Mobile station connection management utilizing suitable parameter information

• US 20050136937A1
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Via Telecom Inc. (VIA Technologies)
• Inventors: Czaja, Stanislaw, Qian, Feng
• Granted Patent: US 7,317,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A method and apparatus managing a list of base stations (“BSs”) for which a mobile station (“MS”) can establish an optimal communications channel are disclosed. In accordance with the teachings disclosed herein, a MS acquires suitable parameter information (“information”) and bases a subsequent switching decision based upon such information. Suitable parameters comprise cell loading and/or service priority, and MS needs. Such information comprises, for example, a number of BS users, switching latency associated with a particular BS, applications available by a BS, available code space, and a number of MSs for which a particular BS can provide resources. A MS decision to switch from a first BS to a second BS is predicated upon the acquired information.

Claims

1. A method of managing connections to base stations (“

BSs”

) from a mobile station (“

MS”

), comprising;

a) acquiring, at the MS, a list of suitable parameters relevant to establishing an active connection to a BS on an authorized connection list with which connection may be asserted by the MS;

b) receiving, at the MS, cell loading information that is associated with a corresponding one of the BSs that continues thereafter to be specified in the authorized connection list, and retrievably storing, in association with such BS, cell loading information reflective of such received information, and;

c) selecting, at the MS, a BS for particular communications from among those specified in the authorized connection list based upon the suitable parameters that includes the associated cell loading information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c), selecting a BS for particular communications, is performed repeatedly at different times, and further comprises:

i) at a first time selecting from the authorized connection list a different BS instead of an otherwise qualified first BS due to the suitable parameter information associated therewith indicating that the first BS has an elevated level of congestion compared to the different BS, and

ii) at a second time selecting from the authorized connection list an otherwise qualified second BS despite the suitable parameter information associated therewith indicating that the second BS has an elevated level of congestion compared to a different, unselected BS of the authorized connection list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authorized connection list is a list of Active Set members for an MS in a CDMA cellular system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the suitable parameters include reflections of physical channel quality.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein step (b) further comprises storing at least one bit associated with each BS of the authorized connection list to represent cell loading information associated with such BS.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating, between the MS and the BS, an indication of congestion for all BSs on the authorized connection list of the MS in a single control data packet.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular communications for which the BS is selected are high-speed user packet-data communications conveyed via a packet data channel (PDCH) in a CDMA cellular system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of congestion level is provided to the MS from a BS via an extended packet data control channel (PDCCH) message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) of receiving further comprises receiving at the MS priority information from the BS.

10. A connection management system comprising a wireless system having a MS, at least one BS and wherein the wireless system has a capability to establish at least one communications channel, the connection management system comprising:

a) acquiring means for acquiring a list of suitable parameters relevant to establishing an active connection to a BS on an authorized connection list;

b) receiving means for receiving a quantity of cell loading information;

c) storing means for retrievably storing the quantity of cell loading information, and;

d) selecting means for selecting a BS for particular communications from among those specified on the authorized connection list based upon the suitable parameters that includes the quantity of cell loading information.

11. The connection management system of claim 10, wherein the wireless system is a CDMA cellular system.

12. The connection management system of claim 10, wherein the list of suitable parameters acquired by the acquiring means include reflections of physical channel quality.

13. The connection management system of claim 12, wherein the authorized connection list acquired by the acquiring means is a CDMA active set.

14. A connection management method for a wireless communications system having a MS and at least one BS comprising:

a) acquiring a list of suitable parameters;

b) receiving information from a member of a group consisting of;

i) a quantity of cell loading information, or;

ii) priority information, or;

iii) physical channel quality, and;

c) selecting a BS for particular communications with the MS, based at least in part on the information received in step b).

15. The connection management method recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless communications system is a CDMA cellular system.

16. The connection management method recited in claim 15, wherein the particular communications for which the BS is selected are high-speed user packet-data communications conveyed via a packet data channel (PDCH).

17. The connection management method recited in claim 16, wherein the received information of step b) is provided to the MS via an extended packet data control channel (PDCCH) message.

18. The connection management method recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless communications system is a cdma2000 cellular system.

19. The connection management method recited in claim 14, wherein the wireless communications system is a wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) cellular system.

20. A system for managing connections between a MS and a plurality of BSs in a wireless CDMA network, comprising:

a) an authorized connection list having at least one BS listed thereon;

b) an acquiring means, at the MS, for acquiring a quantity of suitable parameter information relevant to establishing a primary communications channel to a BS on the authorized connection list;

c) a receiving means, at the MS, for receiving the quantity of suitable parameter information;

d) a selecting means for selecting an optimal BS on the authorized connection list for the MS to initiate a primary communications channel for a particular communications.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the quantity of suitable parameter information comprises a quantity of cell loading information.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the quantity of suitable parameter information comprises a quantity of priority information.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the particular communications for which the BS is selected are high-speed user packet-data communications conveyed via a packet data channel (PDCH) in a CDMA cellular system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein an indication of cell loading level is provided to the MS from a BS via an extended packet data control channel (PDCCH) message.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein an indication of cellular congestion is conveyed from a BS to the MS via a F-PDCCH in a current loading level bit field.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein a cell switching message bit field is conveyed from a BS to the MS via a F-PDCCH in a sector load control bit field.

27. A method for administrating connections between a MS and a plurality of BSs in a CDMA network, comprising:

a) a step of acquiring a list of suitable parameter information reflective of at least one BS on an authorized connection list;

b) a step of receiving information relevant to establishing a wireless connection between the MS and the at least one BS on the authorized connection list, and;

c) a step of selecting a particular BS from the authorized connection list for establishing a primary communications channel for a particular communications.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the acquiring step a) further includes the steps of:

i) assigning a base station identifier code, which is unique to each member of the authorized connection list;

ii) calculating a cell loading indicator value for each member of the authorized connection list.

29. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the authorized connection list comprises an active set in a CDMA cellular system.

30. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the received information relevant to establishing a wireless connection comprises a quantity of cell loading information.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the cell loading information is a member of the group consisting of:

static cell loading characteristics, or dynamic cell loading characteristics.

32. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the received information relevant to establishing a wireless connection comprises a quantity of MS priority information.

33. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein the quantity of cell loading information is selected from a group consisting of:

static switching latency information, static broadcast latency information, dynamic switching latency information, or dynamic broadcast latency.

34. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the suitable parameters include reflections of physical channel quality.