METHOD AND DEVICES OF COMMUNICATING PHYSICAL CELL IDENTIFIER INFORMATION TO MOBILE STATIONS

• US 20120178490A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JAIN, Nitin, Indukuri, Venkata Raju
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for communicating physical cell identifier information to mobile stations. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a need to change a physical cell identifier associated with a cell in a telecommunication network used for serving the mobile station. The method also includes communicating physical cell identifier information to the mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier. The method includes employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell based on the communicated physical cell identifier information. The physical cell identifier information is communicated in one or more modification periods such that said another physical cell identifier is employed by the base station and the mobile station at a boundary of one of the modification periods. Moreover, the method includes continue serving the mobile station based on the employed said another physical cell identifier.

Claims

1. A method of a base station for communicating physical cell identifier information to at least one mobile station, wherein the at least one mobile station is served by the base station, comprising:

detecting a need to change a physical cell identifier associated with a cell in a telecommunication network used for serving the at least one mobile station;

communicating physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier;

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station, wherein the physical cell identifier information is communicated in one or more modification periods, and wherein said another physical cell identifier is employed at a boundary of one of the one or more modification periods; and

continue serving the at least one mobile station based on the employed said another physical cell identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical cell identifier information comprises at least one of a frequency information, and one of physical cell identifier and a primary scrambling code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier comprises:

generating a message indicating a change in system information based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier;

sending the message indicating the change in the system information to the at least one mobile station during a first modification period;

generating a system information block including another physical cell identifier based on the change in the system information; and

sending the system information block including said another physical cell identifier to the at least one mobile station during a second modification period substantially following the first modification period.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station comprises:

employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the second modification period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier comprises:

generating a message indicating a change of physical cell identifier and said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on detected need to change the physical cell identifier; and

sending the message indicating the change of the physical cell identifier and said another physical cell identifier to the at least one mobile station during a first modification period.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station comprises:

employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the first modification period.

7. The method of claims 3 and 5, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

8. The method of claim 1 in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A method of a mobile station for processing physical cell identifier information associated with a cell in a telecommunication network, comprising:

receiving physical cell identifier information indicating a change of a physical cell identifier associated with a cell in a telecommunication network from a base station of the telecommunication network, wherein the mobile station is served by the base station using the physical cell identifier;

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information, wherein the physical cell identifier information is received in one or more modification periods, and wherein the said another physical cell identifier is employed at a boundary of one of the one or more modification periods; and

detecting the base station using the employed said another physical cell identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the physical cell identifier information comprises at least one of frequency information information, and one of physical cell identifier and a primary scrambling code.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the physical cell identifier information indicating the change of the physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station of the telecommunication network comprises:

receiving a message indicating a change of physical cell identifier from the base station during a first modification period; and

receiving a system information block including said another physical cell identifier from the base station during a second modification period substantially following the first modification period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information comprises:

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the second modification period.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the physical cell identifier information indicating the change of the physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station of the telecommunication network comprises:

receiving a message indicating a change of a physical cell identifier and another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station during a first modification period.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information comprises:

employing another physical cell identifier associated with said another cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the first modification period.

15. The method of claims 11 and 13, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

16. The method of claim 9 in the form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein to perform the method of claim 9.

17. A base station of a telecommunication network for communicating physical cell identifier information associated with a cell to at least one mobile station, comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor and temporarily configured to store instructions capable of;

detecting a need to change a physical cell identifier associated with a cell in a telecommunication network used for serving the at least one mobile station;

communicating physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier;

employing another physical cell identifier associated with another cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station, wherein the physical cell identifier information is communicated in one or more modification periods, and wherein said another physical cell identifier is employed at a boundary of one of the one or more modification periods; and

continue serving the at least one mobile station based on the employed said another physical cell identifier.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein the physical cell identifier information comprises at least one of frequency information information, and one of physical cell identifier and a primary scrambling code.

19. The base station of claim 17, wherein the instructions to communicate the physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier comprises:

generating a message indicating a change in system information based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier;

sending the message indicating the change in the system information to the at least one mobile station during a first modification period;

generating a system information block including another physical cell identifier based on the change in the system information; and

sending the system information block including said another physical cell identifier to the at least one mobile station during a second modification period substantially following the first modification period.

20. The base station of claim 19, wherein the instructions to employ said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station comprises:

employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the second modification period.

21. The base station of claim 17, wherein the instructions to communicate the physical cell identifier information to the at least one mobile station based on the detected need to change the physical cell identifier comprises:

generating a message indicating a change of physical cell identifier and said another physical cell identifier associated with the in the telecommunication network based on detected need to change the physical cell identifier; and

sending the message indicating the change of the physical cell identifier and said another physical cell identifier to the at least one mobile station during a first modification period.

22. The base station of claim 21, wherein the instructions to employ said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the physical cell identifier information communicated to the at least one mobile station comprises:

employing said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the first modification period.

23. The base station of claims 19 and 21, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

24. A mobile station for processing physical cell identifier information received from a base station, comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor and temporarily configured to store instructions capable of;

receiving physical cell identifier information indicating a change of a physical cell identifier associated with a cell in a telecommunication network from a base station of the telecommunication network, wherein the mobile station is served by the base station using the physical cell identifier;

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information, wherein the physical cell identifier information is received in one or more modification periods, and wherein the said another physical cell identifier is employed at a boundary of one of the one or more modification periods; and

detecting the base station using the employed said another physical cell identifier.

25. The mobile station of claim 24, wherein the physical cell identifier information comprises at least one of frequency information information, and one of physical cell identifier and a primary scrambling code.

26. The mobile station of claim 24, wherein the instructions to receive the physical cell identifier information indicating the change of the physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station of the telecommunication network comprises:

receiving a message indicating a change of physical cell identifier from the base station during a first modification period; and

receiving a system information block including said another physical cell identifier from the base station during a second modification period substantially following the first modification period.

27. The mobile station of claim 26, wherein the instructions to employ said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information comprises:

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the second modification period.

28. The mobile station of claim 24, wherein the instructions to receive the physical cell identifier information indicating the change of the physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station of the telecommunication network comprises:

receiving a message indicating a change of a physical cell identifier and another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network from the base station during a first modification period.

29. The mobile station of claim 28, wherein the instructions to employ said another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network based on the received physical cell identifier information comprises:

employing another physical cell identifier associated with the cell in the telecommunication network at the end of the first modification period.

30. The mobile station of claims 26 and 28, wherein the message comprises a paging message.

31. Methods and systems for communicating physical cell identifier information as described in the above description and drawings.