METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROACTIVE IDLE MODE HANDOFF

• US 20100105389A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Kuo-Chun, Chin, Tom, Qing, Shan
• Application Number:
  US12/260,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20100105389A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technique that allows a mobile station (MS) to proactively perform a handover during an idle mode. For example, during listening intervals of an idle mode, the MS may scan neighboring base stations (BSs) and proactively handover to a target BS. The MS may be able to synchronize frame numbers with the target BS before missing a page.

Claims

1. A method for proactively switching between base stations in a wireless communications system, comprising:

monitoring for paging messages from a current serving base station during a listening interval;

determining, during or at the end of the listening interval, if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station; and

proactively handing off to the neighboring base station if it is determined to be beneficial.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprises:

determining if a signal quality parameter of the current serving base station has fallen below a threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprises:

performing a scan of neighboring base stations to obtain signal quality parameters for the neighbor base stations; and

comparing at least one signal quality parameter of the current serving base station to at least one signal quality parameter of the neighboring base stations.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

continuing the idle mode after proactively handing off to the neighboring base station.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a paging message from the current serving base station during the listening interval; and

exiting the idle mode in response to the paging message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein proactively handing off to the neighboring base station comprises:

synchronizing a local frame number counter with a frame number of the neighboring base station; and

entering an idle mode with listening intervals synchronized with paging intervals of the neighboring base station.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein proactively handing off to the neighboring base station further comprises:

decoding a downlink channel descriptor (DCD) message to determine a paging group of the neighboring base station; and

performing a location update procedure if the neighboring base station belongs to a different paging group than the current serving base station.

8. An apparatus for proactively switching between base stations in a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic for monitoring for paging messages from a current serving base station during a listening interval;

logic for determining, during or at the end of the listening interval, if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station; and

logic for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station if it is determined to be beneficial.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base is configured to determine if a signal quality parameter of the current serving base station has fallen below a threshold value.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprises:

logic for performing a scan of neighboring base stations to obtain signal quality parameters for the neighbor base stations; and

logic for comparing at least one signal quality parameter of the current serving base station to at least one signal quality parameter of the neighboring base stations.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

logic for continuing the idle mode after proactively handing off to the neighboring base station.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

logic for detecting a paging message from the current serving base station during the listening interval; and

logic for exiting the idle mode in response to the paging message.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the logic for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station is configured to:

synchronize a local frame number counter with a frame number of the neighboring base station; and

enter an idle mode with listening intervals synchronized with paging intervals of the neighboring base station.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station comprises:

logic for decoding a downlink channel descriptor (DCD) message to determine a paging group of the neighboring base station; and

logic for performing a location update procedure if the neighboring base station belongs to a different paging group than the current serving base station.

15. An apparatus for proactively switching between base stations in a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for monitoring for paging messages from a current serving base station during a listening interval;

means for determining, during or at the end of the listening interval, if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station; and

means for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station if it is determined to be beneficial.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station is configured to determine if a signal quality parameter of the current serving base station has fallen below a threshold value.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprises:

means for performing a scan of neighboring base stations to obtain signal quality parameters for the neighbor base stations; and

means for comparing at least one signal quality parameter of the current serving base station to at least one signal quality parameter of the neighboring base stations.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for continuing the idle mode after proactively handing off to the neighboring base station.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for detecting a paging message from the current serving base station during the listening interval; and

means for exiting the idle mode in response to the paging message.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station is configured to:

synchronize a local frame number counter with a frame number of the neighboring base station; and

enter an idle mode with listening intervals synchronized with paging intervals of the neighboring base station.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station comprises:

means for decoding a downlink channel descriptor (DCD) message to determine a paging group of the neighboring base station; and

means for performing a location update procedure if the neighboring base station belongs to a different paging group than the current serving base station.

22. A computer-program product for proactively switching between base stations in a wireless communications system, comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for monitoring for paging messages from a current serving base station during a listening interval;

instructions for determining, during or at the end of the listening interval, if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station; and

instructions for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station if it is determined to be beneficial.

23. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprise:

instructions for determining if a signal quality parameter of the current serving base station has fallen below a threshold value.

24. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for determining if it would be beneficial to switch from the current serving base station to a neighboring base station comprise:

instructions for performing a scan of neighboring base stations to obtain signal quality parameters for the neighbor base stations; and

instructions for comparing at least one signal quality parameter of the current serving base station to at least one signal quality parameter of the neighboring base stations.

25. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for continuing the idle mode after proactively handing off to the neighboring base station.

26. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for detecting a paging message from the current serving base station during the listening interval; and

instructions for exiting the idle mode in response to the paging message.

27. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the instructions for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station comprise:

instructions for synchronizing a local frame number counter with a frame number of the neighboring base station; and

instructions for entering an idle mode with listening intervals synchronized with paging intervals of the neighboring base station.

28. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the instructions for proactively handing off to the neighboring base station further comprise:

instructions for decoding a downlink channel descriptor (DCD) message to determine a paging group of the neighboring base station; and

instructions for performing a location update procedure if the neighboring base station belongs to a different paging group than the current serving base station.