Handover method and apparatus in wireless communication system

• US 9,392,510 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jang, Jae Hyuk, Van Der Velde, Himke, Jeong, Kyeong In
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Application Number:
  US14/360,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20140287726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0079 in case of hand-off failure or rejection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for correcting an error caused by Hyper Frame Number (HFN) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol Sequence Number (PDCP SN) mismatch between a user equipment and base station when the user equipment fails in handover between cells in a wireless communication system. In addition, the present disclosure provides a handover procedure for a user equipment performing handover from a macro cell to a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell shared by multiple operators in a wireless communication system. The present disclosure enables a user equipment and base station to perform communication without a malfunction after handover failure. For handover from a macro cell to a CSG cell shared by multiple operators, the present disclosure enables a user equipment to perform handover to an accessible cell.

Claims

1. A method of handover control by a user equipment in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message from a source cell;

determining whether a full configuration option is configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message;

if the full configuration option is determined to be configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message;

storing a current value of a parameter used in a connection with the source cell, and

resetting the current value of the parameter; and

performing an encryption and integrity verification using the reset value of the parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking, if the full configuration option is determined not to be configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message, whether a stored value of the parameter is available,

setting, if the stored value of the parameter is available, the current value of the parameter to the stored value of the parameter, and

discarding the stored value of the parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining, if the stored value of the parameter is not available, the current value of the parameter used in the connection with the source cell.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter is a COUNT used as an input for the encryption and integrity verification.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a value of the COUNT corresponds to a value of a hyper frame number (HFN) combined with a value of a packet data convergence protocol sequence number (PDCP SN).

6. A user equipment supporting handover control in a wireless communication system, the user equipment comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

send signals to a source cell and a target cell, and

receive signals from the source cell and the target cell; and

a controller configured to;

control the transceiver to receive a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message from the source cell,

determine whether a full configuration option is configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message,

if the full configuration option is determined to be configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message, store a current value of a parameter used in a connection with the source cell and reset the current value of the parameter, and

perform an encryption and integrity verification using the reset value of the parameter.

7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein, if the full configuration option is determined not to be configured in the received RRC connection reconfiguration message, the controller is further configured to:

check whether a stored value of the parameter is available,

set, if the stored value of the parameter is available, the current value of the parameter to the stored value of the parameter, and

discard the stored value of the parameter.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein, if the stored value of the parameter is not available, the controller is further configured to maintain the current value of the parameter used in the connection with the source cell.

9. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the parameter is a COUNT used as an input for the encryption and integrity verification.

10. The user equipment of claim 9, wherein a value of the COUNT corresponds to a value of a hyper frame number (HFN) combined with a value of a packet data convergence protocol sequence number (PDCP SN).