Wireless Communication Device Capable of Scanning for Available Base Stations Using Reduced Bandwidth

• US 20130170418A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Erik Stauffer, Kamlesh Rath, Robert Gustav Lorenz
• Inventors: LORENZ, Robert Gustav, STAUFFER, Erik, RATH, Kamlesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,356,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/38 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0232 according to average transmission signal activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless communication device is disclosed that includes multiple antennas capable of being used for carrier aggregation, and that uses its additional antennas to scan for available base stations without interfering with connectivity to a current base station and/or while maximizing useable bandwidth. The wireless communication device may scan using multiple of the antennas to maximize scanning results and reduce scan time, and may scan for available base stations using some of its antennas while maintaining its connection to the current base station with its other antennas. The device can also analyze control channel portions of received signals to utilize periods of signal inactivity to scan for available base stations, such as DRX or SPS modes of operation. In addition, the device can measure various parameters to optimize its scanning capabilities.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver modules configured to communicate with a current base station; and

a scanning module configured to control more than one of the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for an available base station on different respective frequencies.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein during a measurement gap, the scanning module controls two or more of the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station using the different respective frequencies.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 2, further comprising:

a multiplexer,

wherein the scanning module controls the two or more of the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station one at a time in a round robin configuration, and

wherein the multiplexer combines data received by the two or more of the plurality of transceiver modules.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the scanning module is configured to identify frequencies to be scanned, and

wherein the scanning module selects the more than one of the plurality of transceiver modules that correspond to the identified frequencies.

3. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver modules configured to communicate with a current base station; and

a scanning module configured to control more at least one of the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for an available base station while controlling a second transceiver module to communicate with the current base station.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the scanning module controls multiple transceiver modules that are not scanning to communicate with the current base station.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 3, further comprising:

a measurement module configured to measure signal characteristics of signals received by the transceiver modules from the current base station,

wherein the controller module is configured to compare at least one of the measured signal characteristics to a predetermined threshold, and

wherein the scanning module controls transceiver modules having at least one signal characteristic that falls below the predetermined threshold to scan for the available base station, and controls the transceiver modules whose at least one signal characteristic exceeds the predetermined threshold to communicate with the current base station.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein at least one of the transceiver modules receives a signal from the current base station,

wherein the signal includes a data sub-frame having a plurality of resource elements that each have a frequency and time allocation, and

wherein the data sub-frame includes a control channel portion and a payload portion.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the scanning module controls fewer than all of the plurality of transceiver modules to decode the control channel portion of the data sub-frame, and controls at least one of a remainder of the transceiver modules to scan for the available base station.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 6, further comprising a measurement module configured to measure a characteristic of the signal,

wherein, when the characteristic of the signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, the scanning module controls fewer than all of the plurality of transceiver modules to decode the payload portion of the signal, and controls a at least one of a remainder of the transceiver modules to scan for the available base station.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the scanning module controls a transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules to disregard a resource element of the signal, and to instead scan for the available base station during the time allocation associated with the resource element.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the control channel portion indicates to the wireless communication device that it is not necessary to monitor control channel portions of future data sub-frames, and

wherein the scanning module controls the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station during the time that otherwise would have been allocated to decoding control channel portions of the future data sub-frames.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the control channel portion indicates to the wireless communication device that less than all data symbols of the payload portion have been allocated to the wireless communication device, and

wherein the scanning module controls the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station during the time corresponding to the unallocated data symbols.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication device operates in Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode, and

wherein the scanning module controls the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station during DRX periods of inactivity.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the control channel portion indicates to the wireless communication device that a portion of the payload portion has been allocated to the wireless communication device for a current sub-frame and for periodic future sub-frames as part of semi-persistent scheduling, and

wherein the scanning module controls at least one of the plurality of transceiver modules to scan for the available base station during the control channel portion of the periodic future sub-frames.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the scanning module causes transceiver modules with stronger signal characteristics to scan the available base station more frequently than transceiver modules having weaker signal characteristics.

14. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a plurality of transceiver modules configured to communicate with a current base station;

a measurement module configured to measure channel conditions of a wireless communication channel between the wireless communication device and the current base station; and

a scanning module configured to set a scanning periodicity of at least one transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules based on the measured channel conditions.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the controller module compares the measured channel conditions to previously-measured channel conditions, and determines a rate of change of the channel conditions, and

wherein when the rate of change is low, the scanning module controls the transceiver module to scan for the available base station less frequently, and when the rate of change is high, the scanning module controls the transceiver module to scan for the available base station more frequently.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the scanning module is configured to set a first scanning periodicity corresponding to a first transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules and to set a second scanning periodicity corresponding to a second transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, based on the measured channel conditions.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the scanning module is configured to select at least one of the plurality of transceiver modules for scanning based on the measured channel conditions.