RU2456771C2 - Elimination of confusion in unit identifier - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technologies.

SUBSTANCE: confusion being the result of assignment of the same identifier to several units is eliminated by using methods for confusion detection and using unique identifiers for units. In certain aspects an access point and/or an access terminal may perform operations related to detection of confusion and/or provision of a unique identifier for confusion elimination.

EFFECT: efficiency and stability of communication systems with improved productivity.

73 cl, 21 dwg

Description

Priority claim by 35 U.S.C. §119

This application claims the advantage and priority of US Patent Application No. 60/988646, filed by one applicant, filed November 16, 2007 with Attorney Statement No. 072326P1; Provisional Patent Application No. 61/059654 filed June 6, 2008 with Assigned Attorney Statement No. 081769P1; Provisional Patent Application No. 61/074114, filed June 19, 2008 with Assignment No. 081869P1 of the lawyer's extract; Provisional Patent Application No. 61/074935, filed June 23, 2008 with Assignment No. 081893P1 of a lawyer's extract; the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated into this document by reference.

Cross reference to related application

This application relates to both U.S. Patent Application No. 12/269676, filed simultaneously and owned by the same applicant, entitled "USING IDENTIFIERS TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION", filed November 12, 2008 with assigned No. 081769 attorney's disclosure, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates generally to communications, and more precisely, but not exclusively, to eliminating the confusion associated with communications nodes.

Introduction

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide different types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to multiple users. As the demand for high-speed and multimedia data services is growing rapidly, there is a problem in the implementation of efficient and stable communication systems with improved performance.

To complement traditional base stations of a mobile telephony network (e.g., macro cells), small-coverage base stations (e.g., mounted in user homes) can be deployed to provide more robust home wireless coverage for mobile modules. Such low coverage base stations are generally known as access point base stations, home NodeBs, or femtocells. Typically, these low-coverage base stations connect to the Internet and the network of a mobile operator via a DSL router or cable modem.

In practice, there may be a relatively large number of base stations (for example, femtocells) deployed in a given zone (for example, within the coverage area of a given macrocell). In this case, there is a need for effective techniques for identifying these base stations so that other nodes in the network can communicate with these base stations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following is the essence of selected aspects of the disclosure of the invention. It should be understood that any reference to the term "aspects" in this document may refer to one or more aspects of the disclosure of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In some aspect, the disclosure relates to eliminating confusion associated with node identifiers. For example, a limited number of node identifiers can be defined in a network, so that the same identifier can be assigned to more than one node in a network (for example, an access point). Accordingly, when service of the access terminal is transferred from the source node to the target node, confusion may arise regarding the identity of the target node. This document describes different techniques for resolving such confusion.

In some aspects, the access terminal whose service needs to be handed over to the target node can eliminate confusion regarding the target node by obtaining a unique identifier associated with the target node. In some implementations, the access terminal sends this unique identifier to the source node, which initiates handover operations. In other implementations, the access terminal uses a unique identifier to initiate handover operations.

The access terminal may be configured to detect confusion. In some cases, the access terminal independently detects confusion. For example, an access terminal may track identifiers associated with received signals and generate measurement reports that indicate that multiple nodes use the same identifier.

As another example, a signal threshold may be assigned to a set of identifiers that are identified as possibly subject to confusion. This threshold can then be used to start acquiring a unique identifier again or to start the confusion determination operation on the source node.

In some cases, the access terminal detects confusion in response to a request. For example, the source node may periodically send a message to the access terminal requesting that the access terminal send the confusion information through a measurement report.

The access point may be configured to detect confusion. For example, an access point may detect confusion based on neighbor discovery, a target node identified in a handover request, or received configuration information. In detecting confusion, the access point may send a message to the access terminal requesting that the access terminal obtain a unique identifier to resolve the confusion. In some cases, this message may instruct the access terminal to use a unique identifier to initiate handover operations.

Confusion can also be used when the access terminal directly accesses the target node. For example, in an event where the access terminal establishes communication with the target node before resources for the access terminal are received by the target node, the access terminal may send a unique identifier for the source node to the target node. Thus, the target node may receive suitable resources from the source node, even when the node identifier used by the source node is potentially confusing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other selected aspects of the disclosure of the invention will be described in the detailed description of the invention and the attached claims, which follows, and in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of some selected aspects of a communication system configured to eliminate confusion;

Figure 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating coverage areas for wireless communications;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of some sample aspects of operations that may be performed to require the use of a second type of identifier; FIG.

Figure 4 is a simplified block diagram of some sample aspects of components that may be used in communication nodes;

5 is a flowchart of some sample aspects of operations that can be performed to determine whether to use the second type of identifier to communicate with a node;

6 is a flowchart of some sample aspects of operations that can be performed to determine whether to use the second type of identifier to communicate with a node based on a list of identifiers;

7 is a flowchart of some sample aspects of operations that may be performed to eliminate confusion for a source node;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of some sample aspects of operations that may be performed to determine whether to request a purchase of a second type of identifier;

9A and 9B are a flowchart of some selective aspects of operations that may be performed to trigger an access terminal to receive a second type of identifier;

10A and 10B are a flowchart of some selective aspects of operations that may be performed to trigger an access terminal to receive a second type of identifier;

11 is a flowchart of some selective aspects of operations that may be performed in conjunction with an access terminal detecting confusion;

12 is a flowchart of some sample aspects of operations that may be performed in conjunction with an access terminal detecting confusion;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of some selective aspects of operations that may be performed in conjunction with an access terminal providing a confusion report upon request;

14 is a simplified diagram of a wireless communication system;

Fig. 15 is a simplified diagram of a wireless communication system including femto nodes;

FIG. 16 is a simplified block diagram of some sample aspects of communication components; FIG. and

17-21 are simplified block diagrams of some selective aspects of devices configured to eliminate confusion, which are studied in this document.

In accordance with common practice, various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the sizes of different features may optionally increase or decrease for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not display all the components of this apparatus (eg, device) or method. Ultimately, similar reference numbers can be used to refer to similar features throughout the specification and figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described below. It should be obvious that the ideas in this document can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and that any prescribed structure, function, or both, disclosed in this document is just a representation. Based on the ideas in this document, one skilled in the art should take into account that the aspect disclosed in this document can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and that two or more of these aspects can be combined in different ways. For example, the apparatus may be implemented or the method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using a different structure, functionality or structure and functionality in addition to or different from one or more aspects set forth herein. In addition, the aspect may include at least one element of the claims.

1 illustrates several nodes in an exemplary communication system 100 (eg, portions of a communication network). For purposes of illustration, various aspects of the disclosure of the invention will be described in the context of one or more access terminals, access points, and network nodes that communicate with each other. However, it should be noted that the ideas in this document may be applicable to other types of devices or other similar devices that are referenced using different terminology (for example, base stations, user equipment, and so on).

Access points in system 100 provide one or more services (eg, network connection) for one or more wireless terminals (eg, access terminal 102) that can be mounted internally or that can travel throughout an associated geographic area. For example, at different times, the access terminal 102 may connect to an access point 104, any of a set of access points 1-N (represented by access points 106 and 108 and associated ellipsis) or access point 110. Each of the access points 102-110 may communicate with one or more network nodes (represented conveniently by the network node 112) to facilitate connectivity to the global network. Such network nodes can take various forms, for example, one or more objects of the base and / or radio network (for example, a configuration manager, a mobility management object, or some other suitable network object).

Each access point in system 100 is assigned a first type of identifier, referred to in this document as a node identifier. In various implementations, such an identifier may comprise, for example, a physical cell identifier ("PCID"), a pseudo random number offset ("PN"), or a pilot acquisition signal. As a rule, in this system a fixed number (for example, 504) of node identifiers is specified. In this case, confusion may arise when the number of access points exceeds the number of node identifiers. 1 illustrates a simple example of this, where the access point 106 and the access point 110 are assigned an “identifier 1”.

When the access terminal 102 moves through the system 100, the service of the access terminal 102 may be transferred from one access point (eg, access point 104) to another access point (eg, access point 110). The handover decision of the access terminal 102 to the access point 110 may be based on whether the access terminal 102 receives very strong signals from the access point 110. Here, the access terminal 102 identifies the signals from the access point 110 by the identifier of the node associated with those signals (e.g., embedded in them). In order to perform a handover, various information held by the source access point 104 (the access point to which the access terminal is currently connected) is sent to the target access point 110. In the absence of confusion, this can be accomplished using the node identifier ("identifier 1") associated with access point 110. However, when there is confusion, as in the example of FIG. 1, the access point 104 may not be able to determine whether to send information to the access point 106 or the access point 110.

To eliminate such confusion, the access terminal 102 and / or access point 104 are configured to detect confusion and determine a second type of identifier associated with access point 110. In some aspects, the second type of identifier comprises a unique identifier. For example, the second type of identifier may be unique in a larger area than the first type of identifier. In some implementations, the second type of identifier may be unique throughout the operator’s network. In different implementations, such a unique identifier may include, for example, a global cell identifier ("GCI"), an access node identifier ("ANID"), a sector identifier, an Internet Protocol address, or some other identifier that uniquely identifies an access point 110 on a network .

In some implementations, the access terminal 102 includes a confusion detector 114, which can detect actual or potential confusion between nodes in the system 100. When confusion is detected, the access terminal 102 (for example, a unique identifier controller 116) may receive a unique identifier. For example, access terminal 102 may track a signal including a unique identifier that is broadcast by access point 110. When detecting confusion, the access terminal 102 may also inform the access point 104 of the confusion and / or unique identifier.

In some implementations, the access point 104 includes a confusion controller 118 that can detect actual or potential confusion between nodes in the system 100. For example, the confusion controller 118 can independently detect confusion, or when a confusion is received from the access terminal 102, the confusion controller 118 may perform additional steps to determine if there is any confusion. In the case of detecting confusion, access point 104 may request access terminal 102 to obtain a unique identifier.

Once the confusion has been resolved, as discussed above, the access point 104 (eg, handover controller 120) may initiate handover operations based on a unique identifier. Thus, the service of the access terminal 102 can be effectively transferred to the desired target access point. As will be described below, in some implementations, the access terminal 102 (for example, by using a handover controller, not shown) may initiate handover operations based on a unique identifier (for example, as soon as it resolves the confusion).

The confusion described above can occur in network 200, which is shown in FIG. 2, where some access points provide macro coverage and other access points provide less coverage. Here, macro coverage areas 204 can be provided, for example, by macro access points of a large area cellular network, such as a 3G network, commonly referred to as a macrocell network or a wide area network ("WAN"). In addition, smaller coverage areas 206 may be provided, for example, by access points in a network environment of a location or building, commonly referred to as a local area network ("LAN"). When an access terminal (“AT”) moves through such a network, the access terminal can be served at specific locations by access points that provide macro coverage, although the access terminal can be served at specific locations by access points that provide coverage of a smaller area. In some aspects, access points with a smaller coverage area can be used to provide phased growth in capacity, indoor coverage, and various services, resulting in more consistent user experience.

In the description in this document, a node (eg, an access point) that provides coverage in a relatively large area can be called a macro node, while a node that provides coverage in a relatively small area (eg, location) can be called a femto node. It will be appreciated that the ideas in this document may be applicable to nodes associated with other types of coverage areas. For example, a pico node may provide coverage in an area that is smaller than the macrozone and larger than the femtozone (for example, coverage within an office building). In different applications, different terminology can be used to refer to a macro node, femto node, or other nodes such as an access point. For example, a macro node may be configured or called an access node, base station, access point, eNodeB, macro cell, and so on. Also, a femto node can be configured or called a home NodeB, home eNodeB, access point base station, femtocell, and so on. In some implementations, a node may be associated (eg, divided) with one or more cells or sectors. A cell or sector associated with a macro node, a femto node, or a pico node can be called a macro cell, a femto cell, or a pico cell, respectively.

In the example of FIG. 2, several tracking zones 202 (or routing zones, or location zones) are defined, each of which includes several coverage macrozones 204. Here, the coated areas associated with the tracking areas 202A, 202B and 202C are shown in bold lines, and the coverage macro zones 204 are represented by hexagons. As mentioned above, tracking zones 202 may also include femtozones 206 coatings. In this example, each of the coating femto zones 206 (e.g., the coating femto zone 206C) is reflected within one or more coating macro zones 204 (e.g., coating macro zones 204B). However, it should be appreciated that the femtozone coating 206 may not be entirely within the macrozone 204 of the coating. Also, one or more pico or femtozone coatings (not shown) may be defined within a given tracking zone 202 or coverage macrozone 204.

When deploying (for example, in dense urban areas), where a large number of access points, such as femto and pico nodes, are located within this zone, two or more of these access points can be assigned the same node identifier. For example, in the macrozone 204A of the coating, the femtozones 206A and 206D of the coating can be assigned the same identifier. In this case, confusion may arise in the node identifier (for example, confusion with the PCID), since several neighboring nodes that are in the vicinity of the serving access point of the access terminal exhibit the same node identifier. For example, in FIG. 1, access points 106 and 110 may comprise femto nodes or pico nodes that exhibit “Identifier 1” through respective broadcast pilot signals. In addition, both of these access points may be adjacent to the access point 104 (e.g., an access macro) that currently serves the access terminal 102. In this case, the access point 104 may be aware of both access points 106 and 110, and therefore confusion may arise when a handover to the access point identified by “identifier 1” is indicated.

In general, the confusion techniques described in this document may be applicable to any type of assembly. However, in many deployments, macro access points in this area will be planned in such a way that there is no confusion associated with handoff to the macro access point. In such cases, the confusion techniques studied in this document may be applicable to any non-macro nodes in the network. Such non-macro nodes may include, for example, nodes that are deployed in an unplanned manner. As noted above, such non-macro nodes can include femto nodes (for example, deployed by individuals), as well as low-power pico nodes deployed by the operator. Also, as will be discussed in more detail below, a node may be limited in some way (for example, restricted for access). Therefore, the confusion techniques discussed in this document may be applicable to restricted sites (for example, sites associated with a closed subscriber group).

In view of the above review, various techniques that may be used to eliminate confusion in accordance with the ideas in this document will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 13. Briefly, FIG. 3 illustrates some components that may be used in an access point or access terminal. and the flowcharts of FIGS. 4-13 relate to different techniques for eliminating confusion.

For purposes of illustration, the operations of FIGS. 4-13 (or any other operations discussed or studied in this document) may be described as being performed by prescribed components (eg, components of the system 100 and / or components shown in FIG. 3). However, it should be appreciated that these operations may be performed by other types of components and may be performed using a different number of components. You should also take into account that one or more of the operations described in this document may not be used in this implementation.

Figure 3 illustrates some selective components that can be enclosed in nodes, such as an access terminal 102 and an access point 104, to perform the confusion troubleshooting operations that are studied in this document. The described components can also be enclosed in other nodes in the communication system. For example, other nodes in the system may include components similar to those described for access terminal 102 and access points 104 to provide similar functionality. This node may contain one or more of the described components. For example, an access terminal can accommodate several transceiver components that provide the access terminal with multi-frequency operation and / or communication through excellent technology.

As shown in FIG. 3, the access terminal 102 and the access point 104 may include transceivers 302 and 304, respectively, for communicating with other nodes. The transceiver 302 includes a transmitter 306 for sending signals (e.g., messages) and a receiver 308 for receiving signals (e.g., including searching for pilot signals). The transceiver 304 includes a transmitter 310 for sending signals and a receiver 312 for receiving signals.

Access terminal 102 and access point 104 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the confusion operations that are discussed in this document. For example, the access terminal 102 and the access point may include communication controllers 314 and 316, respectively, for controlling communication with other nodes (eg, sending and receiving messages / directions) and for providing other related functionality that is studied in this document. Access terminal 102 and / or access point 104 may include confusion detectors 318 and 320, respectively, for detecting confusion and for providing other related functionality that is studied in this document. Access terminal 102 and / or access point 104 may include identifier controllers 322 and 324, respectively, for controlling (e.g., selecting, receiving, querying, and so on) node identifiers and for providing other related functionality that is studied in this document. Selective operations of other components of FIG. 3 are described below.

For convenience, the access point 102 and the access terminal 104 are shown in FIG. 3 as including components that can be used in various examples described below in conjunction with FIGS. 4-13. In practice, one or more of the illustrated components may not be used in this example. As an example, in some implementations, the access terminal 102 may not contain a confusion detector 318, and in some implementations, the access point 104 may not include a confusion detector 320.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, in some aspects, the confusion associated with the first type of identifier (e.g., PN offset, PCID, etc.) can be eliminated by requiring the use of a second type of identifier (e.g. ANID, GCI, etc.) .d.) in combination with a handover or other operation.

This scheme can be used, for example, when the access terminal, which is connected to the access macro, activates the search for the nearest femto nodes (for example, a home femto node). When the access terminal detects a signal from the femto node, the access terminal can extract the identifier of the first type from the signal (for example, pilot ID, sector ID, PCID, etc.). If the intensity of the received signal is higher than the threshold value and / or the access terminal is authorized to access the detected femto node (for example, the access point is listed in the roaming list of the access terminal), the access terminal can add this access point to the active set for the access terminal.

To open the route for this femto node from the access macro, the first access terminal will set the conversion from the identifier of the first type to the identifier of the second type (for example, ANID, GCI, etc.) on the access macro. Here, when receiving the second type of identifier from the access terminal, the macro access point can begin the discovery of neighbors with this femto node.

The presence of subsequent femto nodes with the same identifier of the first type in the macro coverage will lead to an access macro point determining that there are several access points using a common identifier of the first type (that is, detecting confusion regarding this identifier). Here, an access macro can detect the presence of these other femto nodes, for example, from neighbor discovery or by receiving a message from an access terminal that has detected confusion. An access macro then can always request a second type of identifier whenever it receives a message (for example, opening a route) including an identifier subject to confusion. Upon receiving the second type of identifier from the access terminal, the macro access point may begin to detect neighbors with this femto node.

In addition, as an optimization in some implementations, the access terminal may by default send messages with an identifier of the second type. For example, an access terminal can always use the second type of identifier when sending an open route or other message to a home femto node.

Referring first to FIG. 4, as depicted in step 402, an access point (eg, access point 104) receives a message from the access terminal, where the message is routed to a node (eg, a target node, such as access point 110) identified by the first node identifier. For example, as discussed above, an access terminal may receive a route discovery request including a PN offset, or some other type of message including some other type of identifier. It should be borne in mind that such a message can take many forms. For example, in different implementations, the message may comprise a message for setting resources for handover, a handover request, a request to be added to the active set, transmitting interference control signals, a report on signal strength measurements, or a message for reserving at least one resource.

As represented by block 404, the access point determines whether another node is identified by the first node identifier. An access point can detect such confusion in different ways. For example, as discussed above, an access point may receive messages from one or more access terminals that indicate identifiers used by neighboring nodes. In some cases, the access point may detect neighbors and determine that two or more neighboring nodes are using the same identifier. In some cases, the access point may receive configuration information (for example, from the configuration manager, which is represented by the node 112 in FIG. 1), which indicates which identifiers are used by neighboring nodes of the access point. In some cases, the operation of block 404 may include determining whether the identifier is an identifier list held by an access point. As discussed in this document, this list of identifiers may contain, for example, identifiers whose freedom from confusion is not guaranteed, identifiers that are potentially susceptible to confusion, or identifiers that are identified as subject to confusion. In some aspects, the identifier list may comprise a range of identifier values.

As represented by blocks 406 and 408, if confusion is not detected, the access point may perform a suitable operation (eg, a handover operation) based on the first node identifier.

As represented by block 410, if confusion is detected, the access point sends a message to the access terminal that instructs the access terminal to use a second node identifier (eg, ANID) to establish communication with the node. Such a message can take many forms. For example, the message may contain a reject message (for example, a route opening reject) that instructs the access terminal to use a different identifier.

As represented by block 412, the access point can then receive a message from the access terminal, which includes a second node identifier. The access point may perform a suitable operation (eg, a handover operation) based on the second node identifier. In some implementations, this may entail tunneling the message, including the second node identifier, to the target node.

In some aspects, the operations of FIG. 4 relate to backing up resources for a handover operation (for example, in combination with an add to active set operation). In addition, since nodes subject to confusion may be restricted in some aspects (for example, restricted for association or in some other way, as discussed below), these operations may also relate to reserving resources for restricted nodes.

5, in some aspects, relates to requiring the use of a non-confusing identifier to communicate with a node. In some aspects, these operations may be complementary to some of the operations of FIG. 4.

As represented by block 502, the access terminal (eg, access terminal 102) decides to send a message to the target node identified by the first node identifier. As mentioned above in block 402, this message can be sent via an associated access point (eg, access point 104).

As represented by block 504, the access terminal determines whether another node can be identified by a first node identifier. This definition can be made in different ways. As discussed above, the access terminal may send a message to the access point 104 using the first node identifier and receive a message from the access point 104 that indicates the presence of confusion (and which requires the use of the second node identifier). In some cases, this determination may entail an attempt to communicate with the target node and receive a message from the target node that indicates that communication is not permitted. Such a rejection message may be received because the context for the access terminal was sent to a node other than the intended target node due to confusion in the node identifier. Also, the access terminal can identify confusion based on the signals that it receives from neighboring access points that indicate the identifiers used by those access points.

As represented by blocks 506 and 508, if confusion is not detected, the access terminal may use the first node identifier to establish communication with the target node.

As represented by block 510, if confusion is detected, the access terminal may use a second node identifier to establish communication with the target node.

In addition, as represented by block 512, the access terminal may be configured to use a second node identifier to establish communication with the target node. For example, the access terminal may be configured in this way after the access terminal detects confusion. Alternatively, as discussed in this document, the default access terminal may send a second node identifier.

6, in some aspects, relates to reserving a subset in a node identifier space (eg, a PCID space) for non-macro nodes to simplify the elimination of confusion. Thus, a node that receives an identifier from a subset can easily determine that confusion is possible or likely. In some implementations, the subset contains a set of assigned values that is associated with access points that are assigned as non-confusing. In some implementations, the subset contains a set of assigned values that is associated with a closed group of subscribers (for example, which is discussed below). In some implementations, the subset contains a set of assigned values that is associated with access points of at least one assigned type (e.g., node type). Such an assigned type may relate, for example, to one or more of: transmit power, coverage area, or relay capabilities.

As represented by block 602, the access terminal (eg, access terminal 102) receives a list of node identifiers. This list may contain, for example, a subset of the node identifiers discussed above. In some implementations, this list may be received from a serving access point (eg, access point 104) that exhibits a list. In some implementations, the target access point or some other access points (eg, via neighbor list information) may indicate that a second type of identifier (eg, GCI) should be used when accessing the target access point. In some implementations, this list may be received from a configuration manager (eg, network node 112) that monitors a reserved set of nodes that are assigned an identifier from the list.

As represented by block 604, the access terminal determines a first identifier for communicating with a target access point. For example, as discussed herein, such an identifier may be received by means of a pilot signal or some other suitable signal.

As represented by block 606, the access terminal can determine (for example, on its own) whether to use a second identifier (for example, GCI) to establish communication with the access point. In some aspects, this definition may be based on the first identifier (for example, by determining the type of the first identifier). For example, if the identifier highlighted in block 604 is in the list highlighted in block 602, then the access terminal may receive a second identifier. Here, obtaining the second identifier may comprise tracking other signals (from the target access point) that contain the second identifier. As an example, the target access point may broadcast the second identifier at intervals that are less than the intervals at which the target access point broadcasts the first identifier.

As represented by block 608, the access terminal may transmit a message containing a second identifier for establishing communication with the target access point. This message can take many forms in different scenarios. For example, the message may comprise a message with a signal strength measurement, a radio resource report, or a handover request. In a typical implementation, an access terminal (eg, access terminal 102) includes the associated PCID and GCI values in a measurement report that the access terminal sends to its serving access point (eg, access point 104). In addition, as described below in conjunction with FIG. 7, under certain circumstances, the access terminal may send this information to the target access point.

As represented by block 610, upon receiving this information, the serving access point may initiate a handover procedure using the GCI value. Accordingly, the serving access point will configure resources in the target cell and send a handover command to the access terminal.

7, in some aspects, relates to the selection of an identifier to be provided to a target access point, where the identifier is associated with a source access point. For example, an access terminal may use the GCI of the source access point in cases where the access terminal accesses the target access point directly, without first preparing a handover. In this case, the access terminal may include the GCI of the source access point when accessing the target access point. This allows the target access point to eliminate any confusion regarding the identity of the source access point. Target access points can then get context for the access terminal from a suitable source access point and complete the handover. These operations are described in blocks 702-706 of FIG. 7.

As represented by block 702, the access terminal selects an identifier (e.g., GCI) from a set of identifiers (e.g., a first identifier, such as a PCID, and a second identifier, such as a GCI) associated with the target access point (e.g., access point 110). In some aspects, the selection of the second identifier may be based on whether the first identifier is in the accepted list of identifiers (e.g., assigned as non-confusing based on the type of access point node, etc.) in a similar manner as discussed above in conjunction with 6. As mentioned above, in some aspects, the selection of the second identifier may be based on the loss of communication with the source access point (eg, access point 104).

As represented by block 704, the access terminal transmits the selected identifier to the target access point when establishing communication with the target access point. For example, the access terminal may include the GCI of the source access point in a connection request message.

As represented by block 706, the source access point can then use the selected identifier to communicate and / or extract configuration information from the source access point. In this way, the source access point can extract context information for the access terminal to complete the handover.

FIG. 8 in some aspects relates to operations that an access point and / or access terminal can perform in conjunction with detecting and eliminating confusion in a node identifier. In some aspects, these operations are complementary to the operations described above in conjunction with FIG. 5.

As represented by block 802, an access point (eg, access point 104) determines whether multiple nodes use the same identifier, where the identifier is of the first type (eg, PCID). As mentioned above, the access point can detect such confusion based on measurement reports, neighbor detection, and received messages.

As represented by blocks 804 and 806, if confusion is not detected, then the access point can continue normal operation. For example, an access point may determine whether to perform a handover based on a first type identifier received through a measurement report.

As represented by block 808, if confusion is detected, the access point may issue a request to allocate an identifier of a second type that is associated with an identifier of a first type subject to confusion. For example, if a confused PCID was received via a measurement report from an access terminal (e.g., access terminal 102), then the access point may send a request to the access terminal to obtain the GCI associated with the PCID. The access terminal can then receive, for example, GCI, as discussed in this document.

As represented by block 810, the access point can then receive a response from an access terminal that includes a GCI. Since the confusion will now be resolved (e.g., at an access point), at block 812, a handover operation (e.g., an access point) may be initiated using the received GCI.

9A and 9B in some aspects relate to using a threshold to trigger acquisition of a unique identifier (eg, GCI). In some cases, the access terminal may independently determine when to receive a unique identifier; that is, without receiving instructions from another node (for example, an access point).

As represented by block 902, the access terminal may receive a given set of identifiers of the first type (for example, the list of node identifiers described above). In some implementations, this information may be set and / or provided by a serving access point (for example, using identifier controller 324) or some other node. For example, a serving access point can identify all PCIDs that are confused or may be confused, and transmit a list of these identifiers to the access terminal.

As represented by block 904, the access terminal may also receive a threshold associated with a given set of identifiers. For example, this threshold may designate a threshold signal strength value for a received signal that triggers GCI acquisition through an access terminal. In some implementations, this threshold may be set and / or provided by a serving access point (eg, using a threshold controller 334) or some other node. For example, this threshold can be set lower (for example, by several dB) of the threshold intensity of a received signal that triggers a handover operation. In some implementations, the threshold may be prescribed as a relative offset from the signal strength of the target access point or as an absolute threshold for the ratio of carrier power to interference level ("C / I") from the target access point.

As represented by block 906, at some point in time, the access terminal will receive a signal that is associated with an identifier of the first type. As represented by block 908, the access terminal (e.g., comparator 330) may determine if the received identifier is in the identifier list. In addition, the access terminal (for example, a signal processor 332, which can be implemented or work in conjunction with a receiver 308) determines whether the level of the received signal signal received by block 906 is not less than a threshold.

As represented by blocks 910 and 912, if the criteria of block 908 are not satisfied, then the access terminal may continue to monitor signals from neighboring access points.

As represented by block 914, if the criteria of block 908 are satisfied, then the access terminal receives a second type identifier (eg, GCI), which is associated with the identifier received in block 906. As discussed above, this may include tracking the broadcast signal at a prescribed frequency .

As represented by block 916, the access terminal (e.g., report generator 328) sends a message to the access point including the identifier obtained in blocks 906 and 910 and the received signal strength of the associated signal (e.g., the signal received in block 906). This message can be sent immediately after a unique identifier is received in block 910, or at some other time. In some implementations, this information is sent in a measurement report. For example, this report may be sent as soon as the received signal strength of the received signal (for example, from the target access point) exceeds the handover threshold.

As represented by block 918, since any confusion will now be resolved, the access point (eg, handover controller 326) determines whether to initiate a handover operation based on the identifier and received signal strength provided in this message. As discussed in this document, if a handover operation is indicated, the access point will use a unique identifier to prepare the target access point and send the handover command to the access terminal.

In some aspects, the design of FIG. 9 may be useful in high mobility environments. For example, this scheme may provide faster handoffs because the GCI can be read before the signal strength of the target access point is strong enough to require handoff.

10A and 10B in some aspects relate to a scheme where an access terminal informs an access point of a signal that has exceeded a threshold (eg, a GCI threshold). In this case, the access point can determine if confusion is possible, and if so, instruct the access terminal to obtain a unique identifier (for example, GCI). Here, the operations of blocks 1002-1012 may be similar to the operations of blocks 902-912, respectively.

However, in block 1014, if the criteria in block 1010 are met, the access terminal sends a message to the access point that includes the identifier obtained in block 1006 and the received signal strength of the associated signal. This message can be sent immediately after the identifier is received in block 1006, or at some other time. In some implementations, this information is sent in a measurement report.

As represented by block 1016, the access point determines whether confusion is likely based on the received information. For example, this determination may be based on whether multiple nodes use the same identifier. In addition, this determination may, if desired, be based on the received signal strength of any detected signals that include this identifier.

As represented by blocks 1018 and 1020, if confusion is not detected, then the access point can continue normal operation. For example, an access point may determine whether to perform a handover based on a first type identifier received through a measurement report.

As represented by block 1022, if confusion is detected, the access point sends a message to the access terminal, which prompts the access terminal to obtain a unique identifier (eg, GCI) associated with the identifier prone to confusion. As represented by block 1024, the access terminal can then obtain an identifier, as discussed in this document, and send the identifier to the access point (for example, by means of a measurement report).

As represented by blocks 1026 and 1028, the access point thereby eliminates confusion and determines whether to initiate a handover based on the unique identifier and intensity of the received signal (for example, as discussed in this document).

11, in some aspects, relates to conflict detection (eg, self-detection) using an access terminal. In particular, this scheme relates to an access terminal that provides a measurement report along with conflict information.

As represented by block 1102, the access terminal detects a conflict for a given identifier of the first type. For example, based on monitored pilots or other suitable signals, the access terminal may determine that multiple access points use the same PCID, as discussed in this document.

As represented by block 1104, the access terminal may optionally obtain a second type identifier (eg, GCI) associated with the identifier for which a conflict is indicated. Again, this operation can be performed as discussed above.

As represented by block 1106, the access terminal sends a measurement report that includes several records for the identifier for which the conflict is indicated. For example, if two access terminals use a PCID value of 12, then the measurement report may include two separate records corresponding to a PCID value of 12. In addition, the measurement report may optionally include a unique identifier (for example, GCI), associated with each of these entries.

12, in some aspects, relates to self-detection of conflicts using an access terminal. In particular, this scheme relates to an access terminal that sends a measurement report if it detects a conflict.

As represented by block 1202, the access terminal detects a conflict for a given identifier of the first type. As above, the access terminal may determine that multiple access points use the same PCID based on monitored pilots or other suitable signals, as discussed in this document.

In some aspects, conflict detection may be indicated based on whether at least two nodes are currently using the same identifier or have been using the same identifier recently. For example, a conflict may be indicated if the access terminal is currently receiving clock signals or pilot signals from multiple access points that use the same PCID. In addition, a conflict can be indicated if the access terminal received clock signals or pilot signals from several access points in a given period of time (for example, in the last 10 seconds). Under certain conditions, this time period can be set to zero (for example, for a very fast moving access terminal). Also, a conflict may be indicated if the access terminal has received clock signals or pilot signals from several access points over a period of time associated with a given number of handoffs (for example, over the last four handoffs). This latter scheme may be useful to allow slow moving access terminals to send reports to cover a desired geographic area. In other words, this scheme allows the detection of duplicate node identifiers in a wider geographical area.

As represented by block 1204, the access terminal may optionally obtain a second type identifier (eg, GCI) associated with an identifier for which a conflict is indicated. Again, this operation can be performed as discussed above.

As represented by block 1206, the access terminal sends a measurement report if a conflict is detected in step 1202. In addition, the measurement report may optionally include a unique identifier (e.g., GCI) associated with each of these records.

13, in some aspects, relates to an access terminal that provides a request conflict report. As represented by block 1302, the access terminal receives a conflict report request. For example, the network may periodically request the access terminal to send a measurement report with conflict information. This request may require one or more identifiers (e.g., PCIDs) for which conflict information is requested. This identifier may be the identifier of the requesting node (e.g., a serving access point). Alternatively, this request may include an identifier in the form of a special character in which the access terminal is asked to report all detected conflicts. As represented by block 1304, the access terminal monitors signals from neighboring access points and detects collisions, if applicable (block 1306). As represented by block 1308, the access terminal sends a conflict report if a conflict has been detected in block 1306. In an event in which the access terminal does not have any information about conflicts, the access terminal may respond with a “no event” message or may not provide any response. It should be appreciated that one or more of the operations of FIGS. 11-13 can be combined in various ways in various implementations.

As mentioned above, the idea in this document can be implemented on a network that uses macro access points and femto nodes. Figures 14 and 15 illustrate examples of how access points can be deployed in such a network. 14 simplistically illustrates how cells 1402 (e.g., macro cells 1402A-1402G) of wireless communication system 1400 can be served by corresponding access points 1404 (e.g., access points 1404A-1404G). Here, macrocells 1402 may correspond to the macrozone 204 of the coverage of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 14, access terminals 1406 (eg, access terminals 1406A-1406L) may be dispersed over time at various locations throughout the system. Each access terminal 1406 may currently communicate with one or more access points 1404 on the forward link ("FL") and / or reverse link ("RL") depending on, for example, whether the access terminal 1406 is active and whether it is in a soft handover. By using this cellular scheme, the wireless communication system 1400 can provide services over a large geographic area. For example, each of the macro cells 1402A - 1402G may cover several blocks in the vicinity or several square miles in a rural environment.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of how one or more femto nodes can be deployed in a network environment (eg, system 1400). In the system 1500 of FIG. 15, several femto nodes 1510 (e.g., femto nodes 1510A and 1510B) are mounted in a networked environment with a relatively small coverage area (e.g., at one or more user locations 1530). Each femto node 1510 can be connected to a wide area network 1540 (e.g., the Internet) and a core network 1550 of a mobile operator via a DSL router, cable modem, radio link, or other means of connection (not shown).

The owner of the femto node 1510 can subscribe to a mobile service, for example a 3G mobile service offered by the core network 1550 of a mobile operator. In addition, the access terminal 1520 may be able to operate both in macro environments and in network environments with a smaller coverage area (for example, associated with a residence). In other words, depending on the current position of the access terminal 1520, the access terminal 1520 may be served by a macro cell access point 1560 associated with a mobile operator’s core network 1550, or any of a set of femto nodes 1510 (e.g., femto nodes 1510A and 1510B that are constantly located at the appropriate location 1530 users). For example, when the subscriber is away from home, the subscriber can be served by a standard macro access point (for example, access point 1560), and when the subscriber is near or inside the house, the subscriber can be served by a femto node (for example, node 1510A). Here, the femto node 1510 may be backward compatible with existing access terminals 1520.

Femtocell 1510 can be deployed on a single frequency or, alternatively, on several frequencies. Depending on the specific configuration, a single frequency or one or more of several frequencies may overlap with one or more frequencies used by an access macro (e.g., access point 1560).

In some aspects, the access terminal 1520 may be configured to connect to a preferred femto node (e.g., the home femto node of the access terminal 1520) whenever there is such a connectivity. For example, whenever the access terminal 1520 is located at the user's location 1530, it may be desirable for the access terminal 1520 to communicate only with the home femto node 1510A or 1510B.

In some aspects, if the access terminal 1520 operates on a macrocellular network 1550 but is not in the most preferred network (e.g., that is specified in the preferred roaming list), then the access terminal 1520 may continue to search for the most preferred network (e.g., preferred femto node 1510), using the Best System Reselection (“BSR”), which can include periodically scanning available systems to determine if better systems are currently available, and subsequent efforts to ssotsiatsii with such preferred systems. With the acquisition record, the access terminal 1520 may limit the search to a prescribed band and channel. For example, a search for the most preferred system may be repeated periodically. Upon detection of the preferred femto node 1510, the access terminal 1520 selects the femto node 1510 for placement in its coverage area.

In some aspects, the femto node may be limited. For example, a given femto node can provide only certain services to certain access terminals. In deployments with the so-called limited (or closed) association, this access terminal can only be served by a mobile network with macro cells and a given set of femto nodes (for example, femto nodes 1510, which are constantly located in the corresponding location 1530 of the user). In some implementations, a node may be limited to prohibiting at least one node from providing at least one of: signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service.

In some aspects, a limited femto node (which may also be called a home NodeB of a closed subscriber group) is one that provides a service to a limited set of access terminals provided. This set can be temporarily or permanently expanded, if necessary. In some aspects, a Closed Subscriber Group (“CSG”) may be defined as a set of access points (eg, femto nodes) that share a common access control list of access terminals. The channel through which all femto nodes (or all restricted femto nodes) in an area operate can be called a femto channel.

Thus, different relationships may exist between a given femto node and a given access terminal. For example, from the point of view of the access terminal, an open femto node can refer to a femto node with unlimited association (for example, a femto node allows access to any access terminal). A restricted femto node may refer to a femto node that is limited in some way (e.g., restricted for association and / or registration). A home femto node may refer to a femto node in which the access terminal is authorized to access and operate (for example, permanent access is provided for a given set of one or more access terminals). A guest femto node may refer to a femto node to which the access terminal is temporarily allowed to access or work on it. A foreign femto node may refer to a femto node in which the access terminal is not authorized to access or operate, except, just in case, emergency situations (for example, calls "911").

From the point of view of a limited femto node, a home access terminal may refer to an access terminal that is authorized to access a limited femto node (for example, an access terminal has permanent access to a femto node). A guest access terminal may refer to an access terminal with temporary access to a limited femto node (for example, limited based on a time limit, usage time, bytes, number of connections, or some other criterion or criteria). An alien access terminal may refer to an access terminal that does not have permission to access a limited femto node, except, just in case, emergency situations, for example, 911 calls (for example, an access terminal that does not have authority or permission to register in a limited femto node).

For convenience, the disclosure of the invention in this document describes various functionalities in the context of a femto node. However, it should be appreciated that the pico node may provide the same or similar functionality to a larger coverage area. For example, a pico node may be limited, a home pico node may be defined for a given access terminal, and so on.

The ideas in this document can be implemented in different types of communication devices. In some aspects, the ideas in this document can be implemented in wireless devices that can be deployed in a multiple access communication system that can communicate simultaneously for multiple wireless access terminals. Here, each terminal can communicate with one or more access points via transmissions on the forward and reverse links. A forward link (or downlink) refers to a communication line from access points to terminals, and a reverse link (or uplink) refers to a communication line from terminals to access points. This communication line can be established by means of a system with one input and one output, a system with several inputs and several outputs ("MIMO"), or some other type of system.

For purposes of illustration, FIG. 16 describes selective communication components that may be used in a wireless device in the context of a MIMO-based system 800. System 1600 uses several (N _T ) transmit antennas and several (N _R ) receive antennas for data transmission. A MIMO channel formed by N _T transmit and N _R receive antennas can be decomposed into N _S independent channels, which are also called spatial channels, where N _S ≤min {N _T , N _R }. Each of the N _S independent channels corresponds to a measurement. A MIMO system can provide increased performance (for example, higher throughput and / or greater reliability) if additional dimensions created by several transmit and receive antennas are used.

System 1600 may support time division duplex ("TDD") and frequency division duplex ("FDD"). In a TDD system, transmissions on the forward and reverse links occur in the same frequency domain so that the reciprocity principle allows an estimate of the forward link channel from the reverse link channel. This allows the access point to benefit from the formation of a transmission beam on the forward link when several antennas are available at the access point.

System 1600 includes a wireless device 1610 (e.g., an access point) and a wireless device 1650 (e.g., an access terminal). At device 1610, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source 1612 to a transmit (“TX”) data processor 1614.

In some aspects, each data stream is transmitted on a respective transmit antenna. Transmit data processor 1614 formats, codes, and interleaves the traffic data for each data stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that data stream to provide encoded data.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot data using OFDM techniques. Pilot data is usually a known data template that is processed in a known manner and can be used in the receiver system to estimate channel performance. The multiplexed pilot and encoded data for each data stream is then modulated (i.e., symbol-mapped) based on a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK or M-QAM) selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The data rate, coding, and modulation for each data stream may be determined using instructions executed by processor 1630. Data memory 1632 may store program code, data, and other information used by processor 1630 or other components of device 1610.

Modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a MIMO processor 1620, which can further process modulation symbols (eg, for OFDM). A MIMO transmission processor 1620 then provides N _T modulation symbol streams to N _T transceivers ("XCVRs") 1622A-1622T. In some aspects, a MIMO transmission processor 1620 applies beamforming weights to symbols from data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is transmitted.

Each transceiver 1622 receives and processes a corresponding symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further prepares (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. N _T modulated signals from transceivers 1622A-1622T are then transmitted from N _T antennas 1624A - 1624T, respectively.

At device 1650, the transmitted modulated signals are received by N _R antennas 1652A-1652R, and the received signal from each antenna 1652 is provided to a respective transceiver ("XCVR") 1654A-1654R. Each transceiver 1654 prepares (for example, filters, amplifies, and downconverts) the corresponding received signal, digitizes the prepared signal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding "received" symbol stream.

A received ("RX") data processor 1660 then receives and processes the N _R received symbol streams from N _R transceivers 1654 based on a specific receiver processing technique to provide N _T "detected" symbol streams. The received data processor 1660 then demodulates, removes the interleaving, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover traffic data for the data stream. The processing by the received data processor 1660 is complementary to that performed by the MIMO transmission processor 1620 and the transmitted data processor 1614 on the device 1610.

The processor 1670 periodically determines which precoding matrix to use (discussed below). The processor 1670 formulates a reverse link message comprising a matrix index portion and a rank value portion. Data memory 1672 may store program code, data, and other information used by processor 1670 or other components of device 1650.

The reverse link message may contain various types of information regarding the communication link and / or the received data stream. The reverse link message is then processed by a data processor 1638, which also receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a data source 1636, is modulated by a modulator 1680, prepared by transceivers 1654A-1654R, and transmitted back to device 1610.

At device 1610, modulated signals from device 1650 are received by antennas 1624, prepared by transceivers 1622, demodulated by a demodulator ("DEMOD") 1640, and processed by received data processor 1642 to retrieve the reverse link message transmitted by device 1650. Processor 1630 then determines which pre-matrix use coding to determine the beamforming weights, and then processes the extracted message.

FIG. 16 also illustrates that communication components may include one or more components that perform the confusion control operations discussed in this document. For example, confusion control component 1690 may interact with processor 1630 and / or other components of device 1610 to send / receive signals to / from another device (eg, device 1650), as discussed in this document. Similarly, confusion control component 1692 may interact with processor 1670 and / or other components of device 1650 to send / receive signals to / from another device (e.g., device 1610). It will be appreciated that for each device 1610 and 1650, the functionality of two or more of the described components may be provided by one component. For example, one processing component may provide the functionality of a confusion control component 1690 and a processor 1630, and one processing component may provide the functionality of a confusion control component 1692 and a processor 1670.

The ideas in this document may be embodied in different types of communication systems and / or system components. In some aspects, the ideas in this document can be used in a multiple access system capable of communicating with multiple users by sharing available system resources (for example, by prescribing one or more of: bandwidth, transmit power, encoding, interleaving, and so on Further). For example, the ideas in this document may apply to any technology or combination of the following technologies: code division multiple access ("CDMA") systems, multi-carrier CDMA ("MCCDMA"), wideband CDMA ("W-CDMA") systems high-speed packet access ("HSPA", "HSPA +"), time division multiple access ("TDMA") systems, frequency division multiple access ("FDMA"), single-carrier FDMA systems ("SC-FDMA" ), orthogonal frequency division multiple access ("OFDM") systems A ") or other multiple access techniques. A wireless communication system using the ideas in this document can be designed to implement one or more standards, for example, IS-95, cdma2000, IS-856, W-CDMA, TDSCDMA and other standards. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access ("UTRA"), cdma2000, or some other technology. UTRA includes W-CDMA and low chip rate ("LCR"). Cdma2000 technology covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM"). An OFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Enhanced UTRA ("E-UTRA"), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM®, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM are part of the universal mobile telecommunications system ("UMTS"). The ideas in this document can be implemented in the 3GPP ("LTE") long-term development system, the UMB system and other types of systems. LTE is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. Although certain aspects of the disclosure of the invention may be described using 3GPP terminology, it should be understood that the ideas in this document can be applied to 3GPP technology (Re199, Re15, Re16, Re17), as well as to 3GPP2 technology (IxRTT, 1xEV-DO RelO, RevA, RevB) and other technologies.

The ideas in this document can be concluded (for example, implemented within or executed by) in a variety of apparatuses (for example, nodes). In some aspects, a node (eg, a wireless node) implemented in accordance with the ideas in this document may comprise an access point or access terminal.

For example, an access terminal may comprise, be implemented in, or known as a user equipment, a subscriber station, a subscriber module, a mobile station, a “mobile”, a mobile node, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or some other terminology. In some implementations, the access terminal may include a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") telephone, a local wireless communications system ("WLL") station, a personal digital assistant ("PDA"), and a handheld device having wireless connectivity, or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more of the aspects studied in this document may be contained in a telephone (e.g., cell phone or smartphone), computer (e.g. laptop), portable communications device, portable computing device (e.g. personal assistant), entertainment device (e.g., a music device, video device, or satellite radio), a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communication through a wireless environment.

An access point may comprise, be implemented as, or known as NodeB, eNodeB, a radio network controller ("RNC"), a base station ("BS"), a radio base station ("RBS"), a base station controller ("BSC"), a base Transceiver Station ("BTS"), Transceiver Function ("TF"), Radio Transceiver, Radio Signal Router, Basic Service Set ("BSS"), Advanced Service Set ("ESS"), or some other similar terminology.

In some aspects, a node (eg, an access point) may comprise an access node for a communication system. Such an access node may provide, for example, the ability to connect to a network or network (for example, a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication line to the network. Accordingly, the access node may enable another node (eg, an access terminal) to access the network or some other functionality. In addition, one or both nodes may be portable or, in some cases, relatively non-portable.

You should also take into account that the wireless node can allow the transmission and / or reception of information in a non-wireless manner (for example, via a wired connection). Thus, the receiver and transmitter discussed in this document may include components of a suitable communication interface (for example, components of an electrical or optical interface) to communicate via a non-wireless medium.

A wireless node may communicate on or support wireless technology based on any suitable wireless communication technology. For example, in some aspects, a wireless node may be associated with a network. In some aspects, the network may comprise a local area network or a wide area network. A wireless device may support or otherwise utilize one or more of a variety of wireless technologies, protocols, or standards, such as those discussed herein (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and so on). Similarly, a wireless node may support or otherwise utilize one or more of a variety of appropriate modulation or multiplexing schemes. The wireless node may accordingly include suitable components (e.g., radio interfaces) for establishing and communicating on one or more wireless communication lines using the above or other wireless communication technologies. For example, a wireless node may comprise a wireless transceiver with associated transmitter and receiver components, which may include various components (e.g., signal generators and signal processors) that facilitate communication over a wireless environment.

The components described in this document can be implemented in a variety of ways. Referring to Fig.17-21, the devices 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000 and 2100 are presented in the form of a sequence of interconnected functional blocks. In some aspects, the functionality of these units may be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some aspects, the functionality of these units may be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (eg, ASICs). As discussed in this document, an integrated circuit may include a processor, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. The functionality of these blocks can also be implemented in some other way, which is studied in this document. In some aspects, one or more dashed blocks in FIGS. 17-21 are optional.

Apparatuses 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, and 2100 may include one or more modules that may perform one or more of the functions described above with respect to various figures. For example, receiving means 1702, message receiving means 1806, request receiving means 1906, signal receiving means 2012 or receiving means 2108 may correspond, for example, to a receiver and / or communication controller, which are discussed in this document. An identification determining means 1704 or an identical identifying means 1902 may correspond, for example, to the confusion detector discussed in this document. The message sending means 1706, the identifying means 1802, the identifying means 1808, the identifying means 1908, the type determining means 2004, the second identifying means 2006 or the identifying means 2104 may correspond, for example, to the identifier controller discussed in this document. The sending means 1706 or the transmission means 2008 may correspond, for example, to a transmitter and / or communication controller, which are discussed in this document. The threshold sending means 1804 or the threshold setting means 1810 may correspond, for example, to the threshold controller discussed in this document. The reporting tool 1904 may correspond, for example, to the report generator discussed in this document. The means for determining the first identifier 2002, the identifier utilization means 2010, the communication means 2102 or the transmission means 2106 may correspond, for example, to the communication controller discussed in this document. The means 2014 for determining the signal intensity may correspond, for example, to the signal processor and / or receiver, which are discussed in this document.

It should be understood that any reference to an element in this document using a designation such as "first", "second" and so on, in general, does not limit the number or order of these elements. Rather, these designations can be used in this document as a convenient way of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, reference to the first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be used there, or that the first element must in some way precede the second element. Also, unless otherwise indicated, a set of elements may contain one or more elements. In addition, the terminology in the form of "at least one of: A, B, or C," used in the description or claims, means "A or B or C, or any combination of these elements."

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

Professionals should additionally take into account that any of the various logical blocks, modules, processors, tools, circuits, and algorithm steps described in relation to the aspects disclosed in this document can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, an analog implementation or a combination of two that can be constructed using source code encoding or some other technique), different forms of enclosed software instructions o or structural code (which in this document may be referred to as “software” or “software module” for convenience), or a combination of both. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various explanatory components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above, in general, based on their functionality. Whether functionality such as hardware or software is implemented depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the entire system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or implemented using an integrated circuit ("IC"), an access terminal, or an access point. An IC may include a universal processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a specialized integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete or transistor logic circuitry, discrete hardware components, electrical components, optical components , mechanical components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described in this document, and may execute codes or instructions that reside within the IC, outside the IC, or a combination of both. A universal processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

It is understood that any prescribed order or hierarchy of steps in any disclosed process is an example of a selective approach. Based on the design preferences, it is understood that the prescribed order or hierarchy of steps in the processes can be reordered, while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. The appended claims represent the elements of the various steps in an exemplary order and do not mean that they are limited by the prescribed prescribed order or hierarchy.

The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, functions may be stored or transmitted in the form of one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transferring a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available storage media that can be accessed using a computer. By way of example, but not limited to, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk drives, magnetic disk drives, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media that can be used for transferring or storing the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and which can be accessed using a computer. Also, any connection is correctly called a machine-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio frequency, and microwave communications, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio frequency, and microwave communications are included in the media definition. The disk storage device and disk, as used herein, include a compact disk (CD), a laser disk, an optical disk, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a flexible disk, and a Blu-ray disk, and disk storage devices typically reproduce data in a magnetic way, while disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media. Thus, it should be appreciated that computer-readable media can be implemented in any suitable computer program product.

In view of the above, in some aspects, the first communication method comprises: receiving a message for a node identified by the first node identifier; determining whether another node is identified by the first node identifier; and sending, as a result of the determination, a message prescribing the use of a second node identifier to establish communication with the node. In addition, in some features, at least one of the following can also be applied to the first communication method: determining whether another node is identified by the first node identifier, determining whether the plurality of cells uses a prescribed cell identifier; the second node identifier uniquely identifies the node; the first node identifier is unique in the first region, and the second node identifier is unique in the second region, which is larger than the first region; the message comprises a handover request, transmission of interference control signals, a report of signal strength measurements, or a message to reserve at least one resource; the method further comprises: receiving another message for the node, where the other message contains a second node identifier, and tunneling another message to the node; the definition includes: conducting neighbor detection or determining whether the first identifier is found in the list of identifiers; the list of identifiers contains a range; the message contains an indication of the first node identifier and a definition containing a comparison of the indication with a list of node identifier indications; the node identifier indication list contains node identifiers that are common to more than one node in the zone, and the node identifiers are received through another message or by detecting neighbors; the first node identifier contains a physical cell identifier, a pilot identifier, or a pseudo random number sequence, and the second node identifier contains a global cell identifier, an access network identifier, or a sector identifier; the node contains an access point; the node contains a femtocell or picocell; the node is limited to prohibiting at least one other node from providing at least one of: signaling, data access, registration, paging or service.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a receiver configured to receive a message for the node identified by the first node identifier; a confusion detector configured to determine if another node is identified by a first node identifier; and an identifier controller configured to send, as a result of the determination, a message ordering the use of the second node identifier to establish communication with the node.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for receiving a message for a node identified by a first node identifier; means for determining whether another node is identified by a first node identifier; and means for sending, as a result of the determination, a message ordering the use of the second node identifier to establish communication with the node.

In some aspects, a computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer: to receive a message for a node identified by the first node identifier; determine whether another node is identified by the first node identifier; and send, as a result of the determination, a message directing the use of the second node identifier to establish communication with the node.

In some aspects, the second communication method comprises: deciding to transmit a message to the node identified by the first node identifier; determining whether another node can be identified by the first node identifier; and using a second node identifier to communicate with the node based on the definition. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the second communication method: the second node identifier uniquely identifies the node; the first node identifier is unique in the first region, the second node identifier is unique in the second region, which is larger than the first region; the message comprises a handover request, transmission of interference control signals, a report of signal strength measurements, or a message to reserve at least one resource; the definition comprises receiving a message indicating whether another node is identified by a first node identifier; the method further comprises transmitting a message containing an indication of a first node identifier for establishing a connection, where the determination comprises receiving a response to a message that prescribes that a second node identifier should be used to establish a connection; the definition contains: an attempt to communicate with another node; and receiving a message from another node indicating that the communication is not authorized; the method further comprises using a second node identifier for a subsequent attempt to communicate with the node; the first node identifier contains a physical cell identifier, a pilot identifier, or a pseudo random number sequence, and the second node identifier contains a global cell identifier, an access network identifier, or a sector identifier; the node contains an access point; the node contains a femtocell or picocell; the node is limited to prohibiting at least one other node from providing at least one of: signaling, data access, registration, paging or service.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a communication controller configured to make a decision about transmitting a message to a node identified by the first node identifier; and a confusion detector configured to determine if another node can be identified by a first node identifier; where the communication controller is further configured to use a second node identifier to establish communication with the node based on the definition.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for deciding to transmit a message to a node identified by a first node identifier; means for determining whether another node can be identified by a first node identifier; and means for using the second node identifier to establish communication with the node based on the determination.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: decide to transmit a message to a node identified by the first node identifier; determine whether another node can be identified by the first node identifier; and use the second node identifier to establish communication with the node based on the definition.

In some aspects, the third communication method comprises: determining a first identifier for communicating with an access point; determining the type of the first identifier; and determining, based on the type of the first identifier, a second identifier for communicating with the access point. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the third communication method: determining the type of the first identifier comprises receiving a message indicating whether another node is identified by the first identifier; the method further comprises using a second identifier for a subsequent attempt to communicate with the access point; determining the type of the first identifier comprises determining whether the plurality of cells uses identical identifiers of cells of the first type; the method further comprises sending a measurement report that contains a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers; the first identifier contains the physical cell identifier associated with the access point, the pseudo-random number offset associated with the access point, or the pilot acquisition signal associated with the access point, and the second identifier contains the global cell identifier associated with the access point, the Internet Protocol address associated with an access point, or an identifier that uniquely identifies an access point in a network; the definition of the second identifier is activated in order to avoid confusion that would otherwise be caused as a result of using the first identifier when establishing communication with the access point; determining the second identifier is based on whether the value of the first identifier is one of a set of assigned values; a set of assigned values is associated with access points that are assigned as non-confusing; a set of assigned values is associated with a closed group of subscribers; a set of assigned values is associated with access points of at least one assigned type; at least one assigned type refers to at least one of the group consisting of: transmit power, coverage area, and relay capabilities; the method further comprises receiving a list from a set of assigned values from another access point; establishing a connection with an access point comprises transmitting a second identifier in combination with a signal strength measurement message, a radio resource report, or a handover request; a second identifier is transmitted to another access point that initiates a handover to the access point; the method further comprises transmitting a message to the access point using a second identifier; The access point contains a femtocell or picocell; an access point serves a limited set of at least one access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a communication controller configured to determine a first identifier for communicating with an access point; and an identifier controller configured to determine, based on the first identifier, a second identifier for communicating with the access point.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for determining a first identifier for establishing communication with an access point; and means for determining, based on the first identifier, a second identifier for communicating with the access point.

In some aspects, a computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: determine a first identifier to establish communication with an access point; and based on the first identifier, determine a second identifier to establish communication with the access point.

In some aspects, the fourth communication method comprises: interacting with a first access point; selecting an identifier from the set of identifiers associated with the first access point; and transmitting the selected identifier to the second access point when establishing communication with the second access point. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the fourth communication method: identifier selection is based on the type of node associated with the first access point; the set of identifiers contains a first identifier and a second identifier, and the selected identifier contains a second identifier; the first identifier contains the physical cell identifier associated with the first access point, the pseudo-random number offset associated with the first access point, or the pilot acquisition signal associated with the first access point, and the second identifier contains the global cell identifier associated with the first access point, address over the Internet Protocol, associated with the first access point, or an identifier that uniquely identifies the first access point in the network; a second identifier is selected to avoid confusion that would otherwise be caused by the use of the first identifier when establishing communication with the second access point; the selection of the identifier is based on whether the value of the first identifier is one of a set of assigned values; a set of assigned values is associated with at least one of the group consisting of: access points that are assigned as not free from confusion, a closed group of subscribers, and access points of at least one assigned type; at least one assigned type refers to at least one of the group consisting of: transmit power, coverage area, and relay capabilities; the method further comprises receiving a list of the set of assigned values from the first access point; the selected identifier is transmitted in conjunction with a connection request; the selection of the identifier is launched when the connection with the first access point is lost; the selected identifier is used by the second access point to establish communication with the first access point and / or to extract configuration information from the first access point; the first access point contains a femtocell or picocell; the first access point serves a limited set of at least one access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a communication controller configured to interact with a first access point; and an identifier controller configured to select an identifier from the set of identifiers associated with the first access point; where the communication controller is further configured to transmit to the second access point the selected identifier when establishing communication with the second access point.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for interacting with a first access point; means for selecting an identifier from the set of identifiers associated with the first access point; and means for transmitting the selected identifier to the second access point when establishing communication with the second access point.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer: to communicate with a first access point; select an identifier from the set of identifiers associated with the first access point; and transmit the selected identifier to the second access point when establishing communication with the second access point.

In some aspects, the fifth communication method comprises: determining whether the plurality of cells uses an identical cell identifier of the first type; and sending a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a cell identifier of a first type based on the determination. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the fifth communication method: a cell type identifier of the first type contains a physical cell identifier, and a cell type identifier of the second type contains a global cell identifier; the method further comprises receiving a measurement report that indicates that one of the cells uses a cell identifier that could cause confusion; the determination is based on neighbor detection, which indicates the cell identifiers used by the cells; the determination is based on a received message that indicates cell identifiers used by the cells; the method further comprises: receiving a response to the request, where the response comprises a cell type identifier of the second type, and initiating a handover using the cell type identifier of the second type; cells contain femto or pico cells; the method is performed by the base station.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a confusion detector configured to determine if the first cell and the second cell use the same cell identifier of the first type; and an identifier controller configured to send a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a cell identifier of a first type based on the determination.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for determining whether a first cell and a second cell use an identical cell identifier of a first type; and means for sending a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a cell identifier of a first type based on the determination.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: determine whether the first cell and the second cell use an identical cell identifier of the first type; and send a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a cell identifier of a first type based on the determination.

In some aspects, a sixth communication method comprises: receiving a signal associated with a cell identifier; determining whether the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers of the first type; determining whether the signal intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers; obtaining a cell identifier of a second type associated with the cell identifier if the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers and the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold; and sending a message containing the received cell identifier. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the sixth communication method: cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers, and the cell identifier of the second type contains a global cell identifier; a given set contains a subset of all cell identifiers of the first type, and a given set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell; the acquisition of the cell identifier comprises receiving a cell identifier from the cell that transmitted the signal; the message contains a measurement report; the method further comprises receiving a command to perform handover to a cell associated with the received cell identifier as a result of sending a message; the method further comprises receiving a predetermined set of cell identifiers and threshold wirelessly; cell identifiers of the first type identify femto or pico cells; the method is performed by the access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a receiver configured to receive a signal associated with a cell identifier; a comparator for determining whether the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers of the first type; a signal processor configured to determine whether the signal intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers; an identifier controller configured to obtain a cell type identifier of a second type associated with the cell identifier if the cell identifier is one of a predetermined set of cell identifiers and the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold; and a transmitter configured to send a message containing the received cell identifier.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for receiving a signal associated with a cell identifier; means for determining whether the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers of the first type; means for determining whether the signal intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers; means for obtaining a cell identifier of a second type associated with the cell identifier, if the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers and the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold; and means for sending a message containing the received cell identifier.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer: to receive a signal associated with a cell identifier; determine whether the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers of the first type; determine whether the signal intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers; obtain a cell identifier of the second type associated with the cell identifier if the cell identifier is one of a given set of cell identifiers and the signal strength is greater than or equal to a threshold; and send a message containing the received cell ID.

In some aspects, a seventh communication method comprises: sending to a node a predetermined set of cell identifiers of a first type; sending to the node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and receiving a message from a node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the seventh communication method: cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers, and cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers; the predetermined set contains a subset of the expanded set of cell identifiers of the first type, and the predetermined set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell; the method further comprises defining a predetermined set of cell identifiers; setting a given set of cell identifiers comprises identifying a plurality of neighboring cells that use a common cell identifier of the first type; the method further comprises setting a threshold; the message contains a measurement report; the method further comprises instructing the node to perform handover to the cell associated with the received cell identifier of the second type; cell identifiers of the first type identify femto or pico cells; the method is performed by the base station.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: an identifier controller configured to send to a node a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type; a threshold controller configured to send a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers to the node, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and a receiver configured to receive a message from a node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for sending to a node a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type; means for sending to the node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and means for receiving a message from a node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to force a computer: send to a node a given set of cell identifiers of the first type; send to the node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and receive a message from the node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type.

In some aspects, the eighth communication method comprises: receiving a message comprising a prescribed cell identifier of a first type; determining whether the plurality of cells uses a prescribed cell identifier; and sending a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with the prescribed cell identifier based on the determination. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also apply to the eighth communication method: a cell type identifier of the first type contains a physical cell identifier, and a cell type identifier of the second type contains a global cell identifier; the message further comprises a first indication of the received signal strength of the first signal from the first of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier, the method further comprises determining whether confusion may occur in the cell identifier based on the first indication of the received signal strength and the second indication of the received signal strength of the second signal from the second of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier, and sending the request is further based on determining whether the confusion in the cell identifier; sending a given set of cell identifiers of the first type to the node that sent the message, sending to the node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; the predetermined set contains a subset of the expanded set of cell identifiers of the first type, and the predetermined set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell; the message contains a measurement report; the method further comprises instructing the node to perform handover to the cell associated with the received cell identifier of the second type; a cell identifier of the first type identifies a femto or pico cell; the method is performed by the base station.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a receiver configured to receive a message comprising a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; a confusion detector configured to determine if a plurality of cells uses a prescribed cell identifier; and an identifier controller configured to send a request for a cell type identifier of the second type associated with the prescribed cell identifier based on the determination.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for receiving a message comprising a prescribed cell identifier of a first type; means for determining whether the plurality of cells uses a prescribed cell identifier; and means for sending a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a prescribed cell identifier based on the determination.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer: to receive a message containing a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; determine whether the plurality of cells uses a prescribed cell identifier; and send a request for a cell type identifier of the second type associated with the prescribed cell identifier based on the determination.

In some aspects, the ninth communication method comprises: determining whether the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers of the first type; and sending a measurement report that contains a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the ninth communication method: the method further comprises determining cell identifiers of the second type associated with identical cell identifiers, and the measurement report further comprises cell identifiers of the second type; cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers, and cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers; the definition comprises receiving signals from multiple cells, and the signals contain identical cell identifiers; cells contain femto or pico cells; the method is performed by an access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a confusion detector configured to determine if the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and a measurement report generator configured to send a measurement report that contains a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for determining whether a plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and means for sending a measurement report that contains a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: determine whether a plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and send a measurement report that contains many records for identical cell identifiers.

In some aspects, the tenth communication method comprises: determining whether the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and sending a measurement report based on the definition. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following can also be applied to the tenth communication method: the method further comprises receiving a request for information about the confusion; The measurement report is sent in response to the request and contains an indication of the definition; identical cell identifiers comprise physical cell identifiers; the cells comprise cells from which clock and / or pilot signals are currently being received; cells comprise cells from which clock and / or pilot signals were received for a predetermined period of time; the cells comprise cells from which clock and / or pilot signals were received during the time period associated with a given number of handovers; identical cell identifiers are first type cell identifiers, the method further comprises determining second type cell identifiers associated with identical cell identifiers, and the measurement report further comprises second type cell identifiers; cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers, and cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers; the definition comprises receiving signals from multiple cells, and the signals contain identical cell identifiers; cells contain femto or pico cells; the method is performed by an access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a confusion detector configured to determine if the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and a measurement report generator configured to send a measurement report based on the determination.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for determining whether a plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and means for sending a measurement report based on the determination.

In some aspects, the computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: determine whether a plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers; and send a measurement report based on the definition.

In view of the above, in some aspects, the eleventh communication method comprises: receiving a request for information about confusion; determining whether multiple cells use identical cell identifiers; and sending the message in response to the request, where the message contains an indication of the definition. In addition, in some aspects, at least one of the following may also apply to the eleventh communication method: identical cell identifiers comprise physical cell identifiers; the confusion information request refers to a prescribed cell identifier; the message is sent as a result of determining that multiple cells use identical cell identifiers; the request contains a measurement report request; the message contains a measurement report; cells contain femto or pico cells; the method is performed by an access terminal.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: a receiver configured to receive a request for confusion information; a confusion detector configured to determine if multiple cells use identical cell identifiers; and a transmitter configured to send a message in response to the request, where the message contains an indication of the definition.

In some aspects, the communication apparatus comprises: means for receiving a request for confusion information; means for determining whether multiple cells use identical cell identifiers; and means for sending the message in response to the request, where the message contains an indication of the definition.

In some aspects, a computer program product comprises: a computer-readable medium comprising codes to cause a computer to: accept a request for confusion information; determine if multiple cells use identical cell identifiers; and send the message in response to the request, where the message contains an indication of the definition.

In some aspects, functionality corresponding to one or more of the above aspects related to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh methods may be implemented, for example, in an apparatus using a structure, which is being studied in this document. In addition, the computer program product may comprise codes configured to cause the computer to provide functionality consistent with one or more of the above aspects related to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh communication methods.

The foregoing description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles set forth herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to limit the aspects shown in this document, but rather should correspond to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and new features disclosed in this document.

Claims (73)

1. A communication method comprising the steps of:
receiving a first message for a first node identified by a first node identifier of a first type;
determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier; and
as a result of the determination, a second message is sent instructing the use of a second node identifier of the second type to establish communication with the first node. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which:
the first node identifier contains a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; and
determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier comprises the step of determining whether the plurality of cells uses the prescribed cell identifier. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second message comprises requesting a cell identifier of a second type associated with a prescribed cell identifier. 4. The method according to claim 2, in which:
the first message contains a first indication of the intensity of the received signal of the first signal from the first of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier;
the method further comprises determining whether confusion may arise with the cell identifier based on the first indication of the received signal strength and the second indication of the received signal strength of the second signal from the second of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier; and
the step at which the second message is sent is further based on determining whether confusion with the cell identifier may occur. 5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising stages in which:
send a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type to the third node that sent the first message;
sending to the third node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive a cell identifier of the second type; and
receive a third message from the third node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node identifier uniquely identifies the first node. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a handover request, transmission of interference control signals, a report of signal strength measurements, or a message to reserve at least one resource. 8. The method according to claim 1, in which the determination comprises the steps in which:
detecting a neighboring node; or
determine if the first node identifier is found in the list of identifiers. 9. The method according to claim 1, in which:
the first message contains an indication of the first node identifier; and
the definition comprises the step of comparing the indication with the list of indications of the node identifiers. 10. The method according to claim 1, in which:
the first node identifier contains a physical cell identifier, a pilot identifier, or a sequence of pseudo random numbers; and
the second node identifier contains a global cell identifier, an access network identifier, or a sector identifier. 11. A communications apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a first message for a first node identified by a first node identifier of a first type;
a confusion detector configured to determine if the second node is identified by the first node identifier; and
and an identifier controller configured to be sent as a result of determining the second message, instructing the use of a second identifier of a node of the second type to establish communication with the first node. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, in which:
the first node identifier contains a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; and
determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier comprises determining whether the plurality of cells uses the prescribed cell identifier. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second message comprises a request for a cell identifier of a second type associated with a prescribed cell identifier. 14. The apparatus according to item 12, in which:
the first message contains a first indication of the intensity of the received signal of the first signal from the first of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier;
the confusion detector is further configured to determine whether confusion with a cell identifier can occur based on a first indication of a received signal strength and a second indication of a received signal strength of a second signal from a second of cells that use a prescribed cell identifier; and
sending the second message is further based on determining whether confusion with the cell identifier may occur. 15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a transmitter configured to:
sending a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type to the third node that sent the first message;
sending to the third node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive a cell identifier of the second type; and
receiving a third message from a third node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second node identifier uniquely identifies the first node. 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first message comprises a handover request, transmission of interference control signals, a report of signal strength measurements, or a message for reserving at least one resource. 18. The apparatus according to claim 11, in which the definition contains:
detecting a neighboring node; or
determining if the first node identifier is found in the list of identifiers. 19. The apparatus according to claim 11, in which:
the first message contains an indication of the first node identifier; and
the definition contains a comparison of indications with a list of indications of node identifiers. 20. The apparatus according to claim 11, in which:
the first node identifier contains a physical cell identifier, a pilot identifier, or a sequence of pseudo random numbers; and
the second node identifier contains a global cell identifier, an access network identifier, or a sector identifier. 21. A communications apparatus comprising:
means for receiving a first message for a first node identified by a first node identifier of a first type;
means for determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier; and
means for sending, as a result of determining the second message, directing the use of the second identifier of the second type node to establish communication with the first node. 22. The apparatus according to item 21, in which:
the first node identifier contains a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; and
determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier comprises determining whether the plurality of cells uses the prescribed cell identifier. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second message comprises requesting a cell identifier of a second type associated with a prescribed cell identifier. 24. The apparatus according to item 22, in which:
the first message contains a first indication of the intensity of the received signal of the first signal from the first of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier;
the determining means is configured to determine whether confusion with the cell identifier may arise based on the first indication of the received signal strength and the second indication of the received signal strength of the second signal from the second of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier; and
sending the second message is further based on determining whether confusion with the cell identifier may occur. 25. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:
means for sending a given set of cell identifiers of the first type to the third node that sent the first message;
means for sending to the third node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive a cell identifier of the second type; and
means for receiving a third message from a third node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second node identifier uniquely identifies the first node. 27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first message comprises a handover request, transmission of interference control signals, a report of signal strength measurements, or a message for reserving at least one resource. 28. The apparatus according to item 21, in which the definition contains:
detecting a neighboring node; or
determining if the first node identifier is found in the list of identifiers. 29. The apparatus according to item 21, in which:
the first message contains an indication of the first node identifier; and
the definition contains a comparison of indications with a list of indications of node identifiers. 30. The apparatus according to item 21, in which:
the first node identifier contains a physical cell identifier, a pilot identifier, or a sequence of pseudo random numbers; and
the second node identifier contains a global cell identifier, an access network identifier, or a sector identifier. 31. Machine-readable medium containing codes to force a computer:
receive the first message for the first node identified by the first node identifier of the first type;
determine whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier; and
send, as a result of the determination, a second message ordering the use of the second identifier of the second type node to establish communication with the first node. 32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein:
the first node identifier contains a prescribed cell identifier of the first type; and
determining whether the second node is identified by the first node identifier, determining whether the plurality of cells uses the prescribed cell identifier, 33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the second message comprises requesting a cell identifier of a second type associated with a prescribed cell identifier. 34. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein:
the first message contains a first indication of the intensity of the received signal of the first signal from the first of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier;
the computer-readable medium further comprises codes to cause the computer to determine whether confusion with the cell identifier can occur, based on the first indication of the received signal strength and the second signal strength of the second signal from the second of the cells that use the prescribed cell identifier; and
sending the second message is further based on determining whether confusion with the cell identifier may occur. 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises codes to cause a computer:
send a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type to the third node that sent the first message;
send to the third node a threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the threshold is for determining whether to receive a cell identifier of the second type; and
receive a third message from the third node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 36. A communication method comprising the steps of:
send to the node a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type;
sending to the node a signal intensity threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the signal intensity threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and
receive a message from the node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 37. The method according to clause 36, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 38. The method according to clause 36, in which:
the specified set contains a subset of all cell identifiers of the first type; and
a given set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell. 39. The method of claim 36, further comprising setting a predetermined set of cell identifiers by identifying a plurality of neighboring cells that use a common cell identifier of the first type. 40. The method according to clause 36, further comprising the stage of setting the threshold signal intensity. 41. A communications apparatus comprising:
an identifier controller configured to send to a node a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type;
a threshold controller configured to send a signal intensity threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers to the node of the threshold, where the signal strength threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and
a receiver configured to receive a message from a node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 42. The apparatus according to paragraph 41, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 43. The apparatus according to paragraph 41, in which:
the specified set contains a subset of all cell identifiers of the first type; and
a given set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell. 44. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the identifier controller is further configured to set a predetermined set of cell identifiers by identifying a plurality of neighboring cells that use a common cell identifier of the first type. 45. The apparatus according to paragraph 41, further comprising a threshold controller configured to set a threshold for signal strength. 46. A communications apparatus comprising:
means for sending to the node a given set of cell identifiers of the first type;
means for sending to the node a threshold of signal intensity associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the signal strength threshold is for determining whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and
means for receiving a message from a node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 47. The apparatus according to item 46, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 48. The apparatus according to item 46, in which:
the specified set contains a subset of all cell identifiers of the first type; and
a given set identifies a cell identifier that can be assigned to several cells in the coverage area of another cell. 49. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising means for defining a predetermined set of cell identifiers by identifying a plurality of neighboring cells that use a common cell identifier of the first type. 50. The apparatus of claim 46, further comprising means for setting a signal intensity threshold. 51. Machine-readable medium containing codes to force a computer:
send to the node a given set of identifiers of cells of the first type;
send to the node a signal intensity threshold associated with a given set of cell identifiers, where the signal intensity threshold is used to determine whether to receive cell identifiers of the second type; and
receive a message from the node containing one of the identifiers of the cells of the second type. 52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 53. A communication method comprising the steps of:
determining whether the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers of the first type;
determining cell identifiers of a second type associated with identical cell identifiers; and
send a measurement report based on the definition. 54. The method according to item 53, further comprising the step of receiving a request for information about the confusion, where the measurement report:
sent in response to a request; and
contains an indication of the definition. 55. The method according to item 53, in which the measurement report contains many records for identical cell identifiers. 56. The method according to item 53, in which the cells contain cells from which the clock or pilot signals:
Accepted at this time
taken over a given period of time; or
received over a period of time associated with a given number of handovers. 57. The method according to item 53, in which:
the measurement report further comprises cell identifiers of the second type. 58. The method according to clause 57, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 59. A communications apparatus comprising:
a confusion detector configured to determine if the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers of the first type;
an identifier controller configured to determine cell identifiers of the second type associated with identical cell identifiers; and
measurement report generator configured to send a measurement report based on the definition. 60. The apparatus of claim 59, further comprising a receiver configured to receive a request for confusion information, where the measurement report:
sent in response to a request; and
contains an indication of the definition. 61. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the measurement report comprises a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers. 62. The apparatus according to § 59, in which the cells contain cells from which the clock or pilot signals:
Accepted at this time
taken over a given period of time; or
received over a period of time associated with a given number of handovers. 63. The apparatus according to § 59, in which:
the measurement report further comprises cell identifiers of the second type. 64. The apparatus according to item 63, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 65. A communications apparatus, comprising:
means for determining whether the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers of the first type;
means for determining cell identifiers of the second type associated with identical cell identifiers; and
means for sending a measurement report based on the definition. 66. The apparatus of claim 65, further comprising means for receiving a request for information about the confusion, where the measurement report:
sent in response to a request; and
contains an indication of the definition. 67. The apparatus of claim 65, wherein the measurement report comprises a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers. 68. The apparatus according to item 65, in which the cells contain cells from which the clock or pilot signals:
Accepted at this time
taken over a given period of time; or
received over a period of time associated with a given number of handovers. 69. The apparatus according to item 65, in which:
the measurement report further comprises cell identifiers of the second type. 70. The apparatus according to p, in which:
cell identifiers of the first type contain physical cell identifiers; and
cell identifiers of the second type contain global cell identifiers. 71. Machine-readable medium containing codes to force a computer:
determine whether the plurality of cells uses identical cell identifiers of the first type;
determine cell identifiers of the second type associated with identical cell identifiers; and
send a measurement report based on the definition. 72. The computer readable medium of claim 71, wherein:
the computer-readable medium further comprises codes to cause the computer to accept the confusion information request; and
wherein the measurement report:
sent in response to a request; and
contains an indication of the definition. 73. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein the measurement report comprises a plurality of records for identical cell identifiers.

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