Method of performing inter-rat measurement for a handover from NB-TDD to GSM

• US 20040002334A1
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Sung-Ho, Lee, Kook-Heui, Park, Joon-Goo, Lee, Hyeon-Woo, Kim, Jeong-Gon
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0058 Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of performing an inter-RAT measurement for a handover from NB-TDD to GSM is provided. A UE, as it moves from an NB-TDD Node B to a GSM cell, receives a measurement control message from the NB-TDD Node B. The UE then measures the strength of a signal received from the GSM cell and verifies its identification for a predetermined measuring time. If the UE successfully verifies the identification of the GSM cell for the measuring time, it reports the signal strength measurement and the verified GSM cell identification to the NB-TDD Node B. If the UE fails to verify the identification of the GSM cell for the measuring time, it reports only the signal strength measurement to the NB-TDD Node B.

Claims

1. A method of measuring a strength of a signal received from a second Node B for a measuring time in which communication is not conducted with a first Node B, verifying an identification of the second Node B, and reporting the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification to the first Node B in a user equipment (UE) that moves from the first Node B to a handover zone between the first and second Node Bs in a mobile communication system, the first and second Node Bs servicing in different communication schemes, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving a measurement control message from the first Node B, the measurement control message requesting the UE to measure the strength of the signal received from the second Node B, verify the identification of the second Node B, and report the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification;

(2) measuring the strength of the signal received from the second Node B for a measuring time and verifying the identification of the second Node B, if the signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;

(3) reporting the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification to the first Node B if the UE successfully verifies the identification of the second Node B; and

(4) reporting only the signal strength measurement to the first Node B if the UE fails to verify the identification of the second Node B.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of assigning the UE new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B to adjust the measuring time after step (4).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a physical channel reassignment message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a transport channel reassignment message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first Node B supports NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Time Division Duplexing) and the second Node B supports GSM (Global System for Mobile communications).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE reports to the first Node B the signal strength measurement together with an ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number) of the second Node B in step (4).

6. The method of claim 6, wherein the measuring time is determined by at least one downlink time slot and at least one uplink time slot among a plurality of time slots forming one sub-frame.

8. A method of reassigning in a first Node B time slots to a user equipment (UE) that moves from the first Node B to a handover zone between the first Node B and a second Node B according to a report of a signal strength measurement and a verified second Node B identification in a mobile communication system, the first and second Node Bs servicing in different communication schemes and the UE measuring a strength of a signal received from the second Node B for a measuring time in which communication is not conducted with the first Node B, verifying the identification of the second Node B, and reporting the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification to the first Node B, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a measurement control message to the UE, the measurement control message requesting the UE to measure the strength of the signal received from the second Node B, verify the identification of the second Node B, and report the signal strength measurement;

reassigning downlink and uplink time slots to the UE and transmitting information about the reassigned time slots to the UE so that the measuring time can be adjusted, if the first Node B receives only the signal strength measurement from the UE for a predetermined time.

9. The method of claim 9, wherein the first Node B transmits to the ULE the information about the reassigned downlink and uplink time slots by a physical channel reassignment message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first Node B transmits to the UE the information about the reassigned downlink and uplink time slots by a transport channel reassignment message.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first Node B supports NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Time Division Duplexing) and the second Node B supports GSM (Global System for Mobile communications).

13. A method of measuring a strength of a signal received from at least one second Node B for a measuring time in which communication is not conducted with a first Node B, verifying an identification of the second Node B, and reporting the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification to the first Node B in a user equipment (UE) that moves from the first Node B to a handover zone between the first and second Node Bs in a mobile communication system, the first and second Node Bs servicing in different communication schemes, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a measurement control message from the first Node B, the measurement control message requesting the UE to measure the strength of the signal received from the second Node B, verify the identification of the second Node B, and report the signal strength measurement;

measuring the strength of the signal received from the second Node B for the measuring time and verifying the identification of the second Node B, if the signal strength is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;

reporting a measurement failure cause indicating a shortage of the measuring time to the first Node B, if the UE measures the signal strength equal to or greater than the threshold and cannot verify the identification of the second Node B; and

assigning the UE new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B to adjust the measuring time.

12. The method of claim 13, wherein the measuring time is determined by at least one downlink time slot and at least one uplink time slot among a plurality of time slots forming one sub-frame.

15. The method of claim 15, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a transport channel reassignment message.

14. The method of claim 15, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a physical channel reassignment message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first Node B supports NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Time Division Duplexing) and the second Node B supports GSM (Global System for Mobile communications).

18. A method of determining in a user equipment (UE) a measuring time required to measure a strength of a signal received from at least one second Node B, verifying an identification of the second Node B, and reporting the signal strength measurement and the verified second Node B identification to a first Node B in a mobile communication system, the first and second Node Bs servicing in different communication schemes and the UE moving from the first Node B to a handover zone between the first and second Node Bs, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring the strength of the signal received from the second Node B upon request of the first Node B and reporting a capability of verifying the identification of the second Node B to the first Node B; and

assigning new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B according to the reported capability to adjust the measuring time.

21. The method of claim 21, wherein the first Node B supports NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Time Division Duplexing) and the second Node B supports GSM (Global System for Mobile communications).

17. The method of claim 19, wherein the measuring time is determined by at least one downlink time slot and at least one uplink time slot among a plurality of time slots forming one sub-frame.

19. The method of claim 21, wherein the ULE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a physical channel reassignment message.

20. The method of claim 21, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the first Node B by a transport channel reassignment message.

23. A method of reporting signal strength measurements of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cells satisfying a predetermined condition in a predetermined frequency band for an NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Tide Division Duplexing)-GSM handover and verified identifications of the GSM cells to a Node B of an NB-TDD communication system in a user equipment (UE) that moves from the NB-TDD Node B to a handover zone between the NB-TDD Node B and a GSM cell of a GSM communication system, the NB-TDD communication system using a frame structure in which each sub-frame includes a plurality of time slots, and at least one downlink time slot and at least one uplink time slot are assigned to one UE, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from the NB-TDD Node B a measurement control message requesting the UE to report the signal strength measurements of the GSM cells satisfying the predetermined condition in the predetermined frequency band and the verified identifications of the GSM cells; and

measuring the signal strength measurements of the GSM cells satisfying the predetermined condition irrespective of the verification of the identifications of the GSM cells that is carried out for a measuring time determined by time slots assigned to the UE.

25. The method of claim 28, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the NB-TDD Node B by a physical channel reassignment message.

22. The method of claim 25, wherein the measuring time is determined by at least one downlink time slot and at least one uplink time slot among a plurality of time slots forming one sub-frame.

26. The method of claim 28, wherein the UE receives information about the new downlink and uplink time slots from the NB-TDD Node B by a transport channel reassignment message.

27. A method of performing an inter-RAT (Radio Access Technology) measurement for a handover for a predetermined measuring time in a user equipment (UE) that moves from an NB-TDD (Narrow Band-Time Division Duplexing) communication system to a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), comprising the steps of:

determining whether a UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) requests an inter-RAT measurement with verification of identification code of a GSM cell, upon request for the inter-RAT measurement from the UTRAN;

determining that a measuring time for verifying the identification code of the GSM cell is too short;

transmitting a message containing an ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number) of the GSM cell to the UTRAN, if the UE fails to verify the identification code of the GSM cell; and

receiving information about reassigned time slots from the UTRAN.

24. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of assigning the UE new downlink and uplink time slots from the NB-TDD Node B to adjust the measuring time.