System and method for estimating wireless coverage of a user in a network - Patents.com

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for estimating radio coverage of users in a wireless communication system. The system classifies user equipment (UE) into cell edge, cell center, or cell center coverage users based on the estimated radio coverage. Users may be classified based on timing advance, UE path loss calculated from power headroom reports, and user reported reference signal received power (RSRP). Additionally, the system reclassifies UEs based on average RSRP and timing advance defined within an observation interval.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to systems and methods for classification of user terminals in wireless communication networks. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for estimating wireless coverage of users in a network that accurately classifies user terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information regarding the field of the present disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that this section is not intended as an admission of prior art, but is merely intended to enhance the reader's understanding of the present disclosure.

[0003] Fifth generation (5G) technology is expected to fundamentally change the role of technology in the telecommunications industry. Thus, 5G wireless communication systems are expected to support a wide range of newly emerging applications in addition to the usual cellular mobile broadband services. The newly emerging applications or services can be categorized into mobile broadband enhancements, large-scale deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), and extremely reliable low-latency communication systems. Using these services, users can utilize the applications of video conferencing, television broadcasting, and video-on-demand (simultaneous streaming) with different types of multimedia services. The Radio Resource Management (RRM) module reserves certain radio resources that are common for a set of connected user equipments (UEs). For example, the RRM reserves resources for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Requests (HARQ), Scheduling Requests (SR), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for carrying Channel State Information (CSI), and a Control Resource Set (CORESET) for carrying Data Center Interconnect (DCI). Certain PUCCH formats have better coverage compared to others, and similarly, Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidates with higher aggregation levels have better coverage compared to lower aggregation. PUCCH or CORESET configurations with higher coverage require more radio resources than others.

[0004] The amount of radio resources reserved for PDCCH and PUCCH affects the system throughput in downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions. An aggressive approach leads to coverage issues while an approach that reserves resources for better coverage leads to increased overhead. RRM may optimize the number of reserved resources upon receiving radio coverage information from the UE. For example, a UE may be designated as a cell-center UE or a cell-edge UE. Based on the number of cell-edge and cell-center UEs in the system, RRM may find the optimal amount of reserved common radio resources that may improve the overall throughput performance of the system.

[0005] US Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0045831 describes a user grouping method for inter-cell interference coordination in a mobile communication system. The user grouping method for inter-cell interference coordination technique uses handover information and measurement data to group cell users into cell-center users and cell-edge users. In this method, the UE measures the average signal strength of the serving cell (G0) and neighboring cells (GI) (G1--strongest neighboring cell). The UE decides whether it should respond with the measured average signal strength information and whether it should initiate the inter-cell interference coordination measurement response system according to the difference of G0-G1. However, this method cannot be used for UE classification before the first Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration is sent, because the Channel State Interference (CSI) reporting configuration is not available to the UE at this stage. For UE classification after RRC reconfiguration, the Open Distributed Unit (O-DU) also cannot obtain L3 measurement information through the interface from the Open Centralized Unit (O-CU).

[0006] US Patent No. 8,078,185 describes a user group-based adaptive soft frequency reuse method for mitigating downlink interference between wireless cellular networks. This document describes fractional frequency reuse (FFR) techniques including reuse partitioning, power limitation, dynamic user grouping, and a user group-based interference-aware scheduler. In dynamic user grouping, users are classified into cell edge user group, cell center user group, and cell center user group. This method defines a metric, DoS, to differentiate between users. DoS is defined relatively according to each user's Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and changes as cell users move or as traffic changes within the network. For example, DoS as a user's throughput in a full buffer traffic situation or delay in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) situation can be monitored. However, this method is aimed at mitigating inter-cell interference through frequency reuse between different UE categories. This document's method relies on geometry, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), and dossiness, which are not available before the first RRC reconfiguration. Furthermore, this document does not consider timing advance for UE classification.

[0007] EP 3214882 describes determining UE type and appropriately scheduling resources among different UE types from the partitioned bandwidth. However, the method disclosed in this document uses uplink (UL) SINR and L3 measurements for classification, which may not be available before the first RRC reconfiguration. Furthermore, this document describes determining the schedule time of a UE according to the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) difference with the UE. This document describes mutually orthogonal resources of cell edge and cell center users for managing inter-cell interference that can be applied to schedule resources among different UEs.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide systems and methods that can alleviate problems associated with the prior art.

[0009] <Purpose of this disclosure> Some of the objectives of the present disclosure that are met by at least one embodiment herein are set forth below.

[0010] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for obtaining a reference signal received power (RSRP) difference with a user equipment (UE).

[0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for classifying UEs before an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration is transmitted.

[0012] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and method for facilitating advanced classification of UEs that dynamically reclassifies UEs after an initial RRC reconfiguration.

[0013] An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for classifying a UE as a cell-edge UE or a cell-center UE before the first RRC reconfiguration using a path loss calculated from the UE's timing advance and power headroom (PHR).

[0014] The objective of the present disclosure is to provide an observation period for averaging the L1-RSRP of a UE and reclassifying the UE based on the average RSRP and timing advance after the observation period. Summary of the Invention

[0015] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0016] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for classification of a user equipment (UE) in a network. The system may include a base station coupled to one or more processors. The one or more processors may be coupled to a memory that stores instructions executed by the one or more processors. The one or more processors may receive a timing advance of a detected physical random access channel (PRACH) of the UE and transmit one or more power headroom report (PHR) reconfiguration parameters to the UE prior to an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration transmission. The one or more processors may receive a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculate a path loss associated with the PHR report. The one or more processors may generate an initial classification of the UE based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE. The one or more processors may calculate an average of a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the UE over an observation interval at the time of the initial RRC reconfiguration transmission. The observation interval may be based on a changing speed of the UE. The one or more processors may receive a latest timing advance for the UE based on the averaged RSRP. The one or more processors may generate an altitude classification for the UE based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP.

[0017] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may be configured to utilize at least one of a threshold path loss and a threshold timing advance to perform an analysis of the received timing advance and the UE's calculated path loss to perform a first determination of whether the received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance. In response to a further positive first determination, the one or more processors may perform a second determination of whether the calculated path loss is greater than the threshold path loss. In response to a further positive second determination, the one or more processors may generate an initial classification of the UE as a cell-edge UE.

[0018] In one embodiment, in response to a negative second determination, the one or more processors may generate an initial classification of the UE as a cell center UE.

[0019] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may be configured to utilize at least one calculated second path loss and perform an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE to perform a third determination of whether a threshold path loss is greater than the calculated second path loss in response to a negative first determination and a positive second determination. Further, in response to a positive third determination, the one or more processors may generate an initial classification of the UE as a cell edge UE. In response to a negative third determination, the one or more processors may generate an initial classification of the UE as a cell center coverage UE.

[0020] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may compare the velocity of the UE to a calculated threshold velocity to determine the duration of the observation interval.

[0021] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may initialize an observation interval based on an initial RRC reconfiguration transmission and calculate an average RSRP for the UE at the end of the observation interval.

[0022] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may utilize at least one of the threshold RSRP and the threshold timing advance to perform an analysis of the most recent received timing advance and the averaged RSRP to perform a first determination of whether the most recent received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance. In response to a positive first determination, the one or more processors may perform a second determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the threshold RSRP. In response to a positive second determination, the one or more processors may generate an advanced classification of the UE as a cell edge UE.

[0023] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may generate an advanced classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to the positive first determination and the negative second determination. The one or more processors may generate an advanced classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to the negative first determination and the negative second determination.

[0024] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may calculate a second threshold RSRP based on the threshold RSRP.

[0025] In one embodiment, the one or more processors may perform a third determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the calculated second threshold RSRP in response to a positive second determination. The one or more processors may generate an advanced classification of the UE as a cell edge UE in response to a positive third determination. The one or more processors may generate an advanced classification of the UE as a cell center coverage UE in response to a negative third determination.

[0026] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for classification of a UE in a network. The method may include receiving, by one or more processors, a timing advance of the UE from a detected PRACH and transmitting one or more PHR configuration parameters to the UE prior to transmission of an initial RRC reconfiguration. The method may include receiving, by one or more processors, a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculating a path loss associated with the PHR report. The method may include generating, by one or more processors, an initial classification of the UE based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE. The method may include, at the time of transmission of the initial RRC reconfiguration, calculating, by one or more processors, an average of the UE's RSRP over an observation interval. The observation interval may be based on a changing speed of the UE. The method may include receiving, by one or more processors, a latest timing advance of the UE based on the averaged RSRP. The method may include generating, by one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP.

[0027] In one embodiment, the method may include performing, by the one or more processors, an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE utilizing at least one of a threshold path loss and a threshold timing advance, to perform, by the one or more processors, a first determination of whether the received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance. The method may include performing, in response to a positive first determination, by the one or more processors, a second determination of whether the calculated path loss is greater than the threshold path loss. The method may include, in response to a positive second determination, generating, by the one or more processors, an initial classification of the UE as a cell-edge UE.

[0028] In one embodiment, the method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an initial classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to a negative second determination.

[0029] In one embodiment, the method may include performing, by the one or more processors, at least one analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE utilizing at least the calculated second path loss, and in response to the negative first determination and the positive second determination, performing, by the one or more processors, a third determination of whether a threshold path loss is greater than the calculated second path loss. The method may include, in response to the positive third determination, generating, by the one or more processors, an initial classification of the UE as a cell edge UE. In response to the negative third determination, the method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an initial classification of the UE as a cell center coverage UE.

[0030] In one embodiment, the method may include comparing, by the one or more processors, a velocity of the UE to a calculated threshold velocity to determine a duration of the observation interval.

[0031] In one embodiment, the method may include initializing, by the one or more processors, an observation interval based on an initial RRC reconfiguration transmission, and calculating an average RSRP for the UE at an end of the observation interval.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method may include performing, by the one or more processors, an analysis of the most recently received timing advance and the averaged RSRP utilizing at least one of a threshold RSRP and a threshold timing advance, to perform, by the one or more processors, a first determination of whether the most recently received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance. The method may include, in response to a positive first determination, performing, by the one or more processors, a second determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the threshold RSRP. The method may include, in response to a positive second determination, generating, by the one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE as a cell-edge UE.

[0033] In one embodiment, the method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to the positive first determination and the negative second determination.The method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to the negative first determination and the negative second determination.

[0034] In one embodiment, the method may include calculating, by the one or more processors, a second threshold RSRP based on the threshold RSRP.

[0035] In one embodiment, the method may include performing, by the one or more processors, in response to a positive second determination, a third determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the calculated second threshold RSRP. The method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE as a cell-edge UE in response to a positive third determination. The method may include generating, by the one or more processors, an advanced classification of the UE as a cell-center coverage UE in response to a negative third determination.

[0036] In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a UE for enabling classification, the UE may include one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more processors of a base station. The one or more processors may be coupled to a memory storing instructions executed by the one or more processors and causing the UE to transmit one or more queries to the one or more processors over a network. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may receive a timing advance of the UE from a detected PRACH of the UE and transmit one or more PHR configuration parameters to the UE prior to transmission of an initial RRC reconfiguration. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may receive a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculate a path loss associated with the PHR report. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may generate an initial classification of the UE based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may calculate an average of the UE's RSRP over an observation interval at the time of transmission of the initial RRC reconfiguration. The observation interval may be based on a changing speed of the UE. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may receive a latest timing advance for the UE based on the averaged RSRP. The one or more processors coupled to the base station may generate an altitude classification for the UE based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP.

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of this disclosure, depict exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems, in which like reference numbers refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some figures may use block diagrams to illustrate components and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical or electronic components, or circuits commonly used to implement such components. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 shows an exemplary block diagram (200) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates an example representation (300) of a single-input power headroom reporting (PHR) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method (400) for storing parameters according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method (500) for initial user equipment (UE) classification, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 6 illustrates an exemplary representation of a timeline of an observation interval (600), according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 7 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method (700) for advanced UE classification, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Illustrated is an exemplary computer system (800) in or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] The above will become more apparent from the following more detailed description of the present disclosure.

[0040] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, various specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without those specific details. Some features described hereafter can be used independently of each other or with any combination of other features. Individual features may not address all of the above problems, or may address only some of the above problems. Some of the above problems may not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0041] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments provides those skilled in the art with an effective description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as described.

[0042] In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0043] It should also be noted that the particular embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Moreover, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when the operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or to the main function.

[0044] The words "exemplary" and / or "demonstrative" are used herein in the sense of serving as an example, illustration, or explanation. To avoid doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Moreover, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" and / or "demonstrative" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Moreover, to the extent that the terms "includes," "has," "contains," and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in the same manner as the term "comprising" as an open transitional term, without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0045] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an instance" or "one instance" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0046] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It is further to be understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0047] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the network architecture 100 may include a base station 112 connected to one or more user terminals 104-1, 104-2, . . . 104-N via a communication network 106. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more user terminals 104-1, 104-2, . . . 104-N may be individually referred to as a user terminal (UE) 104 and collectively referred to as a user terminal (UE) 104. Additionally, the base station 112 may also be referred to as a gNB base station, as shown in FIG. 1. The base station 112 may be connected to one or more base stations 102-1, 102-2, . . . 102-N via a remote radio unit 114 and one or more gNB distribution unit(s) 108. Additionally, the base station (112) may be communicatively coupled to a gNB control unit (116) to perform one or more control functions associated with the base station (112) and to manage information received from the data network (118).

[0049] The UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a laptop, and the like. Additionally, the UE (104) may include a smartphone, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a general purpose computer, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, and a mainframe computer. Additionally, an input device may be used to receive input from a user, such as a touch pad, a touch-enabled screen, an electronic pen, and the like. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may not be limited to the mentioned devices, and various other devices may be used.

[0050] The communications network (106) may include, by way of example and not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or any combination thereof, one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, any combination thereof, etc. The communications network (106) may also include, by way of example and not limitation, one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, the Internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet switched network, a circuit switched network, an ad-hoc network, an infrastructure network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, or any combination thereof.

[0051] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may receive a timing advance of the UE (104) from a detected physical random access channel (PRACH) of the UE (104) and transmit one or more power headroom report (PHR) configuration parameters to the UE (104) prior to transmitting an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration.

[0052] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may receive a PHR report based on one or more transmitted PHR configuration parameters and calculate a path loss associated with the PHR report.

[0053] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may generate an initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell-center UE or a cell-edge UE based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104).

[0054] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may calculate an average of the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the UE (104) over an observation interval at the time of the initial RRC reconfiguration transmission. The observation interval may be based on the changing velocity of the UE.

[0055] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may receive the latest timing advance of the UE (104) based on the averaged RSRP.

[0056] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE or a cell center UE based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP.

[0057] Although Figure 1 illustrates example components of network architecture (100), in other embodiments, network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than those illustrated in Figure 1. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components of network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of network architecture (100).

[0058] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram (200) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 2, the base station (112) or gNB base station (112) may include one or more processors (202), which may be implemented as a microprocessor, microcomputer, microcontroller, digital signal processor, central processing unit, logic circuit, and / or any device that processes data based on operational instructions. Among other functions, the one or more processor(s) (202) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (204) of the base station (112). The memory (204) may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which may be fetched and executed to create or share data packets via a network service. The memory (204) may include any non-transitory storage device, including, for example, a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), or a non-volatile memory, such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, and the like.

[0060] In one embodiment, the base station (112) may include interface(s) (206). The interface(s) (206) may include various interfaces, such as interfaces for data input / output (I / O) devices, storage devices, etc. The interface(s) (206) may also provide a communication path to one or more components of the base station (112). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) (208) and database (210).

[0061] The processing engine(s) (208) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the processing engine (208). In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. For example, the programming of the processing engine(s) (208) may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of the processing engine(s) (208) may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) to execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resources, implement the processing engine(s) (208). In such an example, the base station (112) may include a machine-readable storage medium that stores instructions and processing resources for executing the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the base station (112) and the processing resources. In other examples, the processing engine(s) (208) may be implemented by electronic circuitry.

[0062] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may receive a timing advance of the UE (104) from the detected PRACH of the UE (104) and transmit one or more power headroom report (PHR) configuration parameters to the UE (104) prior to transmitting an initial RRC reconfiguration. The one or more processors (202) may receive a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculate a path loss associated with the PHR report. The one or more processors (202) may generate an initial classification of the UE (104) based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104). Furthermore, the one or more processors (202) may calculate an average of the RSRP of the UE (104) over an observation interval at the time of transmitting the initial RRC reconfiguration. The observation interval may be based on the changing speed of the UE. The one or more processors (202) may receive a latest timing advance of the UE (104) based on the averaged RSRP. The one or more processors (202) may generate an altitude classification for the UE (104) based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP.

[0063] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may generate an initial classification of the UE as a cell center UE in response to a negative second determination.

[0064] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may be configured to perform an analysis using the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104) to utilize at least one calculated second path loss and, in response to a negative first determination and a positive second determination, perform a third determination to determine whether a threshold path loss is less than the calculated second path loss. In response to a positive third determination, the one or more processors (202) may generate an initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE. In response to a negative third determination, the one or more processors (202) may generate an initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell center coverage UE.

[0065] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may compare the velocity of the UE (104) to a calculated threshold velocity to determine the duration of the observation interval.

[0066] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may initialize an observation interval based on an initial RRC reconfiguration transmission and calculate an average RSRP for the UE (104) at the end of the observation interval.

[0067] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may utilize at least one of the threshold RSRP and the threshold timing advance to perform an analysis of the received most recent timing advance and the averaged RSRP to perform a first determination of whether the received most recent timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance. In response to a positive first determination, the one or more processors (202) may perform a second determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the threshold RSRP. In response to a positive second determination, the one or more processors (202) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE.

[0068] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the positive first determination and the negative second determination. The one or more processors (202) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the negative first determination and the negative second determination.

[0069] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may calculate a second threshold RSRP based on the threshold RSRP.

[0070] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (202) may perform a third determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the calculated second threshold RSRP in response to a positive second determination. The one or more processors (202) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE in response to a positive third determination. The one or more processors (220) may generate an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center coverage UE in response to a negative third determination.

[0071] 3 illustrates an example representation (300) of a single-input power headroom reporting (PHR) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may understand that the UE (104) and base station (112) illustrated in FIG. 3 are referenced from FIG.

[0072] As shown in Figure 3, the PHR reports the maximum output power (PCMAX) set by the UE (104) for its uplink (UL) transmission. The power headroom (PH) for the actual Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission is calculated using the following equation: PH = PCMAX - { PO_PUSCH + 10*log10(2μ * NPRB) + α*PL + Δ + f} In the above equation, PO_PUSCH is the target received power for a 15KHz physical resource block (PRB), μ is the subcarrier spacing index, NPRB is the number of resource blocks (RBs) allocated to PUSCH, α is the path loss compensation factor, Δ is the MCS related offset, and f is the closed loop offset adjustment. In the above equation, the path loss may be unknown at the base station (112), and it can be obtained from the equation.

[0073] 4 is an exemplary flow diagram of a method (400) for storing parameters according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may understand that the base station (112) illustrated in FIG. 4 is referenced from FIG.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the base station (112) may store the user's timing advance estimated from the PRACH detected in step 402 in a TAPRACH variable.

[0075] In step 404, the base station (112) may assign the current slot number TSLOT to the TPRACH and the received timing advance to the TAPRACH. The base station (112) may convey appropriate PHR configuration parameters through an RRC setup message in step 406 to obtain a PHR report before the first RRC reconfiguration is transmitted. The base station (112) may then wait to receive a PHR on the uplink (UL) after transmitting the RRC setup message in step 408. Once the PHR is received, the base station (112) may store the path loss (PL) calculated from the received PHR in step 410.

[0076] 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method (500) for initial user equipment (UE) classification according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may understand that the UE referred to in FIG. 5 is similar to the UE (104) described in FIG.

[0077] As shown in Figure 5, the UE is classified by combining the timing advance TAPRACH from the PRACH and the path loss PLPHR from the PHR. The threshold of the timing advance parameter is TAmid, which is provided by the operator network planner in step 502. The threshold of the path loss is PLTH, which is derived from the DL RSRP threshold DL_RSRPTH by using the following equation: PLTH = BS Tx power - DL_RSRPTH

[0078] UEs geographically located in cell edge regions, i.e. TAPRACH greater than TAmid in step 502, are classified as cell edge UEs in step 510 when the power headroom timing advance (TAPHR) is greater than PLTH. Now, for UEs with TAPRACH less than PLTH in step 512, the UE is classified as cell center UE. Furthermore, an additional check is incorporated to give the advantage of being in the cell center region in step 506 when TAPHR is less than PLTH. Since the interference level is relatively lower in the cell center region, extra buffering can be provided for these UEs, and they can be treated separately in a new category called "cell center coverage users" in step 514. For cell center coverage users, a second path loss threshold PLCOV is defined in step 508 for classification of UEs with poor coverage inside the cell center region, where PLCOV = PLTH + PLOffset where PLOffset is a positive value configured based on network requirements. When PLPHR is smaller than PLCOV, the user is classified as a "cell-center coverage UE", otherwise it is classified as a cell-edge UE. This additional category "cell-center coverage UE" can be treated as a cell-center UE when the classification is not utilized for inter-cell interference management.

[0079] 6 shows an example representation of an observation interval timeline (600) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may understand that the base station referred to in FIG. 6 is similar to the base station (112) referred to in FIG.

[0080] As shown, in one aspect, after the transmission of the first RRC reconfiguration, the base station (112) may obtain downlink (DL) measurement reports from the UE. One such parameter is the L1-RSRP, which may be obtained periodically from the UE through periodic channel state information (CSI) reports. The base station (112) may obtain the L1-RSRP value from the UE for a period of an observation interval. The observation interval begins after each transmission of an RRC reconfiguration message or after the end of one observation interval as shown in FIG. 6.

[0081] After the end of each observation interval, the base station (112) may calculate a linear average RSRP (RSRPavg) from the L1-RSRP values ​​collected during the observation interval. The observation interval may depend on the UE speed. For a high-speed UE whose speed is greater than a threshold speed (VTH), the observation interval may be smaller because the UE can cover a sufficient distance within the observation interval that may affect the timing advance. For a low-speed UE whose speed is less than the VTH, the observation interval may be larger than that of a high-speed UE to provide sufficient time to estimate the status of the UE. For example, if the periodicity of the CSI report is 80 milliseconds (ms), then for a high-speed UE, the observation interval may be 320 milliseconds (ms), and for a low-speed UE, the observation interval may be 620 milliseconds (ms).

[0082] 7 shows an example flow diagram of a method (700) for advanced UE classification according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may understand that the base station referred to in FIG. 7 is similar to the base station (112) referred to in FIG.

[0083] Apart from L1-RSRP, the base station (112) may have the latest timing advance (TAUL) from sounding reference signal (SRS) / PUSCH / PUCCH. Assuming that TAUL is valid in step 702, the classification logic is similar to that of the initial classification, except that instead of using PL from PHR, RSRPavg is used for the second classification (hereinafter also called pre-classification) in steps 704, 706, and 708. As in the initial UE classification, for UEs located in the cell center area with poor coverage in step 712, a second threshold DL_RSRPCOV is used in step 708. DL_RSRPCOV = DL_RSRPTH - RSRPOffset Here, RSRPOffset is a positive value, providing special benefits to UEs located in poor coverage and cell center areas. An exemplary value of RSRPOffset may be 10 dB. The reasoning behind using DL_RSRPCOV is the same as that of PLCOV in the initial UE classification logic mentioned in FIG. 5.

[0084] Specifically, the base station (112) may verify in step 702 whether TAUL > TAMID. Based on an affirmative first determination, the base station (112) may further verify in step 704 whether RSRPAVG > DL_RSRPTH. Based on an affirmative second determination, a high-level classification as a cell-edge UE of the UE (104) may be established in step 710, or the UE (104) may be classified as a cell-center UE in step 712. Similarly, the base station (112) may perform a second determination to check in step 706 (when TAUL < TAMID at the negative first determination) whether RSRPAVG < DL_RSRPTH. Based on an affirmative second determination, the base station (112) may perform a third determination to check in step 708 whether RSRPAVG < DL_RSRPCOV. Based on a negative second determination, the UE (104) may be classified as a cell-center UE in step 712. Based on an affirmative third determination, the UE (104) may be classified as a cell-center coverage UE in step 714. Further, based on a negative third determination, the UE (104) may be classified as a cell-edge UE in step 710.

[0085] Furthermore, if the category of the UE (104) has changed from a previous observation interval, the information may be transmitted to the RRM to take appropriate actions, such as sending an RRC reconfiguration. If the category remains similar to the previous observation interval, then the base station (112) may repeat the same procedure in the next observation interval.

[0086] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a unique and efficient solution for classifying the UE (104) into a cell-edge UE, a cell-center UE, or a cell-center coverage UE before the first RRC reconfiguration using a path loss calculated from the timing advance of the UE (104) and the power headroom reported by the UE (104). The present disclosure also relates to defining an observation period to average the L1-RSRP of the UE (104), and reclassifying the UE (104) after the observation period based on the average RSRP and timing advance. The averaged RSRP can be utilized to further reclassify the UE (104) into a cell-edge UE, a cell-center UE, or a cell-center coverage UE.

[0087] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer system (800) within which or with which the proposed system may be implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 8, the computer system (800) may include an external storage device (810), a bus (820), a main memory (830), a read-only memory (840), a mass storage device (850), a communication port (860), and a processor (870). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system (800) may include more than one processor and communication port. The processor (870) may include various modules associated with the embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication port(s) (860) may be any of RS-232 for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, 10 / 100 Ethernet ports, 1 Gigabit or 10 Gigabit ports using copper or fiber, serial ports, parallel ports, or other existing or future ports. The communication port(s) (860) may be chosen depending on the network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (800) is connected.

[0089] In one embodiment, main memory (830) may be random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory (840) may be any static storage device(s), such as, but not limited to, programmable read only memory (PROM) chips for storing static information, such as, for example, boot-up or basic input / output system (BIOS) instructions for processor (870). Mass storage device (850) may be any current or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid state drives (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces).

[0090] In one embodiment, the bus (820) may communicatively couple the processor(s) (870) to other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus (820) may be, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, etc. for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems as well as other buses, such as a Front Side Bus (FSB), that connect the processor (870) to the computer system (800).

[0091] In another embodiment, operator and management interfaces, such as a display, keyboard, and cursor control devices, may also be coupled to the bus (820) to support direct operator interaction with the computer system (800). Other operator and management interfaces may be provided through a network connection connected through the communications port(s) (860). The above-mentioned components are intended only to illustrate various possibilities. The above-mentioned exemplary computer system (800) should in no way limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0092] Although considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that many embodiments can be made and that many modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other modifications in the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure herein, and it is to be clearly understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, but is instead provided by way of illustration only.

[0093] Advantages of the Invention The present disclosure provides systems and methods for obtaining a reference signal received power (RSRP) difference with a user equipment (UE).

[0094] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for classifying UEs before an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration is transmitted.

[0095] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for facilitating advanced classification of UEs that dynamically reclassify UEs after an initial RRC reconfiguration.

[0096] The present disclosure provides a system and method for classifying a UE as a cell-edge UE or a cell-center UE before the first RRC reconfiguration using a path loss calculated from the UE's timing advance and power headroom (PHR).

[0097] The present disclosure provides an observation period for defining an observation period for averaging L1-RSRP of UEs, and reclassifies UEs based on the average RSRP and timing advance after the observation period.

Claims

1. A system for classification of user equipment (UE) (104) in a network, comprising: One or more processors (202) operatively coupled to the base station (112); a memory (204) coupled to the one or more processors (202), the memory (204) being configured to, when executed by the one or more processors (202), cause the one or more processors (202) to: receiving a timing advance of the UE from a detected physical random access channel (PRACH) of the UE and transmitting one or more power headroom report (PHR) configuration parameters to the UE prior to transmitting an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration; receiving a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculating a path loss associated with the PHR report; generating an initial classification of the UE (104) based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104); calculating an average of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the UE (104) over an observation interval at the time of transmitting the initial RRC reconfiguration, the observation interval being based on a changing velocity of the UE (104); receiving an updated timing advance for the UE (104) based on the averaged RSRP; generating an altitude classification for the UE (104) based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP; The memory (204) stores instructions for executing The system comprising:

2. The one or more processors (202) perform an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104) utilizing at least one of a threshold path loss and a threshold timing advance; performing a first determination of whether the received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance; in response to a positive first determination, performing a second determination of whether the calculated path loss is greater than the threshold path loss; In response to a positive second determination, generating the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE. The system of claim 1 configured to:

3. The one or more processors (202): generating said initial classification of said UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to a negative second determination; The system of claim 2 , configured to:

4. The one or more processors (202) perform the analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104) using at least one calculated second path loss; in response to a negative first determination and the positive second determination, making a third determination of whether the threshold path loss is greater than the calculated second path loss; generating the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE in response to a positive third determination; generating said initial classification of said UE (104) as a cell-center coverage UE in response to a negative third determination; The system of claim 2 , configured to:

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to compare the velocity of the UE to a calculated threshold velocity to determine a duration of the observation interval.

6. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (202) are configured to initialize the observation interval based on the transmission of the initial RRC reconfiguration and to calculate the average of the RSRP of the UE (104) at an end of the observation interval.

7. The one or more processors (202) perform the analysis of the received latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP utilizing at least one of a threshold RSRP and a threshold timing advance; performing a first determination of whether the received most recent timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance; in response to a positive first determination, making a second determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the threshold RSRP; In response to a positive second determination, generating the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE. The system of claim 1 configured to:

8. The one or more processors (202): generating an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the positive first determination and the negative second determination; generating an advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the negative first determination and the negative second determination; The system of claim 7 configured to:

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more processors (202) are configured to calculate a second threshold RSRP based on the threshold RSRP.

10. The one or more processors (202): in response to the positive second determination, making a third determination whether the averaged RSRP is less than the calculated second threshold RSRP; generating the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE in response to a positive third determination; in response to a negative third determination, generating the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell-center coverage UE. The system of claim 9 , configured to:

11. A method for classification of user equipment (UE) (104) in a network, comprising: receiving, by one or more processors (202), a timing advance for the UE (104) from a detected physical random access channel (PRACH) and transmitting one or more power headroom report (PHR) configuration parameters to the UE (104) prior to transmitting an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration; receiving, by the one or more processors (202), a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters and calculating a path loss associated with the PHR report; generating, by the one or more processors (202), an initial classification of the UE (104) based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104); calculating, by the one or more processors (202) at the time of transmitting the initial RRC reconfiguration, an average of a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the UE (104) over an observation interval, the observation interval being based on a changing velocity of the UE (104); receiving, by the one or more processors (202), an updated timing advance for the UE (104) based on the averaged RSRP; generating, by the one or more processors (202), an altitude classification of the UE (104) based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP; The method comprising:

12. utilizing, by the one or more processors (202), at least one of a threshold path loss and a threshold timing advance; To perform a first determination by the one or more processors (202) of whether the received timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance, and in response to a positive first determination, performing, by the one or more processors, a second determination of whether the calculated path loss is greater than the threshold path loss. in response to a positive second determination, by the one or more processors (202), to generate the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE; performing said analysis of said received timing advance and said calculated path loss of said UE (104); The method of claim 11 , comprising:

13. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating, by the one or more processors (202), the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to a negative second determination.

14. utilizing at least one calculated second path loss by the one or more processors (202); performing, by the one or more processors (202) in response to a negative first determination and the positive second determination, a third determination of whether the threshold path loss is greater than the calculated second path loss; in response to a positive third determination, by the one or more processors (202), to generate the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE; in response to a negative third determination, by the one or more processors (202), to generate the initial classification of the UE (104) as a cell-center coverage UE; performing said analysis of said received timing advance and said calculated path loss of said UE (104); The method of claim 12, comprising:

15. 12. The method of claim 11, comprising comparing, by the one or more processors 202, the velocity of the UE (104) to a calculated threshold velocity to determine a duration of the observation interval.

16. 12. The method of claim 11, comprising initializing, by the one or more processors (202), the observation interval based on the transmission of the initial RRC reconfiguration, and calculating the average of the RSRP of the UE (104) at an end of the observation interval.

17. utilizing at least one of a threshold RSRP and a threshold timing advance, by the one or more processors; to perform, by the one or more processors (202), a first determination of whether the received latest timing advance is greater than the threshold timing advance; and in response to a positive first determination, performing, by the one or more processors (202), a second determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the threshold RSRP. generating, by the one or more processors (202) in response to a positive second determination, the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE; performing said analysis of said received latest timing advance and said averaged RSRP; The method of claim 11 , comprising:

18. generating, by the one or more processors (202), the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the positive first determination and the negative second determination; generating, by the one or more processors (202), the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell center UE in response to the negative first determination and the negative second determination; 20. The method of claim 17, comprising:

19. 20. The method of claim 17, comprising calculating, by the one or more processors (202), a second threshold RSRP based on the threshold RSRP.

20. performing, by the one or more processors (202), in response to the positive second determination, a third determination of whether the averaged RSRP is less than the calculated second threshold RSRP; generating, by the one or more processors (202), in response to a positive third determination, the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell edge UE; generating, by the one or more processors (202), in response to a negative third determination, the advanced classification of the UE (104) as a cell-center coverage UE; 20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

21. A user equipment (UE) (104) for enabling classification, comprising: one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more processors of a base station, the one or more processors coupled to a memory, the memory, when executed by the one or more processors, for transmitting to the UE: causing the one or more processors (202) to transmit one or more queries over a network (116); The one or more processors (202): receiving a timing advance of the UE (104) from a detected physical random access channel (PRACH) of the UE (104) and transmitting one or more power headroom report (PHR) configuration parameters to the UE (104) prior to transmitting an initial radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration; receiving a PHR report based on the transmitted one or more PHR configuration parameters; and calculating a path loss associated with the PHR report; generating an initial classification of the UE (104) based on an analysis of the received timing advance and the calculated path loss of the UE (104); Calculating an average of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the UE (104) over an observation interval at the time of transmitting the initial RRC reconfiguration, the observation interval being based on a changing velocity of the UE (104); receiving an updated timing advance for the UE (104) based on the averaged RSRP; generating an altitude classification for the UE (104) based on an analysis of the latest timing advance and the averaged RSRP; the one or more processors configured The UE (104).

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