MDT Reporting of Restricted Cells for Complete Coverage Surveys
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communications networks face challenges in managing non-public network parts, particularly when their geographical coverage overlaps with public networks, as conventional minimization of drive tests (MDT) schemes exclude cells that communications devices are not permitted to access, leading to incomplete network coverage surveys.
Innovation Solution
A communications device is configured to measure and report MDT results from cells it is not permitted to access, using blacklist and MDT configuration indications to enable comprehensive network coverage assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional MDT schemes exclude cells that communications devices are not permitted to access, then network security and access control are maintained, but network coverage survey completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the MDT reporting process into two distinct paths: one for cells that the communications device is permitted to access (using existing MDT procedures) and another for cells that are not permitted to access (using new measurement reporting procedures). This segmentation allows the system to maintain security restrictions while simultaneously obtaining coverage information from restricted cells, thus resolving the contradiction between network security and coverage survey completeness.
2Measurement precision
If MDT measurements include cells that communications devices are not permitted to access, then network coverage survey accuracy improves, but device complexity and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the communications device universally capable of performing MDT measurements on both accessible and inaccessible cells by introducing a configuration parameter that controls the measurement behavior. The same device and measurement mechanisms are used for both types of cells, with the distinction handled through configuration rather than requiring separate hardware or fundamentally different operational modes, thus improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Loss of information
If communications devices report MDT results from restricted access cells, then network operator decision-making quality improves, but signaling overhead and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary configuration mechanism where the network provides instructions to the communications device about which cells to measure and report, even if those cells are restricted. This intermediary configuration layer allows the network to selectively request information from restricted cells only when necessary for coverage assessment, rather than continuously reporting all measurements, thus improving operator decision-making quality while controlling signaling overhead through targeted, configuration-driven reporting.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a communications device in a wireless communications network, the method comprising: measuring received signals transmitted in a first cell at a first location to generate a measurement result, wherein the communications device is not permitted to access the first cell, and transmitting in a second cell a minimization of drive tests (MDT) report based on the measurement result, the report comprising an indication of the first location.