METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRIGGERING OF SPECIFIC OPERATION MODE FOR TERMINALS OPERATING IN EXTENDED LONG RANGE

• US 20150092566A1
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Balachandran, Kumar, Bergman, Johan, Dimou, Konstantinos, Eriksson, Erik, Walln, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 taking into account path loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/48 during retransmission after error or non-acknowledgment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/50 at the moment of starting communication in a multiple access environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for triggering a long range extension mode of operation for a wireless device in a cellular communications network. In one preferred embodiment, the wireless device is a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device. In one embodiment, a node in the cellular communications network determines that the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode if there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network. If the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode, the node activates one or more long range extension mechanisms with respect to the wireless device such that the wireless device operates in the long range extension mode. In this manner, the long range extension mode is selectively triggered for the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a node in a cellular communications network, comprising:

determining that a wireless device is to operate in a long range extension mode of operation if there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network; and

if the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode of operation, activating one or more long range extension mechanisms such that the wireless device operates in the long range extension mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network is a difficulty in establishing at least one of a group consisting of:

an uplink from the wireless device to the cellular communications network and an downlink from the cellular communications network to the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprise one or more long range extension mechanisms for a downlink from a base station in the cellular communications network to the wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprise one or more long range extension mechanisms for an uplink from the wireless device to a base station in the cellular communications network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprise both one or more long range extension mechanisms for a downlink from a base station in the cellular communications network to the wireless device and one or more long range extension mechanisms for an uplink from the wireless device to a base station in the cellular communications network.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprise at least one of a group consisting of:

use of an increased transmit power that eases the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, use of an increased amount of reference signal resources that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, use of one or more modified repetition schemes that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, use of one or more scheduling restrictions that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, use of one or more modulation and coding schemes that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, use of one or more synchronization signals that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network, and use of random access resources that ease the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when one or more parameters indicative of the difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network are worse than one or more corresponding predefined thresholds.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network is not possible in a normal mode of operation.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when:

communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network is not possible in a normal mode of operation; and

a received strength of signal with respect to the wireless device is less than or equal to a predefined threshold received strength of signal.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining that communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network is not possible in the normal mode of operation based on a required Quality of Service target.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the received strength of signal is at least one of an uplink direction from the wireless device to a base station in the cellular communications network and a downlink direction from a base station in the cellular communications network to the wireless device.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when:

Reference Signal Received Power, RSRP, measurements for a number, N, of strongest cells made by the wireless device are each less than a predefined threshold RSRP.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when:

a number of unsuccessful random access attempts by the wireless device is greater than a predefined threshold number of random access attempts.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when:

an amount of time that has elapsed since a time at which the wireless device transmitted a last scheduling request without receiving a grant of the scheduling request exceeds a predefined threshold scheduling request delay.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the wireless device is not to operate in the long range extension mode of operation, de-activating the one or more long range extension mechanisms such that the wireless device operates in a normal mode of operation.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the node is the wireless device, and the method further comprises, if the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode of operation, attempting a random access using one or more resources dedicated for the long range extension mode of operation.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the node is the wireless device, and the method further comprises, if the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode of operation, attempting a scheduling request transmission using one or more resources dedicated for the long range extension mode of operation.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

activating the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprises;

signaling information to the wireless device that is indicative of at least one of a group consisting of;

one or more radio resources dedicated for random access attempts in the long range extension mode of operation and one or more radio resources dedicated for uplink scheduling requests in the long range extension mode of operation.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is the wireless device;

the method further comprises receiving information that is indicative of at least one of a group consisting of;

one or more radio resources dedicated for random access attempts in the long range extension mode of operation and one or more radio resources dedicated for uplink scheduling requests in the long range extension mode of operation; and

activating the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprises activating use of at least one of the group consisting of;

the one or more radio resources dedicated for random access attempts in the long range extension mode of operation and the one or more radio resources dedicated for uplink scheduling requests in the long range extension mode of operation.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

the method further comprises determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when no response is received from the wireless device after the network node has sent a predefined number of uplink scheduling grants to the wireless device.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

the method further comprises determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when no response is received from the wireless device after the network node has sent a predefined number of paging requests to the wireless device.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

the method further comprises determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when a received strength of signal for an uplink from the wireless device to the network node is less than a predefined uplink received strength of signal.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

activating the one or more long range extension mechanisms comprises transmitting a request to the wireless device for the wireless device to operate in the long range extension mode of operation.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the request is made via a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message that indicates to the wireless device that the wireless device is to enter the long range extension mode of operation and includes one or more parameters for the long range extension mode of operation.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is the wireless device; and

the method further comprises determining that there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network when the wireless device is stationary and within a coverage hole within a coverage area of the cellular communications network.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising obtaining information from a network node that is indicative of the wireless device being stationary and within a coverage hole within a coverage area of the cellular communications network.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising determining that the wireless device is stationary and within a coverage hole within a coverage area of the cellular communications network.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is the wireless device; and

the method further comprises de-activating the one or more long range extension mode mechanisms in response to signaling from a network node of the cellular communications network that forces the wireless device out of the long range extension mode of operation and into a normal mode of operation.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the node is a network node; and

the method further comprises subsequently forcing the wireless device to de-activate the one or more long range extension mode mechanisms such that the wireless device enters a normal mode of operation.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting one or more parameters for the long range extension mode of operation as a function of a difficulty level in establishing communication between the cellular communications network and the wireless device.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the node is the wireless device.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the node is a network node in the cellular communications network.

33. (canceled)

34. A node in a cellular communications network, comprising:

a wireless interface; and

one or more control and processing circuits associated with the wireless interface and configured to;

determine that a wireless device is to operate in a long range extension mode of operation if there is difficulty in establishing communication between the wireless device and the cellular communications network; and

if the wireless device is to operate in the long range extension mode of operation, activate one or more long range extension mechanisms such that the wireless device operates in the long range extension mode of operation.

35. The node of claim 34 wherein the node is the wireless device.

36. The node of claim 34 wherein the node is a network node of the cellular communications network.