Base Station Measurement Gap Allocation for Carrier Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In radio communication systems using carrier aggregation, the allocation of measurement gaps for handover procedures can lead to a decrease in throughput or delay due to the increased number of component carriers, which complicates the process of changing or adding component carriers.
Innovation Solution
A base station and user equipment system that determines a handover factor to allocate measurement time intervals for component carriers, allowing for efficient channel quality measurement without significantly impacting data transmission, by prioritizing measurement gaps based on urgency and channel quality levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If measurement gaps are allocated to each component carrier in carrier aggregation, then channel quality measurement accuracy is improved, but throughput decreases and handover delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by allocating measurement gaps selectively rather than uniformly to all component carriers. The base station determines which component carriers require measurement based on handover factors such as channel quality, mobility state, and handover urgency. Only necessary component carriers receive measurement gap allocations, reducing the overall impact on throughput while maintaining adequate measurement accuracy for handover decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by differentiating measurement gap allocation across different component carriers based on their specific characteristics. Each component carrier is evaluated individually using handover factors, and measurement gaps are allocated proportionally to the measurement needs of each carrier rather than applying a uniform allocation strategy. This ensures that critical carriers receive adequate measurement resources while less critical carriers consume fewer measurement resources.
2Reliability
If measurement gaps are allocated for handover procedures, then handover reliability is improved, but processing delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing channel quality measurements on component carriers before handover is actually triggered. The base station continuously monitors handover factors and pre-identifies suitable target component carriers during normal operation. When handover becomes necessary, the measurements are already available or nearly available, significantly reducing the time required to execute the handover while maintaining reliable decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making measurement gap allocation flexible and adaptive rather than static. The allocation of measurement gaps to component carriers changes dynamically based on real-time handover factors including channel quality variations, user mobility state, and network conditions. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize the balance between measurement reliability and handover speed according to current operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station includes a radio communication unit that establishes communication with a mobile communication terminal using a plurality of component carriers. The base station further includes a determination unit that determines a handover factor. The base station also includes a control unit allocates to the mobile communication terminal a measurement time interval for at least one component carrier from the plurality of component carriers according to the handover factor. A channel quality of the at least one component carrier of another base station is measured during the measurement time interval.