Common radio resource management method in a multi-RAT cellular telephone network

• US 20050026616A1
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Siemens Mobile Communications SpA (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Cavalli, Simona, Meago, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 7,224,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0044 of quality context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A Common radio resource management method is performed in a mobile radio communication network employing different radio access technologies that overlap over a geographic area subdivided into cells belonging to the domains of respective controllers which are connected to each other in overlapping or adjacent domains and to a core network by means of relevant interfaces. The controllers calculate new traffic-related Information Elements to be exchanged over the existing interfaces to the aim of planning handovers and/or cell reselections towards adjacent cells either of the same or different RAT. Cell capabilities and mobile terminal capabilitiess being also specified by respective IEs. Diversely from the conventional traffic-related IEs based on Cell Load parameters or Free Capacity, the new IEs include indications of the “availability” of bearer services in the cell in terms of maximum bitrate, either guaranteed or not guaranteed, that can currently be allowed to each bearer service.

Claims

1. Common radio resource management method (CRRM) in a mobile radio communication network employing different radio access technologies (UTRAN, GERAN) that overlap over a geographic area subdivided into cells belonging to the domains of respective controllers (RNC, BSC) which are connected to each other in overlapping or adjacent domains and to a core network (CN) by means of relevant interfaces (Iu, Iur, A, Gb), suitable to be carried out for each controlled cell by the respective controller through the steps of:

a) starting from acquired information about Qos and throughput of all the active connections with the served mobile terminals (UE/MS), calculating traffic-related Information Elements, separately for uplink and downlink, needed to plan handovers and/or cell reselections;

b) including said Information Elements in management messages forwarded to the controllers of different cells to the one in turn considered, either of the same or different technologies;

c) checking said Information Elements coming from the other controllers (BSC, RNC) in order to decide either of issuing or preventing handovers and/or cell reselection commands towards a neighbouring cell;

characterised in that said traffic-related Information Elements include indications of the availability of bearer services in the cell in terms of maximum bitrate, either guaranteed or not guaranteed, that can currently be allowed to each bearer service.

2. The method of the preceding claim, characterised in that said bearer services are subdivided into the following standardised Quality of Service classes:

Conversational, Streaming, Interactive, and Background.

3. The method of the preceding claim, characterised in that said bearer services subdivided into Quality of Service classes are further subdivided into radio access technology types (GSM, UMTS).

4. The method of the preceding claim, characterised in that said bearer services subdivided into Quality of Service classes and radio access technology types (GSM, UMTS) are further subdivided into sub-technologies.

5. The method of the claim 4, characterised in that said radio access technology is the one known by the acronym UTRA.

6. The method of the preceding claim, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym HSDPA that is used by all the bearer services other than Conversational.

7. The method of the claim 4, characterised in that said radio access technology is the one known by the acronym GERAN.

8. The method of the claim 7, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym HSCSD that is used by the Conversational bearer services.

9. The method of the claim 7, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym ECSD that is used by the Conversational bearer services.

10. The method of the claim 7, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym EGPRS that is used by the Streaming bearer services.

11. The method of the claim 7, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym EGPRS that is used by the Interactive bearer services.

12. The method of the claim 7, characterised in that an employed sub-technology is the one known by the acronym EGPRS that is used by the Background bearer services.

13. The method of one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said maximum guaranteed/unguaranteed bitrate that can currently be allowed to each bearer service is indicated by an integer number assuming values in a given range from zero to a maximum value for indicating either total unavailability or the maximum permissible bitrate for that type of bearer service, respectively.

14. The method of the preceding claim, characterised in that said availability indications include the number of the bearer services of specified bitrate that can be provided in the cell.

15. The method of one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said availability indications include a specification of the Cell Change Reason for which the bearer services can be provided in the cell.

16. The method of the claim 1, characterised in that said Information Elements include indications of the cell capability to support different radio access technologies and relevant sub-technologies.

17. The method of the claim 16, characterised in that said cell capability relevant to a radio access technology known by the acronym GERAN includes indications for supporting one or more additional technologies known by the following acronyms:

GPRS, EGPRS, HSCSD, ECSD.

18. The method of the claim 16, characterised in that said cell capability relevant to a radio access technology known by the acronym UTRA includes indications for supporting one or more additional technologies known by the following acronyms:

FDD, TDDhcr, TDDlcr, HSDPA, E-DCH, MIMO.

19. The method of the claim 1, characterised in that said Information Elements include indications of the mobile terminal (UE/MS) capability to support different radio access technologies and relevant sub-technologies.

20. The method of the claim 19, characterised in that said mobile terminal (UE/MS) capability relevant to a radio access technology known by the acronym GERAN includes indications for supporting one or more additional technologies known by the following acronyms:

GPRS, EGPRS, HSCSD, ECSD.

21. The method of the claim 19, characterised in that said mobile terminal (UE/MS) capability relevant to a radio access technology known by the acronym UTRA includes indications for supporting one or more additional technologies known by the following acronyms:

FDD, TDDhcr, TDDlcr, HSDPA, E-DCH, MIMO.