System and Method for User Equipment Measurement Timing in a Relay Cell

• US 20110080962A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Xiang, Blankenship, Yufei, Liu, Deping
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14

Abstract

A system and method for user equipment (UE) measurement timing in a relay cell are provided. A method for controller operations includes broadcasting a first pattern of time intervals to communications devices served by a controller, and for a communication device served by the controller, determining a second pattern for the communications device, where the second pattern is based on the first pattern, and transmitting the second pattern to the communications device.

Claims

1. A method for controller operations, the method comprising:

broadcasting a first pattern of time intervals to communications devices served by a controller; and

for a communication device served by the controller,

determining a second pattern for the communications device, wherein the second pattern is based on the first pattern, and

transmitting the second pattern to the communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications device served by the controller is a communication device that has the need to search for a presence of an alternate controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the search for the presence of an alternate controller comprises monitoring an available frequency band.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein monitoring an available frequency band comprises monitoring available radio access technologies.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the search for the presence of an alternate controller occurs during the second pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the second pattern comprises transmitting a parameter about the second pattern to the communications device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second pattern comprises a measurement gap, and wherein the parameter comprises a measurement gap offset.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pattern is related to a pattern of Multi-Media Broadcast over a Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a second pattern comprises selecting a possible second pattern resulting in a minimum number of missed transmission opportunities during the second pattern.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second pattern comprises a measurement gap pattern.

11. A method for controller operations, the method comprising:

broadcasting a first pattern of time intervals to communications devices being served by the controller;

determining a communications device being served by the controller;

determining a parameter of a second pattern of time intervals as a function of the first pattern; and

transmitting the parameter to the communications device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first pattern comprises a bitmap of subframes in a single radio frame.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first pattern comprises a bitmap of subframes in four consecutive radio frames.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining a parameter further comprises maximizing an overlap between the second pattern and the time intervals not suitable for controller-to-communications device communications.

15. A controller comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit time intervals to communications devices served by the controller, wherein the time intervals are based on a first pattern; and

a second pattern unit coupled to the transmitter, the second pattern unit configured to determine a second pattern for a communications device served by the controller, wherein the second pattern is based on the first pattern.

16. The controller of claim 15, wherein the communications device has the need to search for a presence of an alternate controller.

17. The controller of claim 15, wherein the second pattern unit is configured to determine an offset for the second pattern for the communications device.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the offset for the second pattern to the communications device.

19. The controller of claim 15, further comprising a determine measurement unit coupled to the second pattern unit, the determine measurement unit configured to determine communications devices that need to search for the presence of an alternate controller.

20. The controller of claim 15, further comprising an overlap unit coupled to the second pattern unit, the overlap unit configured to determine an overlap in time intervals based on the first pattern and time intervals based on the second pattern.