System and method for assisted network acquisition and search updates

• US 9,756,553 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Soliman, Samir S., Awoniyi, Olufunmilola O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van, Jenkey
• Application Number:
  US12/883,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20120069800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system provide assisted acquisition of a wireless link between user equipment and a femtocell unit. After an initial calibration of timing and/or frequency information, the user equipment enters into a low-power state. The femtocell unit monitors for system updates using a network listen module that sniffs the air interface of one or more neighboring cells. Upon a trigger event, the femtocell unit provides aiding information, for example, timing and/or frequency information corresponding to a change in timing and/or frequency of the air interface, over a second radio, e.g., a wireless personal area network interface. Thus, the user equipment may remain in the low-power state and receive updates with respect to the wireless wide area network interface. Subsequently, upon wake-up, the user equipment may utilize the aiding information, for example, to recalibrate its timing and/or frequency. Thus, acquisition of the wireless link with the femtocell unit may be expedited.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication operational on an access point comprising a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) and a second radio, the method comprising:

performing an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with a user equipment (UE) using the first radio;

acting as a proxy for the UE by gathering system information corresponding to the first radio from one or more neighboring cells including utilizing a WWAN network interface to obtain the timing and/or frequency information from the one or more neighboring cells in the WWAN network corresponding to the first radio for the UE while the UE is in a low-power state, wherein, in response to a trigger, the access point determines an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as the proxy for the UE, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the WWAN network interface of the access point comprises one of;

network listen circuitry for sniffing an WWAN air interface corresponding to at least one neighboring cell in the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state;

or

a backhaul connection configured for utilizing an Internet connection to communicate with the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state; and

transmitting, utilizing the second radio, aiding information corresponding at least in part to the adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio to the UE for communication via the WWAN, wherein the aiding information is part of a wake-up indicator to wake up the UE from the low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aiding information is configured to be used by the UE to adjust a first wireless link between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE;

and

wherein the method further comprises communicating with the UE over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the initial calibration comprises:

exchanging information with the UE utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the determining an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio comprises determining a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration;

and

wherein the transmitting aiding information comprises transmitting information corresponding to the change.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the initial calibration comprises:

exchanging information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point, to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the determining an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio comprises determining a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration,

the method further comprising sending information corresponding to the change from the first radio to the second radio of the access point,

wherein the transmitting aiding information comprises transmitting the information corresponding to the change.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the aiding information further comprises at least one of:

channel measurements corresponding to an air interface with at least one cell;

frequency information corresponding to the air interface with the at least one cell;

a strength of a reference signal from the at least one cell;

ranking information of reference signals from a plurality of cells in a network corresponding to the first radio;

absolute timing corresponding to the first radio;

differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and the second radio at the access point;

absolute timing of a neighboring cell in the network;

or differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and a neighboring cell in the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises:

receiving, utilizing the second radio, a request from the UE to provide to the user equipment over a second wireless link the aiding information for adjusting a first wireless link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger corresponds to a predetermined timing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio is configured to provide a WWAN link.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second radio is configured to provide at least one of:

a low-power radio link, or an out-of-band radio link.

12. A method of wireless communication operational on a wireless user equipment (UE) comprising a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) and a second radio, the method comprising:

performing an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with an access point utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the UE and a corresponding first radio at the access point;

entering a low-power state;

receiving, utilizing the second radio, aiding information for communication via the WWAN to perform another initial calibration at a later time, the aiding information corresponding at least in part to an adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio while the UE is in a low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state, wherein the UE receives an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as a proxy for the UE, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration, in response to a trigger comprising at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the aiding information is received as at least one of;

a periodic communication of aiding information,

aiding information communication sent separately from a wake up indicator, and

a response to a request from the UE for the aiding information;

adjusting the timing and/or frequency information for the second radio at the UE in response to receiving the aiding information from the access point; and

sending information corresponding to the adjustment of timing and/or frequency information from the second radio at the UE to the first radio at the UE to calibrate the timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the UE.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

adjusting a first wireless link between the first radio and a corresponding first radio at the access point; and

communicating with the access point over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration.

15. An access point configured for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; and

a second radio communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

perform an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with a user equipment (UE) using the first radio;

act as a proxy for the UE by gathering system information corresponding to the first radio from one or more neighboring cells including utilizing a WWAN network interface to obtain the timing and/or frequency information from the one or more neighboring cells in the WWAN network corresponding to the first radio for the UE while the UE is in a low-power state, wherein, in response to a trigger, the access point determines an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as the proxy for the UE, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the WWAN network interface access point comprises one of;

network listen circuitry for sniffing an WWAN air interface corresponding to at least one neighboring cell in the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state;

or

a backhaul connection configured for utilizing an Internet connection to communicate with the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state; and

transmit, utilizing the second radio, aiding information corresponding at least in part to the adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio to a UE for communication via the WWAN, wherein the aiding information is part of a wake-up indicator to wake up the UE from the low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state.

16. The access point of claim 15, wherein the aiding information is configured to be used by the UE to adjust a first wireless link between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE;

and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to communicate with the UE over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

17. The access point of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor, being configured to perform the initial calibration, is further configured to exchange information with the UE utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE.

18. The access point of claim 17,

wherein the at least one processor, being configured to determine an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio, is further configured to determine a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration;

and

wherein the at least one processor, being configured to transmit aiding information, is further configured to transmit information corresponding to the change.

19. The access point of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor, being configured to perform the initial calibration, is further configured to exchange information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point, to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point.

20. The access point of claim 19,

wherein the at least one processor, being configured to determine an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio, is further configured to determine a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send information corresponding to the change from the first radio to the second radio of the access point,

wherein the at least one processor, being configured to transmit aiding information, is further configured to transmit the information corresponding to the change.

21. The access point of claim 15, wherein the aiding information further comprises at least one of:

channel measurements corresponding to an air interface with at least one cell;

frequency information corresponding to the air interface with the at least one cell;

a strength of a reference signal from the at least one cell;

ranking information of reference signals from a plurality of cells in a network corresponding to the first radio;

absolute timing corresponding to the first radio;

differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and the second radio at the access point;

absolute timing of a neighboring cell in the network;

or differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and a neighboring cell in the network.

22. The access point of claim 15, wherein the trigger comprises:

receiving, utilizing the second radio, a request from the UE to provide to the user equipment over a second wireless link the aiding information for adjusting a first wireless link.

23. The access point of claim 15, wherein the trigger corresponds to a predetermined timing.

24. The access point of claim 15, wherein the first radio is configured to provide a WWAN link.

25. The access point of claim 15, wherein the second radio is configured to provide at least one of:

a low-power radio link, or an out-of-band radio link.

26. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; and

a second radio communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

perform an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio;

enter a low-power state; and

receiving, utilizing the second radio, aiding information for communication via the WWAN to perform another initial calibration at a later time, the aiding information corresponding at least in part to an adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio while the UE is in a low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state, wherein the UE receives an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as a proxy for the UE, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration, in response to a trigger comprising at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the aiding information is received as at least one of;

a periodic communication of aiding information,

aiding information communication sent separately from a wake up indicator, and

a response to a request from the UE for the aiding information;

adjusting the timing and/or frequency information for the second radio at the UE in response to receiving the aiding information from the access point; and

sending information corresponding to the adjustment of timing and/or frequency information from the second radio at the UE to the first radio at the UE to calibrate the timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the UE.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

adjust a first wireless link between the first radio and a corresponding first radio at the access point; and

communicate with the access point over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

28. The UE of claim 26, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration.

29. An access point configured for wireless communication, comprising:

a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN);

a second radio;

means for performing an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with a user equipment (UE) using the first radio;

means for acting as a proxy for the UE by gathering system information corresponding to the first radio from one or more neighboring cells including utilizing a WWAN network interface to obtain the timing and/or frequency information from the one or more neighboring cells in the WWAN network corresponding to the first radio for the UE while the UE is in a low-power state, wherein, in response to a trigger, the access point determines an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as the proxy for the UE, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the WWAN network interface of the access point comprises one of;

network listen circuitry for sniffing an WWAN air interface corresponding to at least one neighboring cell in the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state;

or a backhaul connection configured for utilizing an Internet connection to communicate with the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state; and

means for transmitting, utilizing the second radio, aiding information corresponding at least in part to the adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio to the UE for communication via the WWAN, wherein the aiding information is part of a wake-up indicator to wake up the UE from the low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state.

30. The access point of claim 29, wherein the aiding information is configured to be used by the UE to adjust a first wireless link between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE;

and

wherein the access point further comprises means for communicating with the UE over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

31. The access point of claim 29, wherein the means for performing the initial calibration is further configured to exchange information with the UE utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE.

32. The access point of claim 31,

wherein the means for determining an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio is further configured to determine a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration;

and

wherein the means for transmitting aiding information is further configured to transmit information corresponding to the change.

33. The access point of claim 29, wherein the means for performing the initial calibration is further configured to exchange information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point, to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point.

34. The access point of claim 33,

wherein the means for determining an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio is further configured to determine a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration,

the access point further comprising means for sending information corresponding to the change from the first radio to the second radio of the access point,

wherein the means for transmitting aiding information is further configured to transmit the information corresponding to the change.

35. The access point of claim 29, wherein the aiding information further comprises at least one of:

channel measurements corresponding to an air interface with at least one cell;

frequency information corresponding to the air interface with the at least one cell;

a strength of a reference signal from the at least one cell;

ranking information of reference signals from a plurality of cells in a network corresponding to the first radio;

absolute timing corresponding to the first radio;

differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and the second radio at the access point;

absolute timing of a neighboring cell in the network;

or differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and a neighboring cell in the network.

36. The access point of claim 29, wherein the trigger comprises:

receiving, utilizing the second radio, a request from the UE to provide to the user equipment over the second wireless link the aiding information for adjusting the first wireless link.

37. The access point of claim 29, wherein the trigger corresponds to a predetermined timing.

38. The access point of claim 29, wherein the first radio is configured to provide a WWAN link.

39. The access point of claim 29, wherein the second radio is configured to provide at least one of:

a low-power radio link, or an out-of-band radio link.

40. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising:

a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN);

a second radio;

means for performing an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio;

means for entering a low-power state; and

means for receiving, utilizing the second radio, aiding information for communication via the WWAN to perform another initial calibration at a later time, the aiding information corresponding at least in part to an adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio while the UE is in a low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state, wherein the UE receives an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as a proxy for the UE, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration, in response to a trigger comprising at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the aiding information is received as at least one of;

a periodic communication of aiding information,

aiding information communication sent separately from a wake up indicator, and

a response to a request from the UE for the aiding information;

means for adjusting the timing and/or frequency information for the second radio at the UE in response to receiving the aiding information from the access point; and

means for sending information corresponding to the adjustment of timing and/or frequency information from the second radio at the UE to the first radio at the UE to calibrate the timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the UE.

41. The UE of claim 40, further comprising:

means for adjusting a first wireless link between the first radio and a corresponding first radio at the access point; and

means for communicating with the access point over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

42. The UE of claim 40, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, operable at an access point comprising a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) and a second radio, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

perform an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with a user equipment (UE) using the first radio;

act as a proxy for the UE by gathering system information corresponding to the first radio from one or more neighboring cells including utilizing a WWAN network interface to obtain the timing and/or frequency information from the one or more neighboring cells in the WWAN network corresponding to the first radio for the UE while the UE is in a low-power state, wherein, in response to a trigger, the access point determines an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as the proxy for the UE, wherein the trigger comprises at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the WWAN network interface of the access point comprises one of;

network listen circuitry for sniffing an WWAN air interface corresponding to at least one neighboring cell in the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state;

or

a backhaul connection configured for utilizing an Internet connection to communicate with the WWAN network in order to obtain the frequency and/or timing information for the WWAN network as the proxy for the UE while the UE is in the low-power state; and

transmit, utilizing the second radio, aiding information corresponding at least in part to the adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio to the UE for communication via the WWAN, wherein the aiding information is part of a wake-up indicator to wake up the UE from the low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the aiding information is configured to be used by the UE to adjust a first wireless link between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE;

and

wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises instructions for causing a computer to communicate with the UE over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein instructions for causing a computer to perform the initial calibration are further configured for exchanging information with the UE utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the access point and a corresponding first radio at the UE.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 45, wherein the instructions for causing a computer to determine an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio are further configured for determining a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration;

and

wherein the instructions for causing a computer to transmit aiding information are further configured for transmitting information corresponding to the change.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the instructions for causing a computer to perform the initial calibration are further configured for exchanging information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point, to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the access point.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the instructions for causing a computer to determine an adjustment of timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio are further configured for determining a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration,

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instructions for causing a computer to send information corresponding to the change from the first radio to the second radio of the access point,

wherein the instructions for causing a computer to transmit aiding information are further configured for transmitting the information corresponding to the change.

49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the aiding information further comprises at least one of:

channel measurements corresponding to an air interface with at least one cell;

frequency information corresponding to the air interface with the at least one cell;

a strength of a reference signal from the at least one cell;

ranking information of reference signals from a plurality of cells in a network corresponding to the first radio;

absolute timing corresponding to the first radio;

differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and the second radio at the access point;

absolute timing of a neighboring cell in the network;

or differential timing corresponding to a difference in timing between the first radio and a neighboring cell in the network.

50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the trigger comprises:

receiving, utilizing the second radio, a request from the UE to provide to the user equipment over the second wireless link the aiding information for adjusting the first wireless link.

51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the trigger corresponds to a predetermined timing.

52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the first radio is configured to provide a WWAN link.

53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the second radio is configured to provide at least one of:

a low-power radio link, or an out-of-band radio link.

54. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code, operable at a user equipment (UE) comprising a first radio for communication via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) and a second radio, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

performing an initial calibration corresponding to the first radio by exchanging information with an access point utilizing the first radio to calibrate timing and/or frequency information between the first radio at the UE and a corresponding first radio at the access point;

entering a low-power state;

receiving, utilizing the second radio, aiding information for communication via the WWAN to perform another initial calibration at a later time, the aiding information corresponding at least in part to an adjustment of timing, frequency error, and drift rate information for the first radio while the UE is in a low-power state, with the low-power state being a non-zero power state, wherein the UE receives an adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the first radio from the one or more neighboring cells as a proxy for the UE, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration, in response to a trigger comprising at least one of expiration of a timer, a change in system information, and a request from the UE, wherein the aiding information is received as at least one of;

a periodic communication of aiding information,

aiding information communication sent separately from a wake up indicator, and

a response to a request from the UE for the aiding information;

adjusting the timing and/or frequency information for the second radio at the UE in response to receiving the aiding information from the access point; and

sending information corresponding to the adjustment of timing and/or frequency information from the second radio at the UE to the first radio at the UE to calibrate the timing and/or frequency information between the first radio and the second radio at the UE.

55. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 54, further comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

adjust a first wireless link between the first radio and a corresponding first radio at the access point; and

communicate with the access point over the first wireless link adjusted in accordance with the aiding information.

56. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein the adjustment of the timing and/or frequency information corresponds to a change relative to the timing and/or frequency information corresponding to the initial calibration.