Handover with ping pong avoidance in a wireless network

• US 9,973,915 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2013
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Yiu, Candy
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Latorre, Ivan O
• Application Number:
  US14/763,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2614 Peak power aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2525 Translation at a client
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2539 Hiding addresses; Keeping addresses anonymous
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 : using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• 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 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 : switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 : Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• 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 72/30 : Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/02 : Hybrid access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 : Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 : Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/23 : Manipulation of direct-mode connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Generally, this disclosure provides apparatus and methods for improved handover with ping pong avoidance in wireless heterogeneous networks. The UE device may include a handover (HO) module configured to determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) difference between a serving cell and a neighbor cell and to select a TimeToTrigger (TTT) related to an HO measurement report based, at least in part, on the RSRP difference.

Claims

1. User Equipment (UE) comprising at least a processor, handover (HO) circuitry and at least one non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions encoded in the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium to cause the processor to effect:

receiving, from a network manager communicatively coupled to the UE, a first reference signal received power (RSRP) difference threshold based upon a low probability of handover success and a second RSRP difference threshold to trigger expedited HO reporting;

determining, by HO circuitry in the UE, a RSRP difference between a serving cell and a neighbor cell;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be greater than the first RSRP difference threshold by the UE, initiating HO failure recovery;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the first RSRP threshold and greater than the second RSRP threshold by the UE, selecting a minimum TimeToTrigger (TTT) interval based on HO parameters provided by the network manager;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the second RSRP difference threshold by the UE, selecting the TTT interval based, at least in part, on a current Time of Stay (ToS) in the serving cell; and

triggering a HO measurement report at the expiry of the TTT interval.

2. The UE of claim 1, said instructions when executed by said processor further effect determining the TTT based, at least in part, on a short ToS.

3. The UE of claim 1, said instructions when executed by said processor further effect determining the RSRP difference at least one of prior to and/or in response to an Event A3 entry condition being satisfied;

setting the Event A3 condition related to an RSRP of the neighbor cell as an offset greater than the RSRP of the serving cell.

4. A method for controlling handover (HO) to user equipment (UE) comprising:

providing a network manager comprising network manager handover (NM HO) circuitry;

providing UE comprising handover (HO) circuitry, a processor, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and instructions encoded in the non-transitory computer readable medium;

determining, by the NM HO circuitry in the network manager, a first reference signal received power (RSRP) difference threshold based upon a low probability of handover success and a second RSRP difference threshold to trigger expedited HO reporting;

determining, by the HO circuitry in the UE, a RSRP difference between a serving cell and a neighbor cell;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be greater than the first RSRP difference threshold by the UE, initiating HO failure recovery;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the first RSRP threshold and greater than the second RSRP threshold by the UE, selecting a minimum TimeToTrigger (TTT) interval based on HO parameters provided by the network manager;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the second RSRP difference threshold by the UE, selecting the TTT interval based, at least in part, on a current Time of Stay (ToS) in the serving cell; and

triggering a HO measurement report at the expiry of the TTT interval.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first RSRP difference threshold is equal to 10 decibels (dB) and the second RSRP difference threshold is equal to 4 dB.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating, by the NM HO circuitry, the second RSRP difference threshold with the minimum TTT.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by the NM HO circuitry, a Time of Stay (ToS) threshold;

associating, by the NM HO circuitry, a first TTT with the ToS threshold to create a first TTT, ToS pair; and

providing, by an eNB, the first TTT, ToS pair to the UE.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, by the HO circuitry, the TTT based, at least in part, on a short ToS.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium disposed in User Equipment (UE) comprising one or more processors having stored thereon, individually or in combination, instructions that when executed by said one or more processors effect:

receiving from network manager handover (NM HO) circuitry in a network manager, a first reference signal received power (RSRP) difference threshold based upon a low probability of handover success and a second RSRP difference threshold to trigger expedited HO reporting;

determining, by handover (HO) circuitry in the UE, a RSRP difference between a serving cell and a neighbor cell;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be greater than the first RSRP difference threshold by the UE, initiating HO failure recovery;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the first RSRP threshold and greater than the second RSRP threshold by the UE, selecting a minimum TimeToTrigger (TTT) interval based on HO parameters provided by the network manager;

when the RSRP difference is determined to be less than or equal to the second RSRP difference threshold by the UE, selecting the TTT interval based, at least in part, on a current Time of Stay (ToS) in the serving cell; and

triggering a HO measurement report at the expiry of the TTT interval.