User equipment, network node, second network node and methods therein

• US 9,717,038 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2012
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Kazmi, Muhammad Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haque, Abu-Sayeed
• Application Number:
  US13/579,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 370331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate to a method in a user equipment (10) for acquiring system information relating to a cell (11,14) in a radio communications network. The cell (11,14) is served by a network node (12,12′,15) and the user equipment (10) is capable of receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously. The user equipment (10) creates autonomous gaps on a downlink carrier, which downlink carrier to use for creating autonomous gaps on is based on a received indication from the network node (12,12′,15) and/or a pre-determined rule. The indication or pre-determined rule specifies the downlink carrier. The user equipment (10) then acquires the system information of the cell (11,14) on the downlink carrier using the created autonomous gaps.

Claims

1. A method in a user equipment for acquiring system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the cell served by a network node, the method comprising:

receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously;

creating autonomous gaps on a selected one of said downlink carriers, the selected downlink carrier being determined based on at least one of;

an indication received from the network node that specifies the selected downlink carrier selected by the network node; and

a pre-determined rule that specifies the selected downlink carrier; and

receiving system information transmitted from the cell on the selected downlink carrier using the created autonomous gaps, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, to the network node, a selection indication indicating the selected downlink carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected downlink carrier is not associated to a Primary Cell or a serving cell.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the network node, at least one of the indication and an identity of the cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined rule defines the selected downlink carrier to be at least one of:

a primary carrier;

a secondary carrier;

an isolated carrier;

a carrier determined based on system information type;

a carrier determined based on gap length of the autonomous gaps; and

a carrier determined based on density of the autonomous gaps.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting, to the network node, a capability to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier, for acquiring system information of a cell.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication indicates different specific downlink carriers for creating autonomous gaps for acquiring different types of system information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting the acquired system information to the network node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the system information of the cell comprises one or more of:

a cell global identity;

a closed subscriber group indicator;

a hybrid closed subscriber group indicator; and

a Master Information Block and one or more System Information Blocks.

10. A method in a network node for requesting a user equipment to acquire system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the cell served by the network node, the method comprising:

requesting the user equipment to acquire system information relating to the cell by transmitting an indication to the user equipment, said user equipment capable of receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access;

wherein the indication specifies a selected one of said downlink carriers selected by the network node on which to create autonomous gaps for the user equipment to receive the system information transmitted from the cell.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting the downlink carrier on which the user equipment is to create autonomous gaps on for acquiring the system information.

12. The method of claim 11:

wherein the selecting comprises selecting different carriers for retrieving different types of system information; and

wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting indications of the selected different carriers.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, from the user equipment, a capability indication indicating capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers of the more than one downlink carrier for acquiring system information of a cell.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selecting is based on one of:

the received capability indication;

the received capability indication and an additional criterion.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the additional criterion comprises at least one of:

a requirement that the downlink carrier that is adjacent to the least number of carriers;

a requirement that the use of the downlink carrier results in least data loss due to autonomous gaps;

a requirement that the downlink carrier is least time critical;

a requirement that the downlink carrier be selected based on gap lengths of the autonomous gaps;

a requirement that the downlink carrier be selected based on gap density of the autonomous gaps;

whether autonomous gaps are distributed over more than one carrier for acquiring system information of more than one cell.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising requesting the user equipment to report a capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps, for acquiring system information of a cell, on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the network node is a first network node;

wherein the method further comprises sending, to a second network node, at least one of;

a carrier indication indicating the downlink carrier for the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on for acquiring system information of the cell;

a capability indication indicating capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier for acquiring system information of the cell.

18. A method, in a second network node, for handling autonomous gap information from a user equipment or a first network node, wherein autonomous gaps are created by the user equipment for acquiring system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the cell is served by the first network node, the method comprising:

acquiring, from the user equipment or the first network node, said user equipment capable of receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously, at least one of;

information of a capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any one of the downlink carriers for receiving system information transmitted from the cell, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access;

information specifying a selected one of the downlink carriers selected by the first network node on which the user equipment is to create autonomous gaps for receiving system information transmitted from the cell;

using the acquired information to configure a downlink carrier for one or more of;

requesting the user equipment to acquire system information after the handover or cell change;

to configure one or more physical layer parameter depending upon whether autonomous gaps are created or not on a certain downlink carrier for acquiring system information;

selecting configuration parameters related to positioning measurements on a carrier depending upon whether autonomous gaps are created or not on the carrier;

network performance monitoring;

network planning or deployment; and

a radio management task.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the radio management task comprises selecting one or more of physical layer parameters and configuration depending upon the downlink carrier on which the autonomous gaps are more often created by the user equipment.

20. A user equipment for acquiring system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the cell served by a network node, the user equipment comprising:

at least one receiver configured to receive signals on more than one downlink carriers simultaneously;

a creating circuit configured to create autonomous gaps on a selected one of said downlink carriers, the selected downlink carrier being determined based on at least one of;

an indication received from the network node that specifies the selected downlink carrier selected by the network node;

and a pre-determined rule that specifies the selected downlink carrier;

an acquiring circuit configured to receive system information transmitted from the cell on the selected downlink carrier using the created autonomous gaps, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access.

21. The user equipment of claim 20, further comprising a selecting circuit configured to select the downlink carrier to create autonomous gaps for acquiring the system information of the cell based on at least one of the received indication and the pre-determined rule.

22. The user equipment of claim 21, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to send, to the network node, a selection indication indicating the selected downlink carrier.

23. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein the downlink carrier is not associated to a Primary Cell or a serving cell.

24. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive at least one of:

the indication from the network node; and

an identity of the cell.

25. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein the pre-determined rule defines the downlink carrier to be at least one of:

a primary carrier;

a secondary carrier;

an isolated carrier;

a carrier determined based on system information type;

a carrier determined based on gap length of the autonomous gaps; and

a carrier determined based on density of the autonomous gaps.

26. The user equipment of claim 20, further comprising a reporting circuit configured to report, to the network node, a capability to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier for acquiring system information of a cell.

27. The user equipment of claim 26, wherein the reporting circuit is configured to report the acquired system information to the network node.

28. The user equipment of claim 20, wherein the indication indicates different specific downlink carriers for creating autonomous gaps for acquiring different types of system information.

29. The user equipment according to claim 20, wherein the system information of the cell comprises one or more of:

a cell global identity;

a closed subscriber group indicator;

a hybrid closed subscriber group indicator; and

a Master Information Block and one or more System Information Blocks.

30. A network node for requesting a user equipment to acquire system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the network node configured to serve the cell, wherein the network node comprises:

a transmitter configured to transmit an indication to the user equipment requesting the user equipment to acquire system information relating to the cell, said user equipment capable of receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access;

wherein the indication specifies a selected one of said downlink carriers selected by the network node to create autonomous gaps for the user equipment to receive the system information transmitted from the cell.

31. The network node of claim 30, further comprising a selecting circuit configured to select the downlink carrier on which the user equipment is to create autonomous gaps on for acquiring the system information.

32. The network node of claim 31:

wherein the selecting circuit is configured to select different carriers for retrieving different types of system information; and

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit indications of the selected different carriers.

33. The network node of claim 30, further comprising a receiver configured to receive, from the user equipment, a capability indication indicating capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier for acquiring system information of a cell.

34. The network node of claim 33, wherein the selecting circuit is configured to select downlink carrier based on at least one of:

the received capability indication; and

the received capability indication and an additional criterion.

35. The network node of claim 34, wherein the additional criterion comprises at least one of:

a requirement that the downlink carrier that is adjacent to the least number of carriers;

a requirement that the use of the downlink carrier results in least data loss due to autonomous gaps;

a requirement that the downlink carrier is least time critical;

a requirement that the downlink carrier be selected based on gap lengths of the autonomous gaps;

a requirement that the downlink carrier be selected based on gap density of the autonomous gaps; and

whether autonomous gaps are distributed over more than one carrier for acquiring system information of more than one cell.

36. The network node of claim 30, further comprising a requesting circuit configured to request the user equipment to report a capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps, for acquiring system information of a cell, on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier.

37. The network node of claim 30:

wherein the network node is a first network node;

further comprising a sending circuit configured to send, to a second network node, at least one of;

a carrier indication indicating the downlink carrier for the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on for acquiring system information of the cell; and

a capability indication indicating capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any of the downlink carriers out of the more than one downlink carrier for acquiring system information of the cell.

38. A second network node for handling autonomous gap information from a user equipment or a first network node, the autonomous gaps created by the user equipment for acquiring system information relating to a cell in a radio communications network, the cell served by the first network node, wherein the second network node comprises:

an acquiring circuit configured to acquire, from the user equipment or the first network node, said user equipment capable of receiving signals on more than one downlink carrier simultaneously, at least one of;

information of a capability of the user equipment to create autonomous gaps on any one of the downlink carrier for receiving system information transmitted from the cell, wherein the system information comprises one or more cell-specific characteristic parameters of the cell for cell identification and/or cell access;

information specifying a selected one of the downlink carriers selected by the first network node on which the user equipment is to create autonomous gaps for receiving system information transmitted from the cell;

a using circuit configured to use the acquired system information to configure a downlink carrier for one or more of;

requesting the user equipment to acquire system information after the handover or cell change;

to configure one or more physical layer parameter depending upon whether autonomous gaps are created or not on a certain downlink carrier for acquiring system information;

selecting configuration parameters related to positioning measurements on a carrier depending upon whether autonomous gaps are created or not on the carrier;

network performance monitoring;

network planning or deployment; and

a radio management task.

39. The second network node of claim 38, wherein the radio management task comprises selecting one or more of physical layer parameters and configuration depending upon the downlink carrier on which the autonomous gaps are more often created by the user equipment.