TW201313041A - Method and apparatus for flexible inter-frequency or inter-system measurements - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments relate to methods and apparatuses for assigning inter-frequency measure-ments within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or inter-system measurements from the first radio access technology to a second radio access technology in a state of a mobile station (31) associated to the wireless communi-cation network, in which the mobile station (31) receives a downlink transport channel. Embodiments assign (11) a flexible number of measurement occasions for the inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements to the mobile station (31), wherein a measurement occasion is a time period during which a data transmission from the wire-less communication network to the mobile station (31) is suspended.

Description

Method and apparatus for inter-frequency or inter-system measurement of elasticity

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements of elasticity.

As the number of systems configured for mobile communications has increased, wireless communication networks have grown steadily. Today, wireless mobile communication networks are available under a wide variety of radio access technologies (RATs). Second-generation (2G) mobile communication systems such as GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communications/Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) are based on combined TDMA/FDMA (Time Division Multiple Access/Division Multiplex Take) design. Third-generation (3G) mobile communication systems such as UMTS (Global Mobile Telecommunications System) or CDMA 2000 (IS-2000) are based on code division multiple access (CDMA) technology. Newer mobile communication technologies such as Microwave Access Global Interoperability (WIMAX) or 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Long Term Evolution (LTE) are based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDMA). For example, LTE uses OFDMA in the downlink and single carrier division multiple access (SC-FDMA) in the uplink.

In order to effectively use a variety of coexisting radio access technologies, it is required to seamlessly hand over the interworking to the mobile device from one RAT to another RAT on the established circuit or the packet switched communication link of the mobile device. technology. Although the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to other wireless communication systems in principle, the following description will be merely illustrative, focusing on wireless. Communication systems GSM, UMTS, and LTE.

In the UMTS system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, also referred to as a user equipment (UE) in the 3GPP standard, has a RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection mobile station with a base station (NodeB), capable of In various RRC states, for example, in the Cell_DCH (Dedicated Channel) and Cell_FACH (Forward Access Channel) states, user traffic is transmitted and received.

The Cell_DCH state is characterized by respectively assigning Circuit Switched Dedicated Physical Channels (DPCH) to the mobile stations in the uplink and downlink directions, where the uplink means the communication direction from the mobile station to the base station, and the downlink means the communication from the base station to the mobile station. direction. Circuit switching is a telecommunications technology. With telecommunications technology, two network nodes establish dedicated communication channels (circuits) before nodes can communicate. The circuit remains connected during the communication bandwidth. The circuit acts as if the node is physically connected to the circuit. In addition, during the Cell_DCH state, according to the current active set of the mobile station, it is known that the mobile station is on the radio layer, and the active group is defined as the base station group that the mobile station simultaneously connects or logs in ((ie, the downlink DPCH is currently assigned) The UE's UTRA (UMTS Land Surface Radio Access) cells constitute the active group. Moreover, in the Cell_DCH state dedicated transmission channel, the downlink and uplink (TDD: Time Division Duplex) shared transmission channels, and their combinations can be acted upon by Used by the station.

Instead, no dedicated physical channel is assigned to the mobile station in the Cell_FACH state. In the Cell_FACH state, the mobile station continuously monitors the packet switched forward access channel (FACH) or the received downlink high speed downlink shared channel (HS- DSCH). Packet switching is a digital network communication technology It combines all transmitted data into blocks of appropriate size called packets, regardless of content, type, or structure. Packet switching is characterized by the delivery of variable bit rate data (a sequence of packets) over a shared network. When passing through network adapters, switches, routers, and other network nodes, packets are buffered and queued, resulting in variable delay and throughput depending on the traffic load in the network. In the Cell_FACH state, the mobile station is assigned a default common or shared uplink transmission channel (eg, RACH, ie, a random access channel), which can be used at any time according to an access procedure for the transmission channel. Transmission channel. Moreover, the UTRAN (UMTS Land Surface Radio Access Network) knows the location of the mobile station on the cell layer according to the last cell update of the mobile station. In the TDD mode, one or several USCH (uplink shared channel) or DSCH (downlink shared channel) transmission channels have been established. The Cell_FACH state is typically used for low and burst packet exchange traffic, while the Cell_DCH state is used for highly and frequent circuit switched traffic.

The moving force of the mobile station in the Cell_FACH state is executed via a so-called cell weight selection process. This process begins when the signal quality of the serving cell falls below a predetermined signal quality threshold. The mobile station measures the pilot signals of neighboring cells and compares them to their serving cells. If the signal quality of the neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality of the mobile station's serving cell by a predetermined threshold and maintains a good length of T _RESELECTION seconds, the mobile station will reselect to the neighboring cell. The mobile station automatically performs this work, that is, the cell re-election decision is reached at the mobile station. Conversely, the network performs handover processing on the mobile station in the Cell_DCH state.

Now, the mobile station in the Cell_FACH state can be reselected to cells in the conventional system such as GSM, intra-frequency cells, and inter-frequency cells. However, since Cell_FACH is assumed to be transient and the mobile station moves from WCDMA to LTE via the directed handover from the network in the Cell_DCH state, or the reselection in the RRC state Cell_PCH, URA_PCH, or Idle, The mobile station in the Cell_DCH state cannot be reselected to the cells in the currently configured and future LTE systems. Since Cell_FACH is more efficient in handling typical burst traffic in smart phones, the number of mobile stations and their duration in the Cell_FACH state is expected to increase. Therefore, if there is no mechanism to reselect from Cell_FACH state to LTE, a large percentage of mobile stations will not be reselectable from UMTS to LTE.

As noted above, cell reselection requires the mobile station to perform measurements on potential target neighbor cells. In order to measure target cells and/or RATs of different frequencies, a mobile station with a single receiver (or searcher) needs to stop its current reception from its serving cell so that it can tune its receiver to another frequency to measure The signal of the target neighbor cell. A mobile station in the Cell_FACH state is given a predetermined (i.e., fixed) measurement activity or event, which is a time period during which it can interrupt its reception from its serving cell to tune to Another frequency or RAT is used to measure neighboring cells in that frequency or RAT. The system cell number (SFN) is given by the following, in the SFN, the mobile station has an inter-frequency/intra-RAT measurement situation: SFN DIV N = C _ RNTI MOD M _ REP + ( n × M _ REP ) (1) , N is the number of radio cells (e.g., 10 ms) as a time period measured in units of activity, C _ RNTI cell radio network temporary identifier is a flag, which is the layer in the cell identification known to the UE, M _ REP is It is calculated as the measurement activity cycle length of 2 ^k . The value k is broadcast by the base station and is a cycle in which measurement activity occurs. That is, now, every N × M _ REP radio cell has a measurement activity of N cells.

The measurement activity balances the performance of the mobile station service (ie, flux) relative to the performance of the measurement frequency between the different RATs. Measuring activities too frequently will make the service of the mobile station worse. However, if it is too infrequent, it provides poor measurements, resulting in improper re-election options. The network operator tunes the measurement activity used for its network, ie, the k- factor. In case the LTE measurements are included, the operator must reduce its measurement performance to its existing cells (eg, inter-frequency WCDMA and GSM cells).

In the 8th edition of the 3GPP specification, high priority layer inter-RAT and/or inter-frequency measurements are defined. This allows the network to take one type of measurement over other types of measurements. For example, inter-frequency division duplex (FDD) cells are considered to have higher priority than conventional GSM cells. When the cell signal length of the mobile station service is above a predetermined threshold S _{prioritysearch} , that is, when the mobile station is not at the edge of its serving cell, the mobile station performs a high priority search. For example, this allows the mobile station to move into hotspot cells that provide higher throughput and are recognized as prioritized.

It has been proposed that LTE measurement is one of the high priority layer measurement areas. Currently, when the mobile station is not at the edge of the serving cell and thus does not affect the measurement performance for cell reselection to the existing network, the mobile station will thus only measure the LTE cell. This is shown in FIG. 5, in which the mobile station 51 is attached to the WCDMA cell W1 (code 52) in the Cell_FACH state. The service (WCDMA) cell signal strength S _{serving is} above the S _{prioritysearch} threshold. The mobile station 51 thus begins to use its measurement activities for LTE cell measurements. This will enable it to detect hotspot LTE cells 53 within the area as shown in FIG. 5 served by LTE cell L1. When the mobile station 51 moves out of the high priority layer measurement area 54 (i.e., S _serving ≦S _{prioritysearch} ) and enters the low priority layer measurement area 55, the mobile station 51 will stop the LTE measurement but use its measurement activity for the inter-frequency WCDMA cell. And / or GSM cells. Therefore, the LTE measurement in the situation of Figure 1 does not confuse the measurements on existing cells.

The problem described with reference to Figure 5 is that if the mobile station 51 is not in the high priority layer measurement area 54, it cannot perform cell reselection to LTE. Therefore, the mobile station 51 cannot measure and reselect to the LTE cell coverage that does not fall into the high priority layer 54, for example, the coverage from the LTE cell L2 in FIG. 5 (reference code 56). Moreover, because the mobile stations potentially lose their connections, the mobile stations outside the high priority floor area 54 need to be reselected more than the mobile stations in the area. The existing network to which the mobile station 51 reselects (i.e., inter-frequency WCDMA and GSM) may not be the best cell but the (new) LTE cell 56 provides the best coverage. Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to perform or enhance LTE measurements, such as in the Cell_FACH state, particularly in the cell edge region, and to minimize the impact on the currently measured performance.

The inter-frequency/inter-RAT measurements performed in Cell_FACH (or Cell_DCH) are affected by three restrictions: 1. The number of inter- RTA and inter-frequency networks, 2. Performance requirements, such as the number and timing of measurement attempts required to detect and measure cells, and 3. the number of measurement activities available.

Assuming a fixed number of measurement activities: the higher the number of inter-RAT and inter-frequency networks, the smaller the chance that the mobile station must measure each network. The higher the performance requirements, the number of networks to be measured needs to be reduced to meet these requirements for a given number of measurement activities. Currently, according to equation (1), the third limitation described above, that is, the number of measurement activities (or measurement events) is fixed.

Embodiments of the present invention allow for a flexible or variable number of measurement activities (per time interval) in accordance with the discovery to enable or facilitate additional LTE measurements, particularly in the Cell_FACH state. This can allow the network operator to manage the above three restrictions. A mobile station having more measurement activity than is known from the prior art thus performs an increased inter-frequency/inter-RTA measurement on another network, for example, the LTE embodiment of the present invention typically constitutes a low priority layer, for example It is advantageous in the cell edge region of the measurement zone.

Embodiments provide a method of assigning or causing inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or from a first radio in a state in which a mobile station receives a downlink transmission channel associated with a mobile communication network Inter-system measurement of access technology to second radio access technology, the method comprising: assigning an elastic or variable number of measurement activities (and/or information indicative thereof) for inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements to the mobile station , wherein the measurement activity is a time period during which wireless communication is from The data transmission from the network to the mobile station stops. During this time period, the mobile station then performs inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements.

However, without being limited thereto, in some embodiments, the wireless communication network can be a WCDMA or UMTS network. As described above, inter-frequency and/or inter-system (inter-RAT) measurements are necessary in UMTS cells for reselection to other UMTS or different RAT cells such as GSM or LTE cells. Of course, the principles of the embodiments can also be transferred to other wireless communication networks, such as CDMA2000 and its predecessor and successor technologies.

The transport channel represents the interface between the Media Access Control (MAC) layer and the physical layer (or Layer 1), while the logical channel is the interface between the MAC and the RLC (Radio Link Control). The logic and transmission channels define what data is transmitted, and the physical channel defines how and in what physical characteristics the data is transmitted. The transmission channel can be further divided into a common transmission channel and a dedicated transmission channel.

According to some embodiments, the downlink transmission channel may carry dedicated user data and control information under the dedicated channel (DCH) in a circuit switched transmission mode. In this case, the mobile station is in the Cell_DCH state. During or before the inter-frequency handover, the mobile station can be given time to perform the required measurements on different radio resources, such as different carrier frequencies. One or more slots per radio cell are assigned to the mobile station to perform measurements, resulting in a compressed bin in the so-called common mode mode. These measurement slots or measurement scenarios are in the middle of a single radio cell or are spread over two consecutive radio cells. Embodiments in turn allow for flexible or variable configurations of compressed cells that are applicable to various inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurement scenarios. In an embodiment, depending on The complexity of the inter-frequency/inter-RAT measurements required, the mobile station requests increased or less compressed mode measurement resources.

In other embodiments, the downlink transmission channel may carry a common transmission channel for the mobile station's signaling and/or user data in a packet switched transmission mode, such as a downlink forward access channel (FACH) in UMTS or It is a high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH). In this case, the mobile station is therefore in the Cell_FACH state. As explained above, when the mobile station is in the Cell_FACH state, the measurement activity can be used to control the mobile station measurement activity between the inter-frequency and RAT radios. In an embodiment, the measurement activity, ie the measurement activity cycle length M_REP or the measurement case frequency may be elastically or variably configured to allow for more flexible measurements of certain parameters that cannot be measured, and simultaneously receive the carrier The physical channel of the FACH of the serving cell in the Cell_FACH state (eg, S-CCPCH (Second Common Controlling Physical Channel)). When the UE is in the Cell_FACH state, the Cell_FACH measurement activity may generate a resilient, ie, variable, transmission gap in the physical channel carrying the FACH or HS-DSCH transmitted from the network.

Initially, inter-frequency and inter-RAT reselection in UTRAN is based on the same rating as the intra-frequency reselection. It can be seen that this is very difficult for network control when the number of measurements of different RATs is different, and the network needs to be able to control reselection between multiple RATs. Moreover, since it is seen that the network operator has to control how the mobile station (or UE) prioritizes the competition of eUTRAN (evolved UMTS land surface radio access network) frequencies of different RATs or 3GPP LTE air interfaces, According to the absolute priority of the reselection method. In case the individual priority layers provide good service, the individual priority layers are given priority and this information is based on the highest priority frequency/RAT of the mobile station attempting to compete. Before performing the reselection to this layer, in order for the mobile station to decide whether to provide good service, the network will have to meet the critical value (Thresh _{x, high} ) assigned to each frequency / RTA. T _RESELECTION similar to intra-frequency reselection is _used , that is, the new layer must satisfy the continuous time for T _RESELECTION before performing the reselection. This is used to eliminate re-election if a temporary recession of the evolutionary frequency occurs. When reselecting to the lower priority layer, if the higher priority layer is still above the threshold or if the lower priority layer (frequency or RAT) is not above another threshold (Thresh _x,low ), then the mobile station Will not reselect to the lower priority layer.

In some embodiments, assigning the number of elastic measurement activities includes assigning a first number of measurement activities for the first inter-frequency and/or inter-system priority layer (ie, the first priority layer measurement region), and, assigning a second number of measurement activities for the second inter-frequency and/or inter-system priority layer (ie, the second priority layer measurement region), wherein the first number is different from the second number, and wherein, the first frequency The inter- and/or inter-system priority layer is different from the second inter-frequency and/or inter-system priority measurement layer. Preferably, the first inter-frequency and/or inter-system priority layer for inter-RAT and/or inter-frequency measurements is lower than the second layer, but the first number of measurement activities (per time) is higher than the second number . The low priority layer for inter-RAT and/or inter-frequency measurements is geographically located in the edge region of the serving cell that is close to the coverage area of the neighboring cell. For example, the serving cell may be based on UMTS network technology, while neighboring cells are based on GSM/EDGE and/or LTE network technologies. Assign more at the cell edge, ie in the low priority layer measurement area, compared to the cell center (high priority layer measurement area) Measurement activities allow for more inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements, including traditional and subsequent radio access network technologies.

In some embodiments, the assignment or assignment of a variable or resilient number of measurement activities may be initiated by a wireless network (ie, a base station, a Radio Network Controller (RNC), or a combination thereof). However, according to other embodiments, the assignment of a variable or elastic number of measurement activities per time interval may also be initiated by the mobile station such that assigning a resilient number of Cell_FACH measurement activities or Cell_DCH compression modes includes currently having the assigned first The number of mobile stations measuring the activity request the wireless communication network to assign a second number of measurement activities to the mobile station, the second number being different than the first number. A request for a new and different number of measurement activities driven by this mobile station may occur to reflect changes in the priority layer measurement area in which the mobile station is located. For example, if the mobile station moves from a higher priority layer (eg, near the cell center) to a lower priority layer (eg, near the cell edge), the action requests a higher number of measurement activities to allow for enhanced neighbor cell measurements, It may include many inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements with conventional and/or advanced RATs.

In other embodiments, the wireless communication network may send a different number of measurement activity signals to a particular mobile station via dedicated signaling instead of previously broadcasting to the particular and other mobile stations. The measurement activity causes the mobile station to be interrupted from its serving cell, thus reducing the data throughput of the mobile station. Typically, the wireless communication network is aware of the down traffic activity of the mobile station. For this reason, in the case of low-level mobile station downlink traffic activities, it is possible to provide more measurement activities of the mobile station, that is, a higher number. In the opposite case, that is, in the case of high-traffic down traffic, the network can The mobile station withdrew certain previously assigned measurement activities. In other words, the measurement activity of assigning the number of elasticity may include: transmitting from the wireless communication network to the mobile station, and transmitting a second number of measurement activities to the mobile station, wherein the second number is different from the previous broadcast from the wireless communication network to the mobile station. The first number of activities in the mobile station. The second number is sent to reflect the down traffic activity of the mobile station, so that in the case of low downlink traffic activities, the mobile station can perform more inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements, or even higher in the downlink In the case of traffic activities, the mobile station can perform fewer inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements.

In still other embodiments, the wireless communication network can pre-configure the mobile station to operate in the elastic measurement activity mode. This Elastic Measurement Active mode can be entered in the Cell_DCH or Cell_FACH state of the mobile station. The base station, i.e., the wireless communication network component, can transmit the layer 1 order indicating the new (updated) number of measurement activities (e.g., via the HS-SCCH, high speed shared control channel) to the mobile station. This embodiment understands that the base station will be able to schedule the traffic of the mobile station and closely know the activities of the mobile station. Therefore, the wireless communication network is the best place to change the number of measurement activities in the case of the mobile station. It also allows the wireless communication network to respond to mobile station requests that require more or less measurement activity. Therefore, the measurement activity of assigning the number of elasticity includes: in the state of the mobile station to which the DPCH is allocated to the base station, or in the state of the mobile station in which the mobile station continuously monitors the common transmission channel (for example, FACH, HS-DSCH), The mobile station is preconfigured to operate with a flexible or variable (i.e., reconfigurable) number of measurement activities.

In still other embodiments, a plurality, ie, at least two different numbers of measurement activities, may be broadcast by a wireless communication network to at least some of the associated mobile stations. That is, in addition to a predetermined number or cyclic measurement activity, the wireless communication network may broadcast a further and different number of measurement activities to be used by the mobile station, unlike the default conditions. The measurement activity of assigning the number of elasticity thus includes signaling a number of different numbers of Cell_FACH measurement activities to the mobile station, wherein each of the plurality of different numbers is associated with a different mobile station condition or location.

An illustrative condition is that the mobile station uses a larger number of measurement activities when the mobile station is in the lower priority zone. Since the number of measurement activities (the third limit) is increased, although the LTE network (the first limitation) is added to the inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurement, the measurement performance can be maintained (the second limitation). That is, in the first condition, when the mobile station is in the priority layer region where the priority is equal to or higher than the priority of the serving cell, when the mobile station is in the frequency for which the priority is lower than the priority of the serving cell The mobile station uses a larger number of measurement activities when it is in the priority layer of inter- and/or inter-system measurements. In other words, in the first condition, the number of measurement activities when the mobile station is in the high-level measurement area where the signal strength S _{serving is} greater than the threshold value S _{prioritysearch} , when the mobile station is at the signal strength S _serving is equal to or less than the threshold value S _{prioritysearch} In the lower measurement area, the mobile station uses a larger number of measurement activities. Since the base station can change its measurement activity cycle autonomously according to different numbers of measurement activities, these embodiments will affect the base station schedule. Therefore, an additional step for the mobile station is to inform the wireless communication network of changes in its measurement activity cycle. Certain embodiments of the method for assigning inter-frequency measurements thus include notifying a wireless communication network that a number of different numbers of Cell_FACH measurements are used in situations where the mobile station is in a certain measurement condition or a priority layer measurement area. Activity and/or a number in the Cell_DCH compression mode.

Still other embodiments also provide a wide variety of means for assigning or causing inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements, suitable for execution by hardware (e.g., circuitry) for assigning or causing inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. Various embodiments of the method. Some embodiments include digital control circuitry mounted within the device. For example, a digital signal processor (DSP) such digital control circuit needs to be programmed accordingly. Accordingly, still another embodiment provides a computer program having a program code for performing the steps of the embodiment of at least the above method when the computer program is executed on a computer or a digital processor.

In one embodiment, means are provided for assigning or causing inter-frequency measurements within the wireless communication network of the first radio access technology or for receiving, by the mobile station, the status of the mobile station connected to the wireless communication network of the downlink transmission channel In inter-system measurement from a first radio access technology to a second radio access technology, the apparatus includes: an assigning mechanism that assigns an elastic or variable number of measurement activities for inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements to the mobile station, The measurement activity is a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station is stopped. The network device includes a wireless communication network hardware, such as a radio base station, an RNC, or a combination thereof.

In addition, providing means for assigning or causing inter-frequency measurement within the wireless communication network of the first radio access technology or in a state in which the mobile station receives the downlink transmission channel associated with the mobile communication network An inter-system measurement of a radio access technology to a second radio access technology, the apparatus comprising: a mechanism for performing the frequency elastically/variably according to a measurement activity of an elasticity number assigned for inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements Inter- and/or inter-system measurements, where the measurement activity is a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station is stopped, or during which the wireless communication network will not transmit any downstream data. Give the action station. For example, such an apparatus embodiment can be implemented within a mobile station device such that the mobile station can utilize a flexible or variable number of measurement activities.

According to some embodiments, the mobile station device can be used (by the corresponding mechanism) to request the wireless communication network to assign a second number of measurement activities to the mobile station, the second number being different from the first number of measurement activities currently assigned to it. This request is based on the priority layer measurement area in which the mobile station is located, the data traffic situation of the mobile station, and so on. According to an alternative or additional embodiment, the mobile station device can be used to notify the wireless communication network (by the corresponding mechanism) that the mobile station is in a measurement condition associated with a certain number or in a priority layer measurement area, A number of different number of Cell_FACH measurement activities and/or a number of Cell_DCH compression modes previously assigned or signaled are used.

For example, embodiments of the present invention allow a network operator to more efficiently manage its Cell_FACH (or Cell_DCH) measurement activity or event. Embodiments allow additional networks (e.g., LTE) to be added to existing networks without sacrificing any existing network or degrading inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements.

Various illustrative embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. In the drawings, the thickness of the display layer and/or region is exaggerated for clarity.

Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be construed as illustrative and illustrative embodiments It should be understood, however, that the illustrated embodiments are not limited to the specific forms disclosed, and the embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the drawings.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, no intervening element exists. In a similar manner, interpret other words used to illustrate the relationship between the components (for example, "between" and "directly between", "adjacent to" relative to "directly" Adjacent to, etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of the description and description As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", "the" and "the" are meant to include the plural. It will also be understood that "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and/or "includes" as used herein. The word "including" indicates the existence of the stated features, the whole, the steps, the operation, the components and/or the parts, but does not exclude the existence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components and/or groups thereof .

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will also be appreciated that terms such as terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be construed as idealized or unless otherwise defined herein. It is the meaning of excessive restraint.

1 shows a display method 10 for assigning or causing inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or in a state in which a mobile station receives a downlink transmission channel connected to a mobile station of a wireless communication network. Intersystem (i.e., inter-RAT) measurements from a first radio access technology to a second radio access technology. The method includes the step 11, assigning a measurement activity for the number of elasticity between inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements to the mobile station, wherein the measurement activity represents a time period during which inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements are performed. The data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station is stopped.

As shown in Figure 2, the step 11 of assigning an elastic number of measurement activities to the mobile station can be subdivided into further sub-steps.

The assigning step 11 includes a first sub-step 111 of sending or transmitting an assignment message from the wireless communication network to the associated or logged-in mobile station, wherein the assignment message includes inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements to be performed by the mobile station. The elasticity/variable number of indications of the measurement activity. In addition, the assignment step 11 includes a second sub-step 112 for receiving an assignment message at the mobile station. The receiving sub-step 112 further includes confirming that the assignment message carrying the information about the elastic/variable number of measurement activities to the wireless communication network is correctly received. Moreover, the assigning step 11 includes sub-step 113 of actually triggering the inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurement circuitry of the mobile station to perform inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements based on the assigned resilient, variable or reconfigurable number of measurement activities. . Thus, depending on the embodiment, for example, the mobile station is in a Cell_FACH state that performs measurements in the Cell_FACH measurement activity. As mentioned above, there are other embodiments relating to a mobile station in the Cell_DCH state, more particularly in its compressed mode.

When assigning an elastic or variable number to inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurement activity, a first number of measurement activities can be used for the first (lower) priority layer measurement area, wherein the signal strength S _{serving of the serving} cell is equal to or Less than the signal strength threshold S _{prioritysearch} . Alternatively, the second number of measurement activities can be used for the second (higher) priority layer measurement area, wherein the signal strength S _{serving of the serving} cell is greater than the signal strength threshold S _{prioritysearch} . Thus, the first number is different from the second number, in particular the first number is greater than the second number.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an illustrative scenario is shown that includes a mobile station (UE) 31 attached to a WCDMA base station W1 represented by code 32. Next to the WCDMA base station or the cell W1, an LTE neighbor cell L1 denoted by reference numeral 33 and a GSM neighbor cell G1 denoted by code 34 are provided. The UE 31 is in the Cell_FACH state and moves from the high priority layer measurement area 35 to the low priority layer measurement area 36.

The WCDMA cell W1 (32) broadcasts two different measured activity k values (i.e., k _DEFAULT and k _LOW ) and the corresponding measured activity cycle length M_REP as follows:

○ Default measurement activity: k _DEFAULT = 6, M_REP _DEFAULT = 64

○ For the low-priority area _{(S serving ≦ S prioritysearch):} k LOW = 5, M_REP LOW = 32

The default measurement activity is to be used by the enabled UE. However, the UEs in the low priority layer measurement area 36 may use different measurement activity settings, wherein the number of measurement activities in the low priority layer measurement area 36 is twice the default. When the UE 31 arrives at the low priority zone 36, it can request the low priority layer measurement zone 36 to measure the activity settings. Similarly, when the UE 31 moves away from the low priority zone 36 into the high priority layer measurement zone 35, the UE 31 may request a default measurement activity setting. Thus, the step 11 of assigning a flexible number of measurement activities includes that the UE 31 currently having a given number of measurement activities is requested to request the wireless communication network 32 to assign a measurement activity of the number of low priority zones to the UE 31, the number of low priority zones being different (especially greater than) the true number. In order to respond to this request, the step 11 of assigning a resilient number of forward measurement activities also includes transmitting, from the wireless communication network 32 to the UE 31, information indicative of the number of low priority zones of measurement activity to the UE 31 (e.g., k _LOW , M_REP _LOW ), wherein the number of low priority zones is different from the default number (or information indicating) of the measurement activity of the UE that has been previously broadcast to the UE within the wireless communication network 32.

According to an embodiment, the measurement activity of the low priority zone number (or information indicating it) is also alternatively or additionally sent to the UE 31 to reflect the downlink traffic activity of the UE, so that in the case of downlink traffic activity, the UE 31 More inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements can be performed, or so that in the case of high downlink traffic activity, the UE 31 can perform fewer inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements.

In still other embodiments, the elastic number of measurement activities are also assigned to the UE 31 by pre-configuring the UE 31 to operate in a resiliently configurable FACH measurement activity or DCH measurement activity (compressed cell), at Cell_FACH a state or a Cell_DCH state, wherein the measurement activity of assigning the number of elasticitys comprises signaling a plurality of different number of measurement activities (or signaling information thereof) to the UE 31, wherein each of the plurality of different numbers is associated with a different condition of the UE 31 . For example, the condition of the UE 31 depends on the priority layer measurement area in which it is located, or on its downstream traffic activity. For example, in the first condition, the UE 31 can use low when the mobile station is in the low priority layer measurement area 36, compared to the default number of measurement activities when the mobile station is in the high priority layer measurement area 35. Measurement activity of the number of priority zones.

In the case of pre-configuring the UE 31 with a plurality of possible number of measurement activities for different scenarios, embodiments may further include notifying the wireless communication network 32 that in the event that the mobile station is in a condition or a situation related to a certain number, A number of different numbers of Cell_FACH measurement activities or Cell_DCH compression mode are used.

The wireless communication network landscape view of FIG. 3 also includes the LTE network 33 as one of the networks to be measured by the UE 31 in the CELL_FACH state in the low priority zone 35. In case the UE 31 is permitted by the wireless communication network 32 for a higher number of measurement activities, the UE 31 will only perform inter-RAT LTE measurements.

The UE 31 may start with a measurement activity cycle of M_REP _HIGH = 64 when in the high priority zone 35, and perform measurements on possible hotspots therein. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that no hotspot network is found and does not continue to move in the direction of the low priority zone 36. When the UE 31 moves into the low priority zone 36, it requests more measurement activity. The wireless network 32 thus permits the UE's request. For example, the UE 31 thus doubles the number of measurement activities (ie, reduces the measurement activity cycle length to 32). Measurements are then performed on other networks to find LTE cell L1 (33) and GSM cell G1 (34). The UE 31 continues to move into the LTE cell L1 (33) and finds that it meets the cell reselection criteria (i.e., there is a time of T _RESELECT seconds, the signal strength of cell L1 is greater than the threshold strength of the serving cell W1 and is preferred). In this case, the UE 31 can reselect to the LTE cell L1 (33).

In the absence of additional measurement activity in the example of FIG. 3, the LTE network 33 or GSM network 34 will need to be removed from the list of networks to be measured to maintain knowledge only from measuring the legacy GSM network 34. Traditional measurement performance. Since the LTE network 33 will affect the existing measurement performance on GSM (and other inter-frequency) networks, it will not be included. The UE 31 in this example will reselect to the GSM cell G1, however, it may not be the best cell.

Turning now to Figure 4, a network device 40 is shown for assigning or causing inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or for receiving a downlink transmission channel of a mobile station to a wireless communication network. In the state of the mobile station, such as FACH or HS-DSCH, from the first radio Inter-RAT inter-system measurements of techniques (eg, WCDMA or UMTS) to second radio access technologies (eg, OFDMA or LTE).

The network device 40 includes an assigning mechanism 41 that assigns a flexible or variable number of measurement activities (indicating information thereof) for inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements to the mobile station. As previously described, the measurement activity is a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station ceases. For example, the network device includes wireless communication network hardware such as a radio base station, an RNC, or a combination thereof. During this time period, the mobile station then performs inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements.

The network device 40 is in communication with the mobile station device 45 for assigning or causing inter-frequency measurements within the wireless communication network of the first radio access technology or for receiving, by the mobile station, a mobile station connected to the wireless communication network. In the state, such as FACH or HS-DSCH in UTRAN, inter-system measurements from the first radio access technology to the second radio access technology.

The mobile station device 45 includes an actuator 46 that flexibly/variably performs inter-frequency and/or based on a measurement activity (or information indicating it) for an assigned number of inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. Inter-RAT measurements. For example, the mobile station device 45 can be implemented within the mobile device such that the mobile device can utilize a flexible or variable number of measurement activities. For example, when a request is required to differ from the default number, or when the network device 40 is marked with a different number of (pre-configured) different changes from the actual usage in response to different data loads or locations, Embodiments of the mobile station device 45 can be used to initiate communication with the associated network device 40 regarding the elastic number measurement activity.

The devices 40, 45 respectively include a signal processor that executes a computer program having a program code for executing or supporting the above-described method when the computer program is executed on the processor. Accordingly, embodiments provide a computer program having a program code for performing one of the above methods when the computer program is executed on the processor. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the various steps of the above methods can be performed by a stylized computer. Here, some embodiments also cover program storage devices, such as digital data storage media, which are executable by a machine or computer and are executable by a machine executable or computer executable program code, wherein the instructions are encoded therein. Performing some or all of the steps of the plurality of methods described above. For example, the program storage device can be a digital memory, a magnetic storage medium such as a magnetic disk and a magnetic tape, a hard disk drive, or an optically readable digital data storage medium. These embodiments are also intended to cover a computer that is programmed to perform the plural steps of the above method.

In summary, the network operator of the embodiment of the present invention is able to manage, for example, its CELL_FACH measurement activity more efficiently. Embodiments allow for increased network (e.g., LTE) to be routed adjacent to existing networks without sacrificing any conventional network or inter-system measurement degradation.

The illustrations and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, and the invention may be Various configurations. In addition, all of the examples described herein are presented in principle to teach the reader the understanding of the principles of the present invention and the concepts of the inventor's contribution to the art, and should be interpreted as examples not limited to these specific descriptions. And conditions. Moreover, the principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention are described herein. All statements, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to be inclusive of their scope.

A power block (executing a function) represented by "a mechanism for" should be understood to include a circuit for performing or performing a function, respectively. Therefore, "institutions for a certain matter" can also be understood as "institutions that are used or applied to a certain business". Therefore, the mechanism used to perform a function does not mean that the mechanism must be performing the function (at a given moment in time).

The function of the various elements including any of the functional areas shown in the drawings is provided by using a dedicated hardware such as a processor and a hardware capable of cooperating with a suitable software to execute the software. When provided by a processor, the functionality may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. In addition, the explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring specifically to hardware capable of executing software, but may implicitly include, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, Network processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-electricity Storage. It also contains traditional and/or custom hardware.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent a conceptual view of a circuit that is illustrative of the principles of the invention. Similarly, it will be understood that any flow diagram, flow view, state transition diagram, code, and the like represent various processes that are substantially represented in a computer readable medium, and whether or not the computer or processor is explicitly displayed, It can be executed by this computer or processor.

31‧‧‧User equipment

32‧‧‧Base station

33‧‧‧

34‧‧‧

35‧‧‧High priority measurement area

36‧‧‧low priority measurement area

40‧‧‧Network devices

41‧‧‧ Assigned institutions

45‧‧‧ mobile station device

51‧‧‧ mobile station

52‧‧‧

53‧‧‧

54‧‧‧High priority measurement area

55‧‧‧low priority measurement area

56‧‧‧ LTE cells

Some embodiments of the apparatus and/or method are described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

1 shows a method for assigning or causing inter-frequency/inter-RAT measurements, in accordance with an embodiment; FIG. 2 shows sub-steps of the assigning step of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a situation in which an activity is measured using elasticity according to an embodiment.

4 shows mobile device devices and network devices for assigning or causing inter-frequency/inter-RAT measurements; and FIG. 5 shows a network scenario with LTE hotspot cells set up with UMTS cells.

Claims (15)

A method (10) for assigning inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or to a mobile station (31) receiving a downlink transmission channel associated with the mobile communication network (31) In-system measurement from the first radio access technology to the second radio access technology, the method comprising: assigning step (11), assigning a number of elasticity for the inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements The measurement activity is given to the mobile station (31), wherein the measurement activity represents a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station (31) is stopped. The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the downlink transmission channel is a data packet for carrying the user data and the transmission data for the mobile station (31) to the access channel (FACH) or It is a downlink shared common channel (HS-DSCH). The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the first number of measurement activities or information indicating the same is used for the first priority layer area (35; 36), and wherein the second number of measurement activities or indications The information is used for the second priority layer area (36; 35), wherein the first number is different from the second number, and wherein the signal received by the mobile station (31) in the first priority layer area The strength and the signal strength received by the mobile station (31) in the second priority zone are opposite to the signal strength threshold. The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the assigning step (11) of assigning the elastic number of measurement activities comprises: the mobile station (31) currently having the first number of measurement activities assigned to request the no The line communication network (32) assigns a second number of measurement activities to the mobile station (31), the second number being different from the first number. The method (10) of claim 4, wherein the second number is for a lower priority layer region (36) having a priority lower than a service cell priority, and wherein the second number is greater than the first The number, the first number being used for a higher priority layer area (35) having a priority equal to or higher than the serving cell priority. The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the assigning step (11) of assigning the elastic number of measurement activities comprises: from the wireless communication network (32) to the mobile station (31), the second The number of measurement activities or information indicating the same is sent to the mobile station (31), wherein the second number is different from the first mobile station that has been broadcasted to the attached mobile station from the first wireless communication network (32) The number of measurement activities. For example, in the method (10) of claim 6, wherein the second number is sent to reflect the data traffic activity of the mobile station, so that in the case of low data traffic activities, the mobile station (31) More inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements can be performed, or so that in the case of high data traffic activities, the mobile station (31) can perform fewer inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements. The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the assigning step (11) of assigning the elastic number of measurement activities comprises: in a state of the dedicated physical channel assigned to the mobile station (31) of the mobile station Alternatively, or in the state of the mobile station (31) where the mobile station monitors the downstream forward access channel, the mobile station (31) is pre-configured to operate in the elastic measurement activity. For example, the method (10) of claim 1 of the patent scope, wherein The assigning step (11) of the measurement of the elastic number comprises: signaling a plurality of different number of measurement activities or information indicating the same to the mobile station (31), wherein each of the plurality of different numbers is Different conditions or locations of the mobile station (31). The method (10) of claim 9, wherein in the first condition, compared to when the mobile station (31) is in a priority layer region where the serving cell signal strength is below a predetermined signal strength threshold (35) The number of measurement activities in the middle, when the mobile station (31) is in the priority layer area (36) where the serving cell signal strength is above the predetermined signal strength threshold, the mobile station (31) uses a larger number of Measuring activity. The method (10) of claim 9, further comprising: notifying the wireless communication network (32) that in the case where the mobile station (31) is in a certain condition related to a certain number, using the plurality of different numbers This number of measurement activities. The method (10) of claim 1, wherein the first radio access technology is a broadband code division multiple access (WCDMA) network technology, and wherein the radio access technology is Long Term Evolution (LTE). Network technology. A network device (40) for assigning inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or for receiving, by a mobile station (31), a mobile station associated with a downlink transmission channel to the wireless communication network In the state of (31), from the first radio access technology to the inter-system measurement of the second radio access technology, the network device (40) includes: an assigning mechanism (41) for assigning for the inter-frequency And/or the department The measurement activity of the number of elasticity measured between the systems or the information indicating the information is given to the mobile station (31), wherein the measurement activity is a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station (31) is stopped. A device (45) for assigning inter-frequency measurements within a wireless communication network of a first radio access technology or for receiving a downlink transmission channel at a mobile station (31) to the mobile station of the wireless communication network (31) In the state of the system, from the first radio access technology to the inter-system measurement of the second radio access technology, the device (45) includes an actuator (46) for use between the inter-frequency and/or inter-system The measuring activity of the assigned number of elasticity is measured to flexibly perform the inter-frequency and/or inter-system measurements, wherein the measurement activity is a time period during which data transmission from the wireless communication network to the mobile station (31) is stopped. A computer program having a program code for performing the method of claim 1 in the patent application when the computer program is executed on a computer or a processor.