Method and apparatus for efficient neighbor cell measurement

• US 20060058033A1
• Filed: 09/10/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marsan, Mark J., Drawert, Bruce M., Hemenway, Larry P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures

Abstract

A data packet transmission monitor (15) monitors the transmission of data packets in a given wireless communication system to determine (20) a predetermined condition. In response to determining the predetermined condition, the transceiver (14) for the base station (13) automatically sends (21) a signal to one or more wireless communication units (10) to cause the units (10) to make neighbor cell measurements. Optionally, the base station (13) sends such a signal when no data packets are to be sent by the base station (13). In another embodiment, the data packet transmission monitor (15) tracks (50) the transmission of data packets and determines (51) whether the transmissions allow for a certain number of neighbor cell measurements. If a certain number of neighbor cell measurements are not allowed, a signal is automatically sent (21) to the wireless communication unit (10) to make one or more neighbor cell measurements.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an occurrence of a predetermined condition; and

automatically sending a signal from a base station to at least one wireless communication unit in response to the occurrence of the predetermined condition such that the at least one wireless communication unit makes at least one neighbor cell measurement.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an occurrence of a predetermined condition further comprises determining that the base station has no data packets to transmit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining that the base station has no data packets to transmit further comprises determining that the base station has no WiDEN data packets to transmit.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an occurrence of a predetermined condition further comprises:

tracking transmission of data packets from the base station to the at least one wireless communication unit; and

determining that the data packets transmitted from the base station over a given amount of time fail to allow the at least one wireless communication unit to make a certain number of neighbor cell measurements.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically sending a signal from a base station to at least one wireless communication unit in response to the predetermined condition such that the at least one wireless communication unit makes at least one neighbor cell measurement further comprises sending a signal to the at least one wireless communication unit indicating a reservation of a certain number of slots.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein sending a signal to the at least one wireless communication unit indicating a reservation of a certain number of slots further comprises sending a signal to the at least one wireless communication unit indicating that the reservation of the certain number of slots is for making at least one neighbor cell measurement.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein sending a signal to the at least one wireless communication unit indicating a reservation of a certain number of slots further comprises the at least one wireless communication unit reserving the certain number of slots on a given transmission channel and using the certain number of slots on the given transmission channel to make at least one neighbor cell measurement.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the given transmission channel ignores one or more reservations on one or more other transmission channels.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the certain number of slots are null slots.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically sending a signal from a base station to at least one wireless communication unit in response to the predetermined condition such that the at least one wireless communication unit makes at least one neighbor cell measurement further comprises sending a signal to the at least one wireless communication unit indicating that a given number of slots are to be used by the at least one wireless communication unit to make at least one neighbor cell measurement.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the given number of slots are null slots.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein making at least one neighbor cell measurement further comprises:

receiving at the at least one wireless communication unit at least one neighbor cell base station signal;

determining a strength of each of the at least one neighbor cell base station signals received by the at least one wireless communication unit.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the base station and the at least one wireless communication unit use WiDEN technology to send and receive data packets.

14. A method comprising:

receiving at at least one wireless communication unit an allocation of a certain number slots from a base station;

automatically making a neighbor cell measurement in response to receiving the allocation of the certain number of slots from the base station.

15. The method of 13 wherein receiving an allocation of a certain number slots from a base station further comprises allocating the certain number of slots to a transmission channel bandwidth.

16. The method of 15 wherein the transmission channel bandwidth is one within a varying bandwidth system using varying stepped multipliers.

17. The method of 15 wherein the transmission channel bandwidth is any one of:

25 kHz;

50 kHz;

75 kHz; and

100 kHz.

18. The method of 15 further comprising

automatically making the neighbor cell measurement using the transmission channel bandwidth in which the certain number of slots are allocated.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a means for determining that a base station has no wireless data packets to transmit;

a means for automatically sending a signal from the base station to at least one wireless communication unit indicating a reservation of a certain number of slots to the at least one wireless communication unit in response to determining that the base station has no wireless data packets to transmit.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 and further comprising:

a means for automatically making a neighbor cell measurement from the at least one wireless communication unit in response to receiving the reservation of the certain number of slots.