Mobile Station Neighbor Cell Information Validity Indication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional GERAN communication systems waste time and resources by transmitting redundant neighbor cell information to mobile stations, which can delay cell reselection and call re-establishment processes.

Innovation Solution

Mobile stations monitor channels to determine neighbor cell information and send validity indications to the network, allowing it to omit sending redundant information, thereby reducing unnecessary transmissions and improving mobility procedure efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the network transmits neighbor cell information to mobile stations to facilitate mobility procedures, then mobility procedures (cell reselection and call re-establishment) can be performed, but redundant transmissions waste radio resources and increase transmission time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemobility procedure completionVSAvoidradio resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile station performs preliminary actions by monitoring channels and determining neighbor cell information before the network would normally transmit it. The mobile station stores this information and sends a validity indication to the network, allowing the network to skip redundant transmissions and proceed directly with mobility procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If the mobile station waits to receive sufficient neighbor cell system information before concluding mobility procedures, then the procedures can be completed with accurate information, but the process takes longer and may miss completion time periods

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accuracyVSAvoidmobility procedure duration
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile station performs preliminary information gathering by monitoring channels and determining neighbor cell information before the network would normally transmit it. This pre-acquired information is stored and validated, allowing the mobile station to immediately use it for mobility procedures without waiting for network transmissions, thus reducing procedure duration while maintaining information accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the network provides complete neighbor cell system information to ensure successful mobility procedures, then reliability of mobility procedures improves, but transmission time and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecall re-establishment successVSAvoidtransmission time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile station sends feedback to the network in the form of a validity indication, informing the network about the status of neighbor cell information already possessed. This feedback mechanism allows the network to adapt its transmission strategy, sending only necessary information or skipping transmissions when information is already valid, thereby reducing transmission time while ensuring reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2497288B1Methods and apparatus to avoid transmission of redundant neighbor cell information to mobile stations
Publication Date: 2019.12.04 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2497288B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2497288B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2497288B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and apparatus to avoid transmission of redundant neighbor cell information to mobile stations. An example method to avoid transmission of at least some neighbor cell system information from a network to a mobile station disclosed herein comprises receiving neighbor cell system information, setting a validity indication representing whether the mobile station has valid neighbor cell system information associated with a neighbor cell, and sending the validity indication to the network.