Optimized Handover Configuration

• US 20110195708A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Limited
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Moberg, Peter, Johansson, Niklas, Mildh, Gunnar
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A method for power measurements in a cellular communication system comprises receiving measurement configuration orders. Operation of a power meter is controlled in dependence on the measurement configuration orders. Reference signal received powers are measured. A measurement report is compiled and transmitted. The measurement configuration orders comprise cell status information associated with neighbouring cells and measurement instructions that are dependent of the cell status of respective cell. The cell status information comprises information about whether the neighbouring cell is of a different type than the serving cell. Controlling of the operation of the power meter and/or compiling of the measurement report is performed in dependence on the cell status of the neighbouring cell. A method for handover based on such measurement reports is also disclosed as well as Node Bs and user equipments configured to perform such methods.

Claims

1. A user equipment for use in a cellular communication system, comprising:

a receiver, configured for receiving measurement configuration orders;

a power meter, configured for measuring reference signal received powers;

a measurement controller, connected to said receiver and said power meter, and being configured to access information comprised in said measurement configuration orders, to control an operation of said power meter, and to obtain measured reference signal received powers from said power meter; and

a transmitter, connected to said measurement controller;

said measurement controller being further configured to compile a measurement report based on said obtained measured reference signal received powers and to provide said measurement report to said transmitter;

said transmitter being configured to transmit said measurement report;

said measurement configuration orders comprise cell status information associated with neighbouring cells and measurement instructions being dependent of the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which a reference signal to be measured is received;

said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not said neighbouring cell is a cell of a different type than the serving cell of said user equipment;

wherein said measurement controller configured to perform at least one of said controlling said operation of said power meter and said compiling of said measurement report in dependence on the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which said signal to be measured was received.

2. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not a Node B for said neighbouring cell is a relay Node B.

3. The user equipment according to claim 2, wherein said measurement controller is configured to control said operation of said power meter to measure reference signal received powers from one of:

at least a first predetermined number of non-relay Node Bs; and

at most a second predetermined number of relay Node Bs.

4. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said cell status information also comprises information about a respective transmitting power of the Node B of said cell.

5. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said measurement configuration orders also comprise cell-status-dependent measurement instructions, and wherein said measurement controller is configured to control said operation of said power meter dependent on the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which said signal to be measured was received.

6. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein said measurement configuration orders also comprise cell-status-dependent measurement report instructions, and wherein said measurement controller is configured to compile said measurement report with different absolute or additional measuring power offsets dependent on the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which said measured reference signal received power was received.

7. A Node B in a cellular communication system, comprising:

a processor arrangement;

a transmitter, connected to said processor arrangement;

a receiver, connected to said processor arrangement;

a handover control section of said processor arrangement being configured to create measurement configuration orders and to provide said measurement configuration orders to said transmitter;

said transmitter being configured to transmit said measurement configuration orders within a cell associated with said Node B;

said receiver being configured to receive measurement reports from user equipments within said cell associated with said Node B;

said handover control section being further configured to access information comprised in said received measurement reports;

said handover control section being further configured for performing handover operations in dependence of said information comprised in said measurement reports; and

a neighbouring cell surveillance section of said processor arrangement being configured to obtain cell status information associated with neighbouring cells to said cell associated with said Node B;

said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not said neighbouring cell is a cell of a different type than the serving cell of said user equipment;

said handover control section being further configured to perform at least one of creating measurement configuration orders and performing handover operations in dependence of said cell status information.

8. The Node B according to claim 7, said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not a Node B for said neighbouring cell is a relay Node B.

9. The Node B according to claim 7, wherein said neighbouring cell surveillance section is configured to receive said link-quality-dependent measuring power offsets for said neighbouring cells from an external source.

10. The Node B according to claim 7, wherein said neighbouring cell surveillance section is configured to receive information about at least one of backhaul subframe allocation of neighbouring relay cells and output power levels of Node Bs of neighbouring cells, and wherein said neighbouring cell surveillance section is further configured to calculate said link-quality-dependent measuring power offsets from said received information.

11. The Node B according to claim 7, wherein said handover control section is further configured to comprise, for different neighbouring cells, individual measuring power offsets, being created as being dependent of at least one of said cell status information, a prevailing link quality between a user equipment and a neighbouring cell and a prevailing link quality between a user equipment and a serving cell, in said measurement configuration orders.

12. The Node B according to claim 7, wherein said handover control section is further configured to comprise, for different neighbouring cells, orders of no measurement created as being dependent of at least one of said cell status information, a prevailing link quality between a user equipment and a neighbouring cell and a prevailing link quality between a user equipment and a serving cell, in said measurement configuration orders.

13. A method for power measuring in a cellular communication system, comprising the steps of:

receiving, in a receiver, measurement configuration orders;

controlling an operation of a power meter in dependence on said information comprised in said measurement configuration orders;

measuring in said power meter, reference signal received powers;

compiling, in a measurement controller, a measurement report based on said measured reference signal received powers; and

transmitting, from a transmitter, said measurement report;

said measurement configuration orders comprise cell status information associated with neighbouring cells and measurement instructions being dependent of the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which a reference signal to be measured is received;

said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not said neighbouring cell is a cell of a different type than the serving cell of said user equipment;

wherein at least one of said controlling of said operation of said power meter and said compiling of said measurement report is performed in dependence on the cell status of the neighbouring cell from which said signal to be measured was received.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not a Node B for said neighbouring cell is a relay Node B.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said cell status information also comprises information about a respective transmitting power of the Node B of said cell.

16. A method for handover in a cellular communication system, comprising the steps of:

obtaining, in a neighbouring cell surveillance section of a processor arrangement, cell status information associated with neighbouring cells to a cell associated with a Node B in which said processor arrangement is comprised;

said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not said neighbouring cell is a cell of a different type than the serving cell of said user equipment;

creating, in a handover control section of said processor arrangement, measurement configuration orders;

transmitting, from a transmitter, said measurement configuration orders within a cell associated with said Node B;

receiving, in a receiver, measurement reports from user equipments within said cell associated with said Node B;

performing, in said handover control section, handover operations in dependence of said information comprised in said measurement reports;

at least one of said creating of measurement configuration orders and said performing handover operations being performed in dependence of said cell status information.

17. The method according to claim 16, said cell status information comprises at least information about whether or not a Node B for said neighbouring cell is a relay Node B.