Method for monitoring licensed-assisted access cell, device, and base station

• US 10,291,421 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Huang, Qufang, Zeng, Qinghai
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lalchinthang, Vanneilian
• Application Number:
  US15/677,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 370312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and device for monitoring a licensed-assisted access cell. The method includes user equipment receiving notification signaling from a base station, where the notification signaling is used to instruct the user equipment to monitor a target LAA cell. The user equipment monitors for a specified signal of the target LAA cell after receiving the notification signaling. In this way, user equipment does not need to continually monitor or receive a signal of an LAA cell and power consumption can be reduced.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a licensed-assisted access (LAA) cell, the method comprising:

receiving, by user equipment, notification signaling sent from a base station, wherein the notification signaling is used to instruct the user equipment to monitor the target licensed-assisted access (LAA) cell;

obtaining, by the user equipment, an index of a preamble sequence of the target LAA cell;

after a first preset time period elapses from a time at which the notification signaling is received, monitoring, by the user equipment, the preamble sequence of the target LAA cell within a second preset time period in accordance with the index; and

when the preamble sequence of the target LAA cell is obtained within the second preset time period, determining, by the user equipment, that the base station succeeds in contention for the target LAA cell and that the target LAA cell is available.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the notification signaling comprises characteristic information of the target LAA cell; and

the method further comprises;

determining, by the user equipment, the target LAA cell according to the characteristic information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic information comprises an identity of the target LAA cell.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic information comprises a frequency of the target LAA cell.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when the user equipment does not obtain the preamble sequence within the second preset time period, determining, by the user equipment, that the target LAA cell is unavailable.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification signaling comprises broadcast signaling.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification signaling comprises dedicated signaling.

8. A user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the user equipment to;

receive notification signaling sent from a base station, wherein the notification signaling is used to instruct the user equipment to monitor a target licensed-assisted access (LAA) cell;

obtain an index of a preamble sequence of the target LAA cell;

after a first preset time period elapses from a time at which the notification signaling is received, monitor the preamble sequence of the target LAA cell within a second preset time period in accordance with the index; and

when the preamble sequence of the target LAA cell is obtained within the second preset time period, determine that the base station succeeds in contention for the target LAA cell and that the target LAA cell is available.

9. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein:

the notification signaling comprises characteristic information of the target LAA cell; and

the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the user equipment to;

determine the target LAA cell according to the characteristic information.

10. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein the characteristic information comprises an identity of the target LAA cell.

11. The user equipment according to claim 9, wherein the characteristic information comprises a frequency of the target LAA cell.

12. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the user equipment to:

determine that the target LAA cell is unavailable when no preamble sequence is obtained within the second preset time period.

13. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein the notification signaling comprises broadcast signaling.

14. The user equipment according to claim 8, wherein the notification signaling comprises dedicated signaling.