Management of cell selection in a communications system
First Claim
1. A method operable in a radio access network comprising one or more base stations, wherein each of the one or more base stations provides one or more cells each operating on a respective carrier, wherein each of the one or more cells has a respective carrier aggregation (CA) policy, and transmits a plurality of signals over a respective air interface, wherein each of the plurality of signals is transmitted at a different location on the respective air interface, wherein each location on the respective air interface defines one or more resource elements, wherein each of the one or more resource elements is defined by at least one of time or frequency, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a user equipment device (UE), a synchronization signal from one cell of the one or more cells over the respective air interface of the cell;
determining a first location of the synchronization signal on the respective air interface;
based on the determined first location on the respective air interface, determining a second location of a CA policy signal on the respective air interface for the cell, wherein the CA policy signal indicates the CA policy of the cell;
reading the CA policy signal at the determined second location on the respective air interface to determine the CA policy of the cell;
deciding, based on the determined CA policy signal, to attach the UE to the cell; and
attaching the UE to the cell.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to aspects of the disclosure, a method and system are provided for managing cell selection in a wireless communication network. In accordance with this disclosure, each cell in a radio access network (RAN) broadcasts a respective carrier-aggregation policy of the cell on its air interface. A UE engaging in a cell selection process reads the respective carrier-aggregation policy of each cell under consideration and selects a cell on which to attach based at least in part on the respective carrier-aggregation policies of the cells. The UE can then attach to the selected cell so that the selected cell can then serve the UE.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method operable in a radio access network comprising one or more base stations, wherein each of the one or more base stations provides one or more cells each operating on a respective carrier, wherein each of the one or more cells has a respective carrier aggregation (CA) policy, and transmits a plurality of signals over a respective air interface, wherein each of the plurality of signals is transmitted at a different location on the respective air interface, wherein each location on the respective air interface defines one or more resource elements, wherein each of the one or more resource elements is defined by at least one of time or frequency, the method comprising:
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receiving, by a user equipment device (UE), a synchronization signal from one cell of the one or more cells over the respective air interface of the cell; determining a first location of the synchronization signal on the respective air interface; based on the determined first location on the respective air interface, determining a second location of a CA policy signal on the respective air interface for the cell, wherein the CA policy signal indicates the CA policy of the cell; reading the CA policy signal at the determined second location on the respective air interface to determine the CA policy of the cell; deciding, based on the determined CA policy signal, to attach the UE to the cell; and attaching the UE to the cell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method operable in a radio access network comprising a plurality of cells each having a respective carrier aggregation (CA) policy, wherein each cell transmits a plurality of signals over a respective air interface, the method comprising:
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reading, by a user equipment device (UE), the respective CA policy for each cell in a location on the respective air interface of the cell to determine the CA policy of the cell, wherein the location on the respective air interface defines one or more resource elements, wherein each of the one or more resource elements is defined by at least one of time or frequency; comparing the respective CA policies determined for the plurality of cells to each other; selecting a cell from the plurality of cells based on the comparison; and responsive to selecting the cell, the UE attaching to the selected cell. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A user equipment device (UE), comprising:
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a wireless communication interface for engaging in communication with one or more cells each over a respective air interface, wherein the respective air interface of each of the one or more cells comprises a plurality of locations for carrying signals transmitted by the cell, wherein each location on the respective air interface defines one or more resource elements, wherein each of the one or more resource elements is defined by at least one of time or frequency, and a controller for processing communications that the wireless communication interface receives from the one or more cells, wherein the controller is configured to; (i) receive, via the wireless communication interface, a synchronization signal from one cell of the one or more cells over the respective air interface of the cell; (ii) determine a first location of the synchronization signal on the respective air interface; (iii) based on the determined first location of the synchronization signal, determine a second location of a carrier aggregation (CA) policy signal on the respective air interface for the cell, wherein the CA policy signal indicates a CA policy of the cell; (iv) read the CA policy signal at the determined second location on the respective air interface to determine the CA policy of the cell; (v) decide, based on the determined CA policy, to attach the UE to the cell; and (vi) cause the UE to attach the cell. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification