Coordination of simultaneous multi-RAT camping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10117212-B2
Application number	US-201615539908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2016
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to the coordination of simultaneous multi-RAT camping in in a wireless communication network that provides radio access for a terminal device via at least a first and second wireless radio access operating with different radio access technologies. The improved multi-RAT camping is achieved by transmitting, by a network node, an indication regarding a set of camping areas, CAs, including a first set of camping areas being associated with the first RAT and a second set of camping areas being associated with the second RAT; performing, by the terminal device, camping in a coverage area defined based on the set of CAs; and updating, by the terminal device, the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device a) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by both the first and second set of CAs as a first mechanism, or b) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by one of the first and second set of CAs as a second mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network providing radio access for a terminal device via at least a first and second type of wireless radio accesses operating with different radio access technologies (RATs), the method comprising:
transmitting, by at least one network node, an indication regarding a set of camping areas (CAs), including a first set of camping areas associated with a first RAT and a second set of camping areas associated with a second RAT; wherein the first RAT is a priority RAT and the second RAT is a backup RAT;
performing, by the terminal device, camping in a coverage area defined based on the set of CAs;
updating, by the terminal device, the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device:
a) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by both the first and second set of CAs as a first mechanism; or
b) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by one of the first and second set of CAs as a second mechanism;

wherein the updating the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device is, as a third mechanism:
c) performed when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by the first set of camping areas, and
d) is not performed when the terminal device leaves the coverage area defined by the second set of camping areas but remains within the coverage area defined by the first set of camping areas.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication includes a list or a set of lists indicating one or more CAs of the first set of camping areas and/or indicating one or more CAs of the second set of camping areas.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updating the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device is an update for the first RAT and/or the second RAT.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network node, in response to the updating, assigns a new first set of camping areas and/or a new second set of camping areas.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when the terminal device loses coverage of the first RAT:
using the second RAT to report a loss of RAT coverage to the communication node; or
continuing a camping on the second RAT.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each CA included in the indication is provided with a priority indication, the priority indicating a preferred CA the terminal device should select to access the network and/or the priority indicating a preferred RAT the terminal device should select to access the network.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the CA priority indication is a RAT preference indication.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting, by the network node, whether the terminal device is paged in both the first RAT and second RAT, or whether terminal device is paged in one of the first RAT and second RAT.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accessing the communication network, by the terminal device, as a response to paging and/or as a terminal device initiated access in the first RAT, or in both the first RAT and second RAT.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the terminal device is provided with a control instruction from the network node which configures the terminal device to apply the first, second, or third mechanism.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the control instruction is based on at least one of
the terminal device type;
the terminal device capabilities;
type of service;
the communication network slicing instance(s) the terminal device might belong to;
a need to establish multi-connectivity;
a battery condition of the terminal device; and
a coverage pattern of the first RAT and second RAT, the overlapping coverage area, and a stability of the overlapping coverage area.

12. A method in a terminal device, the terminal device being capable of monitoring channels via at least a first and second type of wireless radio accesses operating with different radio access technologies (RATs), the method comprising:
receiving an indication regarding a set of camping areas (CAs), including a first set of camping areas associated with a first RAT and a second set of camping areas associated with a second RAT; wherein the first RAT is a priority RAT and the second RAT is a backup RAT;
performing camping in a coverage area defined based on the set of CAs;
updating the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device:
a) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by both the first and second set of CAs, as a first mechanism; or
b) when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by one of the first and second set of CAs, as a second mechanism;

wherein the updating the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device is, as a third mechanism:
c) performed when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverage area defined by the first set of camping areas; and
d) is not performed when the terminal device leaves the coverage area defined by the second set of camping areas but remains within the coverage area defined by the first set of camping areas.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the updating the communication network with a geographic location of the terminal device is an update for the first RAT and/or the second RAT.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, when the terminal device loses coverage of the first RAT:
using the second RAT to report a loss of RAT coverage to the communication network; or
continuing a camping on the second RAT.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein each CA included in the indication is provided with a priority indication, the priority indicating a preferred CA the terminal device should select to access the network and/or the priority indicating a preferred RAT the terminal device should select to access the network.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the CA priority indication is a RAT preference indication.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising monitoring paging channels in both the first RAT and second RAT, or in one of the first RAT and second RAT.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising accessing the communication network as a response to paging and/or as a terminal device initiated access in the first RAT, or in both the first RAT and second RAT.

19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising receiving a control instruction which configures the terminal device to apply the first, second, or third mechanism.

20. A method in a network node, the network node providing one or more channels via a first and/or second type of wireless radio accesses operating with different radio access technologies (RATs), the method comprising:
transmitting, to a terminal device, an indication regarding a set of camping areas (CAs), including a first set of camping areas associated with a first RAT and a second set of camping areas associated with a second RAT; wherein the first RAT is a priority RAT and the second RAT is a backup RAT;
transmitting a control instruction to configure the terminal device to apply a CA update mechanism to:
a) update a geographic location of the terminal device when the terminal device enters a new coverage area being different from the coverag

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Rune Johan
• Da Silva Icaro L J
• Mildh Gunnar
• Pradas Jose Luis

Classifications

• H04W68/06

  using multi-step notification by changing the notification area · CPC title

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W60/04

  using triggered events · CPC title

• H04W60/005 Primary

  Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming · CPC title

• H04W76/15

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title