UE assisted system database update

• US 20040002328A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Arty, Chitrapu, Prabhakar R., Menon, Narayan Parappil
• Granted Patent: US 6,735,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) operating in a wireless system having at least one base station, communicates with base stations in neighboring wireless systems and conveys information regarding these neighboring wireless systems to the base station of its wireless system, which updates and stores this information for use in handover of UEs. The BS may also obtain updates directly from the base stations of neighboring wireless systems which may include a diversity of systems such as WLANS, Bluetooth, UMTS, GPRS, etc., and provide to UEs a list of those wireless systems which the UEs need not provide updates to the BS providing the list.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system having a base station (BS) and at least one user equipment (UE), a method for updating a system database that contains information pertaining to neighboring wireless systems of various types, the method comprising:

the UE detecting neighboring wireless systems of various types;

the UE sending information detected systems to the base station; and

said BS updating the system database information based on said information.

2. The method of claim 1, where the UE detects a neighboring wireless system having a different radio access technology.

3. The method of claim 1, where the UE detects a neighboring wireless system in a different location area of the same wireless system.

4. The method of claim 2, where the UE detects a neighboring wireless system which provides coverage overlapping coverage of the wireless communication system of said BS.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the UE detects a system whose coverage is partially overlapping.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the UE detects a system whose coverage is fully overlapping.

7. The method of claim 2, where the UE detects a neighboring wireless system providing coverage which does not overlap coverage of the wireless communication system of said BS.

8. The method of claim 1, where said UE sends information which includes a location of at least one base station of a neighboring wireless system.

9. The method of claim 1, where said UE sends information which includes traffic loading of said other wireless system.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said UE communicates with systems having different radio access technology.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the UE provides the BS with information including radio access technology of other wireless systems.

12. The method of claim 1, where said UE sends information which includes signal power levels of the said other wireless system.

13. The method of claim 1, where said UE sends information which includes a geo-location of the UE.

14. The method of claim 1, where said UE sends information which includes a geo-location of the UE as well as other UEs.

15. The method of claim 1, where the UE sends the information responsive to being authenticated by the BS.

16. The method of claim 1, where the UE sends the information together with a message authentication code;

17. The method of claim 1, where the UE encrypts information sent to the BS.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the base station of the system communicating with base stations of adjacent wireless systems at given intervals to validate the database information updates provided by the UE.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the base station alerting the UE as to surrounding systems known by the base station for reducing traffic due to multiple UEs sending similar information.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the receiving UE limits reports on neighboring base stations to those base stations that are not included in the alert received from its associated base station.

21. The method of claim 1, where the base station processes the location of the UEs reporting information about neighboring wireless systems of various types to estimate coverage of the neighboring wireless systems.

22. The method of claim 21, where the base station uses the estimated coverage of the neighboring wireless system to adjust operating parameters at the base station.

23. The method of claim 22, where the said operating parameters include at least one of transmitted power, beam shapes and admission control policy.

24. The method of claim 21, where the base station uses estimated coverage for planning new cells.

25. In a wireless communication system having a base station (BS) and at least one UE, in which the UE can detect surrounding wireless systems of various types, a method for updating the system database that contains information pertaining to surrounding wireless systems of various types, the method comprising:

the base station obtaining updates of neighboring wireless systems from UEs and base stations of neighboring wireless systems;

the BS updating its database information; and

the BS sending a report to UEs that they should not provide update information for wireless systems on said list.

26. In a wireless communication system having a base station (BS) and at least one UE, in which the UE can detect surrounding wireless systems of various types, for updating a system database that contains information pertaining to surrounding wireless systems of various types, comprising:

said BS having means for authenticating an identity of the UE by the base station;

the UE having means for protectively encoding the information transmitted to the BS for information integrity using authentication codes;

means for verifying information integrity at the base station and accepting the information at the base station; and

means for updating the system database information.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

the base station having mean for communicating with base stations of surrounding wireless systems at given intervals to validate the database information updates provided by the UE.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

the base station having means for alerting the UE as to surrounding systems known by the base station for reducing traffic due to multiple UEs sending similar information.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the receiving UE is provided with means which limits reports on neighboring base stations to those base stations that are not included in the alert received from its associated base station.

30. In a wireless communication system having a base station (BS) and at least one UE, in which the UE can detect surrounding wireless systems of various types, for updating the system database that contains information pertaining to surrounding wireless systems of various types, comprising:

the base station having;

means for obtaining updates of neighboring wireless systems from UEs and base stations of neighboring wireless systems;

means for updating its database information; and

means for sending a list to UEs that they should not provide update information for wireless systems on said list.