User equipment for searching a suitable base station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11051243-B2
Application number	US-201816482091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a user equipment configured to operate in a cellular network comprising a plurality of base stations, the user equipment comprising a communication unit and a control unit, wherein the communication unit is capable of operating in a specialized transmission mode with one of the plurality of base stations being capable of supporting said specialized transmission mode, in case of detection of a suitable base station, the communication unit is configured when operating in non-registered mode to: —decode an information signal received from said detected base station, the information signal indicating if said base station supports said specialized transmission mode, —camp on said base station, if said specialized transmission mode is supported, or —otherwise provide a message indicating non-support of specialized transmission mode support to the control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. User equipment configured to operate in a cellular network comprising a plurality of base stations, and further configured to carry out at least one predefined service,
the user equipment comprising a communication unit and a control unit,
wherein the communication unit is capable of operating in a specialized transmission mode with one of the plurality of base stations being capable of supporting said specialized transmission mode, wherein the specialized transmission mode is different from an enhanced coverage mode,
in case of detection of a suitable base station, the communication unit is configured when operating in non-registered mode to:
decode an information signal received from said detected base station,
determine from the decoded information signal whether said base station supports said specialized transmission mode,
in response to determining that the specialized transmission mode is supported, determine whether the specialized transmission mode for the base station supports the predefined service,
in response to determining that the specialized transmission mode for the base station is supportive of said predefined service, camp on said base station, and

in response to determining that the base station does not support the specialized transmission mode or the specialized transmission mode for the base station does not support the predefined service, provide a message indicating non-support of specialized transmission mode support to the control unit.

2. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
further configured to retrieve after said camping on the base station an indication from the control unit to carry out another predefined service, and to instruct the communication unit to repeat the base station selection.

3. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
wherein the message to the control unit comprises information relating to at least one out of the group of:
existence of the specialized transmission mode,
required qualification of the specialized transmission mode,
insufficient subscription relating to the specialized transmission mode.

4. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
configured to provide said message in case no suitable base station is detected that supports the specialized transmission mode.

5. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
wherein the predefined service relates to at least one of a voice telephony, data transmission or streaming.

6. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
wherein the user equipment is additionally configured to operate in a non-specialized transmission mode, and the user equipment is operating in a power saving mode, said power saving mode comprising a predefined power consumption threshold,
wherein the user equipment is further configured to camp on said suitable base station not supporting the specialized transmission mode, under the condition that the predefined power consumption threshold is met by operating with said base station in non-specialized transmission mode.

7. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
further configured upon detection of no suitable base station supporting the specialized transmission mode at a particular location:
to store an indication relating to said particular location,
to submit said particular indication to the cellular network at a later point in time when the user equipment is camping on a serving base station.

8. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
wherein the specialized transmission mode comprises at least one out of the group of:
LTE-Cat-M,
LTE-Cat-M1,
LTE-Cat-M2,
Narrowband-IoT,
NB1,
NB2,
Ultra-reliable low latency communication,
High data throughput mode, and
massive machine type communication,

wherein the predefined service is the enhanced coverage mode.

9. User equipment according to claim 1 ,
wherein said control unit is further configured to receive said message indicating non-support of specialized transmission mode or lack of qualification,
in response to adapt requirements relating to base station capabilities,
to instruct communication unit to repeat base station selection.

10. Method for a user equipment configured to operate in a cellular network, further configured to carry out at least one predefined service,
the user equipment being capable of operating in a specialized transmission mode with one of a plurality of base stations being part of the cellular network, the base station being capable of supporting said specialized transmission mode, wherein the specialized transmission mode is different from an enhanced coverage mode,
the user equipment comprising a control unit,
the method comprising the steps for a user equipment operating in non-registered mode of:
detecting of a suitable base station,
decoding an information signal received from said detected base station,
determining from the decoded information signal whether said base station supports said specialized transmission mode,
in response to determining that the specialized transmission mode is supported, determine whether the specialized transmission mode for the base station supports the predefined service,
in response to determining that the specialized transmission mode for the base station is supportive of said predefined service, camp on said base station, and
in response to determining that the base station does not support the specialized transmission mode or the specialized transmission mode for the base station does not support the predefined service, providing a message indicating lack of specialized transmission mode support to the control unit.

11. Method according to claim 10 ,
comprising after camping on the base station, the step of retrieving an indication from control unit to carry out another predefined service,
and instructing the communication unit to repeat the base station selection.

12. Method according to claim 10 ,
wherein the message to the control unit comprises information relating to at least one out of the group of:
existence of the specialized transmission mode,
required qualification of the specialized transmission mode,
insufficient subscription relating to the specialized transmission mode.

13. Method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the predefined service relates to at least one of a voice telephony, data transmission or streaming.

14. Method according to claim 11 ,
further comprising upon detection of no suitable base station supporting the specialized transmission mode at a particular location the steps of:
storing an indication relating to said particular location,
submitting said particular indication to the cellular network at a later point in time when the user equipment is camping on a serving base station.

Assignees

• Gemalto M2M Gmbh
• Thales Dis Ais Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Breuer Volker
• Gröne Jürgen

Classifications

• H04W48/18

  Selecting a network or a communication service · CPC title

• H04W8/18

  Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04W48/20 Primary

  Selecting an access point · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title