Connection measurement

Abstract

A method for determining connection measurement information for a connection between a user equipment, UE, and a network is provided, comprising transmitting a release message from the network to the UE, the release message being configured to instruct the UE to enter a low power state; and transmitting a verification signal from the UE to the network, wherein the verification signal indicates whether connection measurement information from a first connection is valid for a second connection. A UE and a computer program configured to perform the method are also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communication, and more particularly to techniques for processing connection measurements between a UE and a network. Background Technology

[0002] In cellular communication networks such as LTE and 5G NR, Radio Resource Control (RRC) is a protocol that controls the physical layer. The network uses RRC to establish, maintain, and release connections between base stations (BS) and user equipment (UE). In connected mode, the UE receives configuration information from the base station and reports measurement results to the BS. After an RRC connection is established between the UE and the BS, the network and the UE perform a security procedure using parameters from a previous mutual authentication process. Once security is established, the network can configure the UE to provide measurement results to the BS, allowing the BS to consider the UE's radio environment. This information about the UE's radio environment enables the base station to accurately set carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity, or to perform handover procedures.

[0003] Carrier aggregation and dual connectivity enable efficient load sharing across different frequency bands and achieve better statistical multiplexing (and thus better system capacity) through the ability to transmit data faster. Rapid activation of carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity is highly beneficial because many data transmissions are relatively small, and slow activation would overload the primary carrier.

[0004] When a UE moves across different cell areas, the handover process is crucial for maintaining UE connectivity with the network. During RRC connection reconfiguration, the UE performs connectivity measurements on the serving cell and neighboring cells. These measurements are sent to the serving base station, which can then determine whether handover is necessary to improve UE connectivity with the network. If handover is required, the UE is instructed to switch to a neighboring (“target”) cell via an RRC connection reconfiguration message. Once the switchover is complete, the UE sends a message to the new cell.

[0005] It is within this context that the topics contained in this application were designed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The first aspect involves the UE transmitting connection measurement information from the first connection to the network to determine if it is valid for the second connection. This has the advantage of determining whether the measurement results from the first connection can be reused for the second connection. Therefore, the network can take action more quickly, for example, activating handover if the measurement results indicate low connection quality. Another example is that if the first connection successfully uses dual connectivity or carrier aggregation to improve the UE's connection to the network, the network may activate dual connectivity or carrier aggregation more quickly. Thus, the first aspect improves the UE's connectivity to the network, particularly by reducing the likelihood of connection interruptions due to coverage loss in that frequency band and reducing the delay before carrier aggregation or dual connectivity can be activated.

[0007] Specifically, the first aspect includes a method for determining connection measurement information for a connection between a user equipment (UE) and a network, comprising transmitting a release message from the network to the UE, the release message being configured to instruct the UE to enter a low-power state; and transmitting a verification signal from the UE to the network, wherein the verification signal indicates whether connection measurement information from a first connection is valid for a second connection.

[0008] In some examples, the method may include determining at the UE whether connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection before transmitting the verification signal.

[0009] In some examples, the determination step may include comparing connection measurement information from the first connection with one or more measurement results from the low-power state.

[0010] In some examples, measurements performed under low power conditions may include one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ); Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR); and measurements indicating the location of the UE.

[0011] In some examples, the first connection measurement information may include one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ); Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR); and a measurement indicating the location of the UE.

[0012] In some examples, some or all of the measurement results measured during the low power state (which may be referred to herein as low power state measurement results) may be statistically processed (e.g., averaged) before being compared with some (or all) of the measurement information from the first connection.

[0013] In some examples, the release message may include an indication of a time window, wherein measurements taken during and within the low-power state are averaged and used to determine whether the first set of communication measurement information is valid for the second connection. Therefore, the average measurement results taken in the low-power state can be compared with the first set of communication measurement information.

[0014] In some examples, statistics can be transmitted to the UE, where these statistics may include limits on standard deviation or other statistical parameters. Beyond these limits, the UE can determine that the measurements from the first connection are invalid for the second connection. The statistics can be included in the release message.

[0015] In some examples, the release message may include information about a time period, allowing the UE to store connection measurement information for the first connection made during that time period. In other words, a subset of connection measurement information transmitted from the UE to the network may be stored, wherein this subset of information is within a time window commanded by the network or pre-defined by the UE configuration from the 3GPP specification.

[0016] In some examples, the release message can instruct the UE on the form of statistical processing to be performed on the measurement results.

[0017] In some examples, a release message can instruct the UE to determine whether the measurement results from the first connection are valid for use in the second connection.

[0018] In some examples, the release message can instruct the UE about which frequencies to store connectivity measurement information. In other examples, the release message can instruct the UE about which frequencies to store low-power state measurement results.

[0019] In some examples, the release message may include the duration for which connection measurement information from the first connection is stored at the UE. In some examples, an identifier may be associated with the UE and / or with the first connection measurement information. The identifier may be transmitted to the UE within the release message.

[0020] In some examples, the identification number can be transmitted from the UE to the network in the same signaling procedure as the authentication signal, allowing the network to associate the authentication signal with connection measurement information from the first connection.

[0021] In some examples, the identifier is a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) or a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).

[0022] In some examples, the authentication signal can be transmitted from the UE to the network in any of the following signaling: PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel) request; RRC setup request; RRC setup complete; or security mode complete.

[0023] In some examples, if connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection, the method may include transmitting mobility-related configuration from the network to the UE.

[0024] In some examples, mobility-related configurations may include one or more of the following: instructions for configuring and / or activating carrier aggregation; instructions for configuring and / or activating dual connectivity; instructions for setting up conditional handover targets; and handover commands for immediate handover.

[0025] In some examples, a low power state can be a state where the UE is not connected. For example, a low power state can be an idle state or an inactive state.

[0026] In another aspect, a user equipment (UE) is provided, configured to perform any of the methods of the preceding claims.

[0027] In another aspect, a computer program comprising instructions is provided that, when executed on a processor, causes the processor to perform any of the methods described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0028] At least one embodiment will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. These drawings are included to provide illustration and further understanding of the aspects and embodiments, and are incorporated in and form part of this specification, but are not intended to be a limitation of the invention. In the drawings, each identical or substantially identical component illustrated in the various figures is represented by similar numerals. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure.

[0029] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates some components of a telecommunications network.

[0030] Figure 2 The method described in this article is illustrated.

[0031] The invention will now be described with respect to specific embodiments. The embodiments described herein are not intended to be limiting, but are for illustrative purposes. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Figure 1An example telecommunications system 100 is illustrated, comprising a first base station (BS) 101 (“source cell”), a second base station 102 (“target cell”), and one or more user equipment (UE) units 103. In this example, UE 103A is connected to a telecommunications network via the first base station. The first base station has a cell area where UE 103A is located. The second base station has a cell area different from the cell area of ​​the first base station. The cell areas may overlap or may be different. Both the first and second base stations are connected to a core network. Therefore, the UE is connected to the core network via one or more base stations. As will be described herein, if the location of the UE changes, the UE may connect to the network via different base stations.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE can be in connected mode or low-power mode. When in low-power mode, the UE can acquire measurement results, such as measuring one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP); reference signal received quality (RSRQ); and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0034] To improve the connection processing between UE and BS, such as Figure 2 As illustrated, the proposed method includes transmitting a release message from the network to the UE in step 210, the release message being configured to instruct the UE to enter a low-power state from a first connected state. The release message may be referred to as a connection release message. In step 220, the UE transmits a verification signal to the network. The verification signal indicates whether connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for initiating a second connection (e.g., the start of a second connection). The method may include indicating whether some or all of the connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection. It will be understood herein that the method can be described with respect to the connection between the UE and the network, wherein the UE may be connected to the network via one or more base stations.

[0035] Illustrative examples will now be described, where it should be understood that the method may include some or all of the steps without departing from the scope of the invention. The connection described in the examples herein may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection or any other suitable connection. The example will be described with reference to a base station; however, it should be understood that some or all of the steps may be performed by the network.

[0036] During the initial connection period, the UE may send connection measurement information to the base station of the network to which it is connected, such as a connection measurement report. During the initial connection period, the BS may use such measurement results to determine whether the connection between the UE and the network can be improved by any suitable method known to those skilled in the art. For example, the BS may activate handover to a neighboring cell, or activate dual connectivity or carrier aggregation.

[0037] The BS or network can send a release message (e.g., an RRC connection release message) to the UE. This message instructs the UE to enter a low-power state (also referred to as "low-power mode" in this document). Once the release message has been received at the UE, the UE transitions from the connected state to the low-power state.

[0038] Both the UE and the BS can store some or all of the connection measurement results sent from the UE to the BS during the first connection as a set of first connection measurement results. The BS can also store other measurement results related to the first connection (e.g., measurement results of signals received from the UE). Once the connection has ended, for example when a release message is sent to the UE, the connection measurement information can be stored. In some examples, measurement results sent from the UE to the BS during an indicated time period can be stored. For example, the UE and / or the base station can store measurement results from the last 5 seconds of the first connection. The UE can receive a time indication from the base station from which it should store the measurement results. The UE can receive the time indication within the release message or in another suitable message.

[0039] Connection measurement information can be stored at the UE and base station for a limited duration. In some examples, first connection measurement information can be stored until a second connection has been established. The duration for which the first set of connection measurement information is stored can be transmitted from the base station to the UE.

[0040] In some examples, measurements taken in a low-power state and / or in the first connection may be statistically processed before being used to determine whether the first connection information is valid for the second connection. In some examples, measurements taken in a low-power state may be performed during a disconnected mode (e.g., idle or inactive state) and / or when the UE needs to send data to the network and / or is paged. The UE may perform statistical processing on the set of measurements (e.g., calculating their average and / or standard deviation). Therefore, in the examples described herein, the UE may use the statistically processed measurement results to determine whether the set of first connection measurement information is valid for the second connection. The UE may receive an indication of a time window (e.g., within a release message) such that the measurements taken by the UE in the low-power state within the time window are averaged and used to determine whether the set of first connection measurement information is valid for the second connection. For example, the measurements from the last 5 seconds of the low-power state may be averaged at the UE before being compared with the last 5 seconds of connection measurement information from the first connection. The averaged measurement results may be used to determine the average UE location or RSRP or RSRQ or other measurement results described herein. Then, the results of a statistical process can be used to determine whether the set of measurement information for the first connection is valid for the second connection.

[0041] The UE can store connection measurement information from certain frequencies and / or base stations. The UE can receive instructions from the base station indicating which information to store; for example, the UE can receive instructions indicating one or more frequency bands or radio channels from which connection measurement information should be stored. Such instructions can be received during a release message.

[0042] The BS can associate the first set of communication measurement results with an identification number (more generally referred to as an identifier or ID). In some examples, the identification number associated with the UE can be provided by the base station, or the identification number can be provided to both the UE and the base station through the core network.

[0043] The identifier can be any suitable identifier. For example, the identifier can be any one or more of the following: S1 / NG connection reference; recovery ID; or RNTI. Such an identifier can be sent in the release message described herein (e.g., in an RRC connection release) or in other RRC signaling. In other examples, the identifier can be a core network temporary ID, such as 4GS-TMSI or 5G S-TMSI.

[0044] When in a low-power state, the UE is not used for communication; that is, it is not in RRC connection mode. For example, the UE may be in an inactive or idle state. The UE is known to the network and can communicate with the network, but is not connected to a base station. In the low-power state, the UE performs minimal activity to conserve power. The UE may periodically wake up to monitor paging messages and broadcast channels, enabling it to maintain connectivity with the network. As described herein, the UE may measure certain measurements during the low-power state, such as measuring one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ); and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). These measurements measured in the low-power state may be intra-frequency or inter-frequency measurements, or inter-RAT (Radio Access Technology) measurements. These measurements measured in the low-power state may additionally or alternatively include one or more measurements indicating the UE's location. For example, the measurements may include measurements from sensors on the UE, such as data from accelerometers and / or barometers, or GNSS data from the UE.

[0045] The connection measurement information for the first and / or second connection described herein may include any one or more measurements relating to the low-power state description. In other words, connection mode measurements may be the same as low-power state measurements.

[0046] The UE can determine the validity of measurements from the first connection based on a comparison with measurements taken in the low-power state. In other words, the UE can determine whether the connection measurement information has changed by more than a certain amount between the first and second connections. A threshold can be defined, whereby a particular measurement is valid if it has changed by less than the threshold amount. In another example, there is an upper limit to the standard deviation; above this upper limit, the first connection measurement information is determined to be invalid for the second connection. Statistical information including standard deviation limits and / or thresholds can be sent to the UE during a release message, or during a separate message before the UE enters the low-power state, or through information broadcast to the UE via the cell (e.g., when the UE is in a low-power state).

[0047] In some examples, the UE may determine that it has moved more than a certain amount since the end of the first connection, such as more than 10 cm or more than 50 cm. In this case, the UE may determine that the first set of communication measurements is invalid because the UE's location has changed by more than a predefined amount. In this case, the UE may decide not to compare any one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ); and / or Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). In other examples, the UE may compare one or more of the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ); and / or Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) with these earlier measurements to determine whether the first connection measurement information is still valid.

[0048] The UE sends a verification signal (also referred to as a "verification message") to the BS, indicating whether the first set of communication measurement results is valid for the second connection between the UE and the BS. The verification signal may include an identifier, allowing the BS to retrieve the correct stored measurement information. This is advantageous when the BS is storing multiple connection measurement information (e.g., for multiple UEs).

[0049] The UE may provide an authentication signal in any message used during the connection establishment process. For example, the authentication signal may be provided in any of the following: PRACH request, RRC setup request, RRC setup completion, or security mode completion. Therefore, in some examples, the authentication signal may be provided in any message used for connection establishment, or it may be provided in a message used after the connection is established.

[0050] The above message types have common definitions found in the prior art, and can be included by any suitable method to provide verification signals in such messages.

[0051] If the connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection, the BS can provide the UE with configuration (e.g., mobility-related configuration) without waiting for the UE to send an integrity protection measurement report to the BS (e.g., the measurement report can be sent immediately (or quickly) after the BS has received the security mode command). For example, the configuration may include one or more of the following: instructions for configuring and / or activating carrier aggregation; instructions for configuring and / or activating dual connectivity; instructions for setting conditional handover targets; and handover commands for immediate handover. This handover can be a Layer 3 (L3) or Layer 1 (L1) handover. Layer 1 handover may involve Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) commands or MAC CE (Control Element) for downlink / uplink synchronization.

[0052] If it is determined that the connection measurement information from the first connection is invalid for the second connection, the connection between the UE and the base station can be established in a conventional manner known to those skilled in the art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0053] Any method described herein can be implemented as a computer program. The computer program can be configured to control a network node or entity to perform any method according to this disclosure. A server or network node of a cellular network may also be provided, configured to operate according to some of the methods disclosed herein. For example, a controller, server, or network node may include a processor and at least one communication interface, particularly including one or both of a transmitter and a receiver.

[0054] Although specific embodiments have now been described, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations are possible. For example, while this disclosure is described with respect to existing network architectures, it is to be understood that changes to the architecture (and / or terminology) are possible, but this disclosure may still apply in such cases. Moreover, combinations of any specific features shown with reference to one embodiment (or aspect) or multiple embodiments (or aspects) are provided, even if such combinations are not explicitly detailed herein.

[0055] Unless otherwise stated, each feature disclosed in this specification can be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, each disclosed feature is merely an example of a general series of equivalent or similar features.

[0056] It will be understood that while the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element without departing from the scope of the invention, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0057] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, including in the claims, unless the context otherwise indicates, the terminology herein should be construed as including the plural form and vice versa. For example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms 'a', 'an', and 'the' are also intended to include the plural form. Thus, "base station" and "user equipment" can be understood as "one or more base stations" and "one or more user equipments". It will also be understood that, when used herein, the terms 'comprises', 'comprising', 'includes', and / or 'including' specify the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0058] Unless otherwise claimed, the use of any and all example or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” “illustrative,” and similar language) provided herein is intended only to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate any limitation on the scope of the invention. The language in the specification should not be construed as indicating that any unclaimed element is essential to the practice of the invention.

[0059] Unless otherwise stated or required by context, any steps described in this specification may be performed in any order or simultaneously. Furthermore, the fact that a step is described as being performed after another step does not preclude the performance of intermediate steps.

[0060] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should be further understood that, unless expressly defined herein, the terms used herein shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of this specification and the relevant field, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formalized manner.

Claims

1. A method for determining connectivity measurement information for use in connection between a user equipment (UE) and a network, comprising: A release message is transmitted from the network to the UE, the release message being configured to instruct the UE to enter a low-power state; as well as A verification signal is transmitted from the UE to the network, wherein the verification signal indicates whether connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at the UE whether connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection before transmitting a verification signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step comprises comparing some connection measurement information from the first connection with one or more measurement results from the low power state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the measurement results measured during the low power state include one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP); reference signal received quality (RSRQ); signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); and measurement results indicating the location of the UE.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein some or all of the measurement results measured during the low power state are statistically processed before being compared with some of the measurement information of the first connection.

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the release message includes information about a time period, such that the UE stores connection measurement information of the first connection performed during that time period.

7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the release message indicates: The form of statistical processing performed by the UE on the measurement results; and / or The mechanism by which the UE determines whether the measurement results from the first connection are valid for the second connection.

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims further includes transmitting an identification number associated with the UE within the release message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifier is a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI) or a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the authentication signal is transmitted from the UE to the network in any of the following signaling processes: PRACH request; RRC setup request; RRC setup completion; or security mode completion.

11. The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising transmitting mobility-related configuration from the network to the UE if the connection measurement information from the first connection is valid for the second connection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobility-related configuration includes one or more of the following: instructions for configuring and / or activating carrier aggregation; instructions for configuring and / or activating dual connectivity; instructions for setting conditional handover targets; and handover commands for immediate handover.

13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the low power state is an idle state or an inactive state.

14. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform any of the methods of the preceding claims.

15. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 13.

Images