DETECTING AND REPORTING A PICOCELL BY A MOBILE STATION

• US 20080153533A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Samuel, Louis Gwyn, Claussen, Holger, Wee Ho, Lester Tse
• Granted Patent: US 9,326,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells

Abstract

An exemplary method of communicating includes storing a locating neighbor list that corresponds to a mobile station being in a communication range of a selected picocell. Upon receiving a current neighbor list, a determination is made whether the current neighbor list corresponds to the stored, locating neighbor list. If there is sufficient correspondence, that indicates that the mobile station is in a communication range of the picocell.

Claims

1. A method of communicating, comprising the steps of:

storing a locating neighbor list corresponding to a mobile station being in a communication range of a selected picocell;

receiving a current neighbor list; and

determining whether the current neighbor list corresponds to the locating neighbor list sufficiently to indicate that the mobile station is in a communication range of the picocell.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising

establishing a communication link with the selected picocell;

determining a neighbor list associated with a time of the established communication link; and

storing the locating neighbor list.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising

registering the mobile station with the picocell station.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising

storing power measurements associated with each of a plurality of cells in the locating neighbor list;

and

determining current power measurements associated with at least some of the plurality of cells that are also in the current neighbor list; and

determining whether the current power measurements correspond to the stored power measurements.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising

performing measurements for a cell code of the picocell responsive to determining that the current neighbor list sufficiently corresponds to the locating neighbor list.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising

detecting the picocell;

and

reporting the picocell to a base station currently serving the mobile station.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising

handing over from a currently serving base station to the picocell responsive to sufficiently detecting the picocell.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising

determining an amount of correspondence between the locating neighbor list and the current neighbor list;

and

determining whether the amount of correspondence exceeds a threshold as an indication that the mobile station is in the communication range of the picocell.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising

updating the stored determined neighbor list upon establishing a new communication link with the picocell.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising

determining whether the current neighbor list and the determined neighbor list are identical.

11. A wireless communication mobile station device, comprising

a storage including a locating neighbor list corresponding to the mobile station being in a communication range of a selected picocell;

a transceiver for receiving a current neighbor list; and

a detection module configured to determine whether the current neighbor list corresponds to the locating neighbor list sufficiently to indicate that the mobile station is in a communication range of the picocell.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein

the storage includes power measurements associated with each of a plurality of cells in the locating neighbor list;

and

the detection module is configured to determine current power measurements associated with at least some of the plurality of cells that are also in the current neighbor list and to determine whether the current power measurements correspond to the stored power measurements.

13. The device of claim 11, comprising

a controller that is configured to perform measurements for a cell code of the picocell responsive to the detection module determining that the current neighbor list sufficiently corresponds to the locating neighbor list.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the detection module is configured to

determine an amount of correspondence between the locating neighbor list and the current neighbor list;

and

determine whether the amount of correspondence exceeds a threshold as an indication that the mobile station is in the communication range of the picocell.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the storage is configured to update the stored determined neighbor list upon establishing a new communication link with the picocell.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the detection module is configured to determine whether the current neighbor list and the determined neighbor list are identical.