Assignment of hierarchical cell structures employing geolocation techniques

• US 9,351,223 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kosseifi, Mario, Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Myneni, Lakshman Sundeep
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/557,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20140031045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-444, 455/435.2, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

Distance is employed to facilitate sector selection and re-selection in a network during handoff. A system receives measurement information for a mobile device. The measurement information includes information indicative of a geographical location of the mobile device. The system determines information indicative of a geographical location of a cell site to which the mobile device is assigned. The system then selects a sector of the cell site with which to associate the mobile device. The selection of the sector is based, at least, on a distance determined between the mobile device and the cell site. In various embodiments, the distance information is determined based on the latitude and longitude of the mobile device. In various embodiments, the morphology of the terrain for the area in which the mobile device is located is factored into the determination of the sector.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, measurement information relating to a mobile device, wherein the measurement information includes first information indicative of a geographical location of the mobile device;

determining, by the system, second information indicative of a different geographical location of a cell site to which the mobile device is assigned; and

selecting, by the system, a sector of the cell site with which to associate the mobile device based, at least, on whether a distance determined between the mobile device and the cell site satisfies a predefined criterion associated with the distance, comprising varying the predefined criterion associated with the distance as a function of height information for the geographical location of the mobile device, wherein the height information is stored in a storage device and is associated with an average height of terrain elements and architectural structures for the geographical location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the sector comprises:

assigning the mobile device to a first sector based on the distance between the mobile device and the cell site satisfying the predefined criterion; and

assigning the mobile device to a second sector based on the distance between the mobile device and the cell site failing to satisfy the predefined criterion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first sector is associated with a first frequency and the second sector is associated with a second frequency, the first frequency being higher than the second frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the varying comprises varying the predefined criterion as a function of terrain element information associated with an average height of trees included in the geographical location of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed during a handoff of the mobile device to the system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the sector comprises associating the mobile device with a base station device.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a request for a handoff for a mobile device;

determining location information for the mobile device that is indicative of an area in which the mobile device is determined to be located;

receiving morphology information associated with the location information for the mobile device from a data storage device, the morphology information comprising height information associated with an average height of terrain elements and architectural structures for the area in which the mobile device is determined to be located; and

determining a sector of a cell site device associated with the device to which to assign the mobile device in connection with the handoff, wherein the determining is based, at least, on a first distance that is determined between the mobile device and the cell site device, wherein the determining the sector of the cell site device comprises assigning the mobile device to the sector based, at least, on whether the first distance between the mobile device and the cell site device satisfies a defined criterion associated with a second distance that varies based on the morphology information associated with the location information for the mobile device.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the morphology information further comprises reflectivity information associated with reflectivity of the architectural structures for the area.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

directing, to the mobile device, a transmission of a message, including information indicative of the sector of the cell site device to which the mobile device is assigned.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the information comprises a frequency associated with the sector.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the assigning comprises:

assigning the mobile device to a first sector associated with a first frequency in response to the first distance between the mobile device and the cell site device being less than the second distance, and assigning the mobile device to a second sector associated with a second frequency in response to the first distance between the mobile device and the cell site device not being less than the second distance, wherein the first frequency is higher than the second frequency.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second distance is a first value in response to a determination that the height information is below a defined threshold, and the second distance is a second value in response to a determination that the height information is above the defined threshold.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first value is higher than the second value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein measurement information related to the mobile device is received during the request for the handoff.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining a first distance between a mobile device and a cell site device;

receiving height information that comprises first height information associated with a first type of natural structures for a location associated with the mobile device, second height information associated with a second type of natural structures for the location, and third height information associated with architectural structures for the location; and

determining a sector of sectors of the cell site device to which to assign the mobile device based, at least, on the first distance, wherein the determining the sector comprises assigning the mobile device to the sector based, at least, on whether the first distance between the mobile device and the cell site device satisfies a defined criterion associated with a second distance that varies based on the height information for the location associated with the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the defined criterion comprises the second distance between the mobile device and the cell site device being less than a defined value.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a base station device, and the determining is based, at least, on an attempted handoff of the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining the sector comprises:

selecting another sector of the sectors based, at least, on a change in the first distance between the mobile device and the cell site device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the height information comprises an average height associated with the first height information, the second height information, and the third height information.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the second distance is a first value in response to a determination that the height information is below a defined threshold, wherein the second distance is a second value in response to a determination that the height information is above the defined threshold, and wherein the first value is higher than the second value.