Network node and method therein for handover in wireless communication network

• US 10,172,049 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lindoff, Bengt, Astrom, Magnus, Eker, Johan, Nilsson, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lan-Huong
• Application Number:
  US14/651,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20170142622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A network node and method therein for assisting a communication device to perform handover from a serving cell to a target cell in a communication network are disclosed. The network node is configured to obtain a first round trip time between the network node and a server and obtain a second round trip time between a target node in the target cell and the server. The network node is further configured to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell based on at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time.

Claims

1. A method performed in a network node for assisting a communication device to perform handover from a serving cell to a target cell in a communication network, wherein the network node is a serving node for the communication device in the serving cell, the method comprising:

obtaining a first round trip time between the network node and a server;

obtaining a second round trip time between a target node in the target cell and the server;

deciding whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell by considering at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time; and

conditionally instructing the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell in accordance with the decision,

wherein deciding whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises;

deciding if the first round trip time is longer than the second round trip time, and if so then deciding to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a first round trip time comprises sending a ping signal to the server and measuring the first round trip time by the network node.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a first round trip time comprises:

instructing the server to perform a ping test for measuring the first round trip time; and

receiving information about the first round trip time measurement from the server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a second round trip time comprises:

sending information on Internet Protocol (IP) address of the server from the network node to the target node;

instructing the target node to do a ping test for measuring the second round trip time;

receiving information about the second round trip time measurement from the target node.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a second round trip time comprises:

sending information on IP address or a cell identity of the target node to the server;

instructing the server to perform a ping test for measuring the second round trip time;

receiving information about the second round trip time measurement from the server.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a second round trip time between the target node and the server comprises:

configuring a measurement gap for the communication device to measure the second round trip time by sending a ping signal from the communication device to the server via the target node;

receiving information about the second round trip time measurement from the communication device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein deciding whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises:

deciding if the second round trip time is longer than the first round time but shorter than a pre-determined threshold and a signal quality of the target cell is better than the serving cell, and if so then deciding to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

8. A network node for assisting a communication device to perform handover from a serving cell to a target cell in a communication network, wherein the network node is a serving node for the communication device in the serving cell, the network node is configured to:

obtain a first round trip time between the network node and a server;

obtain a second round trip time between a target node in the target cell and the server; and

decide whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell by considering at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time; and

conditionally instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell based on at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time in accordance with the decision,

wherein the network node being configured to decide whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises being configured to;

decide if the first round trip time is longer than the second round trip time, and if so then decide to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

9. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node is further configured to send a ping signal to the server and measuring the first round trip time.

10. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node is further configured to:

instruct the server to perform a ping test for measuring the first round trip time;

receive information about the first round trip time measurement from the server.

11. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node is further configured to:

send information on Internet Protocol (IP) address of the server to the target node;

instruct the target node to do a ping test for measuring the second round trip time; and

receive information about the second round trip time measurement from the target node.

12. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node is further configured to:

send information on IP address or a cell identity of the target node to the server;

instruct the server to perform a ping test for measuring the second round trip time;

receive information about the second round trip time measurement from the server.

13. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node is further configured to:

configure a measurement gap for the communication device to measure the second round trip time by sending a ping signal from the communication device to the server via the target node; and

receive information about the second round trip time measurement from the communication device.

14. The network node according to claim 8, wherein the network node configured to decide whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises being configured to:

decide if the second round trip time is longer than the first round time but shorter than a pre-determined threshold and a signal quality of the target cell is better than the serving cell, and if so then decide to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

15. A method performed in a network node for assisting a communication device to perform handover from a serving cell to a target cell in a communication network, wherein the network node is a serving node for the communication device in the serving cell, the method comprising:

obtaining a first round trip time between the network node and a server;

obtaining a second round trip time between a target node in the target cell and the server;

deciding whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell by considering at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time; and

conditionally instructing the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell in accordance with the decision,

wherein deciding whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises;

deciding if the second round trip time is longer than the first round time but shorter than a pre-determined threshold and a signal quality of the target cell is better than the serving cell, and if so then deciding to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.

16. A network node for assisting a communication device to perform handover from a serving cell to a target cell in a communication network, wherein the network node is a serving node for the communication device in the serving cell, the network node is configured to:

obtain a first round trip time between the network node and a server;

obtain a second round trip time between a target node in the target cell and the server; and

decide whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell by considering at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time; and

conditionally instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell based on at least the first round trip time and the second round trip time in accordance with the decision,

wherein the network node configured to decide whether or not to instruct the communication device to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell comprises being configured to;

decide if the second round trip time is longer than the first round time but shorter than a pre-determined threshold and a signal quality of the target cell is better than the serving cell, and if so then decide to perform handover from the serving cell to the target cell.