Method, computer program and apparatus for selecting a beam for handover

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019387441-A1
Application number	US-201716475027-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2017
Publication date	Dec 19, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is provided where handover information about one or more target beams of a target cell is provided. The beam quality of those target beams is determined along with beam quality of one or more other beams of the target cell. Dedicated uplink resources associated with the target beams and shared uplink resources are associated with the other beams. It is determined based on the beam quality which of the target and other beams is to be used to initiate a connection to the target cell.

First claim

1 . A method comprising:
receiving at a user device handover information, said handover information comprising information relating to one or more first beams, said one or more first beams being target beams of a target cell; determining beam quality associated with said one or more first beams and one or more second beams of the target cell, said second beams being other than said one or more first beams, dedicated uplink resources being associated with said one or more first beams and shared uplink resources being associated with said one or more second beams; and determining that said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using either one or more first beams or one or more second beams of said target cell in dependence on said determined beam quality.

2 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said determining that said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell comprises determining that one or more second beams is to be used.

3 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said determining that said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell comprises comparing said determined beam quality to at least one threshold.

4 . A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using one or more first beams of said target cell only if said determined beam quality of said one or more first beams is above a first threshold of said at least one threshold.

5 . A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said at least one threshold is one of a fixed value and a variable value.

6 . A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using one or more second beams only if said determined beam quality of said one or more second beams is above a second threshold of said at least one threshold.

7 . A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using one or more first beams of said target cell only if said determined beam quality of said one or more first beams is above a first threshold of said at least one threshold, wherein said second threshold is dependent on said first threshold.

8 . A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said second threshold is higher than said first threshold.

9 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein if said determined beam quality of said one or more second beams is greater than that of said one or more first beams, said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using said one or more second beams.

10 . A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein only if said determined beam quality of said one or more second beams is greater than a first offset as compared to said determined beam quality of said one or more first beams of said target cell is said user device to initiate a connection to said target cell using said one or more second beams.

11 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when it is determined that said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell and a respective response message is not received from said target cell in a first time period, said method comprises communicating by said user device with a source cell.

12 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said handover information comprises information relating to a plurality of first beams, said method comprising using priority information for one or more of said first beams to determine which one or more of said first beams is to be used by said user device to initiate a connection to said target cell.

13 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said handover information comprises information relating to a plurality of first beams, said method comprising using time information for one or more of said first beams to determine which one or more of said first beams is to be used by said user device to initiate a connection to said target cell.

14 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising initiating a connection to said target cell using said one or more first beams or said one or more second beams.

15 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said dedicated uplink resources are contention free random access resources and said shared uplink resources are contention based random access resources.

16 . A computer program comprising computer executable code which when run on at least one processor is configured to cause the method of claim 1 to be performed.

17 . An apparatus in a user device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to:
receive handover information, said handover information comprising information relating to one or more first beams, said one or more first beams being target beams of a target cell; determine beam quality associated with said one or more first beams and one or more second beams of the target cell, said second beams being other than said one or more first beams, dedicated uplink resources being associated with said one or more first beams and shared uplink resources being associated with said one or more second beams; and determine that said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using either one or more first beams or one or more second beams of said target cell in dependence on said determined beam quality.

18 . A method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said user device is to initiate a connection to said target cell using one or more second beams if said beam quality of said one or more first beams is below a first threshold and if said beam quality of said one or more second beams is above a second threshold.

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Koskela Timo
• Turtinen Samuli Heikki
• Sebire Benoist Pierre
• Pirskanen Juho Mikko Oskari

Classifications

• H04W36/0077 Primary

  of access information of target access point · CPC title

• H04W36/30

  by measured or perceived connection quality data · CPC title

• H04W36/0072

  of resource information of target access point · CPC title

• H04W36/249

  according to timing information · CPC title

• H04W36/302

  due to low signal strength · CPC title