Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating a radio resource measurement in a radio communication system

• US 20050250495A1
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Black, Simon A., Edney, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,246,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for requesting a measurement to be performed at a communication station of a radio communication system, such as a WLAN. A measurement request message is generated at a requesting station. The measurement request message includes fields identifying a selected measurement type and a field identifying a duration period for which the measurement is requested to be made. The duration period is mandatory or non-mandatory. The request message is communicated to a communication station whereat the message is detected and the values contained therein are identified. Selection is made at the communication station to which the message is delivered whether to perform the requested measurement for the requested duration period. If the requested duration period is non-mandatory, the communication station is able to select a duration period of lesser length during which to perform the requested measurement.

Claims

1. Apparatus for a first communication station, said apparatus comprising:

a message generator embodied at the first communication station, said message generator for generating a measurement request message, said measurement request message formatted to include a measurement-type field for identifying a selected type of measurement and a first duration-length field for identifying a first measurement duration period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a field populator for populating the measurement-type and first duration-length fields, respectively, with values identifying the selected type of measurement request and the first measurement duration period, respectively.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the measurement-type field of the measurement request message generated by said message generator is of a selected length.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the selected length of the measurement-type field of the measurement request message is at least as great as a value-length of the values used by said field populator to populate the measurement-type field of the measurement request message generated by said measurement request message.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first communication station is operable to communicate with a second communication station and wherein the first measurement duration period identified in the first duration-length field of the measurement request message generated by said message generator comprises a mandatory duration length of the measurement identified in the measurement-type field requested by the first communication station to be performed by the second communication station.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first communication station is operable to communicate with a second communication station and wherein the first measurement duration period identified in the first duration-length field of the measurement request message generated by said message generator comprises a non-mandatory duration length of the measurement identified in the measurement-type field requested by the first communication station to be performed by the second communication station.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the measurement request message generated by said message generator is further selectably formatted to include a second duration-length field for identifying a second measurement-indicia and wherein said field populator is further for selectably populating the second duration-length field with values identifying the second measurement indicia.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first measurement duration period identified in the first duration-length field of the measurement request message generated by said message generator comprises a duration length of the measurement identified in the measurement-type field requested by the first communication station to be performed by the second communication station, and wherein the second measurement indicia is of a value to indicate whether the first measurement duration period is mandated by the first communication station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second measurement indicia is of a first value when the measurement duration period is mandated by the first communication station and is otherwise an other value.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second measurement comprises a second measurement duration period and wherein the value of the second measurement duration period populated in the second duration-length field by said field populator is of a magnitude less than the values of the first measurement duration period populated in the first duration-length field by said field populator.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the value of the first measurement duration period identifies a desired duration period and wherein the value of the second-measurement duration period defines a minimum duration period.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a response detector embodied at the first communication station, said response detector for detecting a response delivered to the first communication station responsive to the measurement request message.

13. Apparatus for a first communication station, said apparatus comprising:

a measurement request message detector embodied at the first communication station, said measurement request message detector for detecting delivery at the first communication station of a measurement request message, the measurement request message formatted to include a measurement-type field populated with a value identifying a selected type of measurement and a first duration length field populated with a value identifying a first measurement duration period; and

a selector adapted to receive indications of values populating the measurement-type field and the first duration length field of the measurement-request message detected by said measurement request message detector, said selector for selecting performance at the first communication station responsive to the measurement request message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the measurement request message is further formatted to include a duration mandatory field populated with a value identifying whether the value identifying the first measurement duration period populating the first duration length field is to be interpreted to be mandatory, and wherein said selector further selects whether to perform the selected type of measurement for the first measurement duration period when the first measurement duration period is interpreted to be mandatory.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the measurement request message is further formatted to include a duration mandatory field populated with a value identifying whether the value identifying the first measurement duration period populating the first duration length field is to be interpreted to be mandatory, and wherein said selector further selects to perform the selected type of measurement for an altered measurement duration period when the first measurement duration period is determined to be non-mandatory.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a selection response message generator adapted to receive an indication of selection made by said selector, said selection response message generator for generating a selection response message representative of the selection made by said selector.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the selection response message generated by said selection response message comprises a measurement duration field populated with a value identifying an actual duration period of measurement of the selected type of measurement undertaken at the first communication station.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the operation of sending the measurement request message to a remote communication station to request the selected type of measurement to be performed at the remote communication station.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the first communication station is operable to communicate with a remote communication station and wherein the first measurement duration period identified in the first duration-length field of the measurement request message generated during said operation of generating comprises a mandatory duration length of the measurement identified in the measurement-type field requested by the first communication station to be performed by the remote communication station.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the first communication station is operable to communicate with a remote communication station and wherein the first measurement duration period identified in the first duration-length field of the measurement request message generated during said operation of generating comprises a non-mandatory duration length of the measurement-type field requested by the first communication station to be performed by the remote communication station.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising the operation of selecting the measurement to form the selected measurement.

22. Apparatus for a first communication station, said apparatus comprising:

a response message generator adapted to receive an indication of a value of a measurement performed at the first communication station of a selected message-type and of an actual duration period during which the measurement of the selected message-type is performed, the measurement performed at the first communication station responsive to delivery thereat of a measurement request requesting measurement request requesting measurement at the first communication station of the selected measurement-type during a selected measurement duration period, the actual duration period of a value differing with the selected measurement duration period when the selected measurement duration period is non-mandatory and the selected measurement duration period is unavailable at first communication station to undertake the measurement of the selected measurement-type.