WO2014025301A1

WO2014025301A1 - Mechanism to report ue mobility related assistance information

Info

Publication number: WO2014025301A1
Application number: PCT/SE2013/050856
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qianxi Lu; Rui Fan; Emre YAVUZ; Stefan WÄNSTEDT
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2012-08-10
Filing date: 2013-07-03
Publication date: 2014-02-13

Abstract

A method in a wireless device for controlling reporting of the wireless device to a network entity. The wireless device and the network entity operate in a wireless communications network. The method comprises determining whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity. This determination is based on whether a determined mobility status of the wireless device in an idle state satisfies a reporting criteria received from the network entity. The method further comprises generating a report comprising the mobility related assistance information. This is performed when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria. The method also comprises sending the report to the network entity.

Description

MECHANISM TO REPORT UE MOBILITY RELATED ASSISTANCE INFORMATION

BACKGROUND

Communication devices such as terminals are also known as e.g. User Equipments (UE), mobile terminals, wireless terminals and/or mobile stations. Terminals are enabled to communicate wirelessly in a cellular communications network or wireless communication system, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system or cellular networks. The communication may be performed e.g. between two terminals, between a terminal and a regular telephone and/or between a terminal and a server via a Radio Access Network (RAN) and possibly one or more core networks, comprised within the cellular communications network.

Terminals may further be referred to as mobile telephones, cellular telephones, laptops, or tablets with wireless capability, just to mention some further examples. The terminals in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer- comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the RAN, with another entity, such as another terminal or a server.

The cellular communications network covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area being served by an access node such as a base station, e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which sometimes may be referred to as e.g. "eNB", "eNodeB", "NodeB", "B node", or BTS (Base Transceiver Station), depending on the technology and terminology used. The base stations may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. A cell is the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the base station at a base station site. One base station, situated on the base station site, may serve one or several cells. Further, each base station may support one or several communication technologies. The base stations communicate over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with the terminals within range of the base stations. In the context of this disclosure, the expression Downlink (DL) is used for the transmission path from the base station to the mobile station. The expression Uplink (UL) is used for the transmission path in the opposite direction i.e. from the mobile station to the base station.

In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks. 3GPP LTE radio access standard has been written in order to support high bitrates and low latency both for uplink and downlink traffic. All data transmission is in LTE controlled by the radio base station.

Various schemes for reporting are commonly employed in a wireless communications network where wireless devices transmit reports to a network entity in the network. However, these reports create overhead and consume resources in the network that may be useful and/or needed for other transmissions, e.g. during periods with high traffic load on the network.

SUMMARY

It is an object of embodiments herein to provide a way of improving reporting of a wireless device to a network entity in a wireless communication system.

According to a first aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method in a wireless device for controlling reporting of the wireless device to a network entity. The wireless device and the network entity operate in a wireless communications network. The method comprises determining whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity. This determination is based on whether a determined mobility status of the wireless device in an idle state satisfies a reporting criteria received from the network entity. The method further comprises generating a report comprising the mobility related assistance information. This is performed when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria. The method also comprises sending the report to the network entity.

According to a second aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method in the network entity for controlling reporting of the wireless device to the network entity. The wireless device and the network entity operate in the wireless communications network. The method comprises determining the reporting criteria for receiving mobility related assistance information from the wireless device. The method further comprises sending the reporting criteria to the wireless device.

According to a third aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by the wireless device for controlling reporting of the wireless device to the network entity. The wireless device and the network entity are configured to operate in the wireless communications network. The wireless device comprises a mobility processor. The mobility processor is configured to determine whether the determined mobility status of the wireless device in the idle state satisfies the reporting criteria received from the network entity. The wireless device also comprises a reporting processor. The reporting processor is configured to generate the report comprising mobility related assistance information. This is performed when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria. The reporting processor is further configured to send the report to the network entity.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by the network entity for controlling reporting of the wireless device to the network entity. The wireless device and the network entity are configured to operate in the wireless communications network. The network entity comprises a criteria processor configured to determine the reporting criteria for receiving the mobility related assistance information from the wireless device. The criteria processor is further configured to send the reporting criteria to the wireless device.

Embodiments herein allow the wireless device to report mobile assisted related information used to optimize timer setting in the network entity, more efficiently, reducing signaling overhead. This is achieved by determining whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity based on whether the determined mobility status of the wireless device in the idle state satisfies the reporting criteria received from the network entity. This is also achieved by only generating and sending the report comprising the mobility related assistance information when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria. The increased efficiency results in a system with increased capacity, reduced latency, decreased power consumption of the wireless device, and in turn, increased user satisfaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non- limiting embodiment(s). In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows the mobility-specific optimal RRC timer for instant message traffic.

Figure 2 shows PRB usage for different RRC timer setting schemes.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a wireless network, according to some embodiments. Figure 4 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in a wireless device, according to some embodiments.

Figure 5 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in a network entity, according to some embodiments.

Figure 6 is a block diagram of a wireless device that is configured according to some embodiments.

Figure 7 is a block diagram of a network entity that is configured according to

some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As part of the solution according to embodiments herein, one or more problems that may be associated with use of at least some of the prior art solutions will first be identified and discussed.

Two Radio Resource Control (RRC) states are currently defined for a Long Term

Evolution (LTE) User Equipment (UE): RRC_connected and RRC_idle. During the

RRC_connected state, the UE RRC connection is maintained and/or controlled by a network entity, e.g., an Enhanced NodeB (eNB). In this case, handover procedures are used for mobility management, and the UE wakes/sleeps according to the configured Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameters. During the RRC_idle state the UE RRC connection is released and no UE related information is stored at the network entity. The switching of RRC states, from idle to connected, and from connected to idle, is controlled by the network entity.

When there is data to send/receive to/from the UE, the RRC connection has to be reestablished first. Cell re-selection is used for mobility management during the RRC_idle state, and the UE wakes/sleeps according to the paging interval. Therefore, different RRC states have different signaling loads and requirements. For example, the RRC_connected state has more handover related signaling, while the RRC_idle state has more RRC re-establishment signaling. Also, different RRC states have different delay performances because the reaction time depends on the length of the DRX/Paging cycle.

When the network is highly loaded, the need to optimize the RRC state switching strategy may arise. It would be very valuable for the network entity to control the RRC state switching to reduce the signaling load and UE power consumption, and to minimize the delay. This is especially interesting in the context of the 3GPP work on 'Enhancements for Diverse Data Applications' (eDDA), 3GPP TR 36.822, Nov. 201 1. Based on the latest study of eDDA work item, an RRC release timer setting is related to a mobility status of the UE, as shown in Figure 1. For example, the timer represents the time after the last data transmission until the RRC connection is released. In the Figure, Inter-Arrival Time, e.g., the time between the arrivals of data packets is represented as IAT. Upon expiration of the release timer, the eNB releases the connection with the UE. While the release timer is running, no data is sent from or received by the UE. The relationship between the release timer and mobility can, in this context, be briefly explained as: 1) For low mobility UEs, Handover (HO) occurs less frequently, so a long timer may be adopted to avoid signaling for RRC state switching, but 2) For high mobility UEs, HO occurs more frequently, so a short timer may be used to avoid a high handover signaling load.

One solution uses an RRC release timer setting scheme based on the UE mobility and the type of traffic. In this case, the eNB selects the RRC release timer duration taking the UE mobility into account. While this solution works during the RRC_connected state, it is problematic for the RRC_idle state because the eNB currently does not have mobility information for idle UEs. In addition, while currently known network solutions consider using reports from idle UEs, they do not consider the problem of how to reduce the overhead generated with such a solution.

In 3GPP RAN2#78, Ericsson debriefing LTE eDDA, March 2012, the possibility for the UE to provide mobility information to the network entity during transition from the idle state to the connected state was introduced, where this information would be used by the network entity to optimize the RRC release timer. The main reason for this improvement is that the network entity does not know the mobility status of the UE when the UE is in idle state, according to the existing 3GPP LTE specifications. While it is helpful to set the RRC release timer duration more properly to reduce signaling overhead, a side-effect of UE reporting during the idle state is increased overhead. According to the simulation results shown in Figure 2, it can be seen that when the size of the UE report increases, the performance gain achieved by the UE report with respect to the static timer setting scheme disappears. In this Figure, a static timer is, e.g., an RRC release timer with a preconfigured value, that no matter what the estimated mobility state of the UE is, the timer is always set a fixed value.

Therefore, there is a need to reduce the overhead introduced by the UE report, while still ensuring the performance gain achieved by the RRC release timer scheme during the idle state.

To address the issues described above, embodiments described herein comprise a wireless device that may determine a mobility status, and determines whether to send mobility related assistance information to a network entity, for example, during the transition from the idle state to the connected state based on the mobility status. In one embodiment, the network entity may control which mobility level(s) lead to wireless devices reporting the information.

Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of how the claimed subject matter may be implemented are shown. The claimed subject matter may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the claimed subject matter to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present/used in another embodiment.

Figure 3 depicts a wireless communications network 300 in which embodiments herein may be implemented. The wireless communications network 300 may for example be a network such as a Long-Term Evolution (LTE), e.g. LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), LTE Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplex (HD-FDD), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) TDD, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network, GSM/Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) Radio Access Network (GERAN) network, EDGE network, network comprising of any combination of Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as e.g. Multi- Standard Radio (MSR) base stations, multi-RAT base stations etc., any 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) cellular network, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or any cellular network or system.

The wireless communications network 300 comprises a network entity 310. The network entity 310 may be, for example, a base station such as e.g. an eNB, eNodeB, or a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, femto Base Station, BS, pico BS or any other network unit capable to serve a device or a machine type communication device in the wireless communications network 300. In some particular embodiments, the network entity 310 may be a stationary relay node or a mobile relay node. The wireless communications network 300 covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area is served by a network entity, although, one network entity may serve one or several cells. In the example depicted in Figure 3, the network entity 310 serves a cell 320. The network entity 310 may be of different classes, such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. Typically, wireless communications network 300 may comprise more cells similar to cell 320, served by their respective network entities. This is not depicted in Figure 3 for the sake of simplicity. The network entity 310 may support one or several communication technologies, and its name may depend on the technology and terminology used. In 3GPP LTE network entities, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks.

In some embodiments, the network entity 310 may be, for example, a "centralized network management node" or "coordinating node", which as used herein is a network node, which may also be a radio network node, which coordinates radio resources with one or more radio network nodes and/or UEs. Some examples of the coordinating node are network monitoring and configuration node, Operations Support System (OSS) node, Operations & Maintenance (O&M) node, Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) node, Self-Organizing Network (SON) node, positioning node, a gateway node such as Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) or Serving Gateway (S-GW) network node or femto gateway node, a macro node coordinating smaller radio nodes associated with it, etc.

A number of wireless devices are located in the wireless communications network 300. In the example scenario of Figure 3, only one wireless device is shown, wireless device 330. The wireless device 330 may e.g. communicate with the network entity 310 over a radio link 340.

The wireless device 330 is a wireless communication device such as a UE, which is also known as e.g. mobile terminal, wireless terminal and/or mobile station. The device is wireless, i.e., it is enabled to communicate wirelessly in the wireless communication network 300, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system or cellular network. The communication may be performed e.g., between two devices, between a device and a regular telephone and/or between a device and a server. The communication may be performed e.g., via a RAN and possibly one or more core networks, comprised within the wireless communication network 300.

The wireless device 330 may further be referred to as a mobile telephone, cellular telephone, or laptop with wireless capability, just to mention some further examples. The wireless device 330 may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer- comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the RAN, with another entity, such as a server, a laptop, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a tablet computer, sometimes referred to as a surf plate with wireless capability, Machine-to- Machine (M2M) devices, devices equipped with a wireless interface, such as a printer or a file storage device or any other radio network unit capable of communicating over a radio link in a cellular communications system.

Example of embodiments of a method in a wireless device 330 for a wireless device 330 for controlling reporting of the wireless device 300 to a network entity 310, will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in Figure 4. The wireless device 330 and the network entity 310 operate in the wireless communications network 300.

The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed lines of some boxes in Figure 4 indicate that the action is not mandatory, while continued lines of some boxes in Figure 4 indicate that the action is mandatory.

Action 401

In this action, the wireless device 330 may determine a mobility status of the wireless device 330 in the idle state. This is an optional action.

This may be implemented by a mobility processor 601 in the wireless device 330, as described later in reference to Figure 6, configured to estimate the mobility status of the wireless device 330, e.g., a UE, when in the idle state, using any known procedures.

It may be appreciated that there may be multiple ways for the mobility processor 601 in the wireless device 330 to determine the mobility status of the wireless device 330. Thus, the options listed herein are presented solely to provide exemplary wireless device 330 mobility estimation techniques, and are not intended to be limiting. In one embodiment, the mobility processor 601 may estimate the mobility status of the wireless device 330 as normal, medium, or high, according to the current 3GPP LTE specification based on the Information Element (IE) of mobilityStateParameters in the System Information Block (SIB) 3 (SIB3), 3GPP TS 36.304 "E-UTRA User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode," June 2011 . In this example, the mobility processor 601 may compare a number of cell reselections N during a time period, e.g., Time Cell Reselection maximum (TCRmax), to a threshold, to determine the mobility status of the wireless device 330. If N is less than a first threshold, e.g., Number of Cell Reselections (NCR)_M, the wireless device 330 is in a low mobility state. If N exceeds NCR_M but is less than a second threshold, e.g., NCR_H, the wireless device 330 is in a medium mobility state. If N exceeds NCR_H, the wireless device 330 is in a high mobility state.

Thus, in some embodiments, determining the mobility status may comprise comparing a number of cell reselections during a time period to a threshold.

In other embodiments, the mobility processor 601 may estimate the mobility status of the wireless device 330 based on speed information associated with the wireless device 330. For example, for a wireless device 330 equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, the mobility processor 601 may estimate speed information regarding the wireless device 330. Because GPS receivers consume a lot of power, the GPS-based estimation option may selectively operate continuously or discontinuously. Alternatively, the mobility processor 601 may make two or more Doppler measurements, and estimate the speed information of the wireless device 330 based on the Doppler measurements. In any event, the mobility processor 601 may estimate the mobility status of the wireless device 330 based on the determined speed information, e.g., by differentiating between multiple different speed levels. For example, the mobility processor 601 may compare the determined speed information to defined speed thresholds, e.g., to determine the mobility status of the wireless device 330.

Thus, in some embodiments, determining the mobility status may be based on speed information associated with the wireless device 330. In some of these embodiments, the speed information may be obtained through one of: a Global Positioning System, GPS, receiver in the wireless device, and two or more Doppler measurements.

Action 402

In this action, the wireless device 330 may receive a reporting criteria from the network entity 310. This is an optional action. This may be implemented, for example, by a reporting processor 602 in the wireless device 330, as described later in reference to Figure 6, receiving reporting criteria from the network entity 310 via an antenna 603 in the wireless device 330, as described later in reference to Figure 6. Receiving may be implemented, for example, through RRC, during RRC connection setup. The reporting criteria will be described below, in relation to action 501. In this description the term criteria comprises at least one criterion. For example, the network entity 310 may indicate that the wireless device 330 should report mobility related assistance information when the wireless device 330 has a high mobility. Action 403

Based on the received criteria, the reporting processor 602 determines whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity 310, e.g., an eNB. For example, if the network entity 310 indicates the wireless device 330 should report mobility related assistance information when the wireless device 330 has a high mobility, the reporting processor 602 may report mobility related assistance information to the network entity 310 via the antenna 603 in the wireless device 330 only when the mobility processor 602 may determine that the wireless device 330 has a high mobility. Else, the reporting processor 602 may not send a report. It may be appreciated that the embodiments of the method in the wireless device 330 described herein are not limited to the order shown in Figure 4, e.g., the reporting processor 602 may receive the reporting criteria before the mobility processor 601 estimates the mobility status.

Thus, in this action, the wireless device 330 determines whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity 310, based on whether a determined mobility status of the wireless device 330 in an idle state satisfies the reporting criteria received from the network entity 310.

It may also be appreciated that there may be different options regarding the content of the mobility assistance information reported to the network entity 310. For example, the mobility assistance report may include the estimated mobility status (low, medium, high) of the wireless device 330, and/or the detailed history information, e.g., mobility history information, of the wireless device 330 during idle state, e.g., a set of cell IDentifiers (IDs) and the length of time that the wireless device 330 may stay in a cell accordingly. Including only the mobility status information may be helpful in reducing signaling overhead, but may result in the loss of the potential gain of network estimation based on the detailed history information of the wireless device 330. For example, history information may comprise mobility history information, cell reselection history, e.g., cells visited, for example, visited cell IDs, and time of stay in each cell.

Hence, in some embodiments, the mobility assistance information may comprise at least one of: the determined mobility status of the wireless device 330, and history information of the wireless device 330 during the idle state. Action 404

In this action, the wireless device 330 generates a report comprising the mobility related assistance information when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria.

Action 405

In this action, the wireless device 330 sends the report to the network entity 310. The sending may be implemented, for example, through RRC signaling. In some embodiments, the wireless device 330 may send the report to the network entity 310, for example, during a transition from the idle state to the connected state, based on the mobility status.

Example of embodiments of a method in a network entity 310 for controlling reporting of the wireless device 300 to the network entity 310, will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in Figure 5. The wireless device 330 and the network entity 310 operate in the wireless communications network 300.

The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed lines of some boxes in Figure 5 indicate that the action is not mandatory, while continuous lines of some boxes in Figure 5 indicate that the action is mandatory.

Action 501

In this action, the network entity 310 determines a reporting criteria for receiving mobility related assistance information from the wireless device 330. This may be implemented by a criteria processor 701 in the network entity 310, as described later in reference to Figure 7. The criteria processor 701 may first determine the reporting criteria. In some cases, it may be desirable for high mobility wireless devices 330 to report the assistance information, while in other cases it may be desirable for low mobility wireless devices 330 to report the assistance information. For example, according to Figure 2, the performance is mostly improved for the wireless devices 330 with medium or high mobility. Thus, by requiring medium/high mobility wireless devices 330 to report the assistance information, a timer processor 702 in the network entity 310, as described later in reference to Figure 7, may set a timer 703, e.g., an RRC release timer, in the network entity 310, as also described later in reference to Figure 7, accordingly, to facilitate the improved performance. On the other hand, because the reporting may introduce extra network signaling overhead, the performance gap between different wireless device 330 report size cases may be more severe for higher mobility levels. Thus, the network entity 310 may have low mobility wireless devices 330 report the assistance information to reduce network signaling overhead. However, to balance between the two aspects, the criteria processor 701 may take into account the load of the wireless device 330, of different mobility types.

Action 502

After determining the reporting criteria, the criteria processor 701 may optionally signal the reporting criteria to the wireless device 330 via an antenna 704 in the network entity 310, as described later in reference to Figure 7. This signaling may be carried by broadcasted/dedicated signaling implicitly or explicitly.

Thus, in this action, the network entity 310 sends the reporting criteria to the wireless device 330. The sending may be implemented, for example, through RRC signaling.

Action 503

The timer processor 702 may receive any mobility assisted information reported by the wireless device 330. Timer processor 703 may then set the timer 703 based on whether a report is received, and if a report is received, based on the contents of the report. For example, if only medium/high mobility level wireless devices 330 are instructed to report, and no report is received by the network entity 310, the timer processor 702 may apply a long time to the, e.g., RRC, timer 703 under the assumption that the lack of a report indicates the wireless device 330 has a low mobility. If, however, the timer processor 702 receives a report, the timer processor 702 may apply a shorter time to the, e.g., RRC, timer 703 due to the higher mobility.

Thus, in this action, the network entity 310 may set a duration of the timer 703 in the network entity 310, based on whether a report is received from the wireless device 330, and when a report is received, based on the contents of the report. This is an optional action.

Action 504

In this action, the network entity 310 may receive the report from the wireless device 330 This is an optional action. The receiving may be implemented, for example, through RRC signaling. To perform the method actions in the wireless device 330 described above in relation to Figure 4 for controlling reporting of the wireless device 300 to the network entity 310, the wireless device 330 comprises the following arrangement depicted in Figure 6. The wireless device 330 and the network entity 310 are configured to operate in the wireless communications network 300.

The wireless device 330 comprises the mobility processor 601 configured to determine whether the determined mobility status of the wireless device 330 in an idle state satisfies a reporting criteria received from the network entity 310.

In some embodiments, the mobility processor 601 may be further configured to determine the mobility status of the wireless device 330 when the wireless device 330 is in the idle state.

In some of these embodiments, to determine the mobility status may comprise to compare a number of cell reselections during a time period to a threshold.

In some embodiments, the mobility processor 601 may be further configured to determine the mobility status, based on speed information associated with the wireless device 330.

In some of these embodiments, the speed information may be obtained through one of: a Global Positioning System, GPS, receiver in the wireless device, and two or more Doppler measurements.

The wireless device 330 also comprises the reporting processor 602 configured to generate a report comprising mobility related assistance information when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria.

The reporting processor 602 is also configured to send the report to the network entity

310.

In some embodiments, the mobility assistance information may comprise at least one of: the determined mobility status of the wireless device 330, and history information of the wireless device 330 during the idle state.

In some embodiments, the reporting processor 602 may be further configured to receive reporting criteria from the network entity 310.

The embodiments herein for controlling reporting of the wireless device 300 to the network entity 310 in the wireless device 330 may be implemented through one or more processors, such as a processing circuit 604 in the wireless device 330 depicted in Figure 6, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the in the wireless device 330. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It may be however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the wireless device 330.

The wireless device 330 may further comprise a memory circuit 605 comprising one or more memory units. The memory circuit 605 may be arranged to be used to store data such as, the information received by the processing circuit 604 in relation to applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the wireless device 330. Memory circuit 605 may be in communication with the processing circuit 604. Any of the other information processed by the processing circuit 604 may also be stored in the memory circuit 605.

In some embodiments, the reporting criteria from the network entity 310 may be received through a receiving port 606. In some embodiments, the receiving port 606 may be, for example, connected to one or more antennas 603 in the wireless device 330. In other embodiments, the wireless device 330 may receive information from another structure in the wireless communications network 300 through the receiving port 606. Since the receiving port 606 may be in communication with the processing circuit 604, the receiving port 606 may then send the received information to the processing circuit 604. The receiving port 606 may also be configured to receive other information.

The information received by the processing circuit 604 in relation to methods herein, may be stored in the memory circuit 605 which, as stated earlier, may be in communication with the processing circuit 604 and the receiving port 606.

The processing circuit 604 may be further configured to send the report to the network entity 310 through a sending port 607, which may be in communication with the processing circuit 604, and the memory circuit 605.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the mobility processor 601 and the reporting processor 602 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware (e.g., stored in memory) that, when executed by the one or more processors such as the processing circuit 604, perform as described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

To perform the method actions in the network entity 310 described above in relation to Figure 5 for controlling reporting of the wireless device 300 to the network entity 310, the network entity 310 comprises the following arrangement depicted in Figure 7. The wireless device 330 and the network entity 310 are configured to operate in the wireless communications network 300.

The network entity 310 comprises the criteria processor 701 configured to determine a reporting criteria for receiving mobility related assistance information from the wireless device 330.

The criteria processor 701 is also configured to send the reporting criteria to the wireless device 330.

In some embodiments, the network entity 310 may further comprise the timer processor 702 configured to set a duration of a timer 703 comprised in the network entity 310, based on whether a report is received from the wireless device 330, and if the report is received, based on the contents of the report.

In some embodiments, the the timer processor 702 is further configured to receive the report from the wireless device 330.

In some embodiments, the network entity 310 may further comprise the timer 703, e.g., an RRC timer.

The embodiments herein controlling reporting of a wireless device 300 to the network entity 310 in the network entity 310 may be implemented through one or more processors, such as a processing circuit 705 in the network entity 310 depicted in Figure 7, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the in the network entity 310. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It may be however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the network entity 310.

The network entity 310 may further comprise a memory circuit 706 comprising one or more memory units. The memory circuit 706 may be arranged to be used to store data such as, the report received by the processing circuit 705 in relation to applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the network entity 310. Memory circuit 706 may be in communication with the processing circuit 705. Any of the other information processed by the processing circuit 705 may also be stored in the memory circuit 706.

In some embodiments, information such as the report received from the wireless device 330 may be received through a receiving port 707. In some embodiments, the receiving port 707 may be, for example, connected to one or more antennas 704 in the network entity 310. In other embodiments, the network entity 310 may receive information from another structure in the wireless communications network 300 through the receiving port 707. Since the receiving port 707 may be in communication with the processing circuit 705, the receiving port 707 may then send the received information to the processing circuit 705. The receiving port 707 may also be configured to receive other information.

The information obtained or adapted by the processing circuit 705 in relation to the method disclosed herein, may be stored in the memory circuit 706 which, as stated earlier, may be in communication with the processing circuit 705 and the receiving port 707.

The processing circuit 705 may be further configured to send information or the criteria processor 701 may be configured to send the reporting criteria to the wireless device 330, through a sending port 708, which may be in communication with the processing circuit 705, and the memory circuit 706.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the criteria processor 701 , the timer processor 702 and the timer 703 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware (e.g., stored in memory) that, when executed by the one or more processors such as the processing circuit 705, perform as described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

The methods and apparatuses disclosed herein may provide an efficient way to reduce signaling overhead during the transition from idle to connected while still ensuring the performance gain achieved when the wireless device 330 reports mobile assisted related information used to optimize timer setting in the network entity, such as an RRC timer setting.

When using the word "comprise" or "comprising" it shall be interpreted as non- limiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of".

The embodiments herein are not limited to the above described embodiments. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, the above embodiments should not be taken as limiting the scope, which is defined by the appending claims.

The embodiments herein may be carried out in other ways than those specifically set forth herein without departing from their essential characteristics. The present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A method in a wireless device (330) for controlling reporting of the wireless device (300) to a network entity (310), the wireless device (330) and the network entity (310) operating in a wireless communications network (300), the method comprising:

determining (403) whether to report mobility related assistance information to the network entity (310), based on whether a determined mobility status of the wireless device (330) in an idle state satisfies a reporting criteria received from the network entity (310),

generating (404) a report comprising the mobility related assistance information when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria, and

sending (405) the report to the network entity (310).

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining (401) the mobility status of the wireless device (330) in the idle state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining (401) the mobility status comprises

comparing a number of cell reselections during a time period to a threshold.

4. The method of any of claims 2-3, wherein determining (401) the mobility status is based on speed information associated with the wireless device (330).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the speed information is obtained through one of: a Global Positioning System, GPS, receiver in the wireless device, and two or more Doppler measurements.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein the mobility assistance information

comprises at least one of: the determined mobility status of the wireless device (330), and history information of the wireless device (330) during the idle state.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, further comprising receiving (402) the reporting criteria from the network entity (310).

8. A method in a network entity (310) for controlling reporting of a wireless device (300) to the network entity (310), the wireless device (330) and the network entity (310) operating in a wireless communications network (300), the method comprising:

determining (501) a reporting criteria for receiving mobility related assistance information from the wireless device (330), and

sending (502) the reporting criteria to the wireless device (330).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising setting (504) a duration of a timer in the network entity (310), based on whether a report is received from the wireless device (330), and when a report is received, based on the contents of the report.

10. The method of any of claims 8-9, further comprising receiving (503) a report from the wireless device (330).

1 1 . A wireless device (330) for controlling reporting of the wireless device (300) to a

network entity (310), the wireless device (330) and the network entity (310) being configured to operate in a wireless communications network (300), the wireless device (330) comprising:

a mobility processor (601) configured to:

determine whether a determined mobility status of the wireless device (330) in an idle state satisfies a reporting criteria received from the network entity (310), and

a reporting processor (602) configured to:

generate a report comprising mobility related assistance information when the mobility status satisfies the reporting criteria, and

send the report to the network entity (310).

12. The wireless device (330) of claim 1 1 , wherein the mobility processor (601) is further configured to determine the mobility status of the wireless device (330) when the wireless device (330) is in the idle state.

The wireless device (330) of claim 12 wherein to determine the mobility status comprises to compare a number of cell reselections during a time period to a threshold.

14. The wireless device (330) of any of claims 12-13, wherein the mobility processor (601) is further configured to determine the mobility status, based on speed information associated with the wireless device (330).

15. The wireless device (330) of claim 14, wherein the speed information is obtained

through one of: a Global Positioning System, GPS, receiver in the wireless device, and two or more Doppler measurements.

16. The wireless device (330) of any of claims 1 1-15, wherein the mobility assistance information comprises at least one of: the determined mobility status of the wireless device (330), and history information of the wireless device (330) during the idle state.

17. The wireless device (330) of any of claims 1 1-16, wherein the reporting processor (602) is further configured to receive reporting criteria from the network entity (310).

18. A network entity (310) for controlling reporting of a wireless device (300) to the

network entity (310), the wireless device (330) and the network entity (310) being configured to operate in a wireless communications network (300), the network entity (310) comprising:

a criteria processor (701) configured to:

determine a reporting criteria for receiving mobility related assistance information from the wireless device (330), and

send the reporting criteria to the wireless device (330).

19. The network entity (310) of claim 18, further comprising:

a timer processor (702) configured to set a duration of a timer (703) comprised in the network entity (310), based on whether a report is received from the wireless device (330), and if the report is received, based on the contents of the report, and the timer (703).

20. The network entity (310) of any of claims 18-19, wherein the timer processor (702) is further configured to receive the report from the wireless device (330).