Wireless telecommunications system, terminal device, infrastructure equipment, integrated circuitry and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10609601-B2
Application number	US-201716082286-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2017
Priority date	Mar 16, 2016
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

The present technique provides a first terminal device for exchanging signals with a wireless telecommunications network and a plurality of second terminal devices, the first terminal device configured to exchange signals with each of the plurality of second terminal devices, when the first terminal device provides a local cell for providing wireless connectivity for the plurality of second terminal devices, and to exchange signals with one or more infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, and receive, from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device when providing the local cell, suitability information indicative of the suitability of each of one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network to exchange signals with that second terminal device to provide for that second terminal devices another local cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A first terminal device for exchanging signals with a wireless telecommunications network and a plurality of second terminal devices, the first terminal device comprising:
a transceiver configured to exchange signals with each of the plurality of second terminal devices, when the first terminal device provides a local cell for providing wireless connectivity for the plurality of second terminal devices, and to exchange signals with one or more infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, and
a controller configured to
control the transceiver to receive, from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device when providing the local cell, suitability information indicative of the suitability of each of one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network to exchange signals with that second terminal device to provide for that second terminal devices another local cell; and
control the transceiver to transmit a handover command to one or more of the plurality of second terminal devices, the handover command instructing the one or more second terminal devices to exchange signals with the wireless telecommunications network via an identified more suitable terminal device or infrastructure equipment for providing a local cell, if one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network other than the first terminal device is identified as being more suitable for serving the one or more second terminal devices served by the first terminal device, wherein

the suitability information received from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device comprises an indication of a direction of travel of that second terminal device relative to at least one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, and
for each second terminal device, one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment towards which that second terminal device is travelling is biased towards being determined as more suitable for serving that second terminal device by providing a local cell than one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment away from which that second terminal device is travelling.

2. The first terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the transceiver is configured to
transmit the suitability information to infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network; and
receive, from the infrastructure equipment, information indicative of the identified more suitable terminal device or infrastructure equipment for providing a local cell, in the case that one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network other than the first terminal device is identified as being more suitable for serving the one or more second terminal devices served by the first terminal device; and

the controller is configured to control the transceiver to transmit the handover command to the one or more second terminal devices in response to the transceiver receiving the information indicative of the identified more suitable terminal device or infrastructure equipment for providing a local cell, the handover command comprising the information indicative of the identified more suitable terminal device or infrastructure equipment for providing a local cell.

3. The first terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine, on the basis of the suitability information, whether one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network other than the first terminal device is more suitable for serving the one or more second terminal devices served by the first terminal device.

4. The first terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the suitability information received from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device comprises an indication of a radio link quality between that second terminal device and each of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network; and
for each second terminal device, one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment with a higher radio link quality with that second terminal device is biased towards being determined as more suitable for serving that second terminal device by providing a local cell than one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment with a lower radio link quality with that second terminal device.

5. The first terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the suitability information received from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device comprises a state identifier of that second terminal device, the state identifier indicating one of a plurality of predetermined possible states of that second terminal device; and
for each second terminal device, one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment with a state identifier matching the state identifier of that second terminal device is biased towards being determined as a more suitable serving one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment for that second terminal device than one of the other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment without a state identifier matching the state identifier of that second terminal device.

6. The first terminal device according to claim 5 , wherein the state identifier indicates one of a plurality of predetermined possible geographical locations of each of each second terminal device and each of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network.

7. A first terminal device for exchanging signals with a wireless telecommunications network and a plurality of second terminal devices, the first terminal device comprising:
a transceiver configured to exchange signals with each of the plurality of second terminal devices, when the first terminal device provides a local cell for providing wireless connectivity for the plurality of second terminal devices, and to exchange signals with one or more infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network, and
circuitry configured to
control the transceiver to receive, from each of the plurality of second terminal devices served by the first terminal device when providing the local cell, suitability information indicative of the suitability of each of one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network to exchange signals with that second terminal device to provide for that second terminal devices another local cell; and
control the transceiver to transmit a handover command to one or more of the plurality of second terminal devices, the handover command instructing the one or more second terminal devices to exchange signals with the wireless telecommunications network via an identified more suitable terminal device or infrastructure equipment for providing a local cell, if one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network other than the first terminal device is identified as being more suitable for serving the one or more second terminal devices served by the first terminal device, wherein

in the case that one of the one or more other terminal devices or infrastructure equipment of the wireless telecommunications network is determined to be more suitable for serving one or more of the

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Wei Yuxin
• Wakabayashi Hideji
• Tsuda Shinichiro
• Martin Brian Alexander

Classifications

• H04W36/00

  Hand-off or reselection arrangements · CPC title

• H04W36/0061

  of neighbour cell information · CPC title

• H04W36/0058

  Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports · CPC title

• H04W36/0072

  of resource information of target access point · CPC title

• H04W36/32

  by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data · CPC title