Transmission of channel assignment messages based on wireless coverage area characteristics

• US 8,644,178 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Oroskar, Siddharth S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Charles C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belur, Deepa
• Application Number:
  US13/010,387
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/229, 370/351, 370/333, 370/331, 370/328, 370/310, 455/436
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A radio access network (RAN) may limit the number of channel assignment messages that it transmits to a wireless communication device (WCD) when the quality of one or more wireless coverage areas available to the WCD is impaired. For example, if the paging channel utilization of a given wireless coverage area is high, or if the WCD receives a signal strength from the given wireless coverage area that is low, the RAN may refrain from transmitting a channel assignment message via the given wireless coverage area. Similarly, if the aggregate paging channel utilization of a plurality of such wireless coverage areas is high, or if the WCD receives an aggregate signal strength from the one or more wireless coverage areas that is high, the RAN may transmit channel assignment messages via a limited number of wireless coverage areas.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a radio access network (RAN) determining that a wireless communication device (WCD) is to be assigned a traffic channel, wherein the RAN defines a first wireless coverage area, a second wireless coverage area, and a third wireless coverage area;

in response to determining that the WCD is to be assigned the traffic channel, the RAN obtaining a first quality measurement of the first wireless coverage area, a second quality measurement of the second wireless coverage area, and a third quality measurement of the third wireless coverage area, wherein the first wireless coverage area, the second wireless coverage area, and the third wireless coverage area are candidates for the RAN to transmit channel assignment messages to the WCD for assignment of the traffic channel;

the RAN determining that (i) the first quality measurement meets a given threshold, (ii) the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, and (iii) the third quality measurement does not meet the given threshold; and

based on determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold, the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, and that the third quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, the RAN (i) assigning the traffic channel to the WCD by transmitting channel assignment messages to the WCD via the second wireless coverage area and the third wireless coverage area, and (ii) determining to not transmit a channel assignment message to the WCD via the first wireless coverage area for assignment of the traffic channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality measurement comprises a first control channel utilization of a first control channel from the first wireless coverage area, wherein the second quality measurement comprises a second control channel utilization of a second control channel from the second wireless coverage area, wherein the given threshold comprises a control channel utilization threshold, and wherein the RAN transmits the channel assignment messages to the WCD via at least the second control channel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second control channels are paging channels.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold comprises determining that the first control channel utilization is above the control channel utilization threshold, and wherein determining that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold comprises determining that the second control channel utilization is at or below the control channel utilization threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first quality measurement is based on a first signal strength with which the WCD receives signals from the first wireless coverage area, and wherein the second quality measurement is based on a second signal strength with which the WCD receives signals from the second wireless coverage area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the RAN also defines a primary wireless coverage area, wherein the RAN and the WCD use the primary wireless coverage area for communication of paging messages, wherein the WCD receives signals from the primary wireless coverage area at a primary signal strength, and wherein the given threshold is a difference threshold between two signal strengths, the method further comprising:

the RAN determining the first quality measurement as a first difference between the primary signal strength and the first signal strength, wherein determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold comprises the determining that the first difference is greater than the difference threshold; and

the RAN determining the second quality measurement as a second difference between the primary signal strength and the second signal strength, wherein the determining that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold comprises determining that the second difference is less than or equal to the difference threshold.

7. A method comprising:

a radio access network (RAN) obtaining an aggregate quality measurement of a plurality of wireless coverage areas;

if the obtained aggregate quality measurement meets a given threshold, the RAN selecting a first extent of wireless coverage areas from the plurality, wherein the first extent of wireless coverage areas comprises at least two wireless coverage areas;

if the obtained aggregate quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, the RAN selecting a second extent of wireless coverage areas from the plurality, wherein the second extent is greater than the first extent; and

the RAN transmitting, to a wireless communication device (WCD), channel assignment messages via each of the selected extent of wireless coverage areas.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the RAN transmits the channel assignment messages via respective control channels of the selected extent of wireless coverage areas, wherein the aggregate quality measurement is an aggregate control channel utilization measurement of all control channels in the plurality of wireless coverage areas, and wherein the given threshold is a control channel utilization threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control channels are paging channels.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the aggregate control channel utilization measurement meeting the control channel utilization threshold comprises the aggregate control channel utilization measurement being above the control channel utilization threshold, and wherein the aggregate control channel utilization measurement not meeting the control channel utilization threshold comprises the aggregate control channel utilization measurement being at or below the control channel utilization threshold.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the aggregate quality measurement is based on an aggregate signal strength measurement with which the WCD receives signals from the plurality of wireless coverage areas, and wherein the given threshold is an aggregate signal strength threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the aggregate signal strength measurement meeting the aggregate signal strength threshold comprises the aggregate signal strength measurement being above the aggregate signal strength threshold, and wherein the aggregate signal strength measurement not meeting the aggregate signal strength threshold comprises the aggregate signal strength measurement being at or below the aggregate signal strength threshold.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein each channel assignment message is transmitted via different wireless coverage areas of the selected extent.

14. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a radio access network (RAN), cause the RAN to perform operations comprising:

determining that a wireless communication device (WCD) is to be assigned a traffic channel, wherein the RAN defines a first wireless coverage area, a second wireless coverage area, and a third wireless coverage area;

in response to determining that the WCD is to be assigned the traffic channel, obtaining a first quality measurement of the first wireless coverage area, a second quality measurement of the second wireless coverage area, and a third quality measurement of the third wireless coverage area, wherein the first wireless coverage area, the second wireless coverage area, and the third wireless coverage area are candidates for the RAN to transmit channel assignment messages to the WCD for assignment of the traffic channel;

determining that the first quality measurement meets a given threshold, that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, and that the third quality measurement does not meet the given threshold; and

based on determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold, that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, and that the third quality measurement does not meet the given threshold, (i) assigning the traffic channel to the WCD by transmitting channel assignment messages to the WCD via the second wireless coverage area and the third wireless coverage area, and (ii) determining to not transmit a channel assignment message to the WCD via the first wireless coverage area for assignment of the traffic channel.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the first quality measurement comprises a first control channel utilization of a first control channel from the first wireless coverage area, wherein the second quality measurement comprises a second control channel utilization of a second control channel from the second wireless coverage area, wherein the given threshold comprises a control channel utilization threshold, and wherein the RAN transmits the channel assignment messages to the WCD via at least the second control channel.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the first and second control channels are paging channels.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold comprises determining that the first control channel utilization is above the control channel utilization threshold, and wherein determining that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold comprises determining that the second control channel utilization is at or below the control channel utilization threshold.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the first quality measurement is based on a first signal strength with which the WCD receives signals from the first wireless coverage area, and wherein the second quality measurement is based on a second signal strength with which the WCD receives signals from the second wireless coverage area.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the RAN also defines a primary wireless coverage area, wherein the RAN and the WCD use the primary wireless coverage area for communication of paging messages, wherein the WCD receives signals from the primary wireless coverage area at a primary signal strength, wherein the given threshold is a difference threshold between two signal strengths, and wherein the program instructions, if executed by the RAN, cause the RAN to perform operations further comprising:

determining the first quality measurement as a first difference between the primary signal strength and the first signal strength, wherein determining that the first quality measurement meets the given threshold comprises the determining that the first difference is greater than the difference threshold; and

determining the second quality measurement as a second difference between the primary signal strength and the second signal strength, wherein the determining that the second quality measurement does not meet the given threshold comprises determining that the second difference is less than or equal to the difference threshold.