MULTIPLE INPUT MULTIPLE OUTPUT (MIMO) BASED CONCURRENT SCAN OF NEIGHBOR CELLS

• US 20130072189A1
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Steven D., Gurski, Remi J., Lee, Kuo-Chun, Shi, Guangming, Chin, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/382 for resource allocation, admission control or handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/38 for signals in two different frequency ranges transmitted in opposite directions over the same transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/003 at the transmitter transmission to multiple receive units in multiple input multiple output [MIMO] H04B7/0452; transmit antenna weighting H04B7/0615
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0094 Definition of hand-off measurement parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are described for concurrently performing handoff-related measurements for neighbor cells using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna resources. In one example, a mobile device is in communication with a serving cell. Handoff-related measurements of first wireless signals from a first neighbor cell are performed. The first wireless signals are received at first MIMO antenna resources of a device. Handoff-related measurements of second wireless signals from a second neighbor cell are performed, as well. The second wireless signals are received at second MIMO antenna resources concurrently with the first wireless signals received at the first MIMO antenna resources. The first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements may be performed during a scan interval. A type of handoff-related measurement to perform may be determined based on a determined length of the scan interval.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a type of handoff-related measurement to perform based on a determined length of a scan interval

performing first handoff-related measurements of first wireless signals from a first neighbor cell received at first multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna resources of a device, wherein the device is in communication with a serving cell; and

performing second handoff-related measurements of second wireless signals from a second neighbor cell received at second MIMO antenna resources of the device, the second wireless signals received at the second MIMO antenna resources concurrently with the first wireless signals being received at the first MIMO antenna resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements during the scan interval.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the device is in a connect mode or an idle mode; and

determining the length of the scan interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements comprise a power measurement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff related measurements comprise a signal quality measurement.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein,

the signal quality measurement comprises a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a carrier to interference-plus-noise-ratio (CINR), a bit error ratio (BER), an energy per bit to noise power spectral density ratio (E_b/N_O), or an energy per symbol per noise power spectral density ratio (E_S/N_O).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements comprise a power measurement and the second handoff-related measurement comprises a signal quality.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding a first downlink message received at the first MIMO antenna resources from the first neighbor cell and decoding a second downlink message received at the second MIMO antennas from the second neighbor cell.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell;

and

the second neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

tuning a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources during a first period of the scan interval to the frequency band of the first neighbor cell; and

tuning a receiver associated with the second MIMO antenna resources during a first period of the scan interval to the frequency band of the second neighbor cell.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

tuning a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources and the second MIMO antenna resources during a second period of the scan interval to frequency band of the serving cell.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first neighbor cell comprises a first radio access technology (RAT);

and

the second neighbor cell comprises the first RAT.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein,

the second neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein,

the serving cell comprises the first RAT.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the first neighbor cell comprises a first radio access technology (RAT);

and

the second neighbor cell comprises a second RAT different from the first RAT.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein,

the first neighbor cell is in a same frequency band as the serving cell;

the second neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell; and

the serving cell comprises the first RAT.

17. A device comprising:

a plurality of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna resources;

a transceiver coupled with the plurality of MIMO antenna resources;

a detection module in communications with the transceiver, the detection module configured to determine a length of a scan interval;

a measurement module coupled with the transceiver and configured to;

determine a type of handoff-related measurement to perform based on the determined length of the scan interval;

perform first handoff-related measurements of first wireless signals from a first neighbor cell received at first MIMO antenna resources of the plurality of MIMO antenna resources, wherein the device is in communication with a serving cell; and

perform second handoff-related measurements of second wireless signals from a second neighbor cell received at second MIMO antenna resources of the plurality of MIMO antenna resources, the second wireless signals received at the second MIMO antenna resources concurrently with the first wireless signals being received at the first MIMO antenna resources.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein,

the measurement module is configured to perform the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements during the scan interval.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein,

the detection module is configured to determine whether the device is in a connect mode or an idle mode.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements comprise a power measurement.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff related measurements comprise a signal quality measurement.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements comprise a power measurement and the second handoff-related measurement comprises a signal quality.

23. The device of claim 17, further comprising a decoding module in communication with the transceiver, wherein,

the decoding module is configured to decode a first downlink message received at the first MIMO antenna resources from the first neighbor cell and decode a second downlink message received at the second MIMO antennas from the second neighbor cell.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein,

the first neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell;

and

the second neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell.

25. The device of claim 24, further comprising a tuning module in communication with the transceiver, and configured to:

tune a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources during a first period of the scan interval to the frequency band of the first neighbor cell; and

tune a receiver associated with the second MIMO antenna resources during a first period of the scan interval to the frequency band of the second neighbor cell.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein,

the tuning module is configured to tune a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources and the second MIMO antenna resources during a second period of the scan interval to frequency band of the serving cell.

27. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining a type of handoff-related measurement to perform based on a determined length of a scan interval;

means for performing first handoff-related measurements of first wireless signals from a first neighbor cell received at first multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna resources of a device, wherein the device is in communication with a serving cell; and

means for performing second handoff-related measurements of second wireless signals from a second neighbor cell received at second MIMO antenna resources of the device, the second wireless signals received at the second MIMO antenna resources concurrently with the first wireless signals being received at the first MIMO antenna resources.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for performing the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements during the scan interval.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

means for determining whether the device is in a connect mode or an idle mode; and

means for determining the length of the scan interval.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff-related measurements comprise a power measurement.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein,

the first handoff-related measurements and the second handoff related measurements comprise a signal quality measurement.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for decoding a first downlink message received at the first MIMO antenna resources from the first neighbor cell and decoding a second downlink message received at the second MIMO antennas from the second neighbor cell.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein,

the first neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell;

and

the second neighbor cell is in a different frequency band from the serving cell.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

means for tuning a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources during a first period of a scan interval to the frequency band of the first neighbor cell; and

means for tuning a receiver associated with the second MIMO antenna resources during a first period of a scan interval to the frequency band of the second neighbor cell.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising:

means for tuning a receiver associated with the first MIMO antenna resources and the second MIMO antenna resources during a second period of a scan interval to frequency band of the serving cell.

36. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium comprising:

code for determining a type of handoff-related measurement to perform based on a determined length of a scan interval;

code for performing first handoff-related measurements of first wireless signals from a first neighbor cell received at first multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna resources of a device, the device in communication with a serving cell; and

code for performing second handoff-related measurements of second wireless signals from a second neighbor cell received at second MIMO antenna resources of the device, the second wireless signals received at the second MIMO antenna resources concurrently with the first wireless signals being received at the first MIMO antenna resources.