Electronic Apparatus In Wireless Communications System And Mobility Measurement Method
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to an electronic apparatus in a wireless communications system and a mobility measurement method. The electronic apparatus comprises a communications device and a mobility measurement device. The communication device is configured to separately perform dual connection communication with two connection nodes by means of different carriers. The mobility measurement device is configured to perform mobility measurement for determining a connection switching mode on the connection nodes in the dual connections in a case in which connection service quality of at least one of the current dual connection nodes is lower than a preset level. The mobility measurement device is further configured to determine a reporting mode of a mobility measurement result according to the measurement condition of at least one of the current dual connection nodes.
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Notices, Deadlines & Correspondence
701 Citychamp Building
No.12 Tai Yang Gong Zhong Lu Chaoyang District
Beijing 100028
Specification
ELECTRONIC APPARATUS IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND
MOBILITY MEASUREMENT METHOD
TECHNICAL FIELD
The disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communication, and more
particularly, to an electronic apparatus in a wireless communication system and a method of
performing mobility measurement by a mobile communication terminal.
BACKGROUND
At present, the following measurement events are defined in a LTE (long-term
evolution)/LTE-A (advanced long-term evolution) system:
AnAl event, in which a serving cell has a quality higher than an absolute threshold,
for turning off an on-going inter-frequency measurement and deactivating a measurement gap.
An A2 event, in which a serving cell has a quality lower than an absolute threshold,
15 for turning on inter-frequency measurement and activating a measurement gap.
An A3 event, in which a neighbor cell has a quality higher than that of a main
servmg cell by an amount higher than an absolute threshold, for a coverage-based
inter-frequency/intra-frequency handover.
An A4 event, in which a neighbor cell has a quality higher than an absolute
20 threshold, mainly for a load-based handover.
An AS event, in which a main serving cell has a quality lower than a first absolute
threshold 1 and a neighbor cell has a quality higher than a second absolute threshold 2, for a
coverage-based inter-frequency/intra-frequency handover.
An A6 event, in which a neighbor cell has a quality higher than that of a secondary
25 servmg cell by an amount higher than an absolute threshold, for a coverage-based
inter-frequency secondary carrier adjustment.
A B 1 event, in which a neighbor cell in a different system has a quality higher than
an absolute threshold, for a load-based handover.
A B2 event, in which a serving cell has a quality lower than a first absolute threshold
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1 and a neighbor cell in a different system has a quality higher .than a second absolute
threshold 2, for a coverage-based handover.
The A II A2 event may be used for turning off or triggering inter-frequency
measurement by a terminal. The A3/A5/B2 event may be used for a coverage-based
5 inter-system/intra-system handover. The A6 event may be used for a coverage-based
secondary carrier adjustment in a scenario of carrier aggregation. The A4/B 1 event may be
used for a load-based inter-system/intra-system handover.
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SUMMARY
In a scenario of dual-connection, a terminal is simultaneously connected to two base
stations which have no ideal backhaul, such mobility scenario is more complicated than that
of a single base station connection or a dual-base station connection with ideal backhaul
carrier aggregation. Therefore, embodiments of the disclosure are provided for the above
dual-connection scenario.
A brief summary of the embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below to
provide some basic understanding to some aspects of the present disclosure. It should be
understood that the summary is not exhaustive, and is not intended to identify a crucial or
important part of the present disclosure or limit the scope of the present disclosure. The only
purpose is to give some conception in a simplified manner as a prelude to the detailed
20 description provided later.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic apparatus in a
wireless communication system is provided. The electronic apparatus includes a
communication device and a mobility measurement device. The communication device IS
configured for performing dual-connection communication with two connection nodes
2~ respectively via different carriers. The mobility measurement device is configured for
performing mobility measurement on a connection node of current dual-connection for
determining a connection transfer mode, in a case that a service quality of at least one of the
current dual-connection nodes is lower than a predetermined level. The mobility measurement
is further configured for determining a mode for reporting a result of the mobility
30 measurement based on a measurement condition of at least one of the current dual-connection
nodes.
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According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of performing
mobility measurement by a mobile communication terminal is provided. The method includes
a step of performing mobility measurement on current dual-connection nodes for determining
a connection transfer mode in a case that a service quality of at least one of the current
5 dual-connection nodes for the mobile communication terminal communicating in a
dual-connection scenario is lower than a predetermined level. The method also includes a step
of determining a mode for reporting a result of the mobility measurement based on a
measurement condition of at least one of the current dual-connection nodes.
The embodiments of the present disclosure are advantageous for improving the
10 efficiency of reporting measurement for dual-connection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present disclosure can be better understood by referring to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Same or similar reference
15 characters indicate same or similar parts throughout the accompanying drawings. The
accompanying drawings are included in the description together with the following
specifications as a part of the description for further illustrating preferred embodiments with
examples and explaining the principle and advantages of the present disclosure. In the
accompanying drawings:
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Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a configuration example of an electronic apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for illustrating connection transfer modes;
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an example of time sequence relation
between a T31 0 timer and a TTT timer;
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an example of time sequence relation
between TTT timers;
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an example of time sequence relation
between a TTT timer and a T31 0 timer;
Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an example of time sequence relation
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between a TTT timer and a T31 0 timer;
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Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an example of time sequence relation
between a TTT timer and a T31 0 timer;
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an exemplary manner of signaling
5 transmission for connection node transfer;
10
Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an exemplary manner of signaling
transmission for connection node transfer;
Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an exemplary manner of signaling
transmission for connection node transfer;
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram for illustrating an exemplary manner of signaling
transmission for connection node transfer;
Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a process example of a method according to another
embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Fig. 13 is a block diagram of an exemplary structure of a computer implementing
15 the method and apparatus according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the
companying drawings. Elements and features described in a companying drawing or an
20 embodiment may be combined with elements and features illustrated in one or more other
companying drawings or embodiments in the present disclosure. It should be noted that
presentation and explanation of irrelevant components and processes known by those skilled
in the art are omitted in the companying drawings and the description for clarity.
The technique according to the present disclosure can be applied to various products.
25 For example, a base station can be implemented as an evolved Node B ( eNB) of any types,
such as a macro eNB or a small eNB. The small eNB maybe an eNB covering a cell smaller
than a macro cell, such as a pico-eNB, a micro-eNB, and a home-eNB (femto-eNB).
Alternatively, the base station can be implemented as a base station of any other types, such as
a NodeB or a base transceiver station (BTS). The base station may include a main body (also
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referred to as base station equipment) configured to control wireless communications, and one
or more remote radio heads (RRH) arranged at positions different from the main body.
Furthermore, each of various terminals to be described below may operate as a base station by
temporarily or semi-persistently performing functions of a base station.
For example, the electronic apparatus may be implemented as a mobile terminal
(such as a smart phone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a laptop PC, a portable game
terminal, a portable/dongle mobile router or a digital camera device) or a vehicular terminal
(such as a vehicle navigating apparatus). A terminal apparatus 300 can also be implemented as
a terminal performing machine-to-machine (M2M) communications (also referred to as a
10 machine-type communication (MTC) terminal). Furthermore, the electronic apparatus 100
may be a wireless communication module (such as an integrated circuit module including a
single die) mounted in each of the above terminals.
Referring to Fig. 1, an electronic apparatus 100 in a wireless communication system
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication device 110
15 and a mobility measurement device 120.
The communication device 110 IS configured for performing dual-connection
communication with two connection nodes respectively via different carriers.
For example, as shown in Fig. 2, an electronic apparatus Ul may perform
dual-connection communication with two connection nodes Ml and Sl respectively via its
20 communication device.
The mobility measurement device 120 is configured for performing mobility
measurement on a connection node of current dual-connection for determining a connection
transfer mode, in a case that a service quality of at least one of the current dual-connection
nodes is lower than a predetermined level. Furthermore, the mobility measurement device 120
2~ is further configured for determining a mode for reporting a result of the mobility
measurement based on a measurement condition of at least one of the current dual-connection
nodes.
In the present disclosure, the term "measurement condition" may include the
measurement result per se (such as a reference signal received power (RSRP), and a reference
30 signal received quality (RSRQ), etc.), and may also include other measurement conditions,
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such as whether there is a measurement list for a respective connection node, and a state of a
respective started T31 0 timer and/or TTT timer, etc. As described with reference to specific
embodiments below, the mobility measurement device 120 may determine different modes for
reporting a result of the mobility measurement based on a measurement condition, so as to
5 improve the efficiency of reporting measurement of dual-connection.
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According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement may include mobility
measurement configured for determining one of the following connection transfer modes:
Mode A: disconnecting from one of the current dual-connection nodes to change
from a dual-connection state into a single-connection state.
Mode B: maintaining connection to one of the current dual-connection nodes, and
transferring connection to the other node to a target node, to maintain a dual-connection state.
Mode C: disconnecting from both of the current dual-connection nodes, and
transferring connection to a target node, to change from a dual-connection state to a
single-connection state.
Mode D: disconnecting from both of the current dual-connection nodes, and
transferring connections to two target nodes, to maintain a dual-connection state.
Mode E: maintaining connections to both of the current dual-connection nodes, and
adjusting secondary carriers of respective connection nodes.
Examples of the connection transfer modes are described more intuitively below
20 with reference to Fig. 2.
An apparatus U4, which is in a dual-connection with a macro base station M2 and a
small cell base station S4, may disconnect from one of the connection nodes, for example, the
small cell base station S4, and maintain connection to the other connection node, for example,
the macro base station M2. This connection transfer mode corresponds to the above
25 mentioned mode A. In another example, the mode A may also include a case of disconnecting
from the macro base station and maintaining connection to the small cell base station.
An apparatus U3, which is in a dual-cmmection with a macro base station Ml and a
small cell base station S2, may disconnect from one of the connection nodes, for example, the
small cell base station S2, and transfer to a com1ect to a small cell base station S3. This
30 connection transfer mode corresponds to the above mentioned mode B. In another example,
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the mode B may also include a case of transferring connection to a source macro base station
to a target macro base station.
An apparatus US, which is in a dual-connection with the macro base station M2 and
a small cell base station SS, may disconnect from both of the macro base station M2 and the
5 small cell base station SS, and transfer to a connect to a macro base station Ml. This
connection transfer mode corresponds to the above mentioned mode C. In another example,
the mode C may also include a case of transferring the original dual-connection to a
connection to a target small cell base station.
An apparatus U2, which is in a dual-connection with a macro base station M3 and a
I 0 small cell base station S6, may disconnect from both of the macro base station M3 and the
small cell base station S6, and transfer to a dual-connection to a macro base station M2 and a
small cell base station S7. This connection transfer mode corresponds to the above mentioned
mode D.
Particularly, for the transfer mode A, no comparison between target nodes is
15 necessary. The transfer may be triggered by, for example, the occurrence of a radio link failure
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(RLF) over a main carrier of a single node, or a result of mobility measurement of
RSRP/RSRQ over a main carrier of the single node being lower than a threshold. For the
latter case, a trigger event for the mode A may be distinguished from an E-UTRAN A2 event.
For example, a trigger event is defmed specially for the mode A.
According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be
configured for reporting a mobility measurement result corresponding to the connection
transfer of the mode A in a case that a service quality of one of the current dual-connection
nodes is lower than a first threshold level. The first threshold level is not higher than a
threshold level for triggering an A2 event.
With the above configuration, a condition for triggering an inter-frequency
measurement by an A2 event is more permissive than the trigger condition for the connection
transfer of the mode A. Therefore, the A2 event may be triggered at a time earlier than the
connection transfer of the mode A. The first threshold level may be specifically set as required
to appropriately determine an interval between the triggering of the A2 event and the
30 triggering of the connection transfer of the mode A .
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More specifically, an offset threshold may be additional defined, on the basis of A2
event, for deactivating one of the connection nodes by a dual-connection user. For example,
information on the offset threshold may be broadcasted from the network to terminals.
Alternatively, a set of parameters for a dual-connection user to deactivate one of the
5 connection nodes may be broadcasted from the network to terminals with reference to the
definition of parameters for. the A2 event. By the above two exemplary approaches, a report
triggering event may be specially designed for the connection transfer of the mode A, or a
~anner for reporting the A2 event can be used to carry a condition (such as an RSRP/RSRQ
measurement result) for triggering a report of the connection transfer of the mode A, for the
1 0 network to determine on the deactivation of a node.
In the scenario of dual-connection, if an existing manner of measurement report is
used, the triggering of coverage-based measurement is challenged in the following aspects.
Referring to the example as shown in Fig. 2 again, Ul and U3 perform
dual-connection data transmission in a supper dense small cells deployment. Adjacent cells
15 may use different bands in order to avoid strong interference between the small cells. In a case
that the small cells is far from a macro base station, when a UE moves to an overlapped
region between two small cells of different frequencies and performs inter-frequency
measurement, the following situation may occur frequently: both a macro cell and a low
power node cell satisfy conditions of A3 to A6 events or B 1 to B2 events with respect to a
20 target measurement small cell, and the events are reported to the macro cell and/or the low
power node respectively. However, since the UE is still in the coverage of the macro cell, the
connection to the macro cell needs not to be transferred. Therefore, resources are wasted for
unnecessarily reporting mobility measurement for comparing between a serving carrier of the
low power node and a serving carrier of the macro base station.
25 Furthermore, since US is at an edge of a macro cell, both a target macro cell (Ml)
and current dual-connection cells (M2 and S2) satisfY the A3/ AS event. Since U2 is at the
edges of two macro cells (M3 and M2) and also the edges of two small cells (S6 and S7), if a
source macro cell satisfies an A3/ AS event with respect to both a target macro cell and a target
small cell, then the time points for triggering mobility measurement events of main carriers of
30 the two connection nodes of the dual-connection may be different, the connection node
transfer operation signaling interaction and data transmission which are performed separately
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for different reports may be further complicated if the events are reported respectively with a
very short time interval. Therefore, it is necessary to define separate trigger events for the
scenarios, and simplify the entire operation process for the transmission structure and
procedures of user plane data as shown in Fig. 3 for example.
According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be
configured for performing mobility measurement on the two connection nodes respectively,
and determining the triggering of a mobility measurement report according to a comparison of
measurement results on measuring objects for the first node and second node of the current
dual-connection nodes, in a case that a predetermined condition is satisfied.
Next, the manner of determining the triggering of a mobility measurement report
according to a comparison of measurement results on measuring objects of the current
dual-connection nodes is described with reference to a specific embodiment.
In a specific embodiment, the first measuring object for the first node measured by
the mobility measurement device 120 may include an inter-frequency inter-system measuring
15 object for the first node and an intra-frequency measuring object for a connection carrier of
the first node which are received from the first node. Similarly, the second measuring object
for the second node measured by the mobility measurement device 120 may include an
inter-frequency inter-system measuring object for the second node and an intra-frequency
measuring object for a connection carrier of the second node which are received for the
20 second node. For example, the measurement objects of different connection nodes may be
determined according to inter-frequency measurement/inter-system measurement lists for
respective nodes.
Accordingly, the mobility measurement device 120 may be configured for
performing the mobility measurement based on the first measuring object and the second
25 measuring object respectively, comparing a measurement result of a first measuring object
with a measurement result of a second measuring object to determine whether a measurement
reporting condition is satisfied, and reporting the measurement result and/or a measurement
comparison result of the measuring objects if a carrier of the first node or the second node
satisfies the measurement reporting condition. The measurement result and/or the
30 measurement comparison result may be reported only to the node corresponding to the
measurement object, or only to a macro node, or to both of the connection nodes.
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In the scenario of dual-connection, the network may configure a tetminal apparatus
to perform inter-frequency measurement on any connection nodes having any carriers that
satisfY a condition for reporting the A2 event. On the other hand, an intra-frequency
measurement result of a camer of a first connection node may be considered as an
5 inter-frequency measurement result of a second connection node, and an inter-frequency
(inter-system or intra-system) measurement result of the first connection node may also be
considered as an inter-frequency measurement result of the second connection node. Similarly,
an intra-frequency measurement result of a carrier of the second connection node may be
considered as an inter-frequency measurement result of the first connection node, and vice
10 versa. With the embodiment, the measurement result is appropriately reported by referring to
the mobility measurement results of both of the connection nodes, which may avoid reporting
repeated information in a case that the measurement objects for the two connection nodes
include a same target node. Therefore, urmecessary frequent reports of the
A3/A4/A5/A6/Bl/B2 event can be avoided, thereby the number of triggering of measurement
15 reports in the scenario of dual-connection can be optimized.
According to another specific embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120
may be configured for comparing a measurement result of the first node with a measurement
result of the second node to decide whether a triggering condition of an E-UTRAN
A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 event is satisfied in a case that the first node satisfies at least one of the
20 following conditions:
25
1.1) at least one of the first node and the second node satisfies the triggering
condition of the A2 event.
1.2) for the first node, there is no measuring object for inter-frequency measurement
or inter-system measurement.
1.3) a T31 0 timer started for a main carrier of the first node exceeds a predetermined
time limit and an A3/ A4/ AS/B 1/82 TTT timer for the first measuring object has not been
started yet, or the TTT timer has been started but is turned off within a predetermined time
limit.
Here, the measurement result of a node refers to a result of mobility measurement
30 performed for the node, which may include a result of measurement on a signal transmitted by
a measuring object (such as the first measurement object) related to the node. As mentioned
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above, the measuring object of the node may be detc1mined based on information on an
inter-frequency inter-system measuring object regarding the node and information on an
intra-frequency measuring object for a connection carrier of the node which are received from
the node.
Regarding the above condition 1.1 ), the comparison between the measurement result
of the first node and the measurement result of the second node may be performed directly in
a case that one of the dualcconnection nodes has a service quality lower than a threshold for
the A2 event.
Regarding the above condition 1.2), the comparison of measurement results may be
10 performed directly in a case that, for example, one of the dual-connection nodes does not have
a mobility measurement list, so that the measurement result of the measuring object of the
other node can be used.
Regarding the above condition 1.3), the comparison of measurement results may be
performed directly in a case that one of the dual-connection nodes has a high possibility of
15 link failure and there is no candidate target node, so that the measurement result of the
measuring object of the other node can be used.
Accordingly, the comparison of measurement results between nodes may be stopped
according to a predetermined condition. According to a specific embodiment, the mobility
measurement device 120 may be configured for stopping comparison with the measurement
20 result of the second node, and turning off a corresponding A3/ A4/ A5/B 1/B2 TIT timer which
has been triggered, the comparison of measurement results of a main carrier of the first node
is limited to comparison with frequency points of the first measuring objects, in a case that the
first node satisfies at least one of the following conditions:
2.1) a main carrier of the first node satisfies a condition for triggering report of an
25 A 1 event; and
30
2.2) a T31 0 timer for a main carrier of the first node is turned off before the T31 0
timer expires, or an A3/ A4/ A5/B 1/B2 TTT timer related to the first measuring object is started
before a predetermined time limit expires from the start of the T31 0 timer, or the TTT timer
has been started and operation time of the TTT timer exceeds a predetermined limit.
Regarding the above condition 2.1 ), since the service quality of the node IS
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recovered, the comparison with measurement result of the other node may be stopped.
Regarding the above condition 2.2), since the possibility oflink failure of the node is
small or a candidate target node is likely to exist, the comparison with measurement result of
the other node may be stopped.
Particularly, according to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 is
configured for performing, for mobility measurement corresponding to a connection transfer
of the mode E, the mobility measurement and report only for a frequency point contained in a
measuring object of inter-frequency measurement or inter-system measurement of each of the
current dual-connection nodes, thereby ensuring proper handover to a secondary carrier in the
10 node without unnecessary reporting.
Furthermore, while a TTT timer for a single node is started for triggering a report of
a traditional handover event, another channel quality monitoring procedure, i.e., RLF
monitoring is also performed. For example, referring to Fig. 3, the TTT timers (for example,
TTT timers 1-4) started for individual nodes may have different time relations with a RLF
15 T31 0 timer. Furthermore, certain time dependency may exist among different nodes, which
may be helpful for determining a measurement report corresponding to which mode of
transfer to be triggered.
According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 12 may be
configured for directly triggering a measurement result report and/or measurement
20 comparison result report corresponding to connection transfer of the mode C in a case that a
first node of the current dual-connection nodes satisfies a condition for triggering report of the
A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 event, and the A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 TTT timer and/or a T3l 0 timer started for
a second node of the current dual-connection nodes satisfies a predetermined condition.
In other words, in a case that the first node satisfies a condition of connection
25 transfer, if the timer for the second node satisfies a predetermined condition (such as specific
conditions described with reference to specific embodiment below), it is unnecessary to wait
for expiration of a timer for the second node to perform the measurement result report
corresponding to the connection transfer of the mode C. The report may indicate that the first
node satisfies a condition for transferring to a target node and the second node may be
30 disconnected from. Therefore, the system may decide, according to the measurement result, to
disconnect from both of the current dual-connection nodes and transfer to the target node,
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thereby changing from a dual-connection state to a single connection state. With this
configuration, the complicity of reporting measurement results may be reduced.
In the following, an example of the above predetermined condition is described with
reference to specific embodiments.
According to a specific embodiment, the measurement result report corresponding to
the mode C is directly performed if the follow conditions are satisfied:
3.1) the first node first satisfies a condition for triggering report of the
A3/ A4/ AS/B 1/B2 event;
3.2) at this time, the expiration-waiting-time of an A3/ A4/ ASIB l/B2 TTT timer for a
I 0 main carrier of the second node is less than a predetermined threshold; and
15
3.3) a measuring target node of the first node is the same as that of the second node.
Herein, the term "expiration-waiting-time" refers to a difference between a current
time and an expected expiration time of a timer. In other words, the shorter the
expiration-waiting-time is, the closer to the expiration of a timer.
If the above condition 3.1) is satisfied, it is indicated that the first node has an
available target node for transfer (which may be an inter-system or intra-system node).
If the above condition 3.2) is satisfied, it is indicated that the second node is highly
possible to have an available target node for transfer. Referring to Fig. 4, the condition 3.2) is
satisfied if T8 -TA"SLI.TTr, where the current time is the time when a TTT timer TTTt.for the
20 first node is expired (i.e., the time point TA in Fig. 4), and the expiration-waiting-time of a
TTT timer TTT B for the second node is denoted by T B·
If the above condition 3.3) is satisfied, it is indicated that the connection is to be
transferred to the same target node even if the TTT timer for the second node expires.
Therefore, if the above conditions are satisfied, the measurement result report
25 corresponding to the connection transfer of the mode C may be directly performed without
waiting for the expiration of the timer for the second node. Therefore, the system may decide,
according to the measurement result, to disconnect fi"om both of the current dual-connection
nodes and transfer to the target node.
In another embodiment, a measurement result report corresponding to the mode C is
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directly performed and the report indicates that the target node for transfer is a target node of
the first node in a case that the following conditions are satisfied:
4.1) the first node first satisfies a condition for triggering report of an
A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 event;
4.2) at this time, the expiration-waiting-time of an A3/ A4/ A5/Bl/B2 TTT timer for a
main carrier of the second node is less than a predetermined threshold; and
4.3) at this time, the expiration-waiting-time of a T310 timer for the second node is
not greater than that of the TTT timer by a predetermined threshold or more.
If the above condition 4.1) is satisfied, it is indicated that the first node has an
10 available target node for transfer.
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If the above condition 4.2) is satisfied, it is indicated that the second node is highly
possible to have an available target node for transfer. Referring to Fig. 5, the condition 4.2) is
satisfied if a time T A when a TTT timer TTT A for the first node is expired and the
expiration-waiting-timeT 8 of a TTT timer TTT B for the second node satisfY T 8 -TA'SAnTIf
the above condition 4.3) is satisfied, it is indicated that even if the TTT time for
the second node expires, a link faill!re is highly possible to occur in a time not sufficient for
completing the connection transfer. Referring to Fig. 5, the condition 4.3) is satisfied if
Tc-T8 «:AT3 10, where the expiration-waiting-time of the T310 timer for the second node is
denoted as T c-
Therefore, in a case that the above conditions are satisfied, the measurement result
repmi corresponding to the connection transfer of the mode C may be directly performed
without waiting for the expiration of the TTT timer or the T310 timer for the second node.
Therefore, the system may decide, according to the measurement result, to disconnect from
both of the current dual-connection nodes and transfer to the target node.
In another embodiment, a measurement result report corresponding to the mode C is
directly performed and the report indicates that the target node for transfer is a target node of
the first node, in a case that the following conditions are satisfied:
5.1) the first node first satisfies a condition for triggering report of an
A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 event;
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Original
5.2) at this time, the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer for the second node is
less than a predetermined threshold.
If the above condition 5.1) is satisfied, it is indicated that the first node has an
available target node for transfer.
If the above condition 5.2) is satisfied, it is indicated that a link failure is likely to
occur to the second node soon. Referring to Fig. 6, the condition 5.2) is satisfied if
Tc-TA"Sl>'n 10, where the expiration-waiting-time of the T310 timer for the second node is
denoted as Tc.
Therefore, in a case that the above conditions are satisfied, the measurement result
10 report corresponding to the connection transfer of the mode C may be directly performed
without wait for the expiration of the TTT timer or the T31 0 timer for the second node.
Therefore, the system may decide, according to the measurement result, to disconnect from
both of the current dual-connection nodes and transfer to the target node of the first node.
In the above specific embodiments, the thresholds l>TTr, l>r31o, .t.'n10 may be set
15 specifically according to requirements. For example, the time thresholds may be set by
referring to the time needed for performing the connection transfer, and may be notified to the
mobility measurement device by a serving carrier of the connection node via a broadcast
message or a dedicated RRC/MAC.
Embodiments of reporting directly without waiting for the expiration of a ti~er for
20 the second node in a case that the measurement condition satisfies a certain condition are
described above. In another embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be
configured for waiting for the expiration of an A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 TTT timer for a second node
in a case that a first node of the current dual-connection nodes satisfies a condition for
triggering report of an A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 event, and the A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 TTT timer started
25 for the second node of the current dual-connection nodes and a T31 0 timer started for the first
node and/or the second node satisfy a predetermined condition.
In other words, in a case that a first node satisfies a condition of connection transfer,
if timers of the first node and the second node satisfY a certain condition (such as the
condition described below with reference to specific embodiments), the expiration of the
30 timer for the second node is waited for. Therefore, the system can determine the connection
• 15 •
Your Ref.: CNPI\ 13056INOO
Our ref.: OP1615-06-0177
Original
transfer mode based on measurement results of both of the nodes. With the embodiment, it
can be ensured to determine the connection transfer mode more properly based on
measurement result of both the nodes in certain cases.
According to a specific embodiment, the expiration of a TTT timer for the second
5 node is waited for in a case that the condition for triggering the report of an A3/ A4/ A5/B 1/B2
event is satisfied for the first node and the following conditions are satisfied:
6.1) the expiration-waiting-time of the A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 TTT timer started for a
main carrier of the second node is less than a predetermined threshold; and
6.2) the expiration-waiting-time of the T31 0 timer started for the first node and/or
10 the second node is greater than the expiration-waiting-time of the TTT timer for the second
node by a predetermined threshold or more.
If the above condition 6.1) is satisfied, it is indicated that the second node is highly
possible to have an available target node for transfer. For example, referring to Fig. 7, the
condition 6.1) is satisfied because the expiration time TA of the timer TTTA for the first node
15 and the expiration-waiting-time T 8 of the TTT timer TTT 8 for the second node satisfY the
condition Ts-TA:SATTT·
If the above condition 6.2) is satisfied, it is indicated that a link failure will not occur
soon to the first node and/or the second node. For example, referring to Fig. 7, the condition
6.2) is satisfied because the expiration time Tc of a T31 0 timer (which may be started for the
20 first node and/or the second node) satisfies the condition Tc-T 8:SATTT·
Furthermore, in a case that the above conditions for waiting for the expiration of a
TTT timer for the second node are satisfied, if the TTT timer for the second node is turned off
due to a fact that the channel quality of the second node is recovered during the waiting for
the expiration of the TTT timer, the measurement result report corresponding to the mode B
25 may be performed for the measurement triggering event of the first node.
In other words, in a case that the first node satisfies the condition of connection
transfer, if the service quality of the second node is recovered, the report may indicate that the
first node satisfies a condition for transferring to the target mode and connection to the second
node may be maintained. Therefore, the system may decide, according to the measurement
30 result, to maintain the connection to the second node of the current dual-connection nodes and
- 16-
Your Ref: CNPA 130561NOO
Our ref.: OPI615-06-0177
Original
transfer the connection to the first node to connection to the target node of the first node,
thereby maintaining a dual-connection state.
Furthermore, in a case that the above conditions for waiting for the expiration of a
TTT timer for the second node are satisfied, if the TTT timer for the second node expires,
5 corresponding reporting manners can be determined based on the following measurement
conditions:
7.1) in a case that target nodes of TTT events for main carrier measurement of the
first node and the second node are different, a measurement result report corresponding to the
mode D is performed, or a measurement result report corresponding to the mode C is
10 performed with a target node of a macro node serving as the target node for transfer.
7.2) in a case that target nodes of TTT events for main carrier measurement of the
first node and the second node are the same, performing a measurement result report
corresponding to the mode C.
Regarding the case 7 .l ), since the two nodes have different available target nodes for
15 transfer, the report may indicate that each of the first node and the second node satisfies a
condition for transferring to a respective target node. The system may decide, according to the
measurement result, to disconnect from both of the dual-connection nodes, and transfer to the
two target nodes, thereby maintaining a dual-connection state. Alternatively, the system may
decide, according to the measurement result, to disconnect from both of the dual-connection
20 nodes, and transfer to a target node of a macro node, thereby maintaining a single-connection
state.
Regarding the above case 7.2), since the two nodes have the same available target
node for transfer, the report may indicate that both the first node and the second node satisfy
the condition for transferring to the same target node. Therefore, the system may decide,
25 according to the measurement result, to disconnect from both of the current dual-connection
nodes and transfer to the target node, thereby changing from a dual-connection state to a
single-connection state.
Furthetmore, according to an embodiment, the condition for waiting for the
expiration of the TTT timer for the second node may further include: the measurement trigger
30 reporting event for the second node is a coverage-based mobility trigger reporting event. In
- 17 -
Your Ref.: CNPA I 3056JNOO
Our ref.: OPI 615-06-0177
Original
other words, it is required that the measurement on the second node is coverage-based
mobility measurement for waiting for the expiration of the TTT timer for the second node
after the expiration of the TTT timer for the first node, while the measurement of the first
node may be coverage-based mobility measurement or load-based mobility measurement.
5 With this configuration, it is avoid that a report of coverage-based measurement waits for a
report of load-based measurement, thereby having a more reasonable mobility measurement
reporting manner.
In addition to the above measurement conditions described with reference to the
above embodiments, there may be another condition that both of the dual-connection nodes
10 satisfY a condition for triggering a report. According to an embodiment, the mobility
measurement device 120 may be configured for, in a case that main carriers of both of the
current dual-connection nodes satisfY a condition for triggering report of an A3/ A4/ A5/B l/B2
event, not transferring the connection to the two nodes, but performing a measurement result
report corresponding to the mode B according to a priority order, or performing a
15 measurement result report corresponding to the mode D in order to decide a preferred
transferring node by the network. In other words, the report may indicate that one of the nodes
satisfies the condition for transferring to the target node, and connection to the other node
may be maintained. Therefore, the system may decide, according to the measurement result,
to maintain connection to which one of the current dual-connection nodes and transfer the
20 connection to the other node to a target node, thereby maintaining a dual-connection state. For
the other node, measurement result of the other node may be reported after a certain time or
after receipt of a node transferring command from the network. This configuration is
advantageous for reducing the complicity of measurement report.
Specifically, the priority order may be determined according to one or more of the
25 following principles:
8.1) the one having a worse channel quality of source node is prior;
8.2) the one having a better signal of target node is prior;
8.3) a coverage-based measurement event is prior to a load-based measurement
event;
30 8.4) a node whose T310 timer expires earlier is prior; and
- 18 -
8.5) a macro node is prior to a low power node.
Your Ref.: CNPAI30561NOO
Our ref.: OP 1615-06-0177
Original
With the principles 8.1) and 8.2), the transfer mode is selected according to channel
quality, which may achieve better channel quality by the node transfer. With the principles 8.3)
and 8.5), it is ensured that more important node has higher priority to be transferred. With the
5 principle 8.4), it is ensured that a node that is more likely to have link failure has higher
priority to be transferred. With this configuration, the report may be performed according to
the channel quality or the importance of nodes, thereby having a more reasonable mobility
measurement reporting manner.
Furthermore, considering that a macro node is mainly for maintaining the network
I 0 connection and a low power node is mainly for data distribution, preferably, load-based
measurement report can be performed mainly for a low power node and coverage-based
measurement report can be performed for both of the connection nodes.
15
Therefore, according to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 IS
configured for reporting a load-based event only for a low power node.
Particularly, in a case that a measurement report corresponding to the connection
transfer mode C and the connection transfer mode D (i.e., disconnecting from both of
dual-connection nodes and transferring the connection to one or more target nodes) occurs in
various temporal relations combinations, the mobility measurement device 120 may be
configured for reporting a new report triggering event or reporting by combining traditional
20 A3/A4/A5/Bl/B2 events. Furthermore, the mobility measurement device 120 may report in
various manners. For example, it is possible to report measurement results of connection
nodes to respective connection nodes (i.e., to report measurement result of the first node to the
first node and report measurement result of the second node to the second node), or report
measurement results of all connection nodes to both of the connection nodes (i.e., to report
25 measurement results of the first and second nodes to both of the first and second node).
30
Furthermore, it is possible to report measurement results of both nodes only to a macro node,
or report measurement results of both nodes to the macro node while reporting a measurement
result of a main carrier of a low power node to the low power node, as will be described with
reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 11 below.
According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 is configured
for, if radio link failme occurs to a node of the current dual-connection nodes before receipt of
. 19-
Your Ref.: CNPA130561NOO
Our ref.: OP1615-06-0177
Original
a node transfer notice and a node transfer event report is performed for the node, reporting to
the network via the other node of the current dual-connection nodes after waiting for over a
predetermined time limit, and waiting for transfer notice signaling sent from the network via
the other node within the time limit. Alternatively, report can be made directly to tbe other
5 node, and node transfer operation is made based on a notice from the other node.
Furthermore, the node for reporting a measurement result and rece1vmg a
confirmation for connection transfer may be determined according to a state of a T31 0 timer
or TTT timer started for a connection node.
According to an embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be
1 o configured for sending a measurement report and receiving a confirmation for connection
transfer via a first node and/or a second node of the current dual-connection nodes, that is,
sending a measurement report and receiving a confirmation for connection transfer via any
one or both of the two nodes, in the following case:
9.1) the expiration-waiting-times of T310 timers for the first node and the second
15 node are both greater than a predetermined threshold; or
9.2) for the first node and the second node, the expiration-waiting-time of a T310
timer is greater than that of a TTT timer by a predetermined threshold or more.
As mentioned above, the expiration-waiting-time is a difference between a current
time and an expected expiration time of a timer. Below, it is assumed that the current time is
20 the expiration time of the TTT timer for the first node, and T31 0 A denotes the
expiration-waiting-time of the T31 0 timer for the first node, T31 08 denotes the
expiration-waiting-time of the T31 0 timer for the second node, and TTT 8 denotes the
expiration-waiting-time of the TTT timer for the second node.
If the conditions in the case 9.1) are satisfied, that is, T310A;::>:,i',A and T3108 ;::>:6n, it
25 is indicated that no link failure will occur soon to any of the two connection nodes. Therefore,
the sending of a measurement report and reception of a confirmation for connection transfer
may be performed by any one or both of the connection nodes.
If the conditions in the case 9.2) are satisfied, that 1s, T310A-TTT 8 ;::>:6 'A and
T31 Ow TTT 8 ;::>:t.'8 , it is indicated that there may be sufficient time between the determination
30 of available target node for transfer and occurrence of link failure. Therefore, the sending of a
-20-
Your Ref.: CNPA130561NOO
Our ref.: OP 1615-06-0177
Original
measurement report and reception of a confirmation for connection transfer may be performed
by any one or both of the connection nodes.
In another embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be configured
for sending a measurement report and receiving a confirmation for connection transfer via a
5 first node of the current dual-connection nodes in the following case:
10.1) the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer for the first node is greater than a
predetermined threshold, and the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer for a second node
of the current dual-connection nodes is less than a predetermined threshold; or
1 0.2) for the first node, the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer is greater than
I 0 that of a TTT timer by a predetermined threshold or more, and for the second node, the
expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer is not greater than that of a TTT timer by a
predetermined threshold or more.
If the conditions in the case 10.1) are satisfied, that is, T310A~ /1A and T310s< /13, it
is indicated that no link failure will occur soon to the first nodes, while a link failure may
15 likely occur soon to the second node. Therefore, the sending of a measurement report and
reception of a confirmation for connection transfer may be performed by the first nodes.
If the conditions in the case 10.2) are satisfied, that is, T310A- TITs~ 11'A and
T31 08 - TTT 8 < 11' 8 , it is indicated that there may be sufficient time between the
determination of available transfer target node and occurrence oflink failure for the first node,
20 while there may not be sufficient time between the determination of available transfer target
node and occurrence of link failure for the second node. Therefore, the sending of a
measurement report and reception of a confirmation for connection transfer may be performed
by the first node.
Similarly, the mobility measurement device 120 may be configured for sending a
25 measurement report and receiving a confi1mation for connection transfer via the second node
of the current dual-connection nodes in the following case:
30
11.1) the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer for the second node is greater than
a predetermined threshold, and the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer for the first node
of the current dual-connection nodes is less than a predetem1ined threshold; or
11.2) for the second node, the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0 timer is greater
. 21 -
Your Ref.: CNPA 130561NOO
Our ref.: OP 1615-06-0 I 77
Original
than that of a TTT timer by a predetermined threshold or more, and for the first node, the
expiration-waiting-time of a T3l 0 timer is not greater than that of a TTT timer by a
predetermined threshold or more.
In another embodiment, the mobility measurement device 120 may be configured
5 for sending a measurement report or receiving a confirmation for connection transfer via both
of a first node and a second node of the current dual-connectionnodes in the following case:
12.1) the expiration-waiting-times of T310 timers of the first node and the second
node are both less than a predetermined threshold; or
12.2) for the first node and the second node, the expiration-waiting-time of a T31 0
I 0 timer is not greater than that of a TTT timer by a predetermined threshold or more.
If the conditions in the case 12: 1) are satisfied, that is, T31 0 A