Prediction-based mobility methods

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatuses, and systems for communications. One of the methods includes: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

Description

PREDICTION-BASED MOBILITY METHODSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 634,283, filed on April 15, 2024, entitled “PREDICTION-BASED MOBILITY METHODS,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.Field

[0002] Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate generally to communications, more specifically, methods, systems, and devices for prediction-based mobility methods in communications.Background

[0003] Handover refers to the process of transferring an ongoing communication session of a user equipment (UE) from one cell to another cell in connected state. The primary motivation for implementing handover is to ensure seamless connectivity and uninterrupted service for users, particularly when they are in motion. Handover may be initiated and executed based on historical measurement results and / or measurement events, which is of reactive scheme by its nature. This approach may work well in macro cells when UE mobility is low for existing services. However, frequent handovers caused by increased concentration of users, utilization of higher-frequency bands, and denser network deployments, have imposed various challenges to the existing solutions. Among these challenges, the trade-off between the ping-pong phenomenon and mobility performance is particularly concerning. To address the challenges, prediction-based handover may be used. However, a prediction may come with the risk of prediction inaccuracy. A failed prediction may impact the performance of the UE, and incur significant overhead of the network. Systems and methods that can efficiently and proactively perform handover to ensure seamless connectivity while minimizing overhead are desired.Summary

[0004] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a first node for performing a handover in a communication. The first node includes a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmit, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, send a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a second node for performing a handover in a communication. The second node includes a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from a first node, one or more RRM reports; perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiate, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for a first node for performing a handover in a communication. The method includes: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for a second node for performing a handover in a communication. The method includes: receiving, from a first node, one or more RRM reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method. The method includes: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a second node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method. The method includes: receiving, from a first node, one or more RRM reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic handover scenario in the art.FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating legacy handover in the art.FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover in the art.FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at the network node, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at the UE, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at both the network node and the UE, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for a first node for performing handover in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for a second node for performing handover in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a node for a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of systems, apparatuses, and methods consistent with aspects related to the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.

[0012] In the present disclosure, the term “node” is used as a general term that includes, but is not limited to, UE, one or more vehicles, one or more vehicle mounted modules, and one or more network infrastructure nodes such as base stations, core networks, roadside units, repeaters, transponders, wireless routers, controllers, access points, and sub-systems thereof. In the present disclosure, the term “network” and the term “network node” are used interchangeably.

[0013] As explained above, handover (e.g., mobility) includes a process of transferring an ongoing communication session of a UE from one cell to another cell in connected state. And the motivation behind handover may include ensuring seamless connectivity and continuity of service for the user, especially while the user is on the move.

[0014] Therefore, mobility management is fundamental to mobile networks whose procedures have been extensively studied in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) releases to minimize call drops, radio link failures (RLF) and / or ping-pong phenomenon etc. For example, in 3GPP Rel-16, conditional handover (CHO) is introduced to improve handover robustness, and in 3GPP Rel-18, lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) is introduced to reduce interruption time of frequent handover among small cells.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic handover scenario for 5G new radio (NR) in the art. Referring to FIG. 1, a UE 102 is connected to a source gNB 104. The UE 102 performs a handover procedure to switch to a target gNB 106. In the radio access network (RAN) side, the handover includes operations of the source gNB 104 and the target gNB 106. In the core network side, the handover includes operations of an access and mobility management function (AMF) 108 and user plane function(s) (UPF(s)) 110. As shown in FIG. 1, a complete handover procedure may be generally divided into 3 phases: (1) a handover preparation phase; (2) a handover execution phase; and (3) a handover completion phase.

[0016] For the handover preparation phase (1), at a step 112, the UE 102 context within the source gNB 104 contains mobility control information provided by the AMF 108. At a step 114, the source gNB 104 configures UE measurement procedures and UE reports according to the measurement configuration. At a step 116, the source gNB 104 decides to handover the UE 102, based on the measurement reports and RRM information received from the UE 102. At a step 118, the source gNB 104 issues a handover request message to the target gNB 106 passing a transparent radio resource control (RRC) container with information to prepare the handover at the target side. At a step 120, the target gNB 106 performs admission control on the target gNB. For example, the target gNB 106 may perform slice-aware admission control if the slice information is sent to the target gNB 106. The target gNB 106 may also reject packet data unit (PDU) sessions if the PDU sessions are associated with non-supported slices. At a step 122, the target gNB 106 prepares the handover with L1 / L2 and sends the handover request acknowledge to the source gNB 104. The handover request acknowledge message includes a transparent container to be sent to the UE 102 as an RRC message to perform the handover.

[0017] For the handover execution phase (2), at a step 124, RAN handover is initiated and the source gNB 104 triggers the Uu handover by sending an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE 102. The RRC reconfiguration message includes the information to access the target cell. At a step 126, the source gNB 104 continues to deliver buffered data and new data from UPF(s). The source gNB 104 continues the delivery until it receives the handover success message from the target gNB 106. At a step 128, for data radio bearers (DRBs) configured with dual active protocol stack (DAPS), the source gNB 104 sends the early status transfer message to the target gNB 106. At a step 130, for DRBs that are not configured with DAPS, the source gNB 104 sends the sequence number (SN) status transfer message to the target gNB 106 to convey the uplink packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) SN receiver status and the downlink PDCP SN transmitter status of DRBs for which PDCP status preservation applies. At a step 132, the source gNB 104 forwards the user data provided from the UPF(s) to the target gNB 106. At a step 134, the target gNB 106 buffers the user data received from the source gNB 104. At a step 136, the UE 102 synchronizes the data from old cell to the new cell, and at a step 138, the UE 102 completes the RRC handover procedure by sending RRC reconfiguration complete message to target gNB 106.

[0018] For the handover completion phase (3), in case of DAPS handover, at a step 140, the target gNB 106 sends the handover success message to the source gNB 104 to inform the source gNB 104 that the UE 102 has successfully accessed the target cell. In return, at a step 142, the source gNB 104 sends the SN status transfer message for DRBs configured with DAPS. At a step 144, the source gNB 104 continues forwarding the user data to the target gNB 106. At a step 146, the target gNB 106 forwards quality of service (QoS) flows of the uplink PDCP service data units (SDUs) to the UPF(s). At a step 148, the target gNB 106 sends a path switch request message to the AMF 108 to trigger 5G core network (5GC) to switch the downlink (DL) data path towards the target gNB 106 and to establish a next generation core (NG-C) interface instance towards the target gNB 106. At a step 150, 5GC switches the DL data path towards the target gNB 106. At a step 152, the UPF(s) 110 sends one or more “end marker” packets on the old path to the source gNB 104 per PDU session / tunnel. At a step 154, the target gNB 106 and the UPF(s) 110 establishes user data path. At a step 156, the AMF 108 confirms the path switch request message with the path switch request acknowledge message. At a step 158, upon reception of the path switch request acknowledge message from the AMF 108, the target gNB 106 sends the UE context release message to the source gNB 104 to inform the source gNB 104 about the success of the handover. The source gNB 104 then releases radio and control-plane (C-plane) related resources associated to the UE context.

[0019] With the existing L3 mechanism, handover may be triggered and executed based on reported historical measurement results and / or measurement event(s), which is of reactive scheme by its nature. This may work well among macro cells when UE mobility is low for existing services. However, frequent handovers caused by increased concentration of users, utilization of higher-frequency bands and denser network deployments have imposed various challenges to the existing solutions, among which the trade-off between ping-pong phenomenon and mobility performance may be of top concern. In the present disclosure, the term “L3” may indicate layer 3, radio layer 3, or RRC layer.

[0020] At least some embodiments of the present disclosure address above-noted challenges by providing proactive schemes based on prediction. The prediction may be performed by using artificial intelligence and / or machine learning (hereinafter “AI / ML”) algorithms. For example, at least some embodiments of the present disclosure allow for enhancements on AI / ML-based RRM measurement prediction and measurement event prediction.

[0021] For AI / ML-based mobility enhancement, measurement predictions such as reference signal received power (RSRP) predictions may be utilized to reduce the time-to-trigger (TTT) duration when the triggering condition (or event) is met, as explained below with respect to FIGs. 2A and 2B.

[0022] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating legacy handover in the art; and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover in the art. As shown in FIGs. 2A and FIG. 2B, each of the legacy handover and the prediction-based handover includes three phases: a handover preparation phase occurring during the period between T0 and RAN handover (HO) initiation, a handover execution phase occurring during the period between RAN handover initiation and RAN handover completion, and a handover completion phase occurring during the period between RAN handover completion and handover completion. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, T0 indicates a reference point in time at which a handover event is triggered. For example, the event may be designated as Event A3, indicating that the signal quality with the target cell surpasses that of the source cell by a specific threshold.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 2A, for legacy handover, the triggering condition for RRM reporting must be satisfied at T0 and will persist for a duration of TTT. This situation may result in: (1) a handover occurring at a suboptimal time, leading to a poor user experience at the source cell, and (2) the failure to receive the handover initiation command or to successfully perform random access to the target cell, resulting in a delayed handover.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 2B, in the prediction-based handover, upon the triggering condition being met at T0, it is predicted at the UE that the RRM measurement during the T0+TTT period will still satisfy the triggering condition. Additionally, the UE may send the RRM measurement prediction of neighboring cells in the handover preparation phase to provide higher handover success rate in the handover execution phase.

[0025] In FIG. 2B, if the aforementioned triggering condition (or event) could be successfully predicted at T0 as measurement event prediction, it may have the benefit of early access to the overall operations of prediction-based handover. But a prediction may come with the risk of prediction inaccuracy. When a prediction fails, it is advisable to address several issues, particularly regarding how to continue the ongoing handover operation in a manner that minimizes the impact on legacy systems.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, measurement event prediction is further exploited to improve the performance of the prediction-based handover solution. In some embodiments, a fallback mechanism is utilized as part of a prediction-based handover solution to reduce incurred overhead when prediction fails.

[0027] For example, in some embodiments, prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0, the UE may perform a measurement event prediction at T (T being earlier than T0). The UE reports the measurement event prediction to the network (e.g., a source base station) for early handover preparation such that the operations in handover execution phase may be executed earlier than those of legacy handover.

[0028] In some embodiments, verifications are utilized to streamline the handover even if any prediction fails. For example, at T0, just before T0 (T0-), and / or just after T0 (T0+), the UE conducts a verification to determine if the measurement event predicted at T is fulfilled. For example, the UE may determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met. In the present disclosure, the expression of verifying whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled (or similar expressions) and the expression of determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met (or similar expressions) are used interchangeably. If the prediction fails, early handover execution is aborted. On the other hand, if the measurement event predicted at T is fulfilled at T0, the handover execution is continued.

[0029] In some embodiments, the UE sends the RRM reports to the network and the network performs, prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0, a measurement event prediction for early handover preparation and execution. In some embodiments, both UE and the network perform measurement event predictions. In this case, in addition to the RRM reports, the UE may also send, to the network, the measurement event prediction obtained at the UE side to enhance the accuracy of prediction at the network side.

[0030] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at network node, FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at UE, and FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method in which the prediction is performed at both network node and UE, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 3A, a communication system includes a UE 302 and a network node 304 (e.g., gNB). The UE 302 may be one or more UEs served by the network node 304. The network node 304 has one or more models for prediction. The UE 302 may not have a model for prediction or does not perform prediction. The one or more models for prediction may be one or more AI / ML models. The UE 302 performs measurements and sends one or more RRM reports to the network node 304. For example, the UE 302 may measure received signal quality of the serving cell and one or more neighboring cells. The signal quality may include at least one of: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal to interference and noise power ratio (SINR), or received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The network node 304 then performs measurement event prediction based on the RRM reports received from the UE 302 using the one or more models. In some embodiments, the network node 304 may perform a direct prediction on a measurement event in which the network node 304 predicts the probability of a measurement event (e.g., A3 event) at a future time point. In some embodiments, the network node 304 may perform indirect prediction in which the network node 304 performs RRM measurement prediction first, and then based on the RRM measurement prediction results, predicts a measurement event. Based on the measurement event prediction, the network node 304 may initiate an early handover prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0, as shown in FIG. 4 explained below. The network node 304 may initiate the early handover in response to a determination that the probability of the measurement event prediction exceeds a threshold. The predicted measurement (triggering) event may include, for example, signal quality of a neighboring cell becomes higher than that of the serving cell, signal quality of the serving cell becomes lower than a first threshold, signal quality of a neighboring cell becomes higher than a second threshold, or signal quality of the serving cell becomes lower than the first threshold and signal quality of a neighboring cell becomes higher than the second threshold, etc. The first threshold and the second threshold may be the same or different.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 3B, a communication system includes a UE 306 and a network node 308 (e.g., gNB). The UE 306 may be one or more UEs served by the network node 308. The UE 306 has one or more models for prediction. The network node 308 may not have a model for prediction or does not perform prediction. The one or more models for prediction may be one or more AI / ML models. The UE 306 performs measurements and sends one or more RRM reports to the network node 308. For example, the UE 306 may measure received signal quality of the serving cell and one or more neighboring cells. The signal quality may include at least one of RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, SINR, or RSSI. In addition, the UE 306 also performs measurement event prediction using the one or more models. In some embodiments, the UE 306 may perform a direct prediction on a measurement event in which the UE 306 predicts the probability of the measurement event (e.g., A3) at a future time point. In some embodiments, the UE 306 may perform indirect prediction on a measurement event in which the UE 306 performs RRM measurement prediction first, and then based on the RRM measurement prediction results, predicts a measurement event. The UE 306 then sends the prediction results to the network node 308 to request the network node 308 to initiate an early handover prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0. The network node 308 may initiate the early handover in response to a determination that the probability of the measurement event prediction performed by the UE 306 exceeds a threshold.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 3C, a communication system includes a UE 310 and a network node 312 (e.g., gNB). The UE 310 may be one or more UEs served by the network node 312. The UE 310 has one or more models (e.g., AI / ML models) for prediction and the network node 312 also has one or more models (e.g., AI / ML models) for prediction. The one or more models at the UE 310 and the one or more models at the network node 312 may be the same or different. The UE 310 performs measurements and sends one or more RRM reports to the network node 312. For example, the UE 310 may measure received signal quality of the serving cell and one or more neighboring cells. The signal quality may include at least one of RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, SINR, or RSSI. In addition, the UE 310 also performs measurement event prediction using the one or more models at the UE 310. In some embodiments, the UE 310 may perform a direct prediction on a measurement event. In some embodiments, the UE 310 may perform indirect prediction based on RRM measurement prediction. The UE 310 may send the prediction results to the network node 312 to request the network node 312 to initiate an early handover prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0. The network node 312 also performs measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports received from the UE 310. In some embodiments, the network node 312 may perform a direct prediction on a measurement event. In some embodiments, the network node 312 may perform indirect prediction based on RRM measurement prediction. Based on the prediction results, the network node 312 may initiate an early handover prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0. In the case the network node 312 receives the RRM measurement prediction and / or the measurement event prediction performed by the UE 310, the network node 312 may also consider the prediction results received from the UE 310 to enhance the accuracy of the prediction.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the handover includes three phases: a handover preparation phase, a handover execution phase, and a handover completion phase. Compared with the legacy handover procedure shown in FIG. 2A, in the handover procedure of FIG. 4, the handover preparation initiates at T, prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0. In some embodiments, at T, the UE performs a measurement event prediction. For example, the UE may perform a direct prediction, or an indirect prediction based on an RRM measurement prediction. The UE then sends one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the measurement event prediction, or the RRM measurement prediction to the network node in response to a determination that the predicted triggering condition is likely to be met at T0. When the RRM reports and prediction results indicate that the probability of measurement event is above a threshold, the network node may grant an early handover. In this way, early access to the overall operations of prediction-based handover may be achieved. At T0, the UE determines whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met. In response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at T0, the UE may send a signal to the network node to indicate the start of status transfer in regular handover execution.

[0035] In some embodiments, the UE does not perform prediction, and the network node performs prediction. The UE merely sends one or more RRM reports to the network node. Based on the one or more RRM reports received from the UE, the network node performs measurement event prediction. For example, the network node may perform a direct prediction, or an indirect prediction based on an RRM measurement prediction. The network node grants early handover if it determines that the probability of measurement event prediction is above a threshold.

[0036] In some embodiments, both the UE and the network node perform predictions. The UE sends, to the network node, one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction, or the measurement event prediction performed by the UE. The network node performs a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction and the measurement event prediction received from the UE.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a prediction-based handover method with verification at T0, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the handover includes three phases: a handover preparation phase, a handover execution phase, and a handover completion phase. Similar to the handover method of FIG. 4, at T (T < T0), the UE (or the network) performs a measurement event prediction. For example, the UE (or the network) may perform a direct prediction, or an indirect prediction based on an RRM measurement prediction. Based on the prediction results, the handover preparation phase initiates at T, prior to the triggering conditions being met at T0. Compared with the handover method of FIG. 4, in the handover method of FIG. 5, the UE may determine whether one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at T0. For example, if the measurement event prediction proves to be fulfilled (one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met), the UE sends a signal to the network node, indicating the start of status transfer in regular handover execution phase. This is followed by legacy operations in the handover completion phase. On the other hand, if the measurement event prediction fails to be fulfilled, the network node may abort the operations of early handover execution in response to an absence of reception of a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure. In the meantime, the UE may also check whether any other triggering condition is met. If a triggering condition is met, the process may proceed with either a legacy handover preparation phase or a shortened handover preparation phase facilitated by measurement prediction. In this way, a fallback mechanism is provided when the prediction fails, and the handover operation is streamlined with less overhead on legacy systems.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a handover method with verification at T0+TTT, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, at T0, the UE (or the network node) performs a measurement event prediction, and at T0+TTT, the UE conducts a verification on whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled. If the measurement prediction is fulfilled, the UE sends a signal to the network node to continue the operations of early handover preparation. If the measurement prediction fails to be fulfilled, the network node may abort the operations of early handover preparation in response to an absence of the signal, while waiting for next measurement event prediction to be triggered. In this way, the handover operation in progress may be streamlined with less overhead on legacy systems.

[0039] In the above-noted scenarios in FIGs. 4-6, measurement prediction at T0 may remove the need to wait for TTT duration, while measurement event prediction prior to T0 may provide early access to the overall operations of prediction-based handover, both of which can be combined and streamlined by means of proper verifications.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method 700 for a first node for performing a handover in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The first node may be at least one UE, such as the UE 302 of FIG. 3A, the UE 306 of FIG. 3B, or the UE 310 of FIG. 3C. The handover may include the handover method of FIG. 4, the handover method of FIG. 5, or the handover method of FIG. 6.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 7, the method 700 includes a step 702 of performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction. In some embodiments, the first node may camp on a first cell, and performing the measurement event prediction also include performing an RRM measurement prediction. The RRM measurement prediction includes one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more cells neighboring to the first cell. The one or more predicted signal metrics values may include at least one of: one or more RSRP values, one or more RSSI values, one or more RSRQ values, one or more SNR values, or one or more SINR values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0042] In some embodiments, the measurement event prediction is performed at a first point in time, and the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at a second point in time, the first point in time being earlier than the second point in time. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover being met at T0, at T (T being earlier than T0), the UE (or the network) performs a measurement event prediction.

[0043] The method 700 includes a step 704 of transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements. The second node may include at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point. The second node may include a source base station to which the first node is connected. For example, the second node may be the network node 304 of FIG 3A, the network node 308 of FIG. 3B, or the network node 312 of FIG. 3C. In some embodiments, the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM measurements are performed on the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0044] The method 700 includes a step 706 of determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the UE may determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at T0. The one or more conditions for triggering the handover may include: (1) received signal quality of the serving cell becomes worse than a threshold; (2) received signal quality of the neighbor cell becomes offset better than that of the serving cell; (3) received signal quality of the neighbor cell becomes better than a threshold; (4) received signal quality of the serving cell becomes worse than a first threshold and received signal quality of the neighbor cell becomes better than a second threshold; and (5) received signal quality of the neighbor cell becomes offset better than that of the serving cell.

[0045] The method 700 includes a step 708 of in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure. The handover procedure may include a handover preparation step, a handover execution step, and a handover completion step, including, for example, the handover preparation, handover execution, and handover completion of one of Figs. 4-6. For example, the handover preparation step is completed before the second point in time (e.g., T0), and the handover execution step is started before the second point in time. In some embodiments, determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met is performed at the second point in time, and the method includes: in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending the signal to the second node to continue the handover execution step. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met is performed at T0, and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at T0, the UE sends a signal to the network node to continue the operations in the handover execution phase.

[0046] In some embodiments, the step 708 may also include (not shown in FIG. 7) in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are not met, restraining from sending the signal to the second node. In this case, the second node may stop the handover procedure in response to an absence of reception of the signal indicating to continue the handover procedure. For example, the second node may use a timer to monitor the reception or the absence of reception of the signal within a predetermined time period. In some embodiments, verifying whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled is performed at the second point in time, and the method includes: in response to a determination that the measurement event prediction is not fulfilled, restraining from sending the signal to the second node so that the second node stops the handover execution step. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in response to a determination that the measurement event prediction is not fulfilled at T0, the UE does not send the signal indicating to continue the handover procedure so that the network node can abort the operations in the handover execution phase.

[0047] In some embodiments, the method 700 is modified (not shown in FIG. 7) so that the measurement event prediction is performed at T0 and verifying whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled is performed at a point in time after T0, for example, at T0+TTT. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a measurement event prediction is performed at T0 and at a verification is conducted at T0+TTT on whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled. In this case, in response to a determination that the measurement event prediction is not fulfilled, the UE may send a signal to the network node to stop the handover preparation step.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method 800 for a second node for performing a handover in a communication, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The second node may include at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point. The second node may be a network node, such as the network node 304 of FIG. 3A, the network node 308 of FIG. 3B, or the network node 312 of FIG. 3C.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 8, the method 800 includes a step 802 of receiving, from a first node, one or more RRM reports. The first node may include at least one UE. The second node may be a source base station to which the first node is connected. In some embodiments, the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM reports include at least one of: one or more RSRP values, one or more RSSI values, one or more RSRQ values, one or more SNR values, or one or more SINR values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0050] The method 800 includes a step 804 of performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the network node 304 includes one or more models for prediction so that the network node 304 performs a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports received from the UE 302. The measurement event prediction may be a direct prediction or indirect prediction.

[0051] In some embodiments, receiving the one or more RRM reports includes receiving, from the first node, the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: an RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or a measurement event prediction performed by the first node. And performing the measurement event prediction includes performing the measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or the measurement event prediction performed by the first node. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the network node 312 includes one or more models for prediction so that the network node 312 performs a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports received from the UE 310. In this case, the network node 312 may also utilize the RRM measurement prediction and / or the measurement event prediction performed at the UE 310 to enhance the accuracy of the prediction at the network side.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first node camps on a first cell, and the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node includes one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells. The one or more predicted signal metrics values may include at least one of: one or more predicted RSRP values, one or more predicted RSSI values, one or more predicted RSRQ values, one or more predicted SNR values, or one or more predicted SINR values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0053] The method 800 includes a step 806 of initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that the probability of measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold. In some embodiments, the method 800 may also include (not shown in FIG. 8) receiving, from the first node, a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, based on a verification on whether the measurement event prediction is fulfilled. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the network node receives, from the UE, a signal indicating to continue the handover execution, based on a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at T0. In some embodiments, the method 800 may also include (not shown in FIG. 8), in response to an absence of reception of the signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, stopping the handover procedure.

[0054] In some embodiments, the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node and the measurement event prediction performed by the first node are performed at a first point in time, and one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at a second point in time, the first point in time being earlier than the second point in time. In some embodiments, the handover procedure includes a handover preparation step, a handover execution step, and a handover competition step, including, for example, the handover preparation, handover execution, and handover completion of one of Figs. 4-6. The handover preparation step is completed before the second point in time, and the handover execution step is started before the second point in time.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a node 900, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the node 900 may be a UE that performs handover. For example, the node 900 may be the UE 302 of FIG. 3A, the UE 306 of FIG. 3B, or the UE 310 of FIG. 3C. In some embodiments, the node 900 may be a network node that serves a UE. For example, the node 900 may be the network node 304 of FIG. 3A, the network node 308 of FIG. 3B, or the network node 312 of FIG. 3C. In some embodiments, the node 900 may be a node that performs at least one of the handover method 700 of FIG. 7 or the handover method 800 of FIG. 8. The node 900 may take any form, including but not limited to, a computer, a system including at least one computer, a vehicle, a component mounted in a vehicle, a portable computer, a wireless terminal including a mobile phone, a wireless handheld device, or wireless personal device, or any other form.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 9, the node 900 may include antenna 902 that may be used for transmission or reception of electromagnetic signals to / from one or more other nodes. The antenna 902 may include one or more antenna elements and may enable different input-output antenna configurations, for example, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) configuration, multiple input single output (MISO) configuration, and single input multiple output (SIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, the antenna 902 may include multiple (e.g., tens or hundreds) antenna elements and may enable multi-antenna functions such as beamforming. In some embodiments, the antenna 902 is a single antenna.

[0057] The node 900 may include a transceiver 904 that is coupled to the antenna 902. The transceiver 904 may be a wireless transceiver at the node 900 and may communicate bi-directionally with one or more other nodes. For example, the transceiver 904 may receive / transmit wireless signals from / to a base station via downlink / uplink communication. The transceiver 904 may also receive / transmit wireless signals from / to another node unit via sidelink communication. The transceiver 904 may include a modem to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna 902 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna 902.

[0058] The node 900 may include a memory 906. The memory 906 may be any type of computer-readable storage medium including volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium includes, but is not limited to, non-transitory computer storage media. A non-transitory storage medium may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Examples of non-transitory storage medium include, but are not limited to, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, solid state drive, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, etc. A non-transitory medium may be used to carry or store desired program code means (e.g., instructions and / or data structures) and may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In some examples, the software / program code may be transmitted from a remote source (e.g., a website, a server, etc.) using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. In such examples, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are within the scope of the definition of medium. The memory 906 may also be a cloud-based remote (cloud) memory device. Combinations of the above examples are also within the scope of computer-readable medium.

[0059] The memory 906 may store information related to identities of node 900 and the signals and / or data received by antenna 902. The memory 906 may also store post-processing signals and / or data. The memory 906 may also store computer-readable program instructions, mathematical models, and algorithms that are used in signal processing in receiver 904 and computations in a processor 908 of the node 900. For example, the memory 906 may store prediction algorithms, such as AI / ML models for predictions (e.g., RRM measurement prediction, measurement event prediction, etc.). The memory 906 may further store computer-readable program instructions for execution by processor 908 to operate the node 900 to perform various functions described in this disclosure. The memory may further store wake-up signal configuration information, supported NES behavior, etc. In some examples, the memory 906 may include a basic input / output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0060] The computer-readable program instructions of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language, and conventional procedural programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on a computing device as a stand-alone software package, or partly on a first computing device and partly on a second computing device remote from the first computing device. In the latter scenario, the second, remote computing device may be connected to the first computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN).

[0061] The processor 908 may include a hardware device with processing capabilities. The processor 908 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or other programmable logic device. Examples of the general-purpose processor include, but are not limited to, a microprocessor, any conventional processor, a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine. In some embodiments, the processor 908 may be implemented using a combination of devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). The processor 908 may perform predictions (e.g., RRM measurement prediction, measurement event prediction, etc.) using the prediction algorithms (e.g., AI / ML models) stored in the memory 906. The processor 908 may receive, from transceiver 904, downlink signals or sidelink signals and further process the signals. The processor 908 may also receive, from transceiver 904, data packets and further process the packets. In some embodiments, the processor 908 may be configured to operate a memory using a memory controller. In some embodiments, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 908. The processor 908 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 906) to cause the node 900 to perform various functions.

[0062] The node 900 may include a global positioning system (GPS) 910. The GPS 910 may be used for enabling location-based services or other services based on a geographical position of the node 900 and / or synchronization among nodes. The GPS 910 may receive global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) signals from a single satellite or a plurality of satellite signals via the antenna 902 and provide a geographical position of the node 900 (e.g., coordinates of the node 900). In some embodiments, the GPS 910 is omitted. In some embodiments, a timer is included.

[0063] The node 900 may include an input / output (I / O) device 912 that may be used to communicate a result of signal processing and computation to a user or another device. The I / O device 912 may include a user interface including a display and an input device to transmit a user command to processor 908. The display may be configured to display a status of signal reception at the node 900, the data stored at memory 906, a status of signal processing, and a result of computation, etc. The display may include, but is not limited to, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a gas plasma display, a touch screen, or other image projection devices for displaying information to a user. The input device may be any type of computer hardware equipment used to receive data and control signals from a user. The input device may include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a scanner, a digital camera, a joystick, a trackball, cursor direction keys, a touchscreen monitor, or audio / video commanders, etc.

[0064] The node 900 may further include a machine interface 914, such as an electrical bus that connects the transceiver 904, the memory 906, the processor 908, the GPS 910, and the I / O device 912.

[0065] In some embodiments, the node 900 may be a first node for performing a handover in a communication. The processor 908 may be configured or programmed to execute the instructions stored in the memory 906 to perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmit, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, send a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0066] In some embodiments, the node 900 may be a second node for performing a handover in a communication. The processor 908 may be configured or programmed to execute the instructions stored in the memory 906 to receive, from a first node, one or more RRM reports; perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiate, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0067] While the examples in the present disclosure relate to 3GPP 5G technology referred to as NR, the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited. The embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure can be applied to other radio access technologies, for example, 3GPP 4G technology referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or future 3GPP radio technology generations such as 6G, 7G, etc.

[0068] While the examples in this disclosure relate to 3GPP technologies, embodiments described in this disclosure could be used for non-3GPP technologies, for example, IEEE and its 802.11 variants, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0069] As used in this disclosure, use of the term “or” in a list of items indicates an inclusive list. The list of items may be prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of.” For example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C includes A or B or C or AB (i.e., A and B) or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used in this disclosure, prefacing a list of conditions with the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as “based only on” the set of conditions and rather shall be construed as “based at least in part on” the set of conditions. For example, an outcome described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0070] In this specification, the terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used interchangeably and have the same meaning and are to be construed as inclusive and open-ended. The terms “comprise,” “include,” or “contain” may be used before a list of elements and indicate that at least all of the listed elements within the list exist but other elements that are not in the list may also be present. For example, if A comprises B and C, both {B, C} and {B, C, D} are within the scope of A.

[0071] The present disclosure, in connection with the accompanied drawings, describes example configurations that are not representative of all the examples that may be implemented or all configurations that are within the scope of this disclosure. The term “exemplary” should not be construed as “preferred” or “advantageous compared to other examples” but rather “an illustration, an instance or an example.” By reading this disclosure, including the description of the embodiments and the drawings, it will be appreciated by a person of ordinary skills in the art that the technology disclosed herein may be implemented using alternative embodiments. The person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the embodiments, or certain features of the embodiments described herein, may be combined to arrive at yet other embodiments for practicing the technology described in the present disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0072] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate examples of the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and devices according to various embodiments. It should be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in blocks may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Likewise, additional steps may be included in such methods, and certain steps may be omitted or combined, in methods consistent with various embodiments.

[0073] It is understood that the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and elements, components, materials, or steps described in connection with one example embodiment may be combined with, or eliminated from, other embodiments in suitable ways to accomplish desired design objectives.

[0074] Reference herein to “some embodiments” or “some exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearance of the phrases “one embodiment” “some embodiments” or “another embodiment” in various places in the present disclosure do not all necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

[0075] Additionally, the articles “a” and “an” as used in the present disclosure and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

[0076] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being approximate as if the word “about” or “approximately” preceded the value of the value or range.

[0077] Although the elements in the following method claims, if any, are recited in a particular sequence, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

[0078] It is appreciated that certain features of the present disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the specification, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the specification. Certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not essential features of those embodiments, unless noted as such.

[0079] It will be further understood that various modifications, alternatives, and variations in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of described embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope. Accordingly, the following claims embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the terms of the claims.

[0080] Clause 1: A method for a first node for performing a handover in a communication, the method comprising: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0081] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

[0082] Clause 3: The method of clause 1, wherein the second node comprises a source base station to which the first node is connected.

[0083] Clause 4: The method of clause 1, wherein the second node comprises at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point.

[0084] Clause 5: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and performing the measurement event prediction further comprises performing a radio resource management (RRM) measurement prediction comprising one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more cells neighboring to the first cell.

[0085] Clause 6: The method of clause 5, wherein the one or more predicted signal metrics values comprise at least one of: one or more predicted reference signal received power (RSRP) values, one or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, one or more reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values, one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, or one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0086] Clause 7: The method of clause 1, wherein the measurement event prediction is performed at a first point in time, and the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at a second point in time, the first point in time being earlier than the second point in time.

[0087] Clause 8: The method of clause 1, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM measurements are performed on the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0088] Clause 9: A method for a second node for performing a handover in a communication, the method comprising: receiving, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0089] Clause 10: The method of clause 9, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

[0090] Clause 11: The method of clause 9, wherein the second node is a source base station to which the first node is connected.

[0091] Clause 12: The method of clause 9, wherein the second node comprises at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point.

[0092] Clause 13: The method of clause 9, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM reports comprise at least one of: one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) values, one or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, one or more reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values, one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, or one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0093] Clause 14: The method of clause 9, wherein receiving the one or more RRM reports comprises: receiving, from the first node, the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: an RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or a measurement event prediction performed by the first node, and wherein performing the measurement event prediction comprises: performing the measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or the measurement event prediction performed by the first node.

[0094] Clause 15: The method of clause 14, further comprising: receiving, from the first node, a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, based on a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a reception of the signal, continuing the handover procedure.

[0095] Clause 16: The method of clause 14, further comprising: in response to an absence of reception of a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, stopping the handover procedure.

[0096] Clause 17: The method of clause 14, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node comprises one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0097] Clause 18: The method of clause 17, wherein the one or more predicted signal metrics values comprise at least one of: one or more predicted RSRP values, one or more predicted RSSI values, one or more predicted RSRQ values, one or more predicted SNR values, or one or more predicted SINR values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0098] Clause 19: A first node for performing a handover in a communication, the first node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmit, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, send a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0099] Clause 20: The first node of clause 19, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

[0100] Clause 21: The first node of clause 19, wherein the second node comprises a source base station to which the first node is connected.

[0101] Clause 22: The first node of clause 19, wherein the second node comprises at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point.

[0102] Clause 23: The first node of clause 19, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to perform a radio resource management (RRM) measurement prediction comprising one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more cells neighboring to the first cell.

[0103] Clause 24: The first node of clause 23, wherein the one or more predicted signal metrics values comprise at least one of: one or more predicted reference signal received power (RSRP) values, one or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, one or more reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values, one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, or one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0104] Clause 25: The first node of clause 19, wherein the measurement event prediction is performed at a first point in time, and the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at a second point in time, the first point in time being earlier than the second point in time.

[0105] Clause 26: The first node of clause 19, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM measurements are performed on the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0106] Clause 27: A second node for performing a handover in a communication, the second node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiate, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

[0107] Clause 28: The second node of clause 27, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

[0108] Clause 29: The second node of clause 27, wherein the second node is a source base station to which the first node is connected.

[0109] Clause 30: The second node of clause 27, wherein the second node comprises at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point.

[0110] Clause 31: The second node of clause 27, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM reports comprise at least one of: one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) values, one or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, one or more reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values, one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, or one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0111] Clause 32: The second node of clause 27, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from the first node, the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: an RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or a measurement event prediction performed by the first node, and wherein performing the measurement event prediction comprises: performing the measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or the measurement event prediction performed by the first node.

[0112] Clause 33: The second node of clause 32, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from the first node, a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, based on a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a reception of the signal, continue the handover procedure.

[0113] Clause 34: The second node of clause 32, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: in response to an absence of reception of a signal indicating to continue the handover procedure, stop the handover procedure.

[0114] Clause 35: The second node of clause 32, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node comprises one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

[0115] Clause 36: The second node of clause 35, wherein the one or more predicted signal metrics values comprise at least one of: one or more predicted RSRP values, one or more predicted RSSI values, one or more predicted RSRQ values, one or more predicted SNR values, or one or more predicted SINR values of the first cell and the one or more neighboring cells.

[0116] Clause 37: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

[0117] Clause 38: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a second node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

Claims

1. A method for a first node for performing a handover in a communication, the method comprising: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises a source base station to which the first node is connected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises at least one of: a base station, a core network, a road-side unit, a repeater, a transponder, a wireless router, a controller, or an access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and performing the measurement event prediction further comprises performing a radio resource management (RRM) measurement prediction comprising one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more cells neighboring to the first cell.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurement event prediction is performed at a first point in time, and the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met at a second point in time, the first point in time being earlier than the second point in time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM measurements are performed on the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

8. A method for a second node for performing a handover in a communication, the method comprising: receiving, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the second node is a source base station to which the first node is connected.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the one or more RRM reports comprise at least one of: one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) values, one or more received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values, one or more reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values, one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values, or one or more signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) values of the first cell and one or more neighboring cells.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the one or more RRM reports comprises: receiving, from the first node, the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: an RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or a measurement event prediction performed by the first node, and wherein performing the measurement event prediction comprises: performing the measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or the measurement event prediction performed by the first node.

13. A first node for performing a handover in a communication, the first node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmit, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determine whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, send a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

14. The first node of claim 13, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

15. The first node of claim 13, wherein the first node camps on a first cell, and the processor is further configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to perform a radio resource management (RRM) measurement prediction comprising one or more predicted signal metrics values of the first cell and one or more cells neighboring to the first cell.

16. A second node for performing a handover in a communication, the second node comprising: a memory storing an instruction; and a processor configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; perform, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiate, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

17. The second node of claim 16, wherein the first node comprises at least one user equipment (UE).

18. The second node of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory to: receive, from the first node, the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: an RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or a measurement event prediction performed by the first node, and wherein performing the measurement event prediction comprises: performing the measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports, and at least one of: the RRM measurement prediction performed by the first node, or the measurement event prediction performed by the first node.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a first node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction; transmitting, to a second node, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, the measurement event prediction and one or more RRM reports for initiating a handover procedure, the one or more RRM reports being based on one or more RRM measurements; determining whether the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met; and in response to a determination that the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, sending a signal to the second node to continue the handover procedure.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a second node for performing a handover in a communication, to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving, from a first node, one or more radio resource management (RRM) reports; performing, before one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a measurement event prediction based on the one or more RRM reports; and initiating, before the one or more conditions for triggering the handover are met, a handover procedure in response to a determination that a probability of the measurement event prediction is greater than a threshold.

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