may transmit an indication of the location to the base station 104. In process block 206, the base station 104 receives an indication of a location from the user equipment 10. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 104 may determine the location of the user equipment 10, similar to the process block 144 described above with respect to fig. 7.

In process block 208, the base station 104 sends an indication of the map 170 to the user equipment 10. The base station 104 may send the map 170 to the user equipment 10 as part of the downlink data and the user equipment 10 may utilize the map 170 to determine surrounding base stations 104. In some cases, the map 170 may cover a large area, and certain areas of the map 170 may not be useful to the user equipment 10. For example, the map 170 may include base stations 104 across multiple countries, states, provinces, cities, towns, and the like. To reduce the amount of data transmitted, the base station 104 may determine a portion of the map 170 that is useful to the user equipment 10 based on the location of the user equipment 1. For example, the base station 104 may determine a threshold radius around the user equipment 10 and send a portion of the map 170 corresponding to the threshold radius around the user equipment 10.

In process block 210, the user equipment 10 receives an indication of a map 170. For example, the user equipment 10 may download the map 170 and determine the base stations 104 surrounding the user equipment 10. Further, the user equipment 10 may use the map 170 to determine beam characteristics for each base station 104 and to determine better performing base stations 104 (e.g., relative to connected base stations 104). Thus, in process block 212, the user equipment 10 connects to the better performing base station 104, similar to process block 152 described above with respect to fig. 7.

In some cases, the user equipment 10 may move in a direction that causes the user equipment 10 to leave the coverage area of the connected base station 104 (e.g., the better performing base station 104 described in process block 212). In process block 214, the user equipment 10 determines a predicted route 174 of the user equipment 10 based on the location of the user equipment 10. The predicted route 174 of the user equipment 10 may be a historical route traveled by the user equipment 10 from the same location at the same time and on the same day. For example, the user equipment 10 may travel from home to work at the same time during the workday, or vice versa. Based on location (e.g., home, work), the user equipment 10 may predict travel along the route. In another example, the predicted route 174 may be determined from a map software application. In yet another example, the user equipment 10 may use GNSS data and location to predict multiple routes. The user equipment 10 may travel on a road (e.g., a highway) and predict multiple routes based on possible switches.

Through map 170, user equipment 10 determines one or more base stations 104 having coverage along predicted route 174. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine one or more beams 172 that provide coverage along the predicted route and the coverage area provided. Further, the user equipment 10 may determine whether the coverage is greater than a threshold to minimize handover during travel. If the coverage is less than the threshold, the user equipment 10 may not scan the base station 104 to prepare for handover. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may determine one or more base stations 104 having overlapping coverage areas, which may be useful for handover.

In a determination block 216, the user equipment 10 predicts a handover. During a mobility scenario, the user equipment 10 may enter or leave the coverage of the base station 104; as such, the user equipment 10 may need to transition between different base stations 104 along the predicted route 174. Based on the predicted route 176 and the map 170, the user equipment 10 may predict to leave or enter coverage, thereby predicting a handover before the handover occurs.

In some cases, the user equipment 10 determines that a handover does not occur. For example, the user equipment 10 may remain within the coverage of the connected base station 104 while traveling along the predicted route 174. In this way, handover may not be necessary. The method 200 may then return to process block 204 to determine the location of the user equipment 10 and to process block 214 to determine a predicted route for the user equipment 10 based on the location.

In some cases, the user equipment 10 determines that a handover may be required to maintain wireless service. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine one or more points along the predicted route 174 that leave the coverage of the connected base station 104, thus requiring handover. In process block 218, the user equipment 10 determines a target base station 104 for handover based on the predicted route and the map 170. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine the target base station 104 that provides coverage along the predicted route 174 that is above a threshold, thereby reducing the number of handovers required during a mobility scenario. As discussed with respect to fig. 9, the user equipment 10 may determine that the coverage of the first base station 104A and the third base station 104C may be above a threshold, while the coverage of the second base station 104B may be below a threshold. In this way, the user equipment 10 may skip connecting to the second base station 104 and only predict handovers from the first base station 104A to the third base station 104C. In other words, the user equipment 10 may connect to the first beam 172A, then to the third beam 172C, and skip connecting to the second beam 172B. In another example, the user equipment 10 may prioritize scanning a subset of the base stations 104 and/or beams 172 closest to the predicted route to determine the target base station 104. In some cases, similar to process block 150 described with respect to fig. 7, the user equipment 10 scans the subset of target base stations 104 for signal characteristics of each base station of the subset. In this way, the user equipment 10 may save power by limiting the scanning to a subset of the base stations 104 closest to the predicted route, rather than to multiple base stations 104 within the area of the user equipment 10.

In process block 220, the user equipment 10 sends an indication to transition to the target base station 104. For example, uplink data from the user equipment 10 to the base station 104 may include a request to transition to a better performing base station 104 determined by the user equipment 10. At process block 222, the base station 104 receives an indication to transition to the target base station 104. The base station 104 may begin scheduling the user equipment 10 to the target base station 104 and the user equipment 10 may form a link. In this way, the user equipment 10 may transition (e.g., seamlessly transition) to the target base station 104, thereby reducing or eliminating wireless service interruption. Furthermore, the user equipment 10 may save power by reducing the search operation, and the base station 104 may also save power by reducing the announcement scheme.

In some cases, the user equipment 10 may be connected to the beam 172 of the base station 104 for wireless transmission. However, the connection may be interrupted by an obstacle or blockage, such as an object that interferes with the line of sight between the user equipment 10 and the base station 104. Temporary obstructions (e.g., line of sight obstructions) may occur easily and frequently in densely populated areas or during mobility scenarios. In view of the above, fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 blocked from communicating with the base station 104 by a stationary object 242 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Base station 104 (via one or more antennas 55) may be configured to transmit one or more beams 172 in a directional configuration. The user equipment 10 may be connected to the beam 172 and/or the base station 104 for wireless services. The connection may travel in a direct path (e.g., line of sight 240) from the base station 104 to the user equipment 10, or vice versa. The signal characteristics (e.g., intensity or quality) may depend on the line of sight 240. For example, blocking all or a portion of the line of sight 240 may result in a reduction in signal characteristics (e.g., resulting in points where the received user data may not have sufficient levels to be processed), a reduction in user equipment 10 throughput, or in extreme cases, a beam or connection failure. In the illustrated example, the line of sight 240 between the user equipment 10 and the base station 104 may be temporarily blocked by a stationary object 242 (e.g., a tree).

For example, during a mobility scenario, the user equipment 10 may move behind the stationary object 242, which may result in a blockage of the line of sight 240. At point 244, the user equipment 10 may begin traveling and the line of sight 240 may be clear. As such, the user equipment 10 may form a beam 172 with the base station 104, and the signal characteristics of the beam 172 may be above a threshold. However, at point 246, object 242 may interfere with line of sight 240; in this way, beam 172 may not be formed. That is, the user equipment may not form a connection with the base station 104 and the connection may fail. As the user equipment 10 continues to move, at point 246, the user equipment 10 may move past the blockage and form a beam 172 with the base station 104. In other words, the obstruction from the object 242 may disappear and the line of sight 240 between the user equipment 10 and the base station 104 may be clear. In this way, beam 172 may be formed.

The duration of the blocking may be determined depending on the speed of the user equipment 10 and the size of the object 242 causing the blocking. The blocking duration may be shorter if the blocking size is small or if the user equipment 10 is traveling fast, and longer if the blocking size is large or if the user equipment 10 is traveling slow. As further described herein, predicting the blocking duration may enable the user equipment 10 to achieve a more efficient mobility procedure, thereby maintaining wireless service and reducing or eliminating interruption to wireless service.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 blocked from communicating with the base station 104 by the moving object 242 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described herein, a connection may be formed when the line of sight 240 between the user equipment 10 and the base station 104 is clear or sufficiently clear (e.g., such that no obstruction blocks the line of sight 240 so as to affect that transmitted user data is received and data is extracted from the user data with a bit error rate greater than a threshold bit error rate). For example, the second user equipment 10B may be connected to the second beam 172B (supported by the base station 104) based on the second line of sight 240B being clear. However, in some cases, the line of sight 240 may be blocked by the moving object 242. For example, the moving object 242 may move between the first user equipment 10A and the base station 104 in the direction of travel 126. As such, the first line of sight 240A between the first user equipment 10A and the base station 104 may be blocked by the mobile object 242 (e.g., the bus 260).

The first user equipment 10A and/or the wireless network 102 may use the sensing to determine blocking information. The blocking information may include a relative distance between the moving object 242 and the first user equipment 10A, a traveling direction of the moving object 242, a speed of the moving object 242, a size of the moving object 242, and the like. For example, the first user equipment 10A and/or the wireless network 102 may include and/or utilize a proximity sensor, a camera, a radio frequency sensor, an infrared sensor, a radar sensor, etc. to determine the presence and/or blocking information of the mobile object 242. The first user equipment 10A may then use the blocking information to determine the blocking duration using the speed and size of the moving object 242. In some cases, the first user equipment 10A may transmit a signal indicative of the blocking information to a nearby user equipment 10 (e.g., the second user equipment 10B), the base station 104, and/or the wireless network 102. In this way, the second user equipment 10B may receive an indication of potential blocking and implement a mobility procedure to maintain wireless service during the blocking.

Further, device-to-device communication may be used for blocking detection and prediction. For example, the second user equipment 10B may crowd source information from the user equipment 10 within an area surrounding the location of the user equipment 10B to predict the blockage. In another example, the first user equipment 10A may share blocking information with the second user equipment 10B. For example, the first user equipment 10A may share the speed of the moving object 242 or the direction of travel 126 of the moving object 242. The second user equipment 10B may use the blocking information to predict a start time and duration of the blocking (e.g., based on the blocking information received from the first user equipment 10A and/or the base station 104). If the second user equipment 10B predicts a blockage (e.g., a potential blockage), the second user equipment 10B may implement a mobility procedure for the duration of the blockage to reduce or eliminate service interruption.

Additionally or alternatively, the mobile object 242 may provide blocking information to the user equipment 10. In the example shown, the obstruction is caused by bus 260 interfering with line of sight 240. The RF transceiver of bus 260 may scan for RF signals from base station 104 and synchronize with base station 104. In addition, the RF transceiver of the bus 260 may provide blocking information, such as speed, size, location, route of travel, direction of travel, etc., to the base station 104. In another example, the user equipment 10 may be connected to an RF transceiver of the bus 260 (e.g., via a WiFi signal) and the bus 260 may transmit a signal indicating blocking information. In this way, the wireless network 102 and/or the user equipment 10 may predict blocking prior to service interruption and implement mobility procedures to maintain network coverage and/or reduce or eliminate service interruption.

In some cases, the moving object 242 may include multiple objects, thereby increasing the blocking duration. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 predicting a blockage (e.g., potential blockage) based on the blockage information, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. For example, the moving object 242 may include a plurality of vehicles (e.g., a first vehicle 260A, a second vehicle 260B, collectively 260) traveling in the same direction 262. The vehicle 260 may exchange blocking information between groups and/or share blocking information with the wireless network 102 and/or the user equipment 10 via queued traveling. As described herein, the blocking information may include a location, a direction of travel, a speed, a size, and a number of vehicles to the first user equipment 10A. For example, the first vehicle 260A may receive blocking information from the second vehicle 260B and add its blocking information for the user equipment 10 to predict the blocking duration. The first vehicle 260A may be a host vehicle and communicate blocking information with the wireless network 102 and/or the user equipment 10. Although the illustrated example includes two vehicles (e.g., one host vehicle, one additional vehicle), any suitable number of vehicles of any suitable size may result in a blockage. For example, two or more additional vehicles 260, four or more additional vehicles 260, ten or more additional vehicles 260, etc. may transmit blocking information to a host vehicle (e.g., first vehicle 260A), while second vehicle 242B may communicate blocking information with first vehicle 242A.

In some cases, the first vehicle 260A may be located closer to the base station 104 and/or the user equipment 10 (relative to the second vehicle 260B) and may send an indication of the blocking information. Based on the indication, the first user equipment 10A may determine a relative distance to the vehicle 260 and implement a mobility procedure before blocking occurs. Furthermore, the first user equipment 10A may share blocking information with other user equipment 10. For example, the first user equipment 10A may share blocking information (via device-to-device communication) with the second user equipment 10B, similar to the user equipment 10 described with respect to fig. 12. In this way, the second user equipment 10B may prepare for and mitigate signal interruption for the duration of the blocking.

In some cases, the second user equipment 10B may predict the blocking based on the blocking information. The second user equipment 10B may scan the base stations 104 and determine the target base stations 104 that may not be blocked by the vehicle 260. The second user equipment 10B may request a transition before the blocking occurs, thereby maintaining wireless service as the mobile vehicle 260 passes (e.g., interferes with the line of sight 240). Additionally or alternatively, the second user equipment 10B may request a transition to a different beam 172 of the base station 104 that may not be affected by the blockage. In some cases, the user equipment 10 may not be able to form a connection with the base station 104. The wireless network 102 may relay the connection using a smart reflective surface (RIS) or a stationary relay grid. For example, the wireless network 102 may include a reflective surface (e.g., glass mirror, polished metal) that may reflect wireless signals (e.g., user data) from the base station 104 to an area (which may depend on the surface). In another example, the mobile vehicle 260 may be used as a mobile relay interconnecting the wireless network 102 and the user equipment 10 during blocking. In other cases, the user equipment 10 may utilize cooperative communication between other user equipment 10 to relay connections via device-to-device connections. However, in some cases, it may be beneficial to suspend the connection and resume the connection immediately after the blocking duration, thereby minimizing service disruption. Predicting the blocking and blocking duration may allow coordination between the user equipment 10 and the wireless communication network 102 to prevent unexpected interruption of wireless service and/or beam failure during temporary blocking.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart of a method 300 for enabling the user equipment 10 of fig. 1 to receive an indication of a blockage (e.g., potential blockage of the line of sight 240) and to implement a mobility procedure, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., controller) that may control components of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, such as the processor 12, may perform the method 300. In some embodiments, the method 300 may be implemented by using the processor 12 to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 14 or the storage device 16. For example, the method 300 may be performed, at least in part, by one or more software components, such as the operating system of the user equipment 10, the network 74, and/or the base station 104; one or more software applications of the user equipment 10, the network 102, and/or the base station 104, and the like. Although method 300 is described using a particular order of steps, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in a different order than shown and that certain described steps may be skipped or not performed at all.

In process block 302, the user equipment 10 connects to the base station 104. The base station 104 may advertise Radio Frequency (RF) signals and when the user equipment 10 enters the coverage area of the base station 104 (e.g., the geographic area for which the base station provides network coverage), the user equipment 10 may detect the base station 104 by receiving the RF signals.

In process block 304, the base station 104 forms a connection with the user equipment 10. The user equipment 10 may be synchronized with the base station 104 and the base station 104 may broadcast or transmit system information indicating the frequency bands supported by the base station 104. The system information may also include timing specifications, power specifications, GPS or GNSS coordinates, and/or any other suitable information for enabling the user equipment 10 to establish communication with the base station 104. Further, the user equipment 10 may transmit an indication of its capability and the base station 104 may transmit a configuration of uplink resources (e.g., modulation order, signal power, resource blocks, timing, etc.), and the user equipment 10 may apply the configuration for communication with the base station 104. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may be connected to the beam 172 of the base station 104.

In process block 306, a device (e.g., base station 104, user equipment 10) of the communication system 100 determines a blocking. For example, the user equipment 10, the wireless network 102, and/or the object 242 may use sensing to detect potential obstructions, either independently or jointly, and share the obstruction information before the obstruction occurs. For example, the user equipment and/or the wireless network 102 may include or utilize proximity sensors, cameras, radio frequency sensors, infrared sensors, and the like to determine blocking information. The blocking information may include the presence of the moving object, the relative distance of the moving object 242, the moving direction, the moving speed, or the size of the moving object 242. The blocking information may be used to determine the duration of the blocking. Additionally or alternatively, the location of the barrier may be used to determine the distance between the barrier and the user equipment 10 and/or the start time of the barrier.

In process block 308, the device of the communication network 100 sends an indication of blocking to the user equipment 10. For example, the object 242 (e.g., vehicle 260) may transmit blocking information to the user equipment 10 and/or the base station 104. In another example, the user equipment 10 may utilize device-to-device communication to relay blocking information to other user equipment 10 within an area surrounding the user equipment 10 (e.g., within range of utilizing device-to-device communication). Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may crowd source information (e.g., sensing information, blocking information) from other user equipment 10 to predict blocking. In yet another example, the wireless network 102 may receive an indication of blocking information from one or more connected user equipment 10 and/or objects 242 and send the indication of blocking information to the user equipment 10.

In process block 310, the user equipment 10 receives an indication of blocking. For example, the user equipment 10 may receive blocking information from other user equipment 10, wireless network 102, connected base station 104, and the like. Then, in decision block 312, the user equipment 10 may determine whether the connected base station 104 is blocked from impact. As described herein, the base station 104 and the user equipment 10 may transmit signals (e.g., user data) in a direct path (e.g., line of sight 240). If the line of sight 240 is blocked or partially blocked, the signal characteristics may decrease. In this way, it may be beneficial for the user equipment 10 to determine whether the object 242 interferes with the line of sight 240 and to implement a mobility procedure. The user equipment 10 may predict the blockage based on the predicted location of the blockage and the location of the line of sight 240.

If the user equipment 10 determines that the connected base station 104 is not affected by a blockage, the method 300 may return to process block 306 to determine a blockage, an indication of the blockage is sent to the user equipment 10, and the user equipment 10 may return to process block 310 to receive the indication of the blockage.

If the user equipment 10 determines that the connected base station 104 is blocked from impact, at process block 314 the user equipment 10 determines a device (e.g., base station 104, user equipment 10) of the communication system 100 for handover. For example, the user equipment 10 may scan for the base station 104, similar to the process 150 described above with respect to fig. 7. The user equipment 10 may determine a better performing base station 104 for the connection (e.g., based on signal characteristics). Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 10 may determine a different base station 104 (e.g., a base station 104 that is unaffected by the blocking) for the temporary connection. In another example, the user equipment 10 may use device-to-device communication to determine one or more user equipment 10 within an area (e.g., a geographic area for which the user equipment 10 may transmit user data) to relay network elements for connection. In yet another example, user equipment 10 may determine an RIS surface within wireless network 102 for connection.

In decision block 316, the user equipment 10 determines whether the signal characteristics of the device are below a threshold, similar to decision block 156 described above with respect to fig. 7. If the signal characteristics of the device are not below the threshold, the user equipment 10 may send an indication to transition to the device of the communication system 100. In process block 318, a device of communication system 100 receives an indication of a connection request. For example, the user equipment 10 may determine the target base station 104 that may not be affected by the blockage and send a transition request. The wireless network 102 may receive the transition request and begin scheduling the user equipment 10 to the target base station 104. In this way, the user equipment 10 may connect to the target base station before blocking occurs, thereby maintaining wireless service. In another example, the user equipment 10 may determine another user equipment 10 having a signal characteristic above a threshold. The user equipment 10 may utilize device-to-device communications to relay network services and maintain wireless services. In yet another example, the user equipment 10 and/or the object 242 may relay network elements using a stationary relay grid or RIS. In this way, interruptions to wireless services may be reduced or eliminated.

However, if the user equipment 10 determines that the signal characteristics of the device are below a threshold, it may be beneficial to suspend the connection for the predicted duration of the blocking. In process block 320, the user equipment 10 pauses communication with the connected base station 104 for the duration of the blocking. For example, the user equipment 10 may cease transmitting or receiving user data with the connected base station 104 during blocking. However, the user equipment 10 may still maintain a link with the connected base station 104. In this way, the user equipment 10 may resume communication immediately after blocking. In process block 322, the connected base station 104 receives an indication to suspend communication with the connected base station 104 for the duration of the blocking.

However, after blocking (e.g., immediately after blocking), the user equipment 10 and the base station 104 may resume the connection. In process block 324, the user equipment 10 resumes communication with the connected base station 104 after blocking. For example, the user equipment 10 may send an indication to the connected base station 104 indicating expiration of the blocking duration. At process block 326, the connected base station 104 receives an indication to resume communication with the user equipment 10. For example, the user equipment 10 and/or the connected base station 104 may begin transmitting or receiving user data from the connected base station. Coordination between the user equipment 10 and the wireless network 102 may prevent unexpected wireless network outages due to failures or unexpected beam failures due to temporary obstructions. In this way, performing the mitigation procedure prior to blocking may maintain network coverage by reducing signal degradation and/or service interruption (e.g., due to a broken connection).

The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should also be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The techniques described and claimed herein are referenced and applied to specific examples of physical and practical properties that significantly improve the art and are therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [ performing ] [ function ]," or "step for [ performing ]," these elements are to be interpreted in accordance with 35u.s.c.112 (f). However, for any claim containing elements specified in any other way, these elements will not be construed in accordance with 35u.s.c.112 (f).

It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be specified to the user.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising:

one or more antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and

Processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to

The transceiver is used to detect a first base station,

in synchronization with the first base station,

using the transceiver to receive a first indication of a cell cluster comprising the first base station and a plurality of additional base stations,

using the transceiver to transmit user data to or receive user data from the first base station via the one or more antennas,

receiving signal characteristics of the first base station and the plurality of additional base stations,

requesting a transition to or from a second base station of the plurality of additional base stations based on the signal characteristics, and

based on the response to the request, the user data is transmitted to or received from the second base station via the one or more antennas using the transceiver.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a better performing base station of the plurality of additional base stations based on the signal characteristics.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive, using the transceiver, a second indication of an additional cell cluster comprising the better performing base station and a second plurality of base stations based on moving out of a coverage area of the first base station.

4. The user equipment of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive signal characteristics of the better performing base station and the second plurality of base stations based on the second indication.

5. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to transmit or receive the user data via the one or more antennas using the transceiver while receiving the signal characteristics of the first base station and the plurality of additional base stations.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein a computing device associated with the cell cluster or a master base station of the cell cluster is configured to maintain the cell cluster.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics comprise signal strength, signal quality, power delivery, signal delivery, or any combination thereof.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of the user equipment and to send a second indication of the location to the first base station using the transceiver.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the response comprises a second indication to schedule the user equipment on the second base station and a third indication to cease sending the user data to the first base station or to receive the user data from the first base station.

10. A base station, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the processing circuitry configured to receive a first indication of a location of a user equipment using the receiver,

generating a cell cluster comprising said base station and a plurality of additional base stations within range of said location,

transmitting a second indication of the cluster of cells using the transmitter,

receiving a request to transition to the better performing base station of the cell cluster based on signal characteristics of the base station and better performing base station relative to the user equipment, the plurality of additional base stations including the better performing base station, and

the user equipment is scheduled to transmit or receive user data on the better performing base station.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is configured to generate a second cluster of cells comprising the better performing base station and a second plurality of additional base stations.

12. The base station of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the cell cluster based on a density of base stations within the range of the location of the user equipment.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the cell cluster based on a mobility type of the user equipment.

14. The base station of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to add one or more additional base stations and remove one or more base stations from the cell cluster based on the second indication.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to cease transmitting the user data to or receiving the user data from the user equipment based on scheduling the user equipment on the better performing base station.

16. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, from a base station, an indication of a cell cluster comprising a plurality of base stations;

receiving, at the user equipment, signal characteristics from each base station of the cell cluster;

transmitting, by the user equipment, a request to transition to a better performing base station of the cell cluster based on the signal characteristics; and

based on the response to the request, communicates with the better performing base station.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising receiving, at the user equipment, an indication of a second cluster of cells based on the response to the request, the second cluster of cells including the better performing base station and a second plurality of base stations.

18. A method according to claim 17, comprising receiving at the user equipment signal characteristics from each base station of the second cluster of cells.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising receiving, at the user equipment, an indication to schedule the user equipment on the better performing base station.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the cluster of cells comprises the better performing base station.

21. A user equipment, comprising:

one or more antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to

The transceiver is used to detect a first base station,

in synchronization with the first base station,

receiving, using the transceiver, a map indicating a location of each of a plurality of base stations and a beam coverage area of each of the plurality of base stations, requesting a transition to transmitting or receiving the user data to or from a second base station using the transceiver based on a predicted route of the user equipment and the map, and

22. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

A location of the user equipment is determined,

determining the predicted route of the user equipment based on the location, and

the second base station of the plurality of base stations is determined based on the predicted route and the map.

23. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

Determining that the beam coverage area of the second base station is above a threshold coverage area based on the map and the predicted route, and

the transceiver is used to request a transition to the second base station before the user equipment leaves the beam coverage area of the first base station.

24. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

Determining that a beam coverage area of the second base station is below a threshold coverage area based on the map and the predicted route, and

a third base station of the plurality of base stations is determined based on the predicted route and the map.

25. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine the predicted route based on a historical route of the user equipment, instructions from a map software application, global navigation satellite system data, or any combination thereof.

26. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the beam coverage area is indicated by a beam shape and a beam direction, the beam shape indicated by global navigation satellite system data.

27. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive a portion of the map using the transceiver, the portion comprising a threshold radius around the location of the user equipment.

28. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a subset of base stations of the plurality of base stations along the predicted route of the user equipment,

receiving the user data from each base station in the subset of base stations using the transceiver to determine signal characteristics, an

The second base station is determined based on the signal characteristics.

29. The user equipment of claim 21, comprising a wireless network configured to determine the location of each of the plurality of base stations and the beam coverage area of each of the plurality of base stations to generate the map.

30. A base station, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the processing circuitry configured to generate a map indicating a location of each of a plurality of base stations and a beam coverage area of each of the plurality of base stations,

determining or receiving a first indication of a location of a user equipment using the receiver, transmitting a portion of the map to the user equipment using the transmitter based on the location of the user equipment,

receiving a second indication of a request to transition to a second base station from the user equipment using the receiver, and

the user equipment is transitioned to the second base station.

31. The base station of claim 30, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the map with one or more added or removed base stations indicated by a wireless network.

32. The base station of claim 30, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine a threshold radius around the location of the user equipment, and

the portion of the map is generated based on the threshold radius.

33. The base station of claim 30, wherein the coverage area comprises a beam shape or a beam direction.

34. The base station of claim 33, wherein the map comprises global navigation satellite system coordinates indicating the beam coverage area of each of the plurality of base stations.

35. The base station of claim 30, wherein the base station comprises a next generation NodeB.

36. The base station of claim 30, wherein the processing circuit is configured to

Determining a range of beams of each of the plurality of base stations by performing a sensing operation, and

the map is updated with the range of the beam based on the sensing operation.

37. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, a map from a first base station, the map indicating a location of each of a plurality of base stations and a beam coverage area of each of the plurality of base stations;

predicting, by the user equipment, a route of the user equipment based on a location of the user equipment;

determining, by the user equipment, a second base station of the plurality of base stations for a transition based on the map and the route;

Transmitting, by the user equipment, a request to transition to the second base station; and

and communicating with the second base station based on the response to the request.

38. The method of claim 37, comprising

Determining, by the user equipment, a subset of base stations of the plurality of base stations along the route based on the map;

receiving, by the user equipment, signal characteristics from each base station in the subset of base stations; and

the second base station is determined by the user equipment based on the signal characteristics.

39. The method of claim 37, comprising determining, by the user equipment, that the beam coverage area of the second base station is above a threshold based on the route and the map.

40. The method of claim 37, comprising transmitting, by the user equipment, an indication of the location of the user equipment, and receiving, by the user equipment, from the second base station, the map comprising an area surrounding the location of the user equipment.

41. A user equipment, comprising:

one or more antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to

The transceiver is used to detect a first base station,

in synchronization with the first base station,

using the transceiver to determine or receive an indication of blocking information,

requesting a transition to transmit or receive the user data to or from a second base station based on the blocking information, and

42. The user equipment of claim 41, wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine that the signal characteristic of the second base station is above a threshold.

43. The user equipment of claim 42, wherein the blocking information comprises a speed of an object, a size of the object, a relative distance of the object, a speed of the user equipment, or any combination thereof.

44. The user equipment of claim 43, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the speed of the user equipment,

Determining the size of the object, the object comprising a stationary object, and

a blocking is predicted based on the speed of the user equipment and the size of the object.

45. The user equipment of claim 41, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

Predicting a blocking based on the blocking information, the predicting indicating a start time and a duration of the blocking, and

at the start time, the user data is suspended from being transmitted to or received from the first base station via the one or more antennas using the transceiver for the duration of the blocking.

46. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the processing circuit is configured to transmit the user data to or receive the user data from the second base station via the one or more antennas using the transceiver via a smart reflective surface or a stationary relay grid.

47. The user equipment of claim 45, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to transmit or receive the user data to or from one or more neighboring user equipment via the one or more antennas using the transceiver via device-to-device communication.

48. The user equipment of claim 41, comprising one or more sensors, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform a sensing operation via the one or more sensors to determine the blocking information, and

the indication of the blocking information is transmitted to the first base station, one or more neighboring user equipments, or both using the transceiver.

49. The user equipment of claim 41, wherein the indication of the blocking information is transmitted by one or more neighboring user equipment, a base station, a wireless network, an object, or any combination thereof.

50. A base station includes

A transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the processing circuitry configured to receive an indication of a potential blockage of a line of sight using the receiver, the indication comprising a start time of the potential blockage and a duration of the potential blockage,

transmitting the start time of the potential barrier and the duration of the potential barrier to a user equipment using the transmitter,

receiving a request from the user equipment to connect to a second base station based on the start time of the potential barrier and the duration of the potential barrier, and

The user equipment is transitioned to the second base station.

51. The base station of claim 50, comprising a vehicle, and the processing circuit is configured to connect to the vehicle using Wi-Fi signals, radio frequency, RF signals, or any combination thereof to receive the indication of the potential blockage using the receiver.

52. The base station of claim 51, wherein the vehicle comprises a plurality of vehicles, and the processing circuit is configured to connect to a host vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to receive the indication of the potential barrier using the receiver.

53. The base station of claim 50 wherein the processing circuit is configured to suspend transmitting user data to the user equipment using the transmitter for the duration of the potential blocking, and

after the duration of the potential blocking, resume transmitting the user data to the user equipment using the transmitter.

54. The base station of claim 53, wherein the processing circuit is configured to transmit the user data to the user equipment via a smart reflective surface or a stationary relay grid using the transmitter.

55. The base station of claim 54 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to transition the user equipment to a different beam of the base station for the duration of the potential blockage.

56. The base station of claim 50 wherein the processing circuit is configured to

Receive blocking information from one or more user equipment, wireless network, object, or any combination thereof, and

transmitting the blocking information to the user equipment.

57. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, blocking information from a first base station, the blocking information comprising a speed of an object, a size of the object, a relative distance of the object, or any combination thereof;

predicting, at the user equipment, a line of sight blockage between the user equipment and the first base station based on the blockage information, the line of sight blockage comprising a start time and a blockage duration; and

a request to transition to a second base station is transmitted by the user equipment based on the prediction of the line of sight blockage.

58. The method of claim 57, comprising:

receiving, by the user equipment, system information from the second base station based on the prediction of the line of sight blockage from the second base station, the system information comprising signal characteristics; and

Determining, by the user equipment, that the signal characteristic is below a threshold; and

a request to transition to a third base station is transmitted by the user equipment.

59. The method of claim 58, comprising communicatively coupling, by the user equipment, to one or more other user equipment via device-to-device communication for the blocking duration.

60. The method of claim 57, comprising:

receiving, by the user equipment, system information from the second base station;

determining, by the user equipment, that a signal characteristic is above a threshold; and

communicate with the second base station based on the signal characteristic being above the threshold.