Enhanced General Neighbor List for Wireless Cell Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently facilitating cell selection and reselection for mobile devices, particularly in determining optimal access points based on signal quality and service availability, especially when moving between macrocells and femtocells, without requiring extensive provisioning of femtocell information.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an enhanced General Neighbor List Method (GNLM) that provides mobile devices with a list of pilot frequencies for access points in a geographic region, including GPS information and access point types, allowing proactive discovery and acquisition of communication parameters, enabling seamless cell reselection and location determination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional cell reselection methods are used, then mobile devices can maintain basic connectivity, but the devices cannot efficiently discover and select optimal access points in mixed macrocell-femtocell environments without extensive provisioning

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell selection capabilityVSAvoidprovisioning complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by having access points broadcast their pilot frequencies and geographic region information in advance through the enhanced General Neighbor List. Mobile devices receive and store this information before needing to make cell selection decisions, eliminating the need for complex real-time discovery and extensive provisioning when cell reselection is needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The enhanced General Neighbor List serves as an intermediary mechanism that translates complex femtocell configuration information into a simplified format containing pilot frequencies and geographic regions. This intermediary structure enables mobile devices to efficiently discover and select access points without requiring direct complex provisioning interactions with the network.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If mobile devices continuously scan for access points, then they can maintain optimal connectivity, but this consumes excessive battery power and processing resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnectivity qualityVSAvoidbattery consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Mobile devices perform preliminary scanning and acquire access point information (pilot frequencies, geographic regions) in advance when in macrocell coverage. This preliminary action stores necessary discovery information in the device's memory, allowing the device to later rely on stored information rather than continuously scanning, thereby reducing battery consumption while maintaining connectivity quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Stability of the object's composition

If mobile devices rely on macrocell coverage, then they can maintain stable connection, but they cannot seamlessly transition to femtocells when moving out of macrocell coverage area

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoidcell transition capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

While still connected to the stable macrocell, the mobile device performs preliminary actions by receiving and storing the enhanced General Neighbor List containing pilot frequencies and geographic regions of nearby femtocells. This preliminary information acquisition occurs during stable macrocell connection, enabling seamless transition to femtocells when the device moves out of macrocell coverage without losing connection stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If extensive femtocell information is provisioned to mobile devices, then accurate cell selection is possible, but the provisioning overhead and network complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess point identification accuracyVSAvoidinformation provisioning volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential information elements (pilot frequencies and geographic regions) from the complete set of possible femtocell parameters. By taking out only these critical elements needed for discovery and selection, the system achieves accurate access point identification while minimizing the volume of information that needs to be provisioned and managed in the enhanced General Neighbor List.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9661557B2Cell selection using enhanced general neighbor list methods

Publication Date: 2017.05.23 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing neighbor lists to devices comprising pilot frequencies of access points in a specific geographic region. Using the neighbor list, the devices can discover the access points based on scanning the frequencies for the pilot and can determine additional communication parameters from the discovery or based on a subsequent request resulting from discovery. In this regard, access point information need not be provisioned to the devices for locating the access points, selecting/reselecting the access points, providing the access points in a list to an interface, locating the device using triangulation based on GPS position of the access points, and/or the like.