METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE MEASUREMENT REPORTING

• US 20110039557A1
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Narasimha, Murali, Kuchibhotla, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0058 Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A method (300) and apparatus (110) for mobile communication device measurement reporting is disclosed. The method may include receiving (320) an offset value corresponding to a set of a plurality of cells. The method may include determining (330) that a signal strength of a serving cell (130) is higher than a radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting. The method may include detecting (340) the presence of a candidate cell (140) that is a member of the set of the plurality of cells. The method may include transmitting (350) a measurement report to the serving cell if the signal strength of the serving cell is higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting and if the candidate cell that is a member of the set of the plurality of cells is present.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile station, the method comprising:

receiving an offset value for measurement reporting;

determining that a signal strength of a serving cell is higher than a radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset for measurement reporting;

detecting a presence of a candidate cell; and

transmitting a measurement report to the serving cell indicating the presence of the candidate cell if the signal strength of the serving cell is higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset for measurement reporting.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining that the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell,

wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the measurement report to the serving cell if the signal strength of the serving cell is higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset for measurement reporting, and if the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein determining that the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell includes reading system information to obtain an identifier of the candidate cell and determining that the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell based on the identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of a set of a plurality of cells,

wherein detecting the presence of the candidate cell comprises detecting the presence of the candidate cell and determining that the candidate cell is a member of the set of the plurality of cells.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein determining that the candidate cell is a member of the set of the plurality of cells is based on the candidate cell having a physical cell identifier that is in a range of physical cell identifiers corresponding to the set of the plurality of cells.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement report includes at least one of a measurement of the signal strength of the candidate cell and a cell identifier of the candidate cell.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement report indicates that an event that corresponds to the signal strength of the serving cell being higher than a radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting has been triggered.

8. The method according to claim 4, where the set of the plurality of cells comprises home cells, wherein a home cell comprises one of a closed subscriber group cell and a hybrid cell.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

taking a signal strength measurement of the serving cell signal strength; and

taking a signal strength measurement of the candidate cell signal strength.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless communication device housing;

a transceiver coupled to the wireless communication device housing, the transceiver configured to receive an offset value for measurement reporting;

a controller coupled to the transceiver, the controller configured to control operations of the apparatus;

a radio link failure module coupled to the controller, the radio link failure module configured to determine that a signal strength of a serving cell is higher than a radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting; and

a candidate cell presence detection module coupled to the controller, the candidate cell presence detection module configured to detect a presence of a candidate cell that is a member of the set of the plurality of cells,

wherein the controller is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, a measurement report to the serving cell if the signal strength of the serving cell is higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting and if the candidate cell that is a member of the set of the plurality of cells is present.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the controller is configured to determine that a mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell;

and

wherein the controller is configured to transmit the measurement report to the serving cell if the signal strength of the serving cell is higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting, if the candidate cell that is a member of the set of the plurality of cells is present, and if the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine that the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell by reading system information to obtain a cell identifier of the candidate cell and by determining that the mobile station is allowed to access the candidate cell based on the cell identifier.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the candidate cell presence detection module is configured to detect the presence of the candidate cell by detecting the presence of the candidate cell and by determining that the candidate cell is a member of the set of the plurality of cells.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the candidate cell presence detection module can be configured to determine that the candidate cell is a member of the set of the plurality of cells based on the candidate cell having a physical cell identifier that is in a range of physical cell identifiers corresponding to the set of the plurality of cells.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measurement report includes at least one of a measurement of the signal strength of the candidate cell and a cell identifier of the candidate cell.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the measurement report indicates that an event that corresponds to the signal strength of the serving cell being higher than the radio link failure threshold of the serving cell by substantially no more than the offset value for measurement reporting has been triggered.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, where the set of plurality of cells comprises home cells, wherein a home cell comprises one of a closed subscriber group cell and a hybrid cell.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to take a signal strength measurement of the serving cell signal strength and configured to take a signal strength measurement of the candidate cell signal strength.

19. A method in a base station comprising:

receiving, from a mobile station, a measurement report indicating that a signal strength of the base station is higher than a radio link failure threshold of the base station by substantially no more than an offset for measurement reporting; and

performing handover of the mobile station to a target base station in response to receiving the measurement report.

20. The method according to claim 19,

wherein the measurement report further indicates the presence of a candidate cell, and

wherein the performing handover of the mobile station to a target base station includes performing handover of the mobile station to the candidate cell in response to receiving the measurement report.