Handover determination between relays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11438820-B2
Application number	US-202017020440-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2020
Priority date	Sep 16, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for wireless communication that over come problems associated with conventional approaches including load balancing and handover efficiency issues. For example, in one aspect a wireless communication technique takes into account the load of a relay before a UE is switched from one relay to another. In another example, a wireless communication technique ensures that UEs are handed over to relays that will be able to serve the UE as the mobile relay continues to follow its expected path (such as streets or tracks), which may be known or determined.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:
connecting a user equipment (UE) to a first relay, the first relay connected to a network node;
receiving relay information by the network node or the UE, the relay information comprising location information of the first relay, signal strength information of the first relay, load information of the first relay, signal strength information of a second relay, load information of the second relay, location information of the second relay, wherein the second relay is connected to the network node;
determining, by the network node, whether a handover decision is positive or negative, wherein the handover decision is determined to be positive when a combination of one or more of the following is true: the signal strength information of the first relay is below a strength threshold, the load information of the first relay is above a load threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay is above the strength threshold, the load information of the second relay is below the load threshold, a UE location relative to path information of a first relay location and path information of a second relay location; and
connecting the UE to the second relay when the handover decision is determined to be positive.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay information is received from one of the first relay or the second relay.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the relay information of the first relay is received periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the load information of the first relay exceeding the load threshold, the signal strength information of the first relay falling below the strength threshold, a velocity of the first relay exceeding a velocity threshold, or the first relay location entering or exiting an area of interest.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the relay information of the second relay is received periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the load information of the second relay exceeding the load threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay falling below the strength threshold, a velocity of the second relay exceeding a velocity threshold, or the second relay location entering or exiting an area of interest.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay information is received from the UE or from the first relay by the network node and further comprises the UE location.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the relay information is received from the UE by the network node periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the signal strength information of the first relay falling below a strength threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay falling below a strength threshold, a velocity of the UE exceeding a velocity threshold, or the UE location entering or exiting an area of interest.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information of the first relay comprises a current location and an expected path of the first relay, and the location information of the second relay comprises a current location and an expected path of the second relay.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the current location of the first relay and the current location of the second relay are periodically received.

9. A user equipment (UE) comprising at least one processor, an antenna coupled to the at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one processor, antenna and memory being configured to perform a method, the method comprising:
connecting the UE to a first relay, the first relay connected to a network node;
receiving relay information by the network node or the UE, the relay information comprising location information of the first relay, signal strength information of the first relay, load information of the first relay, signal strength information of a second relay, load information of the second relay, location information of the second relay, wherein the second relay is connected to the network node;
determining, by the network node, whether a handover decision is positive or negative, wherein the handover decision is determined to be positive when a combination of one or more of the following is true: the signal strength information of the first relay is below a strength threshold, the load information of the first relay is above a load threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay is above the strength threshold, the load information of the second relay is below the load threshold, a UE location relative to path information of a first relay location and path information of a second relay location; and
connecting the UE to the second relay when the handover decision is determined to be positive.

10. The UE of claim 9 , wherein the relay information is received from one of the first relay or the second relay.

11. The UE of claim 10 , wherein the relay information of the first relay is received periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the load information of the first relay exceeding the load threshold, the signal strength information of the first relay falling below the strength threshold, a velocity of the first relay exceeding a velocity threshold, or the first relay location entering or exiting an area of interest.

12. The UE of claim 10 , wherein the relay information of the second relay is received periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the load information of the second relay exceeding the load threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay falling below the strength threshold, a velocity of the second relay exceeding a velocity threshold, or the second relay location entering or exiting an area of interest.

13. The UE of claim 9 , wherein the relay information is received from the UE or from the first relay by the network node and further comprises the UE location.

14. The UE of claim 13 , wherein the relay information is received from the UE by the network node periodically or based on a combination of one or more of the following occurrences: the signal strength information of the first relay falling below a strength threshold, the signal strength information of the second relay falling below a strength threshold, a velocity of the UE exceeding a velocity threshold, or the UE location entering or exiting an area of interest.

15. The UE of claim 9 , wherein the location information of the first relay comprises a current location and an expected path of the first relay, and the location information of the second relay comprises a current location and an expected path of the second relay.

16. The UE of claim 15 , wherein the current location of the first relay and the current location of the second relay are periodically received.

17. A user equipment (UE) comprising means for performing a method, the method comprising:
connecting the UE to a first relay, the first relay connected to a network node;
receiving relay information by the network node or the UE, the relay information comprising location information of the first relay, signal strength information of the first relay, load information of the first relay, signal strength information of a second relay, load information of the second relay, location information of the second relay, wherein the second relay is connected to the network node;
determining, by the network node, whether a handover decision is positive or ne

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Chaponniere Lenaig Genevieve
• Zisimopoulos Haris
• Hampel Karl Georg
• Speicher Sebastian
• Cheng Hong
• Rico Alvarino Alberto

Classifications

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W36/0005

  Control or signalling for completing the hand-off · CPC title

• H04W36/22

  for handling the traffic · CPC title

• H04W36/0009

  for a plurality of users or terminals, e.g. group communication or moving wireless networks (user group management H04W4/08; processing of subscriber group data H04W8/186) · CPC title

• H04B7/15

  Active relay systems · CPC title