Methods and arrangements for mobility management

• US 8,948,764 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Dimou, Konstantinos, Kazmi, Muhammad, Mller, Walter, Xuan, Zhiyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US13/377,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20120108252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/440, 455/441, 455/67.11, 455/226.2
• US Class Current: 455/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and devices for mobility management in a cellular communications system. A user equipment maintains (21) at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters. Each set of mobility trigger parameters corresponds to a predetermined user equipment speed range. The user equipment determines (22) a speed range that the speed of the user equipment falls into and selects (23), based on the determined speed range, at least one set of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing mobility-based decisions. If the user equipment is in connected mode a network base station may select a set of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing handover decisions based on a determined speed range of the user equipment. Advantages are that ping-pong mobility decisions may be avoided and it is sufficient to determine a range for the UE speed, which is less complicated than determining an accurate speed of the UE particularly in idle mode.

Claims

1. A method for mobility management in a user equipment for use in a cellular communications system, comprising:

maintaining at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters, each set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a predetermined user equipment speed range;

determining a speed range of the user equipment by monitoring the number of times that cell changes are triggered by the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

selecting, based on the determined speed range of the user equipment, at least one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing mobility-based decisions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting is performed such that only one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters is selected, the selected set corresponding to the determined speed range of the user equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the maintaining includes maintaining a set of high speed mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a user equipment speed above a predetermined high speed threshold;

wherein the determining includes determining if a speed of the user equipment is above or below the high speed threshold; and

wherein the selecting includes;

selecting only the set of high speed mobility trigger parameters responsive to the speed of the user equipment being determined to be above the high speed threshold;

otherwise selecting a plurality of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters responsive to the speed of the user equipment being determined to be below the high speed threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes comparing a difference between consecutive values of a measured reference signal to at least one predetermined threshold value associated with at least one of the predetermined user equipment speed ranges.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining includes comparing a rate of change of a measured signal quality of a reference signal to at least one predetermined threshold value associated with at least one of the predetermined user equipment speed ranges.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

at least one set of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing mobility-based decisions is selected based on the number of monitored times that cell changes are triggered by the different sets of mobility trigger parameters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining comprises:

determining that the speed range is a first predetermined user equipment speed range if the monitoring of the number of times cell changes are triggered shows that a first set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to the first predetermined user equipment speed range has triggered either a predefined number of consecutive cell changes or has triggered a predefined portion of a total number of cell changes over a time period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a speed range of the user equipment comprises using a global navigational satellite system receiver to determine the speed range of the user equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters include parameters for cell reselection to be used when the user equipment is in idle mode, parameters for handover to be used when the user equipment is in connected mode, or a combination thereof.

10. A user equipment adapted for use in a cellular communications system, comprising:

a maintaining unit for maintaining at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters, each set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a predetermined user equipment speed range;

a speed range estimator adapted to determine a speed range of the user equipment by monitoring the number of times that cell changes are triggered by the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

a mobility processor adapted to select, based on the determined speed range of the user equipment, at least one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing mobility-based decision.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the mobility processor is adapted to select only one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters, the selected set corresponding to the determined speed range of the user equipment.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, further comprising:

wherein the maintaining unit maintains a set of high speed mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a user equipment speed above a predetermined high speed threshold;

wherein the speed range estimator is adapted to determine if a speed of the user equipment is above or below the high speed threshold; and

wherein the mobility processor is configured to;

select only the set of high speed mobility trigger parameters responsive to the user equipment being determined to be above the high speed threshold;

otherwise select a plurality of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters responsive to the speed of the user equipment being determined to be below the high speed threshold.

13. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the speed range estimator is adapted to compare a difference between consecutive values of a measured reference signal to at least one predetermined threshold value associated with at least one of the predetermined user equipment speed ranges.

14. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the speed range estimator is adapted to compare a rate of change of a measured signal quality of a reference signal to at least one predetermined threshold value associated with at least one of the predetermined user equipment speed ranges.

15. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the speed range estimator is configured to determine that the speed range is a first predetermined user equipment speed range if the monitoring of the number of times cell changes are triggered shows that a first set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to the first predetermined user equipment speed range has triggered either a predefined number of consecutive cell changes or has triggered a predefined portion of a total number of cell changes over a time period.

16. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the speed range estimator is configured to use a global navigational satellite system receiver to determine the speed range of the user equipment.

17. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters include parameters for cell reselection to be used when the user equipment is in idle mode, parameters for handover to be used when the user equipment is in connected mode, or a combination thereof.

18. A method for mobility management in a network base station of a cellular communications system, wherein the network base station is acting as a serving base station of a user equipment, the method comprising:

maintaining at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters, each set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a predetermined user equipment speed range;

determining a speed range of the user equipment by monitoring the number of times that cell changes are triggered by the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

selecting, based on the determined speed range of the user equipment, at least one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing cell handover decisions.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the user equipment with the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

activating the selected at least one set of mobility trigger parameters in the user equipment using control signaling.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the user equipment with the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters;

receiving trigger monitoring information from the user equipment regarding any trigger events caused by trigger parameters of the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

choosing a trigger event based on the determined speed range of the user equipment.

21. A network base station adapted for use in a cellular communications system and for acting as a serving base station of a user equipment, comprising:

a maintaining unit for maintaining at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters, each set of mobility trigger parameters corresponding to a predetermined user equipment speed range;

a speed range estimator adapted to determine a speed range of the user equipment by monitoring the number of times that cell changes are triggered by the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

a mobility processor adapted to select, based on the determined speed range of the user equipment, at least one of the maintained sets of mobility trigger parameters to be used for performing cell handover decisions.

22. The network base station of claim 21, wherein the network base station is configured to:

configure the user equipment with the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

activate the selected at least one set of mobility trigger parameters in the user equipment using control signaling.

23. The network base station of claim 21, wherein the network base station is configured to:

configure the user equipment with the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters;

receive trigger monitoring information from the user equipment regarding any trigger events caused by trigger parameters of the at least two sets of mobility trigger parameters; and

choose a trigger event based on the determined speed range of the user equipment.