Method for facilitating network identification, access node, method for network identification and user equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10299194-B2
Application number	US-201415527802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2014
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A method ( 200 ) for facilitating network identification is provided. The method comprises, at an access node of a first network: detecting (S 210 ) a physical-layer-related identity of each of one or more neighboring access nodes; decoding (S 220 ), for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes, a network identity of the neighboring access node; for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes: determining (S 230 ) whether the neighboring access node belongs to the first network or a different network; and determining (S 230 ) an identity group in which the detected physical-layer-related identity of the neighboring access node is included; and selecting (S 240 ), as a physical-layer-related identity of the access node, a physical-layer-related identity from an identity group other than any identity group in which a physical-layer-related identity of a neighboring access node belonging to a different network is included.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating network identification, comprising, at an access node of a first network:
detecting a physical-layer-related identity of each of one or more neighboring access nodes;
decoding, for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes, a network identity of the neighboring access node based on the detected physical-layer-related identity of the neighboring access node;
for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes:
determining whether the neighboring access node belongs to the first network or a different network based on the decoded network identity of the neighboring access node; and
determining an identity group in which the detected physical-layer-related identity of the neighboring access node is included; and

selecting, as a physical-layer-related identity of the access node, a physical-layer-related identity from an identity group other than any identity group in which a physical-layer-related identity of a neighboring access node belonging to a different network is included.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical-layer-related identity of the access node is selected from an identity group in which a physical-layer-related identity of a neighboring access node belonging to the first network is included.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to a User Equipment (UE), information indicating one or more identity groups associated with the first network, each identity group including at least the physical-layer-related identity of the access node or a physical-layer-related identity of at least one neighboring access node of the first network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical-layer-related identity of each of one or more neighboring access nodes is at least associated with a synchronization signal sequence used by a corresponding neighboring access code of the one or more neighboring access nodes.

5. An access node of a first network, comprising:
a processor and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that executed by the processor to cause the access node to:
detect a physical-layer-related identity of each of one or more neighboring access nodes,
decode, for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes, a network identity of the neighboring access node based on the detected physical-layer-related identity of the neighboring access node;
for each of the one or more neighboring access nodes:
determine whether the neighboring access node belongs to the first network or a different network based on the decoded network identity of the neighboring access node, and
determine an identity group in which the detected physical-layer-related identity of the neighboring access node is included, and

select, as a physical-layer-related identity of the access node, a physical-layer-related identity from an identity group other than any identity group in which a physical-layer-related identity of a neighboring access node belonging to a different network is included.

6. The access node of claim 5 , wherein the physical-layer-related identity of the access node is selected from an identity group in which a physical-layer-related identity of a neighboring access node belonging to the first network is included.

7. The access node of claim 5 , further to:
transmit, to a User Equipment (UE), information indicating one or more identity groups associated with the first network, each identity group including at least the physical-layer-related identity of the access node or a physical-layer-related identity of at least one neighboring access node of the first network.

8. The access node of claim 5 , wherein the physical-layer-related identity of each of one or more neighboring access nodes is at least associated with a synchronization signal sequence used by a corresponding neighboring access code of the one or more neighboring access nodes.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Li Gen
• Irnich Tim

Classifications

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W56/0015

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title

• H04W88/08

  Access point devices · CPC title

• H04W48/10

  using broadcasted information · CPC title