MOBILITY MANAGEMENT FOR LTE NETWORK FOR HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY

• US 20140342736A1
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Wang, Haibo, Zhang, Jiayi
• Granted Patent: US 9,474,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

In one aspect, a method may include grouping a plurality of wireless communication devices on a moving platform into two or more non-overlapping groups of the wireless communication devices, distributing a first list of tracking areas to the groups of the wireless communication devices, changing the first list of tracking areas to a second list of tracking areas for a first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between a first tracking area and a second tracking area of the first list of tracking areas, and changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for a second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the second tracking area and a third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

grouping a plurality of wireless communication devices on a moving platform into two or more non-overlapping groups of the wireless communication devices;

distributing a first list of tracking areas to the groups of the wireless communication devices;

changing the first list of tracking areas to a second list of tracking areas for a first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between a first tracking area and a second tracking area of the first list of tracking areas; and

changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for a second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the second tracking area and a third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices comprises a plurality of active and idle wireless communication devices on the moving platform that are configured to communicate in accordance with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the grouping the plurality of wireless communication devices on the moving platform into the two or more non-overlapping groups of the wireless communication devices comprises:

allocating a respective Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (GUTI) to each of the wireless communication devices; and

assigning each of the wireless communication devices to a respective group of the two or more groups by identifying each of the wireless communication devices with the respective GUTI.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

changing the first list of tracking areas to a third list of tracking areas that is different from the first list and the second list of tracking areas for a third group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas and a fourth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to the third list of tracking areas for the first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fourth tracking area and a fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to a fourth list of tracking areas that is different from the first, the second, and the third list of tracking areas for the second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas and a sixth tracking area of the fourth list of tracking areas.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

paging one or more base stations associated with one or more tracking areas of the first or second list of tracking areas in response to the moving platform entering a respective tracking are of the first or second list of tracking areas.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

distributing, to a plurality of non-overlapping groups of wireless communication devices on a moving platform, a first list of tracking areas that are available for communication with the wireless communication devices, respective wireless communication devices in each one of the groups different from respective wireless communication devices in each other one of the groups; and

changing the first list of tracking areas to a second list of tracking areas for the groups of wireless communication devices in a sequential manner one group of the groups of wireless communication devices at a time as the moving platform travels through one or more overlapping regions between one or more pairs of a plurality of tracking areas.

9. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for the groups of wireless communication devices in a sequential manner one group of the groups of wireless communication devices at a time as the moving platform travels through one or more overlapping regions between one or more pairs of a plurality of tracking areas comprises:

changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for a first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between a first tracking area and a second tracking area of the first list of tracking areas; and

changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for a second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the second tracking area and a third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas.

10. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

changing the first list of tracking areas to a third list of tracking areas that is different from the first list and the second list of tracking areas for a third group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas and a fourth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

11. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to the third list of tracking areas for the first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fourth tracking area and a fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

12. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to a fourth list of tracking areas that is different from the first, the second, and the third list of tracking areas for the second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas and a sixth tracking area of the fourth list of tracking areas.

13. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

paging one or more base stations associated with one or more tracking areas of the first or second list of tracking areas in response to the moving platform entering a respective tracking are of the first or second list of tracking areas.

14. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of groups of wireless communication devices comprises a plurality of active and idle wireless communication devices on the moving platform that are configured to communicate in accordance with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.

15. A method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of wireless communication devices on a moving platform as two or more non-overlapping groups of the wireless communication devices using respective Globally Unique Temporary Identifiers (GUTIs) of the wireless communication devices;

distributing a first list of tracking areas to the groups of the wireless communication devices;

changing the first list of tracking areas to a second list of tracking areas for the groups of wireless communication devices in a sequential manner one group of the groups of wireless communication devices at a time as the moving platform travels through one or more overlapping regions between one or more pairs of a plurality of tracking areas.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for the groups of wireless communication devices in a sequential manner one group of the groups of wireless communication devices at a time as the moving platform travels through one or more overlapping regions between one or more pairs of a plurality of tracking areas comprises:

changing the first list of tracking areas to a second list of tracking areas for a first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between a first tracking area and a second tracking area of the first list of tracking areas; and

changing the first list of tracking areas to the second list of tracking areas for a second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the second tracking area and a third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

changing the first list of tracking areas to a third list of tracking areas that is different from the first list and the second list of tracking areas for a third group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the third tracking area of the first list of tracking areas and a fourth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to the third list of tracking areas for the first group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fourth tracking area and a fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

changing the second list of tracking areas to a fourth list of tracking areas that is different from the first, the second, and the third list of tracking areas for the second group of the wireless communication devices in response to the moving platform entering into an overlapping region between the fifth tracking area of the second list of tracking areas and a sixth tracking area of the fourth list of tracking areas.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of wireless communication devices comprises a plurality of active and idle wireless communication devices on the moving platform that are configured to communicate in accordance with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.