Performing association during handover in wireless access system

• US 20060030309A1
• Filed: 08/01/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwak, Yong Won, Ryu, Ki Seon, Lee, Chang Jae, Kim, Yong Ho, Kim, Beom Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/249 according to timing information

Abstract

A method of associating a mobile station to a base station in a wireless communication system comprises transmitting to a serving base station a scanning request message comprising an association indicator. The method also comprises receiving from the serving base station a scanning response message comprising a rendezvous time associated with a neighboring base station for initiating ranging with the neighboring base station, wherein the serving base station communicates an association notification to the neighboring base station, the association notification comprising the rendezvous time. The method also comprises associating with the neighboring base neighboring base station by transmitting a ranging request after passing of the rendezvous time determined from a transmission time of the scanning response message from the neighboring base station, wherein the rendezvous time is associated with a time the neighboring base station is expected to provide a non-contention based ranging opportunity for the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method of associating a mobile station to a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting to a serving base station a scanning request message comprising an association indicator;

receiving from the serving base station a scanning response message comprising a rendezvous time associated with a neighboring base station for initiating ranging with the neighboring base station, wherein the serving base station communicates an association notification to the neighboring base station, the association notification comprising the rendezvous time; and

associating with the neighboring base station by transmitting a ranging request after passing of the rendezvous time determined from a transmission time of the scanning response message from the neighboring base station, wherein the rendezvous time is associated with a time the neighboring base station is expected to provide a non-contention based ranging opportunity for the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein association notifications are transmitted to a plurality of neighboring base stations, each respective association notification comprises rendezvous time associated with each one of the plurality of neighboring base stations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile station associates with each one of the plurality of neighboring base stations at each rendezvous time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a ranging response comprising ranging parameters from the neighboring base station, wherein the mobile station stores the ranging parameters for a predetermined time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a ranging response comprising ranging parameters and a service level prediction from the neighboring base station, wherein the mobile station stores the ranging parameters for a predetermined time based on the service level prediction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-contention based ranging is associated with allocation of an uplink transmission slot.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendezvous time represents a plurality of frame sizes being supported by neighboring base stations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanning response message further comprises at least one neighboring base station identifier for indicating recommended base stations for associating.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the association indicator comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile station.

10. A method of associating a mobile station to a base station in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a scanning request message comprising an association indicator from a mobile station at a serving base station;

transmitting the association indicator from the serving base station to at least one neighboring base station to set a rendezvous time; and

transmitting a scanning response message from the serving base station to the mobile station, the scanning response message comprising the rendezvous time associated with the at least one neighboring base station for initiating ranging of the mobile station with the at least one neighboring base station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the association indicator comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile station.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an association confirmation confirming the rendezvous time from the at least one neighboring base station in response to the association indicator.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein associating of the mobile station to one of the at least one neighboring base station is associated with allocation of an uplink transmission slot.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the rendezvous time represents a plurality of frame sizes being supported by the at least one neighboring base station.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the scanning response message further comprises at least one neighboring base station identifier for indicating recommended base stations for associating.

16. A mobile station, configured to associate to a base station in a wireless communication system, the mobile station comprising:

means for transmitting to a serving base station a scanning request message comprising an association indicator;

means for receiving from the serving base station a scanning response message comprising a rendezvous time associated with a neighboring base station for initiating ranging with the neighboring base station, wherein the serving base station communicates an association notification to the neighboring base station, the association notification comprising the rendezvous time; and

means for associating with the neighboring base station by transmitting a ranging request after passing of the rendezvous time determined from a transmission time of the scanning response message from the neighboring base station, wherein the rendezvous time is associated with a time the neighboring base station is expected to provide a non-contention based ranging opportunity for the mobile station.

17. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein association notifications are transmitted to a plurality of neighboring base stations, each respective association notification comprises rendezvous time associated with each one of the plurality of neighboring base stations.

18. The mobile station of claim 17, wherein the mobile station associates with each one of the plurality of neighboring base stations at each rendezvous time.

19. The mobile station of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving a ranging response comprising ranging parameters from the neighboring base station, wherein the mobile station stores the ranging parameters for a predetermined time.

20. The mobile station of claim 16, further comprising

means for receiving a ranging response comprising ranging parameters and a service level prediction from the neighboring base station, wherein the mobile station stores the ranging parameters for a predetermined time based on the service level prediction.

21. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein the non-contention based ranging is associated with allocation of an uplink transmission slot.

22. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein the rendezvous time represents a plurality of frame sizes being supported by neighboring base stations.

23. The mobile station of claim 16, wherein the scanning response message further comprises at least one neighboring base station identifier for indicating recommended base stations for associating.

24. A network with a mobile station, the network comprising at least a serving base station, the mobile station configured to be associated to a base station in the network, the network comprising:

means for receiving a scanning request message comprising an association indicator from a mobile station at a serving base station;

means for transmitting the association indicator from the serving base station to at least one neighboring base station to set a rendezvous time; and

means for transmitting a scanning response message from the serving base station to the mobile station, the scanning response message comprising the rendezvous time associated with the at least one neighboring base station for initiating ranging of the mobile station with the at least one neighboring base station.

25. The network of claim 24, wherein the association indicator comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the mobile station.

26. The network of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving an association confirmation confirming the rendezvous time from the at least one neighboring base station in response to the association indicator.

27. The network of claim 24, wherein associating of the mobile station to one of the at least one neighboring base station is associated with allocation of an uplink transmission slot.

28. The network of claim 24, wherein the rendezvous time represents a plurality of frame sizes being supported by the at least one neighboring base station.

29. The network of claim 24, wherein the scanning response message further comprises at least one neighboring base station identifier for indicating recommended base stations for associating.