Carrier Selection For Accessing A Cellular System

• US 20110216731A1
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Klaus Ingemann, Van Phan, Vinh, Frederiksen, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,737,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

Embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and software for transmitting or receiving information on at least one coverage carrier and/or at least one capacity carrier of a multi-carrier cell.

Claims

1. An apparatus, configured to

access a multi-carrier cell,

receive system information or broadcast system information, and

select at least one carrier based on the received information.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system information includes one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

control information, or cell-specific implicit and/or explicit control information, for supporting carrier selection upon accessing the cell,

the control information comprising one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

received carrier signal strength, or received carrier interference ratio, offset between at least one selected coverage carrier and at least one capacity carrier,

offset of at least one carrier-specific downlink synchronization or pilot channel,

multi-random access channel information indicating that a user is able or allowed to attempt accessing the cell on more than one suitable carrier in parallel.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, configured to one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

receive information about at least one capacity carrier

receive the information from corresponding information or at least one system information block received on a selected coverage carrier,

the information including or comprising at least one of

implicit and/or explicit control information elements,

rules for searching, receiving, and/or initially accessing a capacity carrier,

at least one reference sequence on at least one synchronization or pilot channel of one or more capacity carriers;

preconditions specified such as offset on received carrier signal strength between a selected coverage carrier and one or more capacity carriers.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, configured to one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

decide on continuing to detect and receive further information or system information blocks, or try to access the cell on at least one certain capacity carrier,

if received carrier signal strength on a selected coverage carrier exceeds a minimum threshold, or a threshold specified for one or more capacity carriers, synchronize and receive carrier-specific information on the corresponding capacity carrier or carriers,

select, based at least on one or more of received carrier-specific information, random access channel related information, and/or rules such as rules driven by types or priorities of subscriber profiles, requested services, one or more carriers to attempt accessing the cell,

attempt accessing the cell on a selected coverage carrier.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, configured to one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

respond to a first or one of the first random access channel responses received from a base station on a carrier in case of parallel random access channel attempts,

indicate in a message after receiving the response about other ongoing parallel process.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, configured to one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

attempt to access the cell on a selected coverage carrier;

access the cell on either the selected coverage carrier or a suitable capacity carrier or both in parallel, select one or more suitable carriers,

use at least one random access channel procedure on one or more selected carriers upon accessing the cell.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a user equipment such as stationary or mobile terminal, a part, module, chipset or software of a user equipment.

15. Network, comprising at least one apparatus according to claim 1.

8. Apparatus, configured to

provide or broadcast at least one of a coverage carrier, a capacity carrier, and system information of a multi-carrier cell,

wherein the system information includes one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

control information, or cell-specific implicit and/or explicit control information, for supporting carrier selection,

the control information comprising one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

received carrier signal strength, or received carrier interference ratio, offset between at least one coverage carrier and at least one capacity carrier,

offset of at least one carrier-specific downlink synchronization or pilot channel,

multi-random access channel information indicating that a user is able or allowed to attempt accessing the cell on more than one suitable carrier in parallel.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, configured to one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

transmit information about at least one capacity carrier,

transmit the information or at least one system information block on a coverage carrier,

the information including or comprising at least one of

implicit and/or explicit control information elements,

rules for searching, receiving, and/or initially accessing a capacity carrier,

at least one reference sequence on at least one synchronization or pilot channel of one or more capacity carriers;

preconditions specified such as offset on received carrier signal strength between a selected coverage carrier and one or more capacity carriers,

transmit one or several random access channel responses to a user equipment on a carrier in case of parallel random access channel attempts,

receive information about other ongoing parallel process,

transmit information on a physical or primary broadcast channel and/or broadcast channel,

transmit one or more coverage carriers and one or more capacity carriers, the carrier or carriers comprising one, more or all of the following or other information;

global cell and network system related information, multi-carrier structure with synchronization information, schedule and format of certain system information blocks, SIBs, and/or information about physical downlink control channel instances sent on capacity carriers,

system information blocks on a capacity carrier such as carrier specific or carrier-accessing information.

10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a base station such as a nodeB or enhanced nodeB, or a part, module, chipset or software of a base station.

11. A method, comprising at least one of

accessing a multi-carrier cell,

receiving system information or broadcast information relating to at least one carrier, and

selecting at least one carrier based on the received information.

12. A method according to claim 11, comprising at least one, more, in any arbitrary combination, or all of:

the system information includes one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

control information, or cell-specific implicit and/or explicit control information, for supporting carrier selection upon accessing the cell,

the control information comprising one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

received carrier signal strength, or received carrier interference ratio, offset between at least one selected coverage carrier and at least one capacity carrier,

offset of at least one carrier-specific downlink synchronization or pilot channel,

multi-random access channel information indicating that a user is able or allowed to attempt accessing the cell on more than one suitable carrier in parallel;

receive information about at least one capacity carrier,

receive the information from corresponding information or at least one system information block received on a selected coverage carrier,

the information including or comprising at least one of

implicit and/or explicit control information elements,

rules for searching, receiving, and/or initially accessing a capacity carrier,

at least one reference sequence on at least one synchronization or pilot channel of one or more capacity carriers;

preconditions specified such as offset on received carrier signal strength between a selected coverage carrier and one or more capacity carriers,

decide on continuing to detect and receive further information or system information blocks, or try to access the cell on at least one certain capacity carrier,

if received carrier signal strength on a selected coverage carrier exceeds a minimum threshold, or a threshold specified for one or more capacity carriers, synchronize and receive carrier-specific information on the corresponding capacity carrier or carriers,

select, based at least on one or more of received carrier-specific information, random access channel related information, and/or rules such as rules driven by types or priorities of subscriber profiles, requested services, one or more carriers to attempt accessing the cell,

attempt accessing the cell on a selected coverage carrier,

respond to a first or one of the first random access channel responses received from a base station on a carrier in case of parallel random access channel attempts,

indicate in a message after receiving the response about other ongoing parallel process,

attempt to access the cell on a selected coverage carrier;

access the cell on either the selected coverage carrier or a suitable capacity carrier or both in parallel, select one or more suitable carriers,

use at least one random access channel procedure on one or more selected carriers upon accessing the cell.

16. Computer program product, optionally embodied on a computer-readable medium, comprising code means configured to carry out or implement, when run on a processor, a method according to claim 11.

13. A method, comprising:

providing or broadcasting at least one of a coverage carrier, a capacity carrier, and system information of a multi-carrier cell,

wherein the system information includes one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

control information, or cell-specific implicit and/or explicit control information, for supporting carrier selection,

the control information comprising one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of;

received carrier signal strength, or received carrier interference ratio, offset between at least one coverage carrier and at least one capacity carrier,

offset of at least one carrier-specific downlink synchronization or pilot channel,

multi-random access channel information indicating that a user is able or allowed to attempt accessing the cell on more than one suitable carrier in parallel.

14. A method according to claim 13, comprising one or more, in any arbitrary combination, of:

transmit information about at least one capacity carrier,

transmit the information or at least one system information block on a coverage carrier,

the information including or comprising at least one of

implicit and/or explicit control information elements,

rules for searching, receiving, and/or initially accessing a capacity carrier,

at least one reference sequence on at least one synchronization or pilot channel of one or more capacity carriers;

preconditions specified such as offset on received carrier signal strength between a selected coverage carrier and one or more capacity carriers,

transmit one or several random access channel responses to a user equipment on a carrier in case of parallel random access channel attempts,

receive information about other ongoing parallel process,

transmit information on a physical or primary broadcast channel and/or broadcast channel,

transmit one or more coverage carriers and one or more capacity carriers, the carrier or carriers comprising one, more or all of the following or other information;

global cell and network system related information, multi-carrier structure with synchronization information, schedule and format of certain system information blocks, SIBs, and/or information about physical downlink control channel instances sent on capacity carriers,

system information blocks on a capacity carrier such as carrier specific or carrier-accessing information.