Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W36/00—Hand-off or reselection arrangements
  • H04W36/02—Buffering or recovering information during reselection ; Modification of the traffic flow during hand-off
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W36/00—Hand-off or reselection arrangements
  • H04W36/0005—Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
  • H04W36/0055—Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W36/00—Hand-off or reselection arrangements
  • H04W36/08—Reselecting an access point

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for handover in a wireless telecommunications network, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus implemented in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) specifications.
• 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project
• E-UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
• E-UTRA evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access
• 3GPP is considering development of E-UTRA and E-UTRAN as set out in the technical specification 3GPP TS 36.300 v 8.1.0 (2007- 06), incorporated herein by way of reference, and related documents.
• 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) aims to enhance the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard, for example, by improving efficiency and services.
• UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
• E-UTRAN user equipment (UE) communicates with a network node, NodeB (eNB), with data being sent on radio bearers (RBs) over a radio link between them.
• eNB interfaces with a Mobile Management Entity/System Architecture Evolution Gateway (MME/S AE GW) via an interface designated as S 1.
• MME/S AE GW Mobile Management Entity/System Architecture Evolution Gateway
• An E- UTRAN network includes a plurality of eNBs and MME/S AE GWs.
• RAN Radio Access Network
• IP Internet Protocol
• any data that is already buffered in the source eNB must be forwarded to the target eNB.
• data that has been sent to the source eNB during the handover (HO) procedure, before the SAE GW is updated with the new eNB address is also forwarded by the source eNB to the target eNB.
• the target eNB must strive to send data over the radio in the same order as sent by the SAE GW.
• first data buffered by the eNB is sent to the target eNB, followed by data in transit from the SAE GW during the HO process, and only when these have all been sent should the target eNB send to the UE fresh data that it receives directly from the SAE GW.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a network including a source eNB 2, a target eNB 3 and an MME/SAE GW 4.
• the source eNB 2 makes a handover decision based on measurement reports from the UE 1 , it sends a Handover Request message, at step 4, to the target eNB 3.
• the target eNB 3 configures the required resources and sends a Handover Request Acknowledge message, at step 6, to the source eNB 2.
• the UE 1 detaches from the old cell and synchronises to the new cell associated with the target eNB 3.
• data packets buffered at the source eNB 2 and any in transit are forwarded to the target eNB 3 from the source eNB 2.
• a Handover Complete message is sent to the MME/SAE GW 4 by the target eNB 3.
• Data packets from the source eNB 2 continue to be delivered to the target eNB 3.
• the target eNB 3 can then send to the UE 1 fresh data arriving over Sl from MME/SAE GW.
• the data forwarding phase where data is sent to the target eNB from the source eNB, currently starts when the source eNB receives the Handover Request Ack message, at step 6 in Figure 1, from the target eNB which indicates the end of the preparation phase for that target eNodeB.
• the source eNodeB 2 be able to trigger multiple preparation procedures towards several target eNodeBs 5 and 6, as shown in Figure 2, where the same references are used for the same items.
• the source eNB 2 sends Handover Request messages, at steps 4a and 4b, to the target eNBs 5 and 6.
• the source eNodeB 2 receives Handover Request Ack messages, shown at step 6a and step 6b, from each of the multiple target eNodeBs 5 and 6, but, at that time, does not know which of the target eNodeBs 5 and 6 will be finally selected as the one to which the UE 1 will hand over. The UE 1 will finally succeed in being handed over to only one of the target eNodeBs 5 and 6. Therefore, when the source eNodeB 2 receives the Handover Request Ack messages, at steps 6a and 6b, it does not know towards which of the target eNodeBs 5 and 6 it should trigger data forwarding.
• the source eNodeB 2 triggers multiple data forwarding procedures towards all prepared target eNodeBs 5 and 6 from which it has received Handover Request Ack messages, at steps 6a and 6b.
• This approach is inefficient, cumbersome and bandwidth consuming, as it involves forwarding the data towards target eNodeBs which will not eventually be elected to form a connection with the UE.
• the source eNodeB 2 triggers the data forwarding towards only a preferred target eNodeB 5 at the time it receives the Handover Request Ack messages at steps 6a and 6b.
• the preferred target eNB 5 may, for example, be that one having the highest probability of the UE 1 successfully handing over to it. The probability of success can be assessed in various ways, for example, based on channel quality. The manner in which a target eNB 5 is designated as the preferred target eNB depends on a particular implementation of a network.
• the source eNB 2 only triggers the data forwarding towards any other target eNodeB 6 if and when it gets an indication, on receipt of a Release Resource message at step 13, from that other non-preferred target eNodeB 6 that it has finally been selected by the UE 1.
• that indication to the source eNodeB 2 comes quite late in the handover process and makes the data forwarding process quite complex.
• a method for handover of a mobile terminal from a source node to a target node in a wireless telecommunications network includes the steps of: identifying a plurality of target nodes; identifying a preferred target node from the plurality for the mobile terminal to hand over to; and the source node indicating to the preferred target node that it is the preferred target node.
• a target node may be preferred, for example, because it is most likely to be the one to which the mobile terminal will successfully hand over, or because it involves the most efficient use of resources, or for some other reason, the designation process depending on how the network is implemented and its priorities.
• the method is applicable to networks implemented in accordance with Long Term Evolution, LTE, standards, but may also be used in other types of network where mobile terminals are connected to different nodes to achieve mobility, or between nodes of different technology types.
• the chosen target node when a target node other than the preferred target node is chosen to connect to the mobile terminal, the chosen target node sends a message to the source node to inform it of the choice and, following receipt of the message, and before the source node is sent a request to release resources, the source node begins forwarding data to the chosen target node. This enables data forwarding to the actual node selected for connection to the mobile terminal, where that node is not the designated preferred node, to begin sooner than in the previous second proposal.
• the source node Before the source node receives the message, it may forward data to the preferred target node. By forwarding data to the preferred node as soon as the source node receives a handover request acknowledgement message from it, the data forwarding remains optimally efficient in the vast majority of cases where the preferred target node becomes node selected by the mobile terminal.
• the source node when the preferred target node is selected to connect to the mobile terminal, no message is sent to the source node by the preferred target node to inform it of the selection before the source node is sent by this target node a request to release resources. This ensures that there is no significant additional signalling required to implement the invention.
• the source node sends a handover request to the plurality of target nodes and includes an indication in the handover request which indicates the preferred target node.
• the preferred status of a node may be transmitted via a separate message additional to the handover request message, but this increases signalling overheads.
• the handover request message sent to the preferred target node includes an information element informing it that it is the preferred target node and the handover request messages sent to non-preferred target nodes do not include the information element.
• the handover request message may, for example, include a flag which is set to 'preferred' or 'non-preferred', or alternatively, the handover request message may include an information element only where the handover request message is sent to the preferred node, and any non-preferred node infers from its absence that it is not the preferred node.
• a target node other than the preferred target node when a target node other than the preferred target node is chosen to connect to the mobile terminal and the chosen target node sends a message to the source node to inform it of the choice, following receipt of the message, and before the source node is sent a request to release resources, the source node sends a Handover Cancel message to the preferred target node to cancel prepared context related to the mobile terminal and held by preferred target node.
• the source node may also send a Handover Cancel message to each other non-selected target node when it receives the message form the chosen target node informing it of the choice.
• a wireless telecommunications network is arranged to implement the method in accordance with the invetion.
• Figures 1 to 4 schematically illustrate prior art networks and messaging during handover
• Figure 5 schematically illustrates a network and messaging during handover in accordance with the invention.
• Handover Request message at steps 4a and 4b, to multiple target eNBs 5 and 6.
• One of the target eNBs is designated by the source eNB 2 as the preferred target eNB, for example, because it is most likely to be the one to which the UE 1 will successfully hand over, or because it involves the most efficient use of resources, or for some other reason, the designation process depending on how the network is implemented.
• the Handover Request message sent at step 4a to the preferred eNB 5 also includes an indication that it is the preferred eNB. The indication is an additional information element included in the message.
• the Handover Request message to the other target eNBs, at step 4b does not include any indication that they are preferred. Following receipt of the Handover Ack messages at steps 6a and 6b from preferred and non-preferred eNBs 5 and 6, the source eNB 2 begins forwarding data to the preferred eNB 5.
• the UE 1 will then attach to the preferred eNB 5, and the handover procedure will continue as set out in Figure 1.
• the UE 1 establishes a connection with a non-preferred eNB 6, as shown in Figure 5, and sends a Handover Confirm message, at step 10, to the non-preferred target eNB 6, the eNB 6 then sends a new Handover Confirm message, at step 1 Obis, to the source eNB 2.
• the source eNB 2 stops data forwarding to the preferred eNB 5 and begins to send data to the selected target eNB 6 chosen by the UE 1.
• data begins to be forwarded to the elected target eNB 6 before the source eNB 2 receives a Release Resource message, at step 13.
• the information element in the Handover Request message, at step 4, indicates to the target eNodeB if it is preferred or not in this handover.
• the eNB 5 is preferred, it never sends the new message, at step lObis, when it becomes selected by the UE 1. Therefore, the new message lObis is only sent when a non-preferred target eNodeB 6 is selected by the UE 1, which means in fewer cases. This improves the bandwidth occupancy, for example, without increasing the signalling load.
• an optional, but advantageous procedure is to cancel the context prepared in the preferred eNodeB 5 as soon as possible in cases where a non-preferred eNodeB 6 is selected by the UE 1.
• This is done, in one method in accordance with the invention, by the source eNodeB 2 sending a Cancel message, shown as chain broken line 7, to the preferred target eNodeB 5 as soon as receiving the new message lObis.
• no Cancel message is sent and reception of the Release Resource message at step 13 is used to cancel the prepared context.
• the source eNB 2 may send Cancel messages to other non- selected, non-preferred target eNBs to immediately cancel pending prepared contexts that they hold.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-12-26 EP EP07291624A patent/EP2026620B1/en active Active
• 2008
  • 2008-07-21 WO PCT/EP2008/006178 patent/WO2009021615A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2008-07-21 JP JP2010520445A patent/JP5000760B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-07-21 KR KR1020107005380A patent/KR101371240B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2008-08-06 US US12/221,723 patent/US8571555B2/en active Active
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