Identifying coverage holes using inter-rat handover measurements

• US 9,660,710 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Mena, Jorge, Chou, Joey
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/475,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20140370885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 455423, 455437, 455436, 455418, 370331, 370335, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/327 Received signal code power [RSCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/046 taking physical layer constraints into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0469 taking special antenna structures, e.g. cross polarized antennas into account
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0478 Special codebook structures directed to feedback optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0639 Using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1864 ARQ related signaling H04L1/1607 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• 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 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 : the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and techniques for identifying coverage holes in a radio access technology (RAT) are described. In some embodiments, a network management (NM) apparatus may receive a first report, including one or more measurements taken by a first user equipment (UE), in response to an event related to a handover of the first UE between a first radio access technology (RAT) and a second RAT different from the first RAT. The NM apparatus may receive a second report including one or more measurements taken by a second UE in response to an event related to a handover of the second UE between the first RAT and a third RAT different from the first RAT. The NM apparatus may identify a hole in a coverage area of the first RAT based at least in part on the first and second reports. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having program code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO) function to:

determine a coverage hole based on obtained measurement data, wherein the measurement data is associated with coverage areas of one or more evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cells that provide connectivity to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and the measurement data includes inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements, and wherein the coverage hole is an area with insufficient signal strength to provide reliable connectivity to the LTE network; and

send an instruction to alter a service parameter of at least one E-UTRAN cell of the one or more E-UTRAN cells to increase connectivity to the LTE network in the coverage hole area.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the coverage hole area is between two or more E-UTRAN cells of the one or more E-UTRAN cells.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the coverage hole area is partially or entirely within a coverage area of one or more other cells provided by RATs different than E-UTRAN.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the service parameter is one or more of a size of the at least one E-UTRAN cell or capacity of the at least one E-UTRAN cell.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements, cell identifiers, location information, or a time stamp indicating a time of an inter-RAT handover.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes one or more measurements collected by one or more user equipment (UEs).

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the inter-RAT measurements are based on measurements performed during inter-RAT handovers of the one or more UEs from each E-UTRAN cell to other cells provided by RATs different than E-UTRAN.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein one or more non-transitory computer readable media and the one or more processors are implemented in a network management (NM) apparatus.

9. A network management (NM) apparatus to implement a Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO) function, the apparatus comprising:

communications circuitry to receive, from one or more evolved nodeBs (eNBs), measurement data of one or more evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cells provided by the one or more eNBs, wherein each E-UTRAN cell is to provide connectivity to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, and wherein the measurement data is based on measurements performed during handovers from each E-UTRAN cell to other cells provided by radio access technologies (RATs) different than E-UTRAN; and

processor circuitry to identify an E-UTRAN coverage hole based on the measurement data, and determine an E-UTRAN coverage area to be adjusted based on the E-UTRAN coverage hole, and

wherein the communications circuitry is to transmit, to at least one eNB of the one or more eNBs, an instruction to adjust a service parameter of an E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB to adjust the E-UTRAN coverage area.

10. The NM apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the E-UTRAN coverage hole is between the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB and one or more other E-UTRAN cells of the one or more E-UTRAN cells,

the E-UTRAN coverage area is a cell coverage area of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB, and

the service parameter is one or more of a size of the coverage area of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB or a capacity of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB.

11. The NM apparatus of claim 9, wherein the measurement data includes one or more measurements collected by one or more UEs.

12. The NM apparatus of claim 11, wherein the measurement data includes one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements, cell identifiers, location information, or time stamps indicating a time of inter-RAT handovers.

13. The NM apparatus of claim 11, wherein to identify the coverage hole, the processor circuitry is to:

determine, based on the measurement data, regions where the one or more UEs experience signal strength less than a required signal strength for connectivity to the LTE network; and

determine the E-UTRAN coverage hole to be an area associated with the determined regions.

14. The NM apparatus of claim 13, wherein the E-UTRAN coverage hole includes a boundary comprising the determined regions.

15. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having program code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes an evolved nodeB (eNB) to:

receive measurement data from one or more user equipment (UEs), wherein the measurement data includes inter-radio access technology (RAT) measurements;

transmit the measurement data to a Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO) function of a network management (NM) apparatus;

receive, from the CCO function, an instruction to adjust a service parameter of a cell coverage area based on the measurement data, wherein adjustment of the service parameter is based on an identified coverage hole indicative of a reduction in connectivity to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network; and

adjust the service parameter to provide an increase in connectivity to the LTE network in the coverage hole area.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein to adjust the service parameter, the one or more processors are to execute the program code to:

control alignment of one or more antennas of the eNB;

or

control power output to the one or more antennas.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the service parameter is at least one of a size of a coverage area of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cell provided by the eNB or a capacity of the E-UTRAN cell.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the coverage hole area is between the eNB and one or more other eNBs, and wherein the coverage hole area is partially or entirely within a coverage area of one or more other cells provided by one or more base stations associated with a RAT different than E-UTRAN.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the measurement data includes one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements, cell identifiers, location information, or a time stamp indicating a time of an inter-RAT handover.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the inter-RAT measurements are based on measurements performed during inter-RAT handovers of the one or more UEs from an E-UTRAN cell provided by the eNB to other cells provided by RATs different than E-UTRAN.