NEIGHBOR CELL MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20090170510A1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Yu Shin
• Application Number:
  US12/347,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point

Abstract

A neighbor cell management method and apparatus is provided for adjusting a number of neighbor cells to be managed adaptive to a mobility and electric field status of a mobile terminal. The neighbor cell management method determines a number of cell changes in a first interval as counted by a first timer and determines a received signal strength of a current serving cell, determines a mobility of the mobile terminal and electric field status based on the number of cell changes and received signal strength, and adjusts a number of neighbor cells listed on a neighbor cell list according to the mobility and electric field status.

Claims

1. A neighbor cell management method for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

determining a number of cell changes in a first interval as counted by a first timer;

determining a received signal strength of a current serving cell;

determining a mobility of the mobile terminal and an electric field status based on the number of cell changes and the received signal strength; and

adjusting a preset number of neighbor cells listed on a neighbor cell list according to the mobility and electric field status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the mobility of the mobile terminal comprises comparing the number of cell changes with a threshold cell reselection count.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the electric field status comprises:

comparing the received signal strength with a threshold signal strength; and

determining whether a received signal spike is detected in a time period.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the mobility and the electric field status comprises:

determining a non-mobility of the mobile terminal if the number of the cell changes is less than the threshold cell reselection count; and

determining a good electric field status if the received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength, and no received signal spike is detected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising starting the first timer when the mobile terminal registers with a network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of cell changes comprises a number of cell reselections when the mobile terminal is in an idle state and a number of handovers when the mobile terminal is in a dedicated state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the preset number of neighbor cells comprises:

maintaining, when the mobile terminal is on the move, the number of neighbor cells listed on the neighbor cell list; and

removing a preset number of neighbor cells from the neighbor cell list in an order of signal strength according to the electric field status in a state in which the mobile terminal is in a non-mobility.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the received signal strength of the service cell periodically.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of whether the received signal spike is detected comprises:

starting a second timer when the received signal is equal to or less than the threshold signal strength;

re-measuring the received signal strength of the serving cell;

determining whether the re-measured received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength;

determining, when the re-measured received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength, whether the second timer has expired;

updating a count of received signal spikes by incrementing the count by one when the second timer has expired and by adding a preset value to the count when the second timer has not expired; and

storing the updated count of the received signal spikes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the received signal spike does not occur when the re-measured received signal strength is equal to or less than the threshold signal strength.

11. A neighbor cell management apparatus for a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency unit for receiving a signal from a network; and

a control unit for determining, when a first timer which starts with registration with the network expires, a number of cell changes, for determining a received signal strength of a serving cell, for determining a mobility of the mobile terminal and electric field status based on the number of cell changes and the received signal strength, and for adjusting a preset number of neighbor cells listed on a neighbor cell list according to the mobility and electric field status.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit determines a mobility of the mobile terminal by comparing the number of cell changes with a threshold cell reselection count.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit determines the electric field status by comparing the received signal strength with a threshold signal strength, and determines whether a received signal spike is detected in a time period.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit determines a non-mobility if the number of the cell changes is less than the threshold cell reselection count, and determines a good field status if the received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength, and no received signal spike is detected.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the number of cell changes comprises a number of cell reselections when the mobile terminal is in an idle state and a number of handovers when the mobile terminal is in a dedicated state.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit maintains, when the mobile terminal is on the move, the number of neighbor cells listed on the neighbor cell list, and removes a preset number of neighbor cells from the neighbor cell list in an order of signal strength according to the electric field status in a state in which the mobile terminal is in a non-mobility.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a storage unit for storing at least one of the number of cell changes and the strength of the received signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control unit measures the received signal strength of the serving cell periodically, starts a second timer when the received signal is equal to or less than the threshold signal strength, re-measures the received signal strength of the serving cell, determines whether the re-measured received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength, determines, when the re-measured received signal strength is greater than the threshold signal strength, whether the second timer has expired, and updates a count of received signal spikes by incrementing the count by one when the second timer has expired and by adding a preset value to the count when the second timer has not expired.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control unit determines that the received signal spike does not occur when the re-measured received signal strength is equal to or less than the threshold signal strength.