Cell search method and communications apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11310729-B2
Application number	US-201917040544-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	Apr 12, 2018
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

A cell search method and a communications apparatus are provided. The method includes the following: before searching for a cell, a terminal device may determine, with reference to historical access information of another terminal device, whether there is a cell at the location, and adjust, based on a determining result, a value of a search parameter used to search for a cell. For example, if there is a cell, the terminal device may adjust the search parameter to accelerate a search. If there is no cell, the terminal device may perform no search, or adjust the search parameter to reduce an unnecessary cell search performed by the terminal device, so that power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cell search method, comprising:
obtaining, by a first terminal, first information before searching for a cell at a first location, wherein the first information comprises historical access information that is obtained from one or more second terminals near the first terminal in a short-distance communication manner and that corresponds to each second terminal at the first location, wherein historical access information corresponding to the first location indicates whether there is a cell at the first location;
determining, by the first terminal, a value of a search parameter of the first terminal at the first location based on second information, wherein the second information comprises the first information; and
searching, by the first terminal, for a cell at the first location based on the value of the search parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second information further comprises historical access information that is stored by the first terminal and that corresponds to the first terminal at the first location.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, or the first indication information is used to indicate that no cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises second indication information, and the second indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells found at the first location.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells successfully accessed at the first location.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells successfully accessed/found at the first location and related information of the one or more successfully accessed/found cells, and the related information of the cell comprises a carrier frequency of the cell.

7. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, the computer program comprises a program instruction, and when the program instruction is executed by a computer, the computer is enabled to perform the method according to claim 1 .

8. A communications apparatus, comprising a processor and a transceiver, wherein
the transceiver is configured to obtain first information before searching for a cell at a first location, wherein the first information comprises historical access information that is obtained from one or more second terminals near the communications apparatus in a short-distance communication manner and that corresponds to each second terminal at the first location, wherein historical access information corresponding to the first location indicates whether there is a cell at the first location;
the processor is configured to determine a value of a search parameter of the communications apparatus at the first location based on second information, wherein the second information comprises the first information; and
the transceiver searches for a cell at the first location based on the value of the search parameter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second information further comprises historical access information that is stored by the communications apparatus and that corresponds to the communications apparatus at the first location.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises first indication information, and the first indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, or the first indication information is used to indicate that no cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises second indication information, and the second indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells found at the first location.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells successfully accessed at the first location.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the historical access information corresponding to the first location comprises fourth indication information, the fourth indication information indicates that a cell is successfully accessed/found at the first location, and indicate one or more cells successfully accessed/found at the first location and related information of the one or more successfully accessed/found cells, and the related information of the cell comprises a carrier frequency of the cell.

14. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the search parameter comprises at least one of a search carrier frequency parameter, a location change threshold parameter, a parameter of a maximum quantity of search times, or a search period parameter, and
the transceiver is configured to search for a cell based on a value of the search carrier frequency parameter;
when a quantity of times of searching for a cell by the transceiver at a location is equal to a value of the parameter of the maximum quantity of search times, the processor is configured to determine that there is no cell at the location; and
when the communications apparatus is displaced and a displacement amount is greater than or equal to a value of the location change threshold parameter, the transceiver is configured to re-search for a cell at a location of the communications apparatus after the displacement and re-collects statistics about a quantity of cell search times, wherein
when the transceiver searches for a cell at a location, a time interval between a moment at which a previous search ends and a moment at which a current search starts is a value of the search period parameter.

15. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein determining the value of a search parameter of the communications apparatus at the first location based on the second information by the processor comprises:
adjusting, based on the second information, a value/values of one or more of search parameters used to search for a cell at the first location, to obtain the value of the search parameter of the communications apparatus at the first location.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein determining the value of the search parameter of the communications apparatus at the first location based on the second information by the processor comprises:
when the second information indicates that there is a cell at the first location, the processor determines that the value of the

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Qi
• Fang Ping
• Cheng Yong
• Xia Pengfei
• Huang Wei

Classifications

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W4/02

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04B17/26

  using historical data, averaging values or statistics · CPC title

• H04W48/16 Primary

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title

• H04W8/005 Primary

  Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals · CPC title