Common radio resource management method in a multi-RAT cellular telephone network

• US 7,224,977 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Cavalli, Simona, Meago, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild; Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US10/884,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20050026616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.1, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 455/553.1, 455/522, 455/452.2, 370/352, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0044 of quality context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A Common radio resource management method is performed in a mobile radio communication network employing different radio access technologies that overlap over a geographic area subdivided into cells belonging to the domains of respective controllers which are connected to each other in overlapping or adjacent domains and to a core network by means of relevant interfaces. The controllers calculate new traffic-related Information Elements to be exchanged over the existing interfaces to the aim of planning handovers and/or cell reselections towards adjacent cells either of the same or different RAT. Cell capabilities and mobile terminal capabilitiess being also specified by respective IEs. Diversely from the conventional traffic-related IEs based on Cell Load parameters or Free Capacity, the new IEs include indications of the “availability” of bearer services in the cell in terms of maximum bitrate, either guaranteed or not guaranteed, that can currently be allowed to each bearer service.

Claims

1. A method for common radio resource management in a mobile radio communication network employing different radio access technologies that overlap over a geographic area and which are subdivided into cells belonging to domains of controllers which are connected to each other in overlapping or adjacent domains and to a core network by means of relevant interfaces, the method being suitable to be carried out for each controlled cell by the respective controller through the following method step:

a) starting from acquired information about Qos and throughput of all active connections with served mobile terminals, calculating traffic-related Information Elements, separately for uplink and downlink, for use in planning at least one of handovers and cell reselections;

b) including said Information Elements in management messages forwarded to the controllers of different cells and to one considered either of a same or different technology; and

c) checking said Information Elements coming from other controllers in order to decide either of issuing or preventing at least one handovers and cell reselection commands towards a neighboring cell;

wherein the traffic-related Information Elements include indications of bearer services availability in the cell in terms of a maximum bearer services bitrate, either guaranteed or not guaranteed, that can currently be provided for a given bearer service, and wherein the maximum bear service bitrate indicates whether a bear services is currently unavailable; and

wherein the bear services availability is subdivided into the following standardized Quality of Service classes, the classes including;

Conversational, Streaming, Interactive, and Background.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bearer service availability subdivided into Quality of Service classes is further subdivided into radio access technology types.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bearer service availability subdivided into Quality of Service classes and radio access technology types is further subdivided into sub-technologies.

4. The method of the claim 1, wherein the radio access technology comprises UTRA.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises HSDPA that is used by all bearer service availability classes other than Conversational.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein radio access technology comprises GERAN.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises HSCSD that is used by a Conversational class of bearer service availability.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises ECSD that is used by a Conversational class of bearer service availability.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises EGPRS that is used by a Streaming class of bearer service availability.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises EGPRS that is used by an Interactive class of bearer service availability.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein an employed sub-technology comprises EGPRS that is used by a Background class of bearer service availability.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein maximum guaranteed/unguaranteed bitrate that can currently be allowed to each bearer service is indicated by an integer number having values in a given range from zero to a maximum value, the value indicating either total unavailability or maximum permissible bitrate for that type of bearer service.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said bearer service availability indication includes a number of bearer services of specified bitrate that can be provided in the cell.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said bearer service availability indication includes a specification of Cell Change Reason for which bearer services can be provided in the cell.