Reporting cell measurement results in a cellular communication system

• US 7,092,672 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2000
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pekonen, Johanna, Friman, Leif, Jokinen, Harri
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X.
• Application Number:
  US10/088,460
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 455/515, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 455/226.3, 455/436, 455/439, 455/464, 455/446, 455/67.11, 455/422.1, 455/69, 455/522, 455/115.3, 455/524, 455/513, 455/429, 455/442, 455/443, 455/437
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

The present invention relates to reporting cell measurement results associated with a plurality of cells of a cellular communication system. The reporting is transmitted from a station via a radio interface to receiver element of a cell serving the station. The cells are arranged in a reporting order that is to be used by the station for the reporting. The cell measurements are performed by the transceiver station for getting cell measurement results associated with a number of the cells. Relevant cell measurement results are then selected and the selected results are transmitted in the defined reporting order.

Claims

1. A method in a cellular communication system for reporting cell measurement results associated with cells of the system from a transceiver station via a radio interface between the transceiver station and a cell serving the transceiver station, comprising:

defining a reporting sequence of the cells to be used by the transceiver station for reporting;

performing cell measurements at the transceiver station for getting cell measurement results associated with at least some of the cells;

selecting relevant cell measurement results from the performed cell measurements; and

reporting the cell measurement results from the transceiver station in the defined reporting sequence without including any identification parameters of the cells.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement results are reported by information symbol strings containing a plurality of information symbols, the method further comprising a step of including an indication symbol into the measurement report string for indicating whether the following predefined number of symbols in the string includes the cell measurement results of a subsequent cell in the reporting sequence of the cells or whether the subsequent cell will not be reported in the measurement report string.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein, in the event that the cell measurement indication symbol indicates that it will not be followed by symbols reporting the measurement results, the following symbol included in the measurement report string is a further indication symbol designated for a cell following the subsequent cell in the reporting sequence of the cells.

4. A method according to claim 1, comprising further steps of receiving predefined information about the cells to be measured at the mobile station, and defining the reporting sequence based on said received information.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said information comprises frequency of a broadcasting control channel and the identity of a transmitting base station of the cell to be measured.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein at least part of the information is transmitted in a separate message via the broadcasting control channel.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of associating each of the reported measurement results with respective cells at a control node of the cellular communication system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reported cell measurement result for a cell comprises signal level of a radio signal received at the transceiver station.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reporting sequence is defined and the cell measurements are performed at the transceiver station for cells other than the serving cell.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reporting sequence is based on the information received from the serving cell.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein rules for defining the reporting sequence are stored at the transceiver station.

12. A method according to claim 1, comprising a step of transmitting rules for the reporting sequence to the transceiver station via the radio interface.

13. A method according to claim 1, comprising a step of changing rules for defining the reporting sequence.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein rules for selecting the relevant other cells are stored at the transceiver station.

15. A method according to claim 1, comprising a step of transmitting rules for the selection of relevant cells to the transceiver station via the radio interface.

16. A method according to claim 1, comprising a step of changing the rules for the selection of the relevant cells.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver station sends the communication system information of the rules used for generating the cell measurement report.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reported information of the cell measurement results is based on reference values.

19. A method according to claim 18 in conjunction with claim 8, wherein the reported information indicates if the measured signal level is stronger or weaker than the reference value.

20. A cellular communication system comprising:

a transceiver station;

a cell serving the transceiver station via a radio interface;

a plurality of further cells;

wherein the transceiver station comprises control means for performing cell measurements concerning at least some of the further cells, control means for defining a reporting sequence of the measurement results, control means for selecting relevant cell measurement results from the performed cell measurements, and control means for generating a report message reporting the cell measurement results in the defined reporting sequence without including any identification parameters of the cells.

21. A cellular communication system according to claim 20, comprising at least two different cellular network arrangements.

22. A cellular communication system according to claim 20, wherein the report message contains information symbols and at least one indication symbol in a string, said indication symbol indicating whether the following predefined number of symbols in the string define the cell measurement results of a subsequent cell in the reporting sequence of the cells or whether the subsequent cell will not be reported in the string.

23. A cellular communication system according to claim 22, wherein, in the event that the cell measurement indication symbol is for indicating that it will not be followed by symbols reporting the measurement results, the following symbol in the measurement report string is a further indication symbol designated for a cell following the subsequent cell in the reporting sequence of the cells.

24. A cellular communication system according to claim 20, wherein the transceiver station is arranged to receive predefined information associated with at least some of the further cells for use in defining the reporting sequence of the further cells.

25. A cellular communication system according to claim 24, wherein the information comprises the frequency of a broadcasting control channel and the identity of a transmitting base station of the cell to be measured.

26. A cellular communication system according to claim 20, further comprising a control node including means for associating measurement results with corresponding cells based on the reporting sequence.

27. A mobile station for use in a cellular communication system comprising control means for performing cell measurements concerning cells of the system, control means for defining a reporting sequence of the measurement results, control means for selecting relevant cell measurement results from the performed cell measurements, and control means for generating a report message reporting the cell measurement results in the defined reporting sequence without including any identification parameters of the cells.

28. A mobile station according to claim 27, said mobile station being arranged to operate in at least two different cellular network systems.

29. A mobile station according to claim 27 being further arranged to receive predefined information associated with at least some of the further cells for use in defining the reporting sequence of the further cells.

30. A network node of a cellular communication system comprising means for receiving cell measurement results from a station communicating with one of the cells of the system, said measurement results being associated with a plurality of cells of the communication system and being reported from the station in a reporting sequence of the cells defined by the station, control means for defining the reporting order used by the station for the reporting and control means for attaching measurement results to cells based on the reporting sequence without including any identification parameters of the cells.