KR101436070B1 - Measurement reporting in communications systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A communication system (220) comprising a network node (206, 208, 210) and a management entity (218) responsible for handling measurement reports, the management entity being capable of sending condition- Receiving a measurement report from the mobile terminal (212, 214, 216); Determining from the measurement report whether the condition-related parameter is a measurement report of a type that needs to be applied; Applying the load-related condition and the security-related condition if the measurement report is of a type in which the condition-related parameters need to be applied; And if both are satisfied, by providing the measurement report to the management entity, the network node can control measurement reporting in the communication system.

Description

MEASUREMENT REPORTING IN COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The present invention relates to measurement reporting in communication systems. In particular, but not exclusively, to measurement reporting in mobile communication systems such as cellular mobile communication systems.

An important aspect of network planning for providing a wireless communication system is to ensure that the network provides the necessary coverage. This may be providing uniform coverage or providing non-uniform coverage, for example, providing better coverage for areas where the heaviest wireless communication traffic is present. In this sense, coverage generally refers to signal strength experienced by a mobile terminal within a cell. The coverage may also refer to the reliability of an inter-cell handover.

Over the past several years in network planning, there have been significant improvements that enable a planned network to have the desired kind of coverage, but the operation of the network implemented in accordance with this scheme may not be as accurate as intended. For this reason, mobile network operators are referred to as drive testing in which vehicles with special testing equipment move around the area covered by the mobile network and collect measurement data in the form of parameters such as signal strength at different geographic locations . This allows the mobile network operator to identify problems such as coverage holes or locations where handover tends to fail, and to improve these problems, for example, by adding base stations, By changing the orientation of the beam, it means that the configuration of the network can be changed.

Performing drive testing to obtain measurement data is expensive and inconvenient on both sides of the equipment required and on the cost of time of employees or contractors. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the amount of drive testing being performed. In the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), subscriber mobile terminals (also referred to as user equipment or UEs) are provided to provide measurement data on connection quality through the radio interface between the radio access network (RAN) of the mobile network and the subscriber mobile terminals ), And to use this data in a network management system of the network to reduce the need to perform drive tests. While this may not completely eliminate the need for drive testing, if a substantial portion of coverage assessments can be performed based on measurement data obtained by the RAN in communication with the subscriber mobile terminals, I hope there is scope. In order to minimize the amount of drive testing required, the ability to provide the necessary measurement data from subscriber mobile terminals is referred to as minimization of drive test (MDT) functionality.

It has been proposed to use the trace functionality present in the network to gather the measurement data required for MDT. Trace functionality can execute traces of two basic trace types:

I) a cell trace in which trace data is collected in one cell or cells of a pre-defined list; And

Ii) Subscriber traces where trace data is collected for a particular mobile terminal, regardless of the cell through which the mobile terminal is moving.

Performing measurements for purposes of MDT is generally for purposes of determining coverage in a particular geographic area, e.g., a cell or a group of cells, and may be used to collect cell traces to gather measurement data required for MDT . To this end, an instruction to perform trace activation is sent to the appropriate entity in the RAN, such as functionality to control radio resource management of base station-type network elements, which determines the mobile terminals present in the cell and then , Activate selected mobile terminals to perform MDT measurements, and provide MDT measurement data to an entity, which for processing for generating results related to geographical decision of coverage, To the hierarchical levels of < / RTI >

It will be appreciated that the cell traces can be transformed into a number of individual activation commands, each of which is received and accepted by the associated mobile terminals. The mobility of mobile terminals executing MDT measurements may be an important factor in controlling the manner in which MDT measurements are performed. A mobile terminal instructed to provide measurement data may not have the opportunity to transmit such data from the measured cell, and instead may transmit measurement data from the cell in which the mobile terminal subsequently moves. Since MDT measurements can generate a significant amount of data, transmission of MDT measurement data from mobile terminals may result in unexpected loads on the cells. If these cells are on an overloaded borderline, this can have a negative impact on the operation of the cells.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of controlling measurement reporting in a communication system, the method comprising:

Receiving a measurement report at a network node;

Determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And

And applying a parameter to determine if a condition report-related condition is met, wherein a condition that allows a measurement report to be provided to the management entity is met, if the measurement report requires it.

The network node can measure the condition. The condition can be related to the load. Alternatively, the condition may relate to the status of the network node, and in one particular embodiment of the present invention, the measurement reports of the network node are provided to the management entity whether the measurement report is associated with or unrelated to the network node. In this case, the condition can be provided to the network node.

The network node may have load-related parameters used to control the handling of measurement reports. These load-related parameters may define a load threshold that governs whether a measurement report is to be transmitted by a network node.

The network node may have list-related parameters that are used to control the handling of measurement reports. These list-related parameters may define a set of network entities for which measurement reports are to be transmitted, or a set of network entities for which measurement reports are not to be transmitted.

Preferably, the type of measurement report for which the condition-related parameter needs to be applied is determined from the measurement report.

The management entity may be an operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) function. The management entity may have sub-entities to handle measurement reports. The sub-entity may cooperate with functions within the network node responsible for handling measurement reports. The management entity may instruct network nodes to request mobile terminals in their controlled areas to send measurement reports.

The sub-entity may be configured to transmit load-related parameters to the function in the network node so that it can control the measurement reporting according to the load-related parameters and the actual measured load.

The sub-entity can be configured to send list-related parameters to the function in the network node so that it can control the measurement reporting according to the identification of the cells or network nodes responsible for the network node.

One or both of the parameters may be configured in the network node by utilizing configuration management (CM) IRP functionality. This may involve the NM layer requesting the EM layer. This may be a request between the management entity and the agent entity.

The network node may have default settings that are not configured using one or both of the parameters, and thus a measurement report is provided to the management entity.

The network node may apply both load-related parameters and list-related parameters. The network node may appropriately apply the load-related parameters and the list-related parameters. The network node may first perform a load-related check based on load-related parameters and if the test indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed according to prevailing load conditions, May then perform a list-related check on the measurement report to determine if the measurement report is about an entry on the list.

The network node can periodically measure the actual load so that this information is available for load-related inspection to be performed if necessary. In an alternative embodiment, the actual load is measured and inspected each time a measurement report is received.

In the event that the actual load exceeds the load-related parameters, the network element may determine that all mobile terminals that the network element is servicing, in order to deactivate transmission of measurement reports of all mobile terminals servicing the network element, A measurement report deactivation command can be broadcast to terminals. Subsequently, the network node may discard any measurement reports it receives. After broadcasting the measurement report deactivation command, if the network node receives a measurement report, the network node may broadcast another measurement report deactivation command.

If the actual load does not exceed the load-related parameter, the network element may perform a list-related check. The list-related check can determine whether the measurement report was made with respect to the network node to which the measurement reports were allowed to be sent, or with respect to the area served by the network node. If the list-related check determines that the measurement report has been made with respect to a network node that is not allowed to transmit measurement reports or with respect to an area served by a network node, the network node sends a measurement report to the management entity The measurement report can be discarded.

The measurement report may be associated with an area previously occupied by the mobile terminal, but may be transmitted from the area currently occupied by the mobile terminal. The network node may determine the area to which the measurement report relates and may check whether this area corresponds to an entry on the list-related parameter. If it corresponds to an entry on the list-related parameter, the network node may provide a measurement report to the management entity. This is applicable even if the list-related parameter does not have an entry associated with the network node handling the measurement report. If this area does not correspond to an entry on the list-related parameter, the network node may discard the measurement report without sending the measurement report to the management entity. This may even be applicable even if the list-related parameter has an entry associated with the network node handling the measurement report.

Preferably, the processed form of the measurement report is transmitted. This can be a measurement report with or without added information. This may be a collection of measurement reports.

The measurement reports may be provided by mobile terminals. The mobile terminal may receive instructions to configure the mobile terminal to provide measurement data in the form of measurement reports. The measurement data may be related to the MDT.

The measurement report may relate to the determination of coverage in a particular geographic area, for example a cell or a group of cells. The geographical determination of coverage can be determined by the network management system as a result of receiving measurement reports.

The network node may be an entity within the RAN of the system. The management entity may be at a higher hierarchical level. However, it will be appreciated that, in accordance with the present invention, decisions made in connection with not transmitting or not transmitting measurement reports occur at a network node, for example the NE layer.

Preferably, the management entity controls the network node. This may be responsible for OAM management of the network node. The management entity may be the entire management system of the network or a part of the management system. The management system can control both the OAM and MDT aspects of the network. Functionalities that are responsible for both aspects of these aspects may be separate within one management system.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a network node capable of controlling measurement reporting in a communication system, the network node comprising:

A receiving block capable of receiving a measurement report at a network node;

A test block capable of determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And

Detector,

If the check block indicates that the measurement report requires that the condition-related parameters apply, the detector applies the parameters to determine if the condition determining that the measurement report is allowed to be provided to the management entity is satisfied.

A node may also include a transport block capable of transmitting a measurement report to a management entity.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a network management system capable of configuring a network node using condition-related parameters to control measurement reporting in a communication system, the network management system comprising: To the network node, and upon receipt of the measurement report, the network node is able to determine from the measurement report whether the condition-related parameter needs to be applied, and if a measurement report needs to be applied to the network management system And a transport block capable of configuring the network node so that the network node applies the condition-related parameters to determine if an acceptable condition is met.

The network management system may also include a receiving block capable of receiving a measurement report from a network node.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a communication system comprising a management entity and a network node, wherein the management entity is capable of sending condition-related parameters to the network node, wherein the network node is capable of controlling measurement reporting, The nodes are:

A receiving block capable of receiving a measurement report at a network node;

A test block capable of determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And

Detector,

If the check block indicates that the measurement report requires that the condition-related parameters apply, the detector applies the parameters to determine if the conditions that allow the measurement report to be provided to the management entity are met.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer program product comprising software code that when executed on a computer system performs a method of controlling measurement reporting in a communication system,

Receiving a measurement report at a network node;

Determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And

And applying a parameter to determine if a condition report-related condition is met, wherein a condition that allows a measurement report to be provided to the management entity is met, if the measurement report requires it.

Preferably, the computer program product has executable code portions capable of executing the steps of the method.

Preferably, the computer program product is stored on a computer-readable medium.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of configuring a network node using condition-related parameters to control measurement reporting in a communication system, the method comprising: transmitting condition-related parameters to a network node Step, and upon receipt of the measurement report, the network node is able to determine from the measurement report whether the condition-related parameter needs to be applied and if the conditions that allow the measurement report to be provided to the network management system Configuring the network node so that the network node applies the condition-related parameters to determine the network node.

The present invention may relate to measurement reporting in a mobile communication system. The invention may also relate to measurement reporting in a cellular system.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative.
Figure 1 shows a management architecture,
Figure 2 shows a system according to the invention,
Figure 3 shows a network node.

Figure 1 shows a 3GPP management scheme in which the major functional blocks involved in the management of the network are presented. The scheme applies to both 3G and LTE systems. The scheme is arranged in a hierarchy with the lowest layers of discrete telecommunication entities referred to as network elements (NEs) that can be managed through a particular interface. In a 3G system, the NE may be a radio network controller (RNC). In an LTE system, the NE may be an eNB. The NE layer is element managers (EMs) that provide a package of end-user functions for management of a set of closely related types of NEs. The EM may be functionality included in the domain manager (DM) that provides domain management functions and element management functions for the sub-network, or may be configured as part of the NE. The DMs (or EMs) are managed by network managers (NMs), which are primarily responsible for the management of the network, via EMs, but also possibly directly to the NEs. The NM layer communicates with the DM / EM layer via an interface referred to as a Type 2 interface or Itf N. The combination of the EM layer and the NM layer is often referred to as a network management system. Finally, the NM layer is used by network operators that include functionality such as call centers, fraud detection and prevention systems, and invoicing systems and that are not directly related to telecommunication aspects Lt; / RTI > information systems.

Ift-N connects the network management system to the EMs (located in the DM or NE). This connection is made by Integration Reference Points (IRPs). The IRP describes the information elements or associated objects and the information flow used to perform functions such as network configuration. The NM may monitor the communication network, including managing EMs via Itf-N. This typically involves an IRP manager in the NM layer that communicates with the IRP agent in the EM within the EM layer.

An IRP, referred to as a trace IRP, supports operations required for subscriber and equipment traces, service level tracing, and cell traffic tracing functionality.

When a cell trace is requested, the IRP agent sends a trace enable signal to the RAN network element (eNB) indicating a list of cells for which tracing is activated. After tracing is activated, the eNB reports all data about all mobile terminals operating in the cell to the trace collection entity (TCE).

To perform MDT measurements based on trace functionality, the IRP manager function in the NM layer sends a Start MDT message to the IRP agent function in the EM layer. The MDT start message is delivered by the IRP agent to the appropriate network element in the RAN, eNB for example. The network element in the RAN communicates with mobile terminals existing within the associated geographic area and identifies these mobile terminals suitable for use to provide MDT measurement data. Once selected, the particular mobile terminals to be used constitute selected mobile terminals for the MDT data collection by transmitting trace activation to the selected mobile terminals. As a result, the trace is activated for each of the selected mobile terminals. Trace activation may be enabled by tracing criteria, the IP address of the entity to which the trace log is to be sent, and possibly some additional information about the MDT, e.g., the mobile terminal sending measurement logs Together with the need to include GPS data. In response to receiving the trace activation, the mobile terminal begins to log MDT measurement data and associated location information. Such data and information are provided to the eNB in the form of an MDT report, along with an identifier (cell ID) of the associated cell, and the eNB further transmits it to reach the network management system.

Once the mobile terminal is configured to provide MDT measurement data, subsequent movement of the mobile terminal may cause problems. For example, if the mobile terminal moves to another area of the network, such as a different cell, the mobile terminal can continue to transmit MDT measurement data reports. These reports are appended to the normal signaling that occurs between the normally operating mobile terminal and the base station and represent additional loading in the cell. If the other area is already overloaded, the additional signaling presented by the MDT measurement data reports can cause problems.

Moreover, in the case of a radio link failure (RLF) that severes the connection between the mobile terminal and the network, the MDT report will only be transmitted to the network only when the mobile terminal re-connects to the network. This may occur at a location that is different from the location where the MDT was activated, e.g., a cell different from the cell where the cell trace was activated. However, there may be areas within the high load network where the network operator may wish to avoid any additional load in the network and may not want to load additional mobile terminal measurement data collections into the network .

In addition, sending a trace activation to the mobile terminal and requesting the mobile terminal to collect the data and to send the collected data to the network can pose a security risk, for example, deliberate mis-configuration of mobile terminals by users or other parties to cause mischief because the mobile terminals are not under the control of the network operator sufficiently to be.

In order to deal with these problems, in the system according to the present invention, an entity controlling the radio resource management of the base stations, for example an associated part of the eNB, is configured to perform MDT reporting by mobile terminals residing in cells or cells under its control Related parameters used to control the load. These load-related parameters can be set by the network operator to select a load threshold, which would result in MDT reporting being prevented in the cell if the load threshold is exceeded by the cell load. As a result, the load-related parameters can be used to avoid unnecessary load on the network at locations of situations where additional non-essential loading of the cell is undesirable.

Moreover, the entity is configured using a list of cells, and MDT measurements can be made with respect to the list of cells.

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Figure 2 illustrates an LTE mobile communication network 200 that includes a RAN 202 and a core network 204. [ The RAN has a plurality of eNBs 206, 208, and 210 that provide radio access to the mobile terminals 212, 214, and 216 residing within the cells 206 ', 208', and 210 ' , Core network 204 has functionality to provide call switching / routing and call control, service provisioning, authentication and charging, and interconnection to enable access to other networks.

In addition, an operation, maintenance, and repair (OAM) function 218 may be linked to the core network and configure and provide network nodes of the core network 204 and RAN 202. The operation, maintenance and repair (OAM) function 218 also performs various related tasks such as collecting network statistics, alarm monitoring, and logging of events. The resulting statistics, alarms, and logs are used by the network operator to monitor the health and performance of the network 200. In this embodiment, the OAM function 218 is shown as being separate from the core network 204, but in other embodiments of the invention, the OAM function 218 may be in the core network 204. In either case, both the core network 204 and the OAM function 218 are in the domain of the network operator, both of which are under the control of the network operator.

Referring back to Figure 1 briefly, the eNBs and the core network are within the NE layer, and the functionality of the OAM functionality 218 resides within the EM, DM, and NM layers. For example, the OAM function 218 as an IRP agent (IRPAgent) exists in the EM layer, and the OAM function 218 as an IRP manager (IRPManager) exists in the NM layer. The EM layer is a distributed functionality, but the NM layer can be considered as a centralized functionality. The MDT reports are forwarded to the NM layer, which represents the central location, from which the network operator can access the necessary information.

Returning to the present invention, the OAM function 218 has an MDT management entity 220. Such an entity 220 may be configured to receive commands to arrange MDT measurements gathered in association with, for example, a particular geographical area of the network 200, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 200, < / RTI > which sends the necessary activations to the eNBs to activate the MDT measurements in the network 200. The MDT management entity 220 in the OAM function 218 cooperates with the MDT units 222 in the eNBs to receive MDT-related commands and take appropriate action. For example, the MDT unit 222 in a particular eNB receives an instruction that MDT measurements should be performed within a particular cell and, as a result, sends the individual MDT activations to the appropriate mobile terminals located in the cell, Let the mobile terminals initiate MDT measurements and provide MDT reports to the eNB. The eNB may send MDT measurements in the form they receive, or may collate or otherwise process the MDT measurements, and then process them to generate output data suitable for use in managing the network 200 To the OAM function 218, which is processed and used.

The MDT management entity 220 and MDT units 222 are explicitly configured to operate in accordance with the present invention. The MDT management entity 220 may send load-related parameters to the MDT units 222 of the selected eNBs or may activate these parameters that are already present in the eNBs, MDT reporting can be controlled according to the load. Moreover, the OAM function provides each eNB with a list of approved cells (an "approved cell list") indicating the cells associated with the MDT reports being provided by the mobile terminals. These lists are security-relevant and their use is described below.

There are many eNBs, and OAM functions 218 within the NM layer are used to configure them. This is done via the NM / EM layer interface. The NM layer requests the EM layer such that cells with specific identifiers are configured according to specific load-related parameters. This is done by using configuration management (CM) IRP functionality. All eNBs in the network can be configured. However, if only a particular eNB among the eNBs has a load-related parameter and / or an approved cell list, other eNBs may not be so configured.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the network 200 is configured such that configuration management uses a network resource model (NRM). In this approach, the model uses objects that represent actual managed telecommunications network resources, e.g., specific network nodes or elements. The NRM describes managed object classes, their associations, attributes, and actions. A managed object (MO) is a software object that encapsulates the behavior and management characteristics of a particular network resource. The managed object is an "instance" of the "managed object class" defined in the NRM. The managed object class has attributes that provide information used to characterize objects belonging to the class. In addition, the managed object class may have actions indicating the behavior associated with the class. An instance of a managed object class is sometimes referred to as a "managed element".

In this embodiment of the invention, an object associated with network elements, e. G. EutranGenericCell (or, in a 3G system implementation, UtranGenericCell), associated with network elements, such as eNBs in the RAN, Related attributes. These attributes specify the cell load limit that is applied while the MDT reporting is accepted in the cell. When the cell load exceeds the limit, the eNB requests the mobile terminals in the cell to stop the MDT reporting. Within a particular cell, if MDT reporting is not required in some circumstances, the threshold is set to 0% (thus, in some load environments, the eNB does not accept any MDT reporting in a particular cell). Configuring the load-related parameters is performed by executing the CM operation.

In order to implement a security-related list, an attribute containing a list of EutranCells (or, in an implementation in a 3G system, UtranCells) is an object class referred to as eNBFunction (or RNCFunction in the 3G system implementation) ≪ / RTI > The list of such cells, with respect to the MDT report received from the mobile terminal, displays such cells with the MDT reporting enabled in the eNB (including the cell ID) so that the eNB can determine whether the MDT report originated from the approved cell . If the MDT report contains a cell ID that is not in the approved list, the received MDT report is rejected. Constituting the approved list is performed by executing the CM operation.

The default setting for the cell is "MDT Reporting ", i.e. the MDT reports are passed on to the OAM function 218. Therefore, any cell not configured using a security-relevant list will automatically send MDT reports. In this case, the cell has a default setting of 100% load-related parameters, or the load-parameter is not set for the cell, but the cell behaves as if it has a load-related parameter set to 100%. If the cell is configured using a security-related list, the list represents specific cells with the appropriate identifiers, and the configured cell holding the list is an MDT containing an identifier corresponding to one or more identifiers in the list If the report is received, the configured cell will send an MDT report to the OAM function 218. However, if an MDT report containing an identifier that does not correspond to one or more identifiers in the list is received, the configured cell will discard the MDT report. This may be referred to as a white list. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the configured cell is configured using a security-related list, referred to as a black list, which indicates specific cells with an appropriate identifier, If an MDT report containing an identifier corresponding to one or more identifiers in the list is received, then the configured cell will discard the MDT report and the identifier does not correspond to one or more identifiers in the list If not, the configured cell will send an MDT report to the OAM function 218.

The load-related parameter can be set as a value within a range of 0% to 100%, and the value indicates an acceptable load level. If the parameter is set to have an intermediate value, for example 50%, this means that if the actual load is higher than the parameter then the consequences triggered by the parameter will be applied and if the actual load is lower than the parameter, Will not be applied. Thus, if the parameter is set to 0%, the acceptable load level is 0%, which means that the results triggered by the parameter apply to all circumstances, and if the parameter is set to 100%, the acceptable load level is 100 %, Which means that the results triggered by the parameter do not apply to any circumstances.

The operation of the present invention will now be described. The MDT management entity is assumed to have set a load-related parameter in the eNB to a specific value such as 75%. This indicates that 75% of the total available amount of resources of a particular type of cell is utilized. For example, this may indicate a negative feature such as how many radio resource control (RRC) connections have been established, or how many congestions or RRC connection failures have occurred. Furthermore, the OAM function 218 will be assumed to have instructed the various eNBs to request the mobile terminals in their controlled areas to perform MDT measurements within certain cells.

Upon understanding the operation of the present invention, it is useful to distinguish between two main MDT-related functionalities of mobile terminals:

1) performing MDT measurements; And

2) to report MDT measurements.

1), the mobile terminals are configured to perform MDT measurements only within the cell associated with which the mobile terminals are instructed to execute MDT measurements. If the mobile terminal moves to another cell, the mobile terminal will stop making measurements. However, in normal operation, since the mobile terminal is instructed to perform MDT measurements in the first cell because the mobile terminal reports MDT measurements at any point in the network, i.e., functionality 2) is free, If the mobile terminal moves to the second cell before sending the MDT report - this second cell is the unassigned cell for the mobile terminal to make MDT measurements - the mobile terminal is still moving from the second cell in relation to the first cell MDT report can be transmitted.

An example of a way to 1) immediately and not automatically leads to 2) is when the MDT-related measurements are sent to the mobile terminal while the mobile terminal is in the idle mode, i.e. the mobile terminal does not have an active connection to the network Lt; / RTI > In this case, the mobile terminal collects MDT measurements referred to as MDT logs. Once the mobile terminal establishes a connection to the network, the mobile terminal transmits the collected MDT logs to one or more MDT reports. This network connection establishment may occur in a cell where the mobile terminal is different from the MDT-activated cell. The present invention may be applied to discard or allow transmission of MDT reports collected during idle times.

When a particular eNB receives an MDT report, the eNB will first perform a load-related check based on the load-related parameters and determine that the MDT reporting is currently allowed for the cell according to prevailing load conditions, If the associated check indicates, the eNB will, secondly, perform a security-related check based on the security-related list.

Thus, the eNB periodically performs a load-related check, e. G. Every 15 minutes, to determine whether the measured load in the cell exceeds the threshold set by the load parameter, The actual measured load measurements based on the establishments are compared against the load-related parameters. However, in an alternative embodiment, the measured load may be checked each time an MDT report is received. The eNB also performs a security-related check on the MDT report that the eNB receives to determine if it is associated with a cell on the approved cell list.

If the actual load in the cell exceeds the load-related parameter threshold, then the eNB first sends to all mobile terminals in the cell an MDT-command to disable MDT reporting of all mobile terminals in the cell Command). Subsequently, if the eNB receives an MDT report from, for example, a new-arriving mobile terminal, the eNB will discard this MDT report and then send the newly-arrived mobile terminal and yet MDT reports Another < / RTI > new-arriving mobile terminals that have not yet sent MDT reporting. Unless the eNB determines that it has not been overloaded, or unless it receives an indication from elsewhere that no load-related parameters are applied or n load-related parameters set to 100% are applied, Will continue.

If the actual load of the cell does not exceed the load-related parameter threshold, a security-relevant check is performed. As described so far, the eNBs are configured using information in the approved cell list, and if the eNB receives an MDT report on a cell that is not on the approved cell list from the mobile terminal in its coverage area, The eNB discards the MDT report.

Although the load-related parameters and approved cell list information are provided by the OAM function 218, the OAM function 218 does not perform any action in terms of directly controlling the MDT report discard or transmission.

The situation described so far is that MDT reports are provided by mobile mobile terminals in an environment where MDT reports from several locations may be allowed but MDT reports from other locations may not be allowed Which can be more complicated.

The following is about a security-related check, and a load-related check is also performed as the first filter, but in order to provide a brief description, the actual loads will be assumed to be within some set load-related parameter thresholds.

In an exemplary case, each of the eNBs 206, 208, and 210 is configured using an approved cell list, and the approved cell list includes a cell 206 '("MDT reporting allowed" MDT reports from cell 208 'are allowed, but MDT reports from cell 210' ("MDT reporting not allowed") are not allowed. The mobile terminal is in cell 206 '. The mobile terminal was previously instructed to provide MDT reports when the mobile terminal was in the cell 206 ', and the mobile terminal had accepted this command. The mobile terminal now moves to cell 208 '. The mobile terminal continues to provide MDT reports.

In a first possibility, within cell 208 ', an RLF occurs between the mobile terminal and eNB 208. However, due to this failure, the mobile terminal can not report from the cell 208 '. The mobile terminal moves to the back cell 206 'and once the connection is re-established, the mobile terminal sends an MDT report containing information about the RLF associated with the cell 208'. The MDT report is received by the eNB 206. However, this MDT report is associated with cell 208 'rather than cell 206'. Next, the eNB 206 checks to see if the received MDT report is on an approved cell list, i.e., for a "MDT reporting allowed" cell. In this case, the eNB 206 determines that the cell 208 'is on the approved cell list, and the eNB 206 provides the MDT report to the OAM function 218.

In a second possibility, within the cell 208 ', a radio link failure (RLF) occurs between the mobile terminal and the eNB 208. However, due to this failure, the mobile terminal can not report from the cell 208 '. The mobile terminal then moves to cell 210 ', and once the connection is re-established, the mobile terminal sends an MDT report containing information about the RLF associated with cell 208'. The MDT report is received by eNB 210. However, this MDT report is associated with cell 208 'rather than cell 210'. Next, the eNB 210 checks to see if the received MDT report is on an approved cell list, i.e., for a "MDT reporting allowed" cell. In this case, the eNB 210 determines that the cell 208 'is on the approved cell list, and that the MDT report comes from a cell that is not on the approved cell list, cell 210' (210) provides an MDT report to the OAM function (218).

In a third possibility, at cell 210 ', an RLF occurs between the mobile terminal and the eNB 210. However, due to this failure, the mobile terminal can not report from the cell 210 '. The mobile terminal then moves to cell 206 'or cell 208' and once the connection is re-established, the mobile terminal sends an MDT report containing information about the RLF associated with cell 210 ' do. The MDT report is received by the eNB 206 or the eNB 208. However, this MDT report is associated with cell 210 'rather than cell 206' or cell 208 '. Next, the eNB 206 or the eNB 208 checks to see if the received MDT report is on an approved cell list, i.e., for a "MDT reporting allowed" cell. In this case, the eNB 206 or the eNB 208 determines that the cell 210 'is not on the approved cell list and therefore the eNB 206 or the eNB 208 transmits the MDT report to the OAM function 218, and the MDT report is discarded.

FIG. 3 illustrates a network node 300 in accordance with the present invention. In the implementation discussed so far, the network node is an eNB. The network node includes a receive block 310 that can receive the MDT report. This block also includes the ability to transmit messages, which is a means by which network nodes make wireless connections and send and receive messages in addition to those specified in the MDT. A receiving block 310 is connected to an inspection block 320 which receives the received message and determines whether the received message is an MDT report or another type of message. It should be noted that the network node may receive many different kinds of messages, some of which are measurement reports that are not MDT-related. In the situation where the received message is an MDT report, the check block 320 relates to a detector 330 that performs load-related and security-related checks. In accordance with the results of these checks, the inspection block 320 discards the MDT report or provides the MDT report to the general purpose network node functionality 340, which transmits the general purpose network node functionality 340 to the OAM function 218 Prepare an MDT report.

In all of the cases described heretofore, accepting or rejecting the MDT report occurs at the NE layer, and the OAM function 218 automatically accepts the MDT report without performing additional checks themselves. The management system does not perform any actions to directly control the MDT report transmission. Depending on the decisions made by the eNBs, it does not receive MDT reports or discarded reports. However, the eNB / RNC may send a notification to the management system that informs the management system about the rejected MDT report and rejection reason (s).

In an understanding of the possibilities presented so far, the transmitted MDT (which may be the cell from which the MDT report is to be transmitted or associated with the cell from which the MDT report is transmitted) and the transmitted MDT report It is useful to keep in mind the distinction between reports. The corresponding cells should not be the same.

The purpose of the security-related inspection is primarily to prevent deliberately mis-configured mobile terminals, or mobile terminals, that flood the network with undesired reports and overload the network's network management system, To prevent the possibility of malfunctioning. The MDT report will at least catch up with the "rogue" MDT reports resulting from the mobile terminals of unauthorized cells, by checking whether the MDT reports are from the expected location. It also enables such malfunctions or deliberately mis-configured mobile terminals to be identified and remedial actions taken against them.

Thus, the present invention enables a network operator to control the network and configure the network so that the mobile terminal measurement data collection is guaranteed to be from only certain cells, and can configure the network if necessary, Are not further processed. Restricting the data collection to only certain cells from the network helps the network operator avoid unnecessary or unwanted MDT reports being handled and processed and thus avoiding overflowing the network and possibly causing overload situations.

In the examples thus far, the invention is implemented in an LTE system, the network nodes are eNBs, but in a 3G implementation, the network nodes with load-related parameters and / or security-related lists are RNCs. It should be noted that not all of the network nodes in the communication system need to have load-related parameters and / or security-related lists or are actually configured to operate in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to handling MDT reports, but may be applied to any measurement messages transmitted by a mobile terminal, the measurement messages indicating that the mobile communication network has transmitted mobile accessibility services to mobile terminals But not necessarily, in providing such information to the user. For example, the present invention may be applied to any other kind of OAM messages.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated that these embodiments have been described by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to cover all such modifications or equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (29)

A method for controlling measurement reporting in a communication system,
Receiving a measurement report at a network node;
Determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And
Applying the parameter to determine if a condition is met that allows the measurement report to be provided to a managing entity if the measurement report requires that the condition-
Lt; / RTI >
The network node first performs a load-related check based on load-related parameters,
If the load-related check indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed in accordance with prevailing load conditions, then a second listing of the measurement reports in relation to the measurement report, To run related checks,
How to control measurement reporting. The method according to claim 1,
The condition is related to the load,
How to control measurement reporting. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The condition being associated with whether the measurement reports associated with a particular network node are provided to the management entity,
How to control measurement reporting. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein a measurement report is run to determine whether transmission of measurement reports has been made with respect to a network node allowed or with respect to an area served by a network node,
How to control measurement reporting. 5. The method of claim 4,
If the test determines that the measurement report has been made with respect to a network node that is not allowed to transmit measurement reports or with respect to an area served by the network node, the network node sends the measurement report to the management entity And discarding the measurement report,
How to control measurement reporting. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the network node is configured to deactivate transmission of measurement reports of all mobile terminals that the network node is servicing, when the measured load exceeds a specified load condition, Broadcasting the measurement report deactivation command to mobile terminals,
How to control measurement reporting. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the network node broadcasts an additional measurement report deactivation command if the network node receives a measurement report subsequent to broadcasting the measurement report deactivation command.
How to control measurement reporting. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the network node is configured to discard the measurement report received after broadcasting the measurement report deactivation command,
How to control measurement reporting. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the management entity controls the network node,
How to control measurement reporting. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The management entity configuring the network nodes using at least one of a load-related parameter and a list-related parameter,
How to control measurement reporting. A network node capable of controlling measurement reporting in a communication system,
A receiving block capable of receiving a measurement report;
A test block capable of determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And
Detector
/ RTI >
If the inspection block indicates that the measurement report requires the condition-related parameter to be applied, then the detector may be configured to determine whether the measurement report is to be applied to the management entity, Apply the parameters,
The detector first performs a load-related check based on load-related parameters, and if the load-related check indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed in accordance with prevailing load conditions, Related check with respect to the measurement report to determine whether the measurement report is related to an entry on the list,
Network node. A network management system capable of configuring a network node using condition-related parameters to control measurement reporting in a communication system,
And a transmission block,
The transmission block includes:
The condition-related parameter to the network node, and
Upon receipt of a measurement report, a condition that allows the network node to determine from the measurement report that the condition-related parameter needs to be applied, and to allow the measurement report to be provided to the network management system if it needs to be applied The network node may configure the network node to apply the condition-related parameters to determine whether the network node is satisfied,
The network node first performs a load-related check based on load-related parameters, and if the load-related check indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed in accordance with prevailing load conditions, Related check on the measurement report to determine whether the report is about an entry on the list,
Network management system. A communication system comprising a management entity and a network node,
The management entity may send a condition-related parameter to the network node,
The network node may control measurement reporting,
The network node comprising:
A receiving block capable of receiving a measurement report at a network node;
A test block capable of determining from the measurement report whether a condition-related parameter needs to be applied; And
Detector
/ RTI >
If the test block indicates that the measurement report requires the condition-related parameter to be applied, then the detector may set the parameter to determine if the condition allowing the measurement report to be provided to the management entity is satisfied In addition,
The detector first performs a load-related check based on load-related parameters, and if the load-related check indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed in accordance with prevailing load conditions, Related check with respect to the measurement report to determine whether the measurement report is related to an entry on the list,
Communication system. A method of configuring a network node using condition-related parameters to control measurement reporting in a communication system,
Transmitting the condition-related parameter to the network node; And
Upon receipt of a measurement report, the network node is able to determine from the measurement report that the condition-related parameter needs to be applied, and if the condition that allows the measurement report to be provided to the network management system is met Configuring the network node so that the network node applies the condition-related parameters to determine if the condition-
Lt; / RTI >
The network node first performs a load-related check based on load-related parameters, and if the load-related check indicates that reporting of measurement reports is currently allowed in accordance with prevailing load conditions, Related check on the measurement report to determine whether the report is about an entry on the list,
How to configure a network node. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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