MEASUREMENT CONTROL METHOD, USER EQUIPMENT AND NETWORK-SIDE DEVICE

• US 20100041412A1
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yu, Yinghui
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements

Abstract

A measurement control method, a UE, and a network-side device are provided to solve the problem in the prior art that no measurement control solution can ensure the UE to perform a measurement and obtain a measurement result in time, as well as reduce the impact of the measurement on the performance of the UE. The method includes the following steps. The UE receives measurement indication information provided by the network side; and the UE performs a measurement after determining that the UE needs to perform the measurement according to the measurement indication information, which ensures that the UE may not perform the measurement frequently but pertinently, and reduces the impact of the measurement on the performance of the UE to the utmost extent.

Claims

1. A measurement control method, comprising:

receiving, by a user equipment (UE), measurement indication information provided by a network side; and

determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement, and performing a measurement process.

2. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement indication information provided by the network side comprises:

load-related indication information at the network side; and

the determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement comprises;

determining whether the network side is currently overloaded or not according to the load-related indication information, and if the network side is currently overloaded, determining that the UE needs to perform a measurement.

3. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement indication information provided by the network side comprises:

service-related indication information; and

the determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement comprises;

determining whether service related information at the network side and service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship or not according to the service-related indication information, and if the service related information at the network side and the service information of the UE satisfy the preset relationship, determining that the UE needs to perform a measurement.

4. The measurement control method according to claim 3, wherein

the service-related indication information comprises:

information about services supported by a current network under an indication of the network side; and

the determining whether the service related information at the network side and the service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship or not comprises;

determining whether services at the network side are consistent with services of the UE or not, and if the service related information at the network side and the service information of the UE are not consistent with services of the UE, determining that the preset relationship is satisfied;

or

the service related indication information comprises;

differentiation indication information; and

the determining whether the service related information at the network side and the service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship or not comprises;

determining whether the service related information at the network side and the service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship or not according to a preset measurement policy.

5. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement indication information provided by the network side comprises:

cell list information; and

the determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement comprises;

determining, by the UE, whether the cell list information contains a preferred cell of the UE or not, and if the cell list information contains a preferred cell of the UE, determining that the UE needs to perform a measurement.

6. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement indication information provided by the network side comprises:

information capable of identifying an area of a cell where the UE is currently located;

the determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement comprises;

determining, by the UE, whether the area belongs to a preferred area of the UE or not according to information about the area of the cell where the UE is currently located, and if the area does not belong to a preferred area of the UE, determining that the UE needs to perform a measurement.

7. The measurement control method according to claim 6, further comprising:

reading, by the UE, a broadcast message from a neighbor cell, and determining whether an area of the neighbor cell belongs to a preferred area of the UE or not according to information about the area of the neighbor cell carried in the broadcast message, wherein if no neighbor cell belongs to a preferred area of the UE, the UE stops performing the measurement on the cell, and continues to perform measurements on the other cells;

otherwise, the UE stops performing the measurement process after determining that the UE is able to reselect the cell.

8. The measurement control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

grouping UEs in a network according to characteristics thereof, wherein

the measurement indication information provided by the network side, comprises;

the measurement indication information notified to UEs in a UE group of the provided measurement indication information and UE group information through a broadcast message or downlink signaling when the network side determines that the UEs in the UE group having particular characteristics need to perform a measurement; and

before performing a measurement process, the method further comprises;

determining that the UE group information carried in the broadcast message or downlink signaling received by the UE comprises information about the UE group where the UE belongs.

9. The measurement control method according to claim 8, wherein the measurement indication information further comprises:

the measurement indication information provided, by the network side according to characteristics of the UE groups.

10. The measurement control method according to claim 8, wherein the measurement indication information further comprises:

information about characteristic values directed to the UE group set by the network side; and

before performing a measurement process, the method further comprises;

determining that the UE needs to perform the measurement process according to a relationship between the characteristic values set by the network side and characteristic values of the UE group where the UE belongs as well as a preset policy.

11. The measurement control method according to claim 10, wherein

the preset policy comprises:

the preset policy that the UE does not need to perform a measurement process when the characteristic values set by the network side and the characteristic values of the UE group satisfy a set relationship;

or

the preset policy comprises;

the preset policy that the UE needs to perform a measurement process only when the characteristic values set by the network side and the characteristic values of the UE group meet a set relationship.

12. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein after the determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement and before performing a measurement process, the method further comprises:

determining, by the UE, whether a preset measurement period is reached or not, and then performing the measurement process after the measurement period is reached.

13. The measurement control method according to claim 12, wherein the preset measurement period is set according to one or more factors selected from network service differentiation conditions, network load conditions, and UE information.

14. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein after determining, by the UE, according to the measurement indication information, that the UE needs to perform a measurement and before performing a measurement process, the method further comprises:

determining, by the UE, whether the UE needs to initiate an uplink connection or not, and performing the measurement process before the UE initiates the uplink connection.

15. The measurement control method according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement process performed by the UE is one selected from a group consisting of intra-frequency measurement, inter-frequency measurement, and inter-RAT measurement or any combination thereof.

16. A user equipment (UE), comprising a receiving module, a determining module, and a measuring module, wherein

the receiving module is adapted to receive measurement indication information provided by a network side, and send the measurement indication information to the determining module;

the determining module is adapted to determine whether the UE needs to perform a measurement or not according to the received measurement indication information, and if the UE needs to perform a measurement, send notification information to notify the measuring module to perform a measurement process; and

the measuring module is adapted to perform a measurement process according to the received notification information.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein

the measurement indication information received by the receiving module comprises:

load-related indication information at the network side; and

the determining module is adapted to determine whether the network side is currently overloaded or not according to the load-related indication information, and if the network side is currently overloaded, determine that the UE needs to perform a measurement;

or

the measurement indication information received by the receiving module comprises;

service-related indication information; and

the determining module is adapted to determine whether service related information at the network side and service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship or not according to the service-related indication information, and if service related information at the network side and service information of the UE satisfy a preset relationship, determine that the UE needs to perform a measurement;

or

the measurement indication information received by the receiving module comprises;

cell list information; and

the determining module is adapted to determine whether the cell list information contains a preferred cell of the UE or not, and if the cell list information contains a preferred cell of the UE, determine that the UE needs to perform a measurement.

18. The UE according to claim 16, wherein

the receiving module is further adapted to receive a broadcast message from a neighbor cell, and send the broadcast message to the determining module;

and

the determining module is further adapted to determine whether an area of the neighbor cell belongs to a preferred area of the UE or not according to information about the area of the neighbor cell carried in the broadcast message, and if no neighbor cell belongs to a preferred area of the UE, stop performing the measurement on the cell;

otherwise, stop performing the measurement after determining that the UE is able to reselect the cell.

19. A network-side device, comprising:

an indication information providing module, adapted to determine measurement indication information required to be sent to user equipment (UE), and send the determined measurement indication information to the UE.

20. The network-side device according to claim 19, wherein the measurement indication information determined by the indication information providing module to be sent to the UE comprises any one selected from load-related indication information at the network side, service-related indication information, cell list information, or information capable of identifying a current cell.