Methods and apparatus to perform measurements

• US 9,301,180 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Snow, Christopher Harris, Almalki, Nazih, Abdel-Samad, Ayman Ahmed, Arora, Dinesh Kumar, Burbidge, Richard Charles, Young, Gordon, Wei, Xusheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US13/578,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.2, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/434
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18545 Arrangements for managing station mobility, i.e. for station registration or localisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to perform measurements are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein for a user equipment (UE) to perform measurements comprises receiving configuration information from a network, the configuration information to configure the UE to perform logging of measurements in an idle mode, logging measurements in the idle mode, and sending an indication that logged measurements are available.

Claims

1. A method for a user equipment (UE) to perform measurements, the method comprising:

receiving, via radio resource control (RRC) messaging, from a network, configuration information including activation criteria and location request criteria, wherein the activation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform logging of signal strength measurements for network transmission, and the location request criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform positioning measurements, the configuration information further including deactivation criteria and log discarding criteria, wherein the deactivation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to stop measuring signal strength for the network transmission, and the log discarding criteria identifies conditions for the UE to discard logged measurements;

in response to detecting the activation criteria and the location request criteria;

determining logging of signal strength for the network transmission and corresponding positioning measurements of the UE; and

logging periodically the signal-strength measurements with the positioning measurements.

2. A non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method defined in claim 1.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the activation criteria includes a first threshold.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein the activation criteria comprises activating the logging of signal strength measurements when at least one of a downlink pilot signal strength, a downlink pilot signal quality or another evaluated metric becomes worse than the first threshold.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising activating the performance of the positioning measurements based on an activation condition included in the configuration information received from the network.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting the deactivation criteria, deactivating logging of signal strength measurements for the network transmission; and

in response to detecting the log discarding criteria, discarding logged measurements.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the deactivation criteria includes at least one of a duration or a second threshold.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the activating of the positioning measurements occurs while the UE is in idle mode.

9. A method comprising:

preparing configuration information to configure a user equipment (UE) to perform signal strength measurements and positioning measurements, the configuration information including activation criteria and location request criteria, wherein the activation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform logging of signal strength measurements for network transmission, and the location request criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform positioning measurements, the configuration information further including deactivation criteria and log discarding criteria, wherein the deactivation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to stop measuring signal strength for the network transmission, and the log discarding criteria identifies conditions for the UE to discard logged measurements; and

sending the configuration information, via radio resource control (RRC) messaging, to the UE.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein the activation criteria includes a first threshold.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the UE is to activate the logging of signal strength measurements when at least one of a downlink pilot signal strength, a downlink pilot signal quality or another evaluated metric becomes worse than the first threshold.

12. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein the message provides configuration information for the UE to activate the positioning measurements while the UE is in idle mode.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform the method defined in claim 9.

14. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein the configuration information further includes an activation configuration to cause the UE to activate the performance of the positioning measurements.

15. An apparatus to perform measurements comprising:

a processor configured to;

process configuration information received from a network via radio resource control (RRC) messaging, the configuration information to configure a user equipment (UE) to perform logging of signal strength measurements and positioning measurements, the configuration information including activation criteria and location request criteria, wherein the activation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform logging of signal strength measurements for network transmission, and the location request criteria identifies conditions for the UE to perform positioning measurements, the configuration information further including deactivation criteria and log discarding criteria, wherein the deactivation criteria identifies conditions for the UE to stop measuring signal strength for the network transmission, and the log discarding criteria identifies conditions for the UE to discard logged measurements;

in response to detecting the activation criteria and the location request criteria;

determine logging of signal strength for the network transmission and corresponding positioning measurements of the UE; and

log periodically signal-strength measurements with the positioning measurements; and

a memory to store the configuration information.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the activation criteria includes a first threshold.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein the processor is to activate the logging of signal strength measurements when at least one of a downlink pilot signal strength, a downlink pilot signal quality or another evaluated metric becomes worse than the first threshold.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the processor is to activate the performance of the positioning measurements while the UE is in idle mode.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to activate the performance of the positioning measurements based on an activation condition included in the configuration information received from the network.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to:

in response to detecting the deactivation criteria, deactivating logging of signal strength measurements for the network transmission; and

in response to detecting the log discarding criteria, discarding logged measurements.