Tune-away protocols for wireless systems

• US 8,064,405 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Parekh, Nileshkumar J., Ulupinar, Fatih, Prakash, Rajat
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kasraian; Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US12/368,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20090141689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 370/332, 370/331, 370/338, 455/436, 455/435.2, 455/451.1
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for processing wireless signal components for a mobile wireless access broadband service. This can include processes for defining a protocol that controls whether to invoke a tune away component to determine an alternative wireless communications path. This can include defining one or more tune away parameters for the tune away component. The process can then automatically select the alternative wireless communications path based in part on the tune away procedure and at least one of the tune away parameters.

Claims

1. A method for detecting pages in a mobile broadband wireless access system, comprising:

exchanging a BLOB (binary large object) between an access terminal and an access node to facilitate monitoring a page from at least one disparate radio access technology (RAT), the BLOB comprising at least a Message ID field and a Technology Type field indicating the type of the disparate radio access technology;

enabling a tune-away protocol to determine whether a page has been received from the at least one disparate radio access technology, the tune-away protocol specifying timing differences between components in the communications system; and

sampling for the page in accordance with scheduled intervals specified by the tune-away protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a cross registration component with the tune-away protocol, the cross registration component pages systems in order to communicate technology and protocol information.

3. The method of claim 1, the BLOB further comprising at least one of a BLOB length field or a BLOB value field.

4. The method of claim 1, the other technology messaging including at least one of a paging component, a neighbor list, a registration component, or a connection establishment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a timing schedule with a parameter that accounts for timing differences between at least two different timing components.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a page based in part on the timing schedule.

7. A wireless communications system, comprising:

means for transmitting a protocol specifying a frequency measurement for a channel;

means for processing threshold data with respect to the frequency measurement;

means for sending a BLOB (binary large object) message from an access terminal or an access node to facilitate monitoring pages from other radio access technologies (RATs), wherein the BLOB comprises at least a Message ID field and a Technology Type field indicating the type of the other radio access technology; and

means for communicating to an alternative communications channel based in part on the frequency measurement and the monitored page, the alternate communication channel selected from candidate inter-frequency and inter-RAT (radio access technology) communication paths.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for processing one or more parameters including a channel parameter, a message parameter, a location parameter, a time parameter, a date parameter, neighbor parameter, a power parameter, or a technology type parameter.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for determining at least one page according to a second protocol.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for setting inter-frequency protocol data or an inter-RAT (Radio Access Technology) protocol data.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for communicating with a wireless broadband communications system, comprising:

at least one tune-away attribute to determine an alternative communications path;

at least one tune-away control message to enable a tune-away component, the tune-away component samples both inter-frequency and inter-RAT (radio access technology) communication paths as candidate communications paths;

at least one message field to specify an alternative communications path; and

at least one BLOB (binary large object) message sent from an access terminal or an access node to facilitate monitoring a page from a disparate radio access technology (RAT) in a mobile broadband wireless access system, wherein the at least one BLOB message comprises at least a Technology Type field indicating the type of the other radio access technology.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the tune away attribute further comprising at least one of a length field, an attribute ID, a start super frame number, a start super frame offset, a time away duration, or a time away period.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the tune away control message further comprising at least one of a message ID, a tune away enabled field, a number of pilots field, an active set index field, or a sector time offset field.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising one or more of the following fields:

a message ID, a country code, a sector ID, a subnet mask, a sector signature, a latitude parameter, a longitude parameter, a registration radius, date information, offset information, registration information, parameters for synchronizing systems, channel data, pilot neighbor data, a carrier ID, a sector color field, a transmit power field, a number of other technologies field, a technology occurrences field, a technology type field, a technology neighbor list length field, or a technology neighbor list field.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, the tune away component includes a tune away schedule and a tune away control element.

16. A wireless communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory that includes one or more protocol parameters for a tune-away timing schedule with respect to an access terminal, the one or more protocol parameters including at least a Super Frame Number identifying a super frame in which an initial tune away occurred and a Start Super Frame Offset indicating an elapsed time between the start of the identified super frame and the start of the initial tune away; and

a processor that determines timing differences between the access terminal and an access network associated therewith, determines a timing correction parameter in view of the timing differences and the one or more protocol parameters,

monitors pages from at least one disparate radio access technology (RAT) by using a BLOB (binary large object) message received from an access terminal or an access node, wherein the BLOB comprises at least a message ID field and a technology type field indicating the type of the disparate asynchronous radio access technology,

and updates the timing Schedule with a parameter that accounts for timing differences between at least two different timing components corresponding to at least the access terminal and the at least one disparate RAT.

17. An apparatus for allocating base station resources during a tune-away, comprising:

means for determining a tune-away protocol timing schedule for an access terminal;

means for adjusting at least one protocol parameter in view of the protocol schedule to compensate for a timing difference between the access terminal and an access network;

means for monitoring pages from at least one disparate asynchronous radio access technology (RAT) using a time-away sequence controlled by the timing schedule and a BLOB (binary large object) message received from an access terminal or an access node, wherein the timing schedule is updated with a parameter to account for timing differences between the access terminal and the at least one disparate asynchronous radio access technology and the BLOB comprises at least a message ID field and a technology type field indicating the type of the disparate asynchronous radio access technology; and

means for performing a handoff to an alternative communications channel on the disparate radio access technology based in part on the protocol parameter and the monitored pages.