Method and user equipment for wireless communication

Abstract

A method for wireless communication includes obtaining a first measurement of a frequency of one or more frequency bands, obtaining a second measurement of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are generated at different times, determining a similarity between the second measurement and the first measurement to generate a determination result, and determining a system selection policy according to the determination result. By using the present application, wireless communication can be better performed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communications, and in particular, to a control method of a user equipment (UE). BACKGROUND

[0002] When a UE moves to a service-limited or no-service area (e.g. a basement), the UE usually triggers regular recovery search to detect normal service according to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 36.304 and 38.304. The recovery search includes a step of finding a suitable cell by trying all frequencies of all radio access technologies (RATs) supported by the UE, which results in high power consumption. Therefore, if the UE stays in an area without normal service for a long time, the UE will continuously perform redundant recovery search regularly, resulting in high power consumption, and thus the power of the UE will decrease rapidly. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, one of the purposes of the present application is to provide a control method of a UE, which can use an adaptive system selection strategy to avoid the high power consumption caused by the conventional recovery search in the prior art.

[0004] In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a first measurement of a frequency of one or more frequency bands, obtaining a second measurement of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are generated at different times, determining a similarity between the second measurement and the first measurement to generate a determination result, and determining a system selection strategy according to the determination result.

[0005] In one aspect, an electronic device includes circuitry configured to obtain a first measurement of a frequency of one or more frequency bands, obtain a second measurement of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are generated at different times, determine a similarity between the second measurement and the first measurement to generate a determination result, and determine a system selection strategy according to the determination result.

[0006] By utilizing the present application, wireless communications can be better performed.

[0007] The above and other objects of the present application will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A communication system according to embodiments of the present application can be shown.

[0009] Figure 2 A UE control method based on measurement results of frequency / band of one or more frequency bands can be shown.

[0010] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a UE control method according to a first embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 4 Steps in which the UE resumes the search can be shown.

[0012] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a UE control method according to a second embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a UE control method according to a third embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Some terminology can be used throughout the following detailed description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art appreciates, manufacturers can use different names to refer to one component. The present application is not intended to distinguish between components having different names but the same function. In the following discussion and claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended manner. Consequently, these terms should be interpreted as "including but not limited to...". The term "coupled" is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Thus, if a first device is coupled to a second device, that connection can be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.

[0015] Figure 1 A communication system according to embodiments of the present application can be shown. As Figure 1As shown, the UE 100 can include circuitry, which can include an application processor for performing operations of the user application 110, a middleware 120, a transport layer 130, a data link layer 140, and at least one wireless network module 150. In some embodiments, the UE can also include a storage medium for storing program instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the steps of the method of the present application. In embodiments of the present application, the UE 100 can be a portable electronic device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer, and the UE 100 can use the wireless network module 150 to establish a link with a cellular base station of a network system, such as a fourth generation wideband cellular network technology (hereinafter can be referred to as 4G) system or a fifth generation wideband cellular network technology (hereinafter can be referred to as 5G) system, or a next generation wideband cellular network technology, as well as a conventional network technology (hereinafter can be referred to as 2G and 3G) system.

[0016] As described in the background section of the present application, when the UE 100 is brought into a service-limited or no-service area (e.g. a basement), the UE 100 triggers regular recovery search to detect normal service according to the 3GPP specification. When the UE 100 stays in an area without service for a long time, in order to reduce the power consumption of the UE 100, Figure 2 The embodiments shown can provide a control method of a UE 100 for selecting a suitable system selection procedure strategy according to the measurement results of the frequency / channels of one or more frequency bands, wherein the system selection procedure strategies that can be used by the UE 100 can include different cell search strategies, different Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and RAT selection strategies, and / or different system capability control strategies.

[0017] Reference is made to Figure 2At a first time, the wireless network module 150 of the UE 100 can obtain a first measurement result by performing a power scan operation on the frequencies / channels of the one or more frequency bands, and then at a second time, the wireless network module 150 of the UE 100 can obtain a second measurement result by performing a power scan operation on the frequencies / channels of the one or more frequency bands. Then, the first measurement result and the second measurement result can be compared to determine the similarity between the second measurement result and the first measurement result to determine the system selection procedure policy suitable for the UE 100. For example, if the second measurement result is similar to the first measurement result, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 can be located in the same area, and then the wireless network module 150 can use the first system selection procedure policy next time. For example, if the UE 100 is located in a basement without service and generates the first measurement result and the second measurement result, in response to the second measurement result being similar to the first measurement result, the wireless network module 150 can not perform a cell search or a PLMN and RAT selection, or reduce a redundant cell search, to avoid performing an action that cannot achieve an expected effect. In another example, if the UE 100 is not served at the first time and generates the first measurement result, and then generates the second measurement result at the second time, in response to the second measurement result being dissimilar to the first measurement result, because the UE 100 can now move to an area with service, the wireless network module 150 can perform a normal recovery search.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a control method of the UE 100 according to the first embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3 step 300, the flow starts, the UE 100 can be connected to a cellular base station of a system. In step 302, the UE 100 cannot receive a signal from the cellular base station due to some reasons, such as the UE 100 is located outside the wireless communication service, then the UE 100 can start to perform a recovery search and obtain a measurement result of a frequency / channel of one or more frequency bands. In particular, with reference to Figure 4, initially, since the initial memory within the UE 100 stores previous connection information (e.g., information of a cellular base station of a 4G / 5G system), the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the stored connection information of a frequency is available for connection to a cellular base station of a 5G system. If yes, the UE 100 can establish a link with the cellular base station to complete the resume search procedure; if no, the wireless network module 150 can detect the power of all or partial frequencies of a plurality of frequency bands to obtain measurement results of the frequencies / channels, where the frequencies / channels can include at least a portion of FR1 and FR2 frequency bands of a 5G system standalone architecture (SA). In this embodiment, the power of each frequency / channel in the measurement results can be a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal receiving power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), or any suitable power indicator. After obtaining the measurement results, the wireless network module 150 can perform a cell search according to the measurement results to attempt to connect to a cellular base station of a 5G system.

[0019] Then, if the UE 100 cannot connect to a 5G system, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the stored connection information of a frequency is available for connection to a cellular base station of a 4G system. If yes, the UE 100 can establish a link with the cellular base station of the 4G system to complete the resume search procedure; if no, the wireless network module 150 can detect the power of all or partial frequencies of a plurality of frequency bands to obtain measurement results of the frequencies / channels, where the frequencies / channels can include at least a portion of B1-B71 frequency bands of a 4G system. In this embodiment, the power of each frequency / channel in the measurement results can be an RSSI, an RSRP, an RSRQ, an SINR, or any suitable power indicator. After obtaining the measurement results, the wireless network module 150 can attempt to connect to a cellular base station of a 4G system according to the measurement results. Similarly, the wireless network module 150 can also attempt to connect to frequency bands of a 3G or 2G system.

[0020] It can be understood that, Figure 4 The resume search procedure shown in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not a limitation of the present application. In one embodiment in which the UE 100 does not have a 5G service, the procedure of generating measurement results of a 5G system and performing a cell search can be removed.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the measurement result of the 5G system and / or the measurement result of the 4G system can be temporarily stored in a buffer of the wireless network module 150.

[0022] In step 304, since the UE 100 fails to obtain service in the above-mentioned resume search, in the next resume search, the wireless network module 150 can first determine whether the frequency of the stored connection information is available for connecting to the cellular base station of the 5G system and / or the 4G system (step 306). If yes, the flow can proceed to step 308, connecting the cellular base station using the stored connection information, completing the resume search process; if no, the flow can proceed to step 310.

[0023] In step 310, the wireless network module 150 can detect the power of all frequencies or part of frequencies of a plurality of frequency bands to obtain the measurement result of the frequency / channel, wherein the above-mentioned frequency / channel can include at least part of the SA FR1 and FR2 frequency bands of the 5G system and / or at least part of the B1-B71 frequency bands of the 4G system.

[0024] In step 312, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the measurement result obtained in step 310 is similar to the measurement result obtained in step 302. If yes, the flow can proceed to step 314; if no, the flow can proceed to step 316. In the present embodiment, the wireless network module 150 can use any suitable algorithm to determine the similarity between the above-mentioned two measurement results, for example, calculating the distance between the two measurement results, or using a suitable artificial intelligence (AI) model to calculate the difference between the two measurement results. Then, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the difference between the two measurement results is within a range or below a threshold value to determine the similarity between the two measurement results. For example, if the difference between the two measurement results is within the range or below the threshold value, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement result obtained in step 310 is similar to the measurement result obtained in step 302; if the difference between the two measurement results is not within the range or not below the threshold value, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement result obtained in step 310 is not similar to the measurement result obtained in step 302.

[0025] In step 314, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 can be located in the same unserved area, so the wireless network module 150 can not perform full-band cell search on the 5G or 4G system. For example, the wireless network module 150 does not perform cell search on at least a part of the SA FR1 and FR2 bands of the 5G system, and / or the wireless network module 150 does not perform cell search on at least a part of the B1-B71 bands of the 4G system.

[0026] In one embodiment, the recovery search performed in step 314 can be band-independent, i.e. the wireless network module 150 can not perform cell search on the frequency bands with high similarity to the previous measurement results, but can perform cell search on the frequency bands with low similarity to the previous measurement results.

[0027] In addition, after step 314, the flow can enter step 304 again, and the UE 100 can perform the next recovery search and determine the similarity between the current measurement results and the previous measurement results to determine the appropriate system selection strategy.

[0028] In step 316, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 can move to a served area, so the wireless network module 150 can perform cell search on all possible frequencies of the 5G or 4G system.

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a control method of the UE 100 according to the second embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5 step 500, the flow starts, and the UE 100 can be connected to a cellular base station of a system (such as a 5G system or a 4G system). In step 502, the UE 100 cannot receive signals from the cellular base station due to some reasons, i.e. the UE 100 has no wireless communication service, so the UE 100 starts to perform recovery search and obtains measurement results of the frequency / channels of one or more frequency bands. For example, the measurement results can be generated according to the above-mentioned embodiments shown in Figure 4

[0030] In this embodiment, the measurement results of the frequency / channels of one or more frequency bands can be temporarily stored in the buffer of the wireless network module 150.

[0031] ​In step 504, since the UE 100 fails to obtain service in the above-mentioned resume search, in the next resume search, the wireless network module 150 can first determine whether the frequency of the stored connection information is available for connecting to the cellular base station of the 5G system and / or the 4G system (step 506). If yes, the flow can proceed to step 508 to connect the cellular base station using the stored connection information, completing the resume search process. If no, the flow can proceed to step 510.

[0032] In step 510, the wireless network module 150 can detect the power of all or part of the frequencies of one or more frequency bands to obtain the measurement results of the frequencies / channels, wherein the above-mentioned frequencies / channels can include at least part of the SA FR1 and FR2 frequency bands of the 5G system and / or at least part of the B1-B71 frequency bands of the 4G system.

[0033] In step 512, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the measurement results obtained in step 510 are similar to the measurement results obtained in step 502. If yes, the flow can proceed to step 514; if no, the flow can proceed to step 516. In the present embodiment, the wireless network module 150 can use any suitable algorithm to determine the similarity between the above-mentioned two measurement results, for example, to calculate the difference between the two measurement results, or to use a suitable AI model to calculate the difference between the two measurement results. Then, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the difference between the two measurement results is within a range or below a threshold value to determine the similarity between the two measurement results. For example, if the difference between the two measurement results is within the range or below the threshold value, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement results obtained in step 510 are similar to the measurement results obtained in step 502; if the difference between the two measurement results is not within the range or not below the threshold value, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement results obtained in step 510 are not similar to the measurement results obtained in step 502.

[0034] In step 514, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 can be located in the same area without service, so the wireless network module 150 can not perform partial PLMN and RAT selection. For example, if the previous connection information includes a specific PLMN and a specific RAT, the wireless network module 150 can not attempt to select the specific PLMN and the specific RAT.

[0035] In step 516, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 can move to an area with service, so the wireless network module 150 can perform PLMN and RAT selection in the resume search.

[0036] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of a control method for a UE 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 As shown, in step 600, the process begins, and UE 100 can connect to a cellular base station of a system (such as a 5G or 4G system). In step 602, UE 100 disables the 5G function for some reason; that is, even if a 5G connection is available, UE 100 may not attempt to connect to a cellular base station. For example, UE 100 may be unable to connect to any cellular base station of a 5G system for an extended period, therefore the wireless network module 150 can actively disable the 5G function. Furthermore, during the recovery search performed by UE 100, UE 100 can obtain frequency / channel measurements for one or more frequency bands. For example, it can be based on... Figure 4 The above embodiments shown generate measurement results.

[0037] In this embodiment, the measurement results of frequency / channel of one or more frequency bands can be temporarily stored in the buffer of wireless network module 150.

[0038] In step 604, during the next recovery search, the wireless network module 150 may detect the power of all or part of the frequencies in one or more frequency bands to obtain frequency / channel measurement results, wherein the frequency / channel may include at least a portion of the SA FR1 and FR2 frequency bands of the 5G system.

[0039] In step 606, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the measurement result obtained in step 604 is similar to the measurement result obtained in step 602. If so, the process can proceed to step 608; otherwise, the process can proceed to step 610. In this embodiment, the wireless network module 150 can use any suitable algorithm to determine the similarity between the two measurement results, such as calculating the difference between the two measurement results, or using a suitable AI model to calculate the difference between the two measurement results. Then, the wireless network module 150 can determine whether the difference between the two measurement results is within a range or below a threshold to determine the similarity between the two measurement results. For example, if the difference between the two measurement results is within a range or below a threshold, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement result obtained in step 604 is similar to the measurement result obtained in step 602; if the difference between the two measurement results is not within a range or not below a threshold, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the measurement result obtained in step 604 is not similar to the measurement result obtained in step 602.

[0040] In step 608, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 may be located in the same unserved area, so the wireless network module 150 can still disable the 5G function to avoid redundant cell search of the 5G system.

[0041] In step 610, the wireless network module 150 can determine that the UE 100 may move to an area with service, so the wireless network module 150 can enable 5G functionality, that is, the wireless network module 150 can start cell search for the 5G system.

[0042] It should be noted that, Figure 6 The 5G system mentioned herein is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In other embodiments, Figure 6 The 5G functionality and 5G system can be replaced with any suitable broadband cellular network technology system.

[0043] In short, in the UE control method of the present invention, a suitable system selection strategy can be determined by comparing the measurement results of frequencies in one or more frequency bands. The UE can perform recovery search without performing some redundant steps, which can effectively reduce power consumption.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications and adjustments can be made to the above-described apparatus and methods while maintaining the teachings of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is indicated by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: A first measurement result of the frequency of one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the first measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a first recovery search; A second measurement result of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the second measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a second recovery search, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are generated at different times; Determine the similarity between the second measurement result and the first measurement result to generate a determination result; and The system selection strategy is determined based on the results. Wherein, in response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is similar to the first measurement result, the first system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. In response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is not similar to the first measurement result, a second system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the first system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: not performing a cell search corresponding to the frequency of the one or more frequency bands in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the second system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: performing a cell search corresponding to the frequency of the one or more frequency bands in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search.

2. The method for wireless communication as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The execution time of the second recovery search is later than the execution time of the first recovery search.

3. The method for wireless communication as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first measurement result and the second measurement result include the power at each frequency of the one or more frequency bands.

4. A method for wireless communication, comprising: A first measurement result of the frequency of one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the first measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a first recovery search; A second measurement result of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the second measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a second recovery search, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are generated at different times; Determine the similarity between the second measurement result and the first measurement result to generate a determination result; and The system selection strategy is determined based on the results. Wherein, in response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is similar to the first measurement result, the first system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. In response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is not similar to the first measurement result, a second system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the first system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: If the previous connection information includes a specific public land mobile network and a specific radio access technology, then the selection of that specific public land mobile network and the specific radio access technology will not be performed in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The steps for using the second system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search include: The selection of the specific public land mobile network and the specific radio access technology is performed in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search.

5. The method for wireless communication as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The execution time of the second recovery search is later than the execution time of the first recovery search.

6. The method for wireless communication as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first measurement result and the second measurement result include the power at each frequency of the one or more frequency bands.

7. An electronic device for wireless communication, comprising a circuit configured to: Obtain the first measurement result of the frequency of one or more frequency bands, wherein, The first measurement result was generated when the electronic device had no wireless communication service and entered the first recovery search; A second measurement result of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the second measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a second recovery search, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are generated at different times; Determine the similarity between the second measurement result and the first measurement result to generate a determination result; and The system selection strategy is determined based on the results. Wherein, in response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is similar to the first measurement result, the first system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. In response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is not similar to the first measurement result, a second system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the first system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: not performing a cell search corresponding to the frequency of the one or more frequency bands in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the second system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: performing a cell search corresponding to the frequency of the one or more frequency bands in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, The execution time of the second recovery search is later than the execution time of the first recovery search.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, The first measurement result and the second measurement result include the power at each frequency of the one or more frequency bands.

10. An electronic device for wireless communication, comprising a circuit configured to: Obtain the first measurement result of the frequency of one or more frequency bands, wherein, The first measurement result was generated when the electronic device had no wireless communication service and entered the first recovery search; A second measurement result of the frequency of the one or more frequency bands is obtained, wherein the second measurement result is generated when the electronic device has no wireless communication service and enters a second recovery search, and the first measurement result and the second measurement result are generated at different times; Determine the similarity between the second measurement result and the first measurement result to generate a determination result; and The system selection strategy is determined based on the results. Wherein, in response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is similar to the first measurement result, the first system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. In response to the determination result indicating that the second measurement result is not similar to the first measurement result, a second system selection strategy is used in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search. The step of using the first system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search includes: If the previous connection information includes a specific public land mobile network and a specific radio access technology, then the selection of the specific public land mobile network and the specific radio access technology is not performed in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search; and The steps for using the second system selection strategy in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search include: The selection of the specific public land mobile network and the specific radio access technology is performed in the second recovery search or a subsequent recovery search.

11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The execution time of the second recovery search is later than the execution time of the first recovery search.

12. The electronic device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The first measurement result and the second measurement result include the power at each frequency of the one or more frequency bands.

13. A storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the steps of the method for wireless communication according to any one of claims 1-6.

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