Service-based cell selection and reselection

• US 10,542,547 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kubota, Keiichi, Horn, Gavin Bernard, Li, Chih Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Nam T
• Application Number:
  US15/017,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and techniques are disclosed for selecting service-specific cells that considers additional information about service availability at the cells. A base station stores service availability information in system information. A UE searching for a service-specific cell on which to camp receives the system information with service availability. The UE analyzes its service requirements against the service availability as well as measured radio conditions and selects a cell that enables service-specific support on which to camp. When a change occurs to availability of the service support at the base station, it notifies the camped UE of the change and the UE obtains the changed system information to determine whether to reselect a different cell on which to camp. When a service-specific cell is not available, the UE may select a suitable cell for normal service and periodically perform cell reselection in an attempt to again camp on a service-specific cell.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

detecting, by a user equipment (UE), activation of an upper layer service of the UE;

determining, by the UE in response to the activation, one or more operating parameters based on an operating requirement of the upper layer service of the UE;

filtering, by the UE, a plurality of cells that each comprises a service indicator, to determine a subset of cells from the plurality of cells that satisfies the one or more operating parameters based on the service indicator;

measuring, by the UE after the filtering, a radio condition of each cell from the subset of cells;

selecting, by the UE in response to the measuring each cell from the subset of cells, a cell whose radio condition is better than radio conditions of remaining cells from the subset of cells for camping;

camping, by the UE, on the selected cell in response to the selecting;

receiving, by the UE while camping on the selected cell, updated service availability information from the selected cell; and

performing, by the UE in response to receiving the updated service availability information, cell reselection to another cell based on a comparison between the updated service availability information and the one or more operating parameters determined for the upper layer service of the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating parameters include one or more of carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, radio access technology, operating frequency, asynchronous data transfer, latency, or quality of service class.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells includes a service availability indicator that includes at least one of:

a flag indicating whether the upper layer service is available on the cell;

one or more operating parameters for the upper layer service on the cell;

a quality of service class identifier (QCI);

or

a mode of the upper layer service on the cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells is received as part of at least one of a system information communication or unicast message comprising a radio resource control (RRC) communication or a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each service indicator includes a service area indicator that identifies a plurality of cells having the same service availability.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the UE is configured to determine the one or more operating parameters based on a plurality of services at the UE including the upper layer service, the method further comprising;

weighting, by the UE, each service from the plurality of services.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the UE, a fit of each cell from the plurality of cells to each weighted service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the one or more operating parameters includes determining the one or more operating parameters independent of the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper layer service includes ultra-low latency and highly reliable traffic.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper layer service includes mission critical traffic.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:

code for causing a user equipment (UE) to detect activation of an upper layer service of the UE;

code for causing the UE to determine, in response to the activation, one or more operating parameters based on an operating requirement of the upper layer service of the UE;

code for causing the UE to filter a plurality of cells that each comprise a service indicator, to determine a subset of cells from the plurality of cells that satisfies the one or more operating parameters based on the service indicator;

code for causing the UE to measure, after filtering the plurality of cells, a radio condition of each cell from the subset of cells;

code for causing the UE to select, in response to measuring each cell from the subset of cells, a cell whose radio condition is better than radio conditions of remaining cells from the subset of cells for camping;

code for causing the UE to camp on the selected cell in response to the selecting;

code for causing the UE to receive, while camping on the selected cell, updated service availability information from the selected cell; and

code for causing the UE to perform in response to receiving the updated service availability information, cell reselection to another cell based on a comparison between the updated service availability information and the one or more operating parameters determined for the upper layer service of the UE.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more operating parameters include one or more of carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, radio access technology, operating frequency, asynchronous data transfer, latency, or quality of service class.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells includes a service availability indicator that includes at least one of:

a flag indicating whether the upper layer service is available on the cell;

one or more configuration parameters for the upper layer service on the cell;

a quality of service class identifier (QCI);

or

a mode of the upper layer service on the cell.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells is received as part of at least one of a system information communication or unicast message comprising a radio resource control (RRC) communication or a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein each service indicator includes a service area indicator that identifies a plurality of cells having the same service availability.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code for causing the UE to determine the one or more operating parameters based on a plurality of services at the UE including the upper layer service, wherein the program code comprises:

code for causing the UE to weight each service from the plurality of services; and

code for causing the UE to determine a fit of each cell from the plurality of cells to each weighted service.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code for causing the UE to determine the one or more operating parameters comprises code for causing the UE to determine the one or more operating parameters independent of the service indicator corresponding to each cell from the plurality of cells.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the upper layer service includes ultra-low latency and highly reliable traffic.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the upper layer service includes mission critical traffic.