Inter-Frequency Cell Search Window for User Equipment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, user equipment faces challenges in efficiently discovering and switching to smaller cells with different frequencies, leading to increased power consumption and potential service continuity issues during inter-frequency measurements.
Innovation Solution
The method involves determining the time offset between the frequency signals of macro cells and using this offset to define the location and size of a search window for reference signals in smaller cells, allowing user equipment to efficiently search for and attach to smaller cells with a different frequency, thereby reducing power consumption and improving handover speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If user equipment performs inter-frequency measurements to discover smaller cells, then cell discovery capability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures the search window parameters (time offset and duration) based on known relationships between macro cells and small cells. This preliminary setup allows the UE to directly search within the predefined window without performing exhaustive full-band scans, significantly reducing measurement time and power consumption while maintaining effective cell discovery capability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing uniform frequency measurements across the entire spectrum, the invention concentrates measurement resources into a localized search window around the expected small cell frequency. This localized approach based on time offset relationships reduces the measurement burden from the entire frequency band to a specific targeted region, lowering power consumption while preserving detection effectiveness
2Measurement precision
If user equipment performs comprehensive inter-frequency measurements, then measurement accuracy is improved, but handover speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The search window is pre-calculated and configured based on the time offset between macro cell and small cell frequency signals. This preliminary determination of the measurement range allows the UE to focus measurements precisely where small cells are likely to be found, achieving both high measurement accuracy within the window and fast handover execution by avoiding exhaustive searches
Solution Approach 2:
The frequency measurement process is segmented into a focused search window rather than a continuous full-band scan. By dividing the measurement task into a targeted segment based on time offset relationships, the system achieves accurate measurements within the relevant frequency range while significantly reducing the time required for handover decisions
Data Source
AI summary
A method including determining that a user equipment on a first cell having a first frequency is to alternatively or additionally use a second cell having a second different frequency; and searching for a reference signal of said second cell within a window defined with respect to said first cell or a third cell.