DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/03/2025 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 5, 7, 11, 15-17 and 20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1, 11 and 20 “measurement event based handover suggestions” should read “measurement event-based handover suggestions”
Claim 5 “indicates the timing of the original handover” should read “indicates timing of an original handover” to avoid antecedent basis.
Claim 7 “triggers an MR” should read “triggers a measurement report (MR)” to avoid antecedent basis.
Claims 15 and 20 “adding a handover is defined as:
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” should read “adding a handover is defined as:
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, where
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indicating timing of an original handover” to avoid ambiguity
Claim 16 “and communication reliability)” should read “and communication reliability”
Claim 17 “triggering an MR” should read “triggering a measurement report (MR)” to avoid antecedent basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
Regarding Claims 1-20:
The broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) of “a back office” recited in the independent claim 1, 11 and 20 includes a server in a wireless communication with at least one host device via a protocol communication interface and is capable of storing information into a database (Instant specification - [0062] The system 10 further includes one or more back-offices or cloud servers 36 in wireless communication with the host device 12 via one or more wireless or cellular protocols as described hereinabove. The cloud servers 36 each include one or more controllers 26 that may execute a portion of the CMMA 34 as well as storing one or more databases 38 in memory). Therefore, a core network in a wireless communication with a wireless device via an internet protocol and is capable of storing database on a server or cloud server (IMRAN – Fig. 2-3; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls... Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The base stations 102 interface with the core network 106 through a first set of backhaul links (e.g., S1 interfaces)... and scheduling for communication with the wireless devices 104 or can operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown); [0164] The communication networks that accommodate various disclosed examples can be packet-based networks that operate according to a layered protocol stack... the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer provides... connection between a wireless device 104 and the base stations 102 or core network 106 supporting radio bearers for the user plane data; [0181] The system 300 can obtain KPIs 320 associated with the cell 310 of the network 100 from a performance management database 330 of the network... can generate a report 350, which can be stored on a server... the system 300 can be running on a cloud) is considered “a back office”.
Regarding Claims 19-20:
The broadest reasonable interpretation of a method (or process) claim having contingent limitations requires only those steps that must be performed and does not include steps that are not required to be performed because the condition(s) precedent are not met. For example, assume a method claim requires step A if a first condition happens and step B if a second condition happens. If the claimed invention may be practiced without either the first or second condition happening, then neither step A or B is required by the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim (See MPEP 2111.04).
Therefore, the BRI of method claims 19-20 containing contingent limitations “When Ping-Pong =True... where wv, wd, Δ max≥0, ϵ > 0” are not required to be performed because the condition(s) precedent are not met.
Similarly, examiner applies the same BRIs and reasoning for their respective dependent claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “the processor executing programmatic control logic stored in the memory” is indefinite because it is unclear whether a singular processor corresponding to the one controller of “the one or more controllers disposed within the host device and within the back office, each of the one or more controllers has a processor” or a plurality of processors corresponding to their respective controllers “one or more controllers... each of the one or more controllers has a processor” is the one being referred to “the processor”. For the purpose of examination, “the processor executing programmatic control logic stored in the memory” will be interpreted as the singular processor corresponding to the one controller of “ the one controller has a processor”.
Claim 1 recites “wherein outputs of the third control logic are further modified by a fourth control logic that performs anomaly detection” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “the third control logic”, “fourth control logic” or another “control logic” is the one being referred to “that performs anomaly detection”. For the purpose of examination, “that performs anomaly detection” will be interpreted as “another control logic performs anomaly detection”, according to the instant specification ([0022] The CMMA further includes control logic for performing anomaly detection).
Claims 11 and 20 have the similar indefiniteness as claim 1. Therefore, the examiner applied similar reasoning for the rejection as claim 1.
Claim 6 recites “wherein the cellular network QoS includes data throughput” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “control logic for monitoring cellular network QoS” recited in claim 6 or “maintaining or improving a cellular network QoS” recited in claim 1 is the one being referred to “wherein the cellular network QoS includes data throughput”. For the purpose of examination, “wherein the cellular network QoS includes data throughput” will be interpreted as “cellular network QoS” recited in claim 6.
Claim 16 has the similar indefiniteness as claim 6. Therefore, the examiner applied similar reasoning for the rejection as claim 6.
Claim 9 recites “detecting repetitive unnecessary handovers or ping-pong handovers between cells such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T:P(T)... Ping-Pong - True” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “detecting ping-pong handovers” or “detecting repetitive unnecessary handovers or ping-pong handovers” is the one being referred to “ such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T:P(T)... Ping-Pong - True”. For the purpose of examination “such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T:P(T)... Ping-Pong - True” will be interpreted as “or detecting ping-pong handovers between cells such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T:P(T)... Ping-Pong - True”.
Claims 19 and 20 has the similar indefiniteness as claim 9. Therefore, the examiner applied similar reasoning for the rejection as claim 9.
Claim 10 recites “A3θ := min(...)” is indefinite because it is unclear what “A3θ :=” and “min(...)” is being referred to and defined as. For the purpose of examination, “A3θ :=” will be interpreted as “Event A3 with adjusted threshold to postpone the handover” and “min(..., ...)” will be interpreted as “both the conditions in the min() parameter must be satisfied” in order to avoid the ping-pong handovers, according to instant specification ([0070] When Ping-Pong=True the system 10 and CMMA 34 adjust a location of relevant handovers. The adjustment is made by modifying the value of the event-specific threshold, which is determined by the MC 40. The procedures for altering handover thresholds based on each event are outlined in Table 2. As an illustrative example, we discuss the commonly encountered A3 Event, demonstrating how its threshold is adjusted to postpone the handover. That is,
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v=velocity (km/h), D=estimated distance from the UE or host device 12 to the location of the UE or host device 12 suggested handover location (km). In several aspects, D may be estimated by using base station 44 signal strength heatmap+host device 12 trajectory. The maximum values of wv, wd, Δmax may vary substantially from application to application as needed. However, in some an exemplary non-limiting embodiment, the ranges below may be used:
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Claims 19 and 20 has the similar indefiniteness as claim 10. Therefore, the examiner applied similar reasoning for the rejection as claim 10.
Claims 11 and 20 recite “performing anomaly detection; and selectively altering timing” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “the host device”, “one or more cells” or “a system” is the one being referred to “performing... selectively altering”. For the purpose of examination, “performing... selectively altering” will be interpreted as “a system performing... the system selectively altering” according to instant specification (Abstract - the system performs anomaly detection; and selectively alters timing of cellular network handovers).
Claims 12 and 20 recite “storing, with one or more databases of the back office” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “the host device”, “one or more cells” or “the system” is the one being referred to “storing, with one or more databases”. For the purpose of examination, “storing, with one or more databases” will be interpreted as “the system storing, with one or more databases” according to instant specification ([0062] - The system 10 further includes one or more back-offices or cloud servers 36... The cloud servers 36... as well as storing one or more databases 38 in memory).
Claim 13 recites “receiving a radio resource control... generating... transmitting the original MC to the host device... identifying events” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “the host device”, “the CMMA including control logic” or “the system” is the one being referred to “receiving... generating... transmitting... identifying”. For the purpose of examination, “receiving... generating... transmitting... identifying” will be interpreted as “the control logic receiving... the control logic generating... the control logic transmitting... the control logic identifying”.
Claims 14 - 20 have the similar indefiniteness (e.g., performing, determining, monitoring, incorporating, detecting, adjusting) as claim 13; therefore, the examiner applied similar reasoning for the rejection as claim 13.
Similarly, examiner applies the same rejections and reasoning for their dependent claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-9 and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Imran et al. (US 20250338180 A1, which claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 63/639,351, filed Apr. 26, 2024, hereinafter, IMRAN).
Regarding claim 1, IMRAN discloses:
A system (Fig. 1) for cellular network mobility management based on user equipment measurements (Fig. 5-6B – UE 400 measurements; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5. For simplicity, the term “target base station 102b” as used herein may encompass some or all of the logic and/or hardware of intervening core network and associated control planes, such as an Access Management Function (AMF) in 5G networks 100 and Mobility Management Entity in 4G networks 100. Requests transmitted to and from target base station 102b may therefore be directly to/from the physical target base station 102b or any aspect of the core network) comprises:
a host device (Fig. 5-6B – UE 400);
one or more cellular communication cells (Fig. 5-6B – Source Cell 102a, Target Cell 102b);
a back office (Fig. 1 – Core Network 106; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls security services, user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions);
one or more controllers (Fig. 4A – Processor 440), the one or more controllers disposed within the host device ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 461 stored in the UE non-transitory memory 460 in order to control the overall operation of user equipment 400) and within the back office ([0229] a core network 106 may have an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions), each of the one or more controllers has a processor, a memory ([0201]; [0229];), and input/output (I/O) ports ([0202] UE I/O interface 445), the processor executing programmatic control logic stored in the memory ([0201]; [0229];), the I/O ports in wireless communication ([0202] the UE I/O interface 445 provides a user equipment 400 with the ability to connect to other devices... UE I/O interface 445 is operable to form a communication path between these accessories and the processor/controller 440... the UE I/O interface 445 may be constructed in accordance with the requirements of communication protocols) via a cellular network with the one or more cellular communication cells (Fig .1; [0159] The NANs of a network 100 formed by the network 100 also include wireless devices 104a through 104g (referred to individually as “wireless device 104” or collectively as “wireless devices 104”) and a core network 106... a 5G communication channel... the wireless device 104 can operatively couple to a base station 102 over a... 4G communication channel) and the back office (Fig. 1-3; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls... Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. The base stations 102 interface with the core network 106 through a first set of backhaul links (e.g., S1 interfaces) and can perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the wireless devices 104), the programmatic control logic ([0201]; [0229];) including a cellular network mobility management application (CMMA) (Fig. 3; Fig. 5-6B; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5), the CMMA comprising:
a first control logic ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices), initiated by the host device, for generating control-plane measurement event based handover suggestions (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements transmitted on the control plane to support handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below;
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[0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ);
a second control logic ([0201] UE processor/controller 440;), initiated by the host device, for generating quality-of-service (QoS) measurement based handover suggestions (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure); [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ); and
a third control logic (Fig. 4B – Controller/Processor 478), initiated by the one or more cellular communication cells (Fig. 5-6B, Source Cell 102a - Measurement Control), for performing cellular network signal strength monitoring ([0217] the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message, which configures the user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b. This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and for determining that a measurement configuration (MC) threshold has been achieved ([0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report); and
wherein outputs of the third control logic (Fig. 5 – Measurement Control, Handover Command; [0217]; [0220] the serving base station 102a BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Command. This command is transmitted to the user equipment 400) are further modified by a fourth control logic ([0201] UE processor/controller 440; [0222] User individual offset (UIO) is a handover parameter complementary to the currently used cell individual offset (CIO). While CIO lacks flexibility at the user level, UIO is a user specific parameter that may control the handover behavior of each user individually... If a positive UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO); [0223] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate exemplary handover procedures with UIO implemented. In a first implementation shown in FIG. 6A, a UIO may be generated by the serving base station 102a and transmitted in the Measurement Control message. The Measurement Control message may include instructions to the user equipment 400 to modify one or more signal strength and quality metrics with the UIO. The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports. The serving base station 102a may then make a Handover Decision based at least partially on the modified signal strength and quality measurements) that performs anomaly detection (Fig. 3; [0195] In step 340, the processor can train multiple ML models to identify the performance issue associated with the wireless telecommunication network; [0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310; [0189] For example, an event that happened in the past can cause the number of UEs to increase in the cell 310, and the throughput per UE to fall... Based on the time at which the event occurred, the ML model 344 can aid in identifying the event, by analyzing all the network events that happened at the particular time; [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter. This event is triggered when the neighboring BS signal becomes better than the serving BS signal by an offset value, considering the effect of hysteresis, cell individual offset, and frequency offset); and
in response to outputs (Fig. 5-6B, Source Cell 102a - Measurement Control, Measurement Reports, Handover Command) of the first control logic ([0201] UE processor/controller 440), the second control logic ([0201];), the third control logic ([0217] the BS controller/processor 478), and the anomaly detection ([0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310; [0230] Event A3), the system selectively alters timing of cellular network handovers ([0246] RAN intelligence can observe and learn from a large number of handover events with associated parameters, and use this information to train AI/ML models to identify sets of UIO values that result in successful handovers) between the host device and the one or more cellular communication cells ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... FIG. 7A depicts a situation where no UIO is implemented. Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) to reduce a potential for repetitive handovers ([0007] the authors proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user based on a weight function that considers factors such as SINR, cell load, and UE speed. By doing so, the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs); [0239] UIO offers multiple advantages over a CIO-only approach. Firstly, UIO allows the parameter adjustment on individual user behavior, such as user speed, trajectory, serving base station, target base station, and service requirements etc; [0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102) from a first level to a second level less than the first level while maintaining or improving a cellular network QoS ([0240] These unwanted handovers (e.g., first level = higher number of repetitive/unwanted handovers due to using only CIO) of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO (e.g., second level = lower number of repetitive/unwanted handovers by implementing UIO) since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102; [0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100; [0014] method may include optimization of the user individual offset parameter to maximize at least one key performance indicator, such as signal to interference and noise ratio, handover success rate, and signaling overhead).
Regarding claim 2, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the memory ([0201]; [0229];) further comprises:
one or more databases of the back office (Fig. 1 – Core Network 106; Fig. 3; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls security services, user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions; [0016] A core network may also be provided including an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions) storing prior knowledge ([0013] The instructions executed by the controller/processor may further cause the controller/processor to link the user individual offset parameter to an identifier associated with the user device... The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database and overwrite a user individual offset for the user already in the database with a new user individual offset. In some implementations, instead of calculating a new user individual offset parameter, the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), the prior knowledge including historical information ([0227] a plurality of UIO values may be previously calculated according to preset values of the one or more properties of user equipment 400 and stored in the database... The BS controller/processor 478 may then retrieve a UIO from the database; [0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400. Accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400 can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as training a machine learning model to map user behaviors determined by historical data obtained by the user equipment 400 on the KPIs of interest) from the host device and from other devices communicating on the cellular network ([0014] A method may be provided including determination of a user individual offset parameter for a user device, determination of a signal strength and quality measurement corresponding to a signal between an RF transceiver of a base station and the user device, and adjustment of the signal strength and quality measurement with the user individual offset parameter), the historical information comprising:
QoS information ([0014] optimization of the user individual offset parameter to maximize at least one key performance indicator, such as signal to interference and noise ratio, handover success rate, and signaling overhead), cellular network signal strength information ([0013] The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database and overwrite a user individual offset for the user already in the database with a new user individual offset. In some implementations, instead of calculating a new user individual offset parameter, the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), and host device state information ([0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400; [0010] In some embodiments, the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements. By incorporating these factors, this system and method can optimize handovers for each user, thereby improving the overall network performance);
the host device state information ([0226]; [0010];) comprising:
static and dynamic information about the host device including velocity ([0010] the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements), distance from the host device to a suggested handover location ([0005] an algorithm was proposed to dynamically optimize handover parameters such as hysteresis and TTT based on user location, RSRP, signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and speed), a host device location ([0026] The one or more properties may include location, speed, trajectory, and service requirements of the user equipment 400), and a network signal strength and network condition at a current host device location ([0013] the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold (hence the signal strength and network condition at the current host device location has exceeded the handover threshold), and then initiate a handover request).
Regarding claim 3, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the first control logic ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices) further comprises:
control logic ([0201];) that receives a radio resource control (RRC) message from at least one cellular communication cell of the cellular network (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment; [0216] First, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is formed between the user equipment 400 and the serving base station 102a. An RRC connection request is transmitted from the user equipment 400 to the serving base station 102a... The BS controller/processor 478 executes instructions from the BS non-transitory memory 480 to generate an RRC Connection Setup response. The response is converted into an RF signal by the BS TX processing circuit 474 and the BS RF transceivers 472a . . . 472n, and transmitted via the BS antennas 470a . . . 470n. The user equipment 400 then completes the RRC connection process by transmitting an RRC connection complete message using its respective RF components);
control logic (Fig. 4B – Controller/Processor 478) that, based on the RRC message generates an original MC (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment, Measurement Control; [0217] First, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message... This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and transmits the original MC to the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0217] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 receive and process the message. The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460); and
control logic ([0201];) that identifies events and event thresholds relevant to identified events, the event thresholds ([0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements transmitted on the control plane to support handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) stored in the memory ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message).
Regarding claim 4, IMRAN further discloses:
control logic ([0201];) for performing event-based threshold ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) modification utilizing the identified events and event thresholds ([0201] UE processor/controller 440; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO); [0223] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate exemplary handover procedures with UIO implemented. In a first implementation shown in FIG. 6A, a UIO may be generated by the serving base station 102a and transmitted in the Measurement Control message. The Measurement Control message may include instructions to the user equipment 400 to modify one or more signal strength and quality metrics with the UIO. The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports); and
control logic ([0201];) for determining a handover suggestion, wherein the handover suggestion comprises (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements transmitted on the control plane to support handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below; [0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) at least one ([0223] The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports; [0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400) of:
preponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover),
postponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover),
canceling a handover (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report. In some implementations, exceeding a handover threshold... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request (e.g., measurement report where the measurements do not exceed a handover threshold, hence the handover is not initiated, e.g., cancelled)), and
adding a handover ([0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0239];).
Regarding claim 5, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the event-based threshold modification ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0201]; [0223]) further comprises:
control logic (Fig. 4B – Controller/Processor 478) for generating a suggested MC (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control) that causes a measurement report (MR) for each monitored physical cell to trigger at time ts (1) (Fig. 5-6B, measurement; [0218] the UE RF transceiver 410 measures the signal strength from the target base station(s) 102b.. and recording the measurements), and based on the MR, initiates a handover at time ts (2) (Fig. 5-6B, handover decision; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request), in context,
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, defines that a handover occurs at t (2) (Fig. 5-6B; handover command and handover confirmation; [0220] the serving base station 102a BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Command... The user equipment 400 receives the command via the respective RF components, and the UE processor/controller 440 initiates a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect to the target base station 102b) takes place shortly after t (1), where t (1) is the time at which the MR (Fig. 5-6B, measurement Report; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO)) is triggered such that:
a preponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7B; [0238] With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover);
a postponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover);
a cancelled handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) (e.g., certain criteria are not met, measurement reports were never transmitted hence ts(1) = infinite)); and
adding a handover is defined as:
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([0238] Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10. However, UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior...With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover; (hence the added earlier/later handover exists when ≠ the original handover timing)),
where
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indicates the timing of the original handover ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... FIG. 7A depicts a situation where no UIO is implemented. Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10).
Regarding claim 6, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the second control logic ([0201] UE processor/controller 440;) further comprises:
control logic for monitoring cellular network QoS (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that a predetermined QoS threshold has not been met, continues QoS monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined QoS threshold has been met, engages a determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;), wherein the cellular network QoS (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements; [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) includes data throughput, end-to-end latency, jitter, and communication reliability ([0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100; [0002] The growing frequency of handovers leads to a heightened probability of handover failures (HOF), which can significantly impact user experience quality (QoE) metrics such as retainability, latency, and throughput, and also increase signaling load; [0007] proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user... the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs)).
Regarding claim 7, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the second control logic ([0201] UE processor/controller 440;) further comprises:
control logic that monitors cellular network signal strength as reference signal perceived power (RSRP) (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that predetermined signal strength thresholds have not been met, continues RSRP monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined signal strength thresholds have been met, engages the determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;); and
control logic ([0201]; [0218];) that determines whether events have met MC thresholds set in an original MC ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have not been met ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false then event report not sent) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0236] Eq. (3) represents the current 3GPP standardized event A3 evaluation for handover. All user equipment 400 connected to the serving base station 102a utilize this evaluation criteria), continues RSRP monitoring ([0218] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have been met, triggers an MR (Fig. 5 - 6B, Measurement Reports; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; ).
Regarding claim 8, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the determinator control logic further ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met) comprises:
control logic that incorporates a QoS metric within decision-making criteria ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0230] Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter. This event is triggered when the neighboring BS signal becomes better than the serving BS signal by an offset value, considering the effect of hysteresis, cell individual offset, and frequency offset. The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0253] The effectiveness of the UIO in optimizing wireless network performance can be demonstrated through three important KPIs 320: SINR, handover success rate (HOSR), and handover signaling overhead (SigO). By optimizing these KPIs 320, the overall quality of experience (QoE) for wireless network users is enhanced) for the MR (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement Reports), wherein:
when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1)) prior to RSRP decreasing enough to trigger a handover according to the MC thresholds in the original MC ([0217]; [0225]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ, Otar; [0222] The value of UIO... Prior to initiating a handover event, the measured signal from neighboring base station 102b (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) is modified by the UIO value. If a positive UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO). Conversely, if a negative UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 may subtract the UIO from the measured signal value and report that the measured value is lower than the actual value (i.e., actual value minus UIO)), a handover process is advanced or preponed ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... With a positive UIO... FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover);
when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters > Serving BS, the QoS metrics fall below Qmin)), the control-plane events (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Report; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure)) that responsible for emergency handover are kept or created in the MC ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message), and the handover process is advanced or preponed (Fig. 7B-7C; [0238] As these users move away from the serving base station 102a and closer to a target base station 102b, the receive signal level (Mserv) of the serving base station 102a decreases while the signal level for the target base station 102b (Mtar) increases... When the received signal strength from the target base station 102b exceeds that of the source base station 102a, considering HOM, the serving base station 102a transfers the user equipment 400 to the target base station 102b... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover); and
when QoS metrics are above
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters >! Serving BS, the QoS metrics are above Qmin)), and RSRP anomalies are detected ([0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ; [0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310), then the handover process is cancelled ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter (event report is not sent to trigger the handover process due to condition failing to remain true for the duration; hence handover process is cancelled);) or postponed (Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover), wherein RSRP anomalies define short duration signal strength fluctuations (Fig. 7C; [0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0189] The event can be a failure of a neighboring cell tower (hence abnormal changes to the RSRP due to a failure), an opening of an office building that is served by the cell 310, etc. Based on the time at which the event occurred, the ML model 344 can aid in identifying the event, by analyzing all the network events that happened at the particular time),
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is a predetermined minimum QoS, and
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is a predetermined threshold QoS greater than
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence the target BS parameters is
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, the serving BS Parameters is
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, and the Eq. 1 is
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>
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)).
Regarding claim 9, IMRAN further discloses:
further comprising control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100; [0007] the authors proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user... the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs)) for detecting repetitive unnecessary handovers ([0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102 (hence using UIO approach will minimize the detection of repetitive unnecessary handovers according to [0241];[0007];)) or ping-pong handovers between cells such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T:P(T),
If
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such that:
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;
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;
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,
then: Ping-Pong = True.
Regarding claim 11, IMRAN discloses:
A method for cellular network mobility management (Fig. 1; Abstract - Systems and methods for improving cellular handover performance are provided) based on user equipment measurements (Fig. 5-6B – UE 400 measurements; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5. For simplicity, the term “target base station 102b” as used herein may encompass some or all of the logic and/or hardware of intervening core network and associated control planes, such as an Access Management Function (AMF) in 5G networks 100 and Mobility Management Entity in 4G networks 100. Requests transmitted to and from target base station 102b may therefore be directly to/from the physical target base station 102b or any aspect of the core network) comprises:
executing programmatic control logic including a cellular network mobility management application (CMMA) (Fig. 3; Fig. 5-6B;) stored in memory of one or more controllers ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 461 stored in the UE non-transitory memory 460 in order to control the overall operation of user equipment 400; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5), the one or more controllers (Fig. 4A – Processor 440) disposed within a host device ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 461 stored in the UE non-transitory memory 460 in order to control the overall operation of user equipment 400) and within a back office ([0229] a core network 106 may have an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions), each of the one or more controllers has a processor, a memory ([0201]; [0229];), and input/output (I/O) ports ([0202] UE I/O interface 445), the processor executing the programmatic control ([0201]; [0229];), the I/O ports in wireless communication ([0202] the UE I/O interface 445 provides a user equipment 400 with the ability to connect to other devices... UE I/O interface 445 is operable to form a communication path between these accessories and the processor/controller 440... the UE I/O interface 445 may be constructed in accordance with the requirements of communication protocols) via a cellular network with the one or more cellular communication cells (Fig .1; [0159] The NANs of a network 100 formed by the network 100 also include wireless devices 104a through 104g (referred to individually as “wireless device 104” or collectively as “wireless devices 104”) and a core network 106... a 5G communication channel... the wireless device 104 can operatively couple to a base station 102 over a... 4G communication channel) and the back office ([0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls... Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. The base stations 102 interface with the core network 106 through a first set of backhaul links (e.g., S1 interfaces) and can perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the wireless devices 104), the CMMA including control logic (Fig. 5-6B; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5) for:
generating, by the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement), control-plane measurement event based handover suggestions ([0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below;
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[0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ);
generating, by the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement), quality-of-service (QoS) measurement based handover suggestions (Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure); [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ); and
performing, by the one or more cells (Fig. 5-6B, Source Cell 102a - Measurement Control), cellular network signal strength monitoring ([0217] the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message, which configures the user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b. This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and determining that a measurement configuration (MC) threshold has been achieved ([0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report); and
performing anomaly detection ([0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310; [0189] For example, an event that happened in the past can cause the number of UEs to increase in the cell 310, and the throughput per UE to fall... Based on the time at which the event occurred, the ML model 344 can aid in identifying the event, by analyzing all the network events that happened at the particular time); and
selectively altering timing of cellular network handovers between the host device and the one or more cellular communication cells ([0246] RAN intelligence can observe and learn from a large number of handover events with associated parameters, and use this information to train AI/ML models to identify sets of UIO values that result in successful handovers; [0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... FIG. 7A depicts a situation where no UIO is implemented. Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) to reduce a potential for repetitive handovers ([0007] the authors proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user based on a weight function that considers factors such as SINR, cell load, and UE speed. By doing so, the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs); [0239] UIO offers multiple advantages over a CIO-only approach. Firstly, UIO allows the parameter adjustment on individual user behavior, such as user speed, trajectory, serving base station, target base station, and service requirements etc; [0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102) from a first level to a second level less than the first level while maintaining or improving a cellular network QoS ([0240] These unwanted handovers (e.g., first level = higher number of repetitive/unwanted handovers) of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO (e.g., second level = lower number of repetitive/unwanted handovers) since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102; [0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100).
Regarding claim 12, IMRAN further discloses:
wherein the memory ([0201]; [0229];) further comprises:
storing ([0013] The instructions executed by the controller/processor may further cause the controller/processor to link the user individual offset parameter to an identifier associated with the user device... The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database), with one or more databases of the back office (Fig. 1 – Core Network 106; Fig. 3; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls security services, user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions; [0016] A core network may also be provided including an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions), prior knowledge ([0013] the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), the prior knowledge including historical information ([0227] a plurality of UIO values may be previously calculated according to preset values of the one or more properties of user equipment 400 and stored in the database... The BS controller/processor 478 may then retrieve a UIO from the database; [0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400. Accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400 can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as training a machine learning model to map user behaviors determined by historical data obtained by the user equipment 400 on the KPIs of interest) from the host device and from other devices communicating on the cellular network ([0014] A method may be provided including determination of a user individual offset parameter for a user device, determination of a signal strength and quality measurement corresponding to a signal between an RF transceiver of a base station and the user device, and adjustment of the signal strength and quality measurement with the user individual offset parameter), the historical information comprising:
QoS information ([0014] optimization of the user individual offset parameter to maximize at least one key performance indicator, such as signal to interference and noise ratio, handover success rate, and signaling overhead), cellular network signal strength information ([0013] The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database and overwrite a user individual offset for the user already in the database with a new user individual offset. In some implementations, instead of calculating a new user individual offset parameter, the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), and host device state information ([0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400; [0010] In some embodiments, the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements. By incorporating these factors, this system and method can optimize handovers for each user, thereby improving the overall network performance);
the host device state information ([0226]; [0010];) comprising:
static and dynamic information about the host device including velocity ([0010] the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements), distance from the host device to a suggested handover location ([0005] an algorithm was proposed to dynamically optimize handover parameters such as hysteresis and TTT based on user location, RSRP, signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and speed), a host device location ([0026] The one or more properties may include location, speed, trajectory, and service requirements of the user equipment 400), and a network signal strength and network condition at a current host device location ([0013] the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold (hence the signal strength and network condition at the current host device location has exceeded the handover threshold), and then initiate a handover request).
Regarding claim 13, IMRAN further discloses:
receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message from at least one cellular communication cell of the cellular network (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment; [0216] First, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is formed between the user equipment 400 and the serving base station 102a. An RRC connection request is transmitted from the user equipment 400 to the serving base station 102a... The BS controller/processor 478 executes instructions from the BS non-transitory memory 480 to generate an RRC Connection Setup response. The response is converted into an RF signal by the BS TX processing circuit 474 and the BS RF transceivers 472a . . . 472n, and transmitted via the BS antennas 470a . . . 470n. The user equipment 400 then completes the RRC connection process by transmitting an RRC connection complete message using its respective RF components);
generating, based on the RRC message, an original MC (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment, Measurement Control; [0217] First, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message... This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and transmitting the original MC to the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control; [0217] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 receive and process the message. The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message); and
identifying events and event thresholds relevant to identified events, the event thresholds ([0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) stored in the memory ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message).
Regarding claim 14, IMRAN further discloses:
performing event-based threshold ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) modification utilizing the identified events and event thresholds ([0201] UE processor/controller 440; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO); [0223] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate exemplary handover procedures with UIO implemented. In a first implementation shown in FIG. 6A, a UIO may be generated by the serving base station 102a and transmitted in the Measurement Control message. The Measurement Control message may include instructions to the user equipment 400 to modify one or more signal strength and quality metrics with the UIO. The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports); and
determining a handover suggestion, wherein the handover suggestion comprises (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements transmitted on the control plane to support handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below; [0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) at least one ([0223] The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports; [0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400) of:
preponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover),
postponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover),
canceling a handover (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report. In some implementations, exceeding a handover threshold... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request (e.g., measurement report where the measurements do not exceed a handover threshold, hence the handover is not initiated, e.g., cancelled)), and
adding a handover ([0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0239];).
Regarding claim 15, IMRAN further discloses:
generating a suggested MC (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control) that causes a measurement report (MR) for each monitored physical cell to trigger at time ts (1) (Fig. 5-6B, measurement; [0218] the UE RF transceiver 410 measures the signal strength from the target base station(s) 102b.. and recording the measurements), and based on the MR, initiates a handover at time ts (2) (Fig. 5-6B, handover decision; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request), in context,
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, defines that a handover occurs at t (2) (Fig. 5-6B; handover command and handover confirmation; [0220] the serving base station 102a BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Command... The user equipment 400 receives the command via the respective RF components, and the UE processor/controller 440 initiates a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect to the target base station 102b) takes place shortly after t (1), where t (1) is the time at which the MR (Fig. 5-6B, measurement Report; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO)) is triggered such that:
a preponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7B; [0238] With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover);
a postponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover);
a cancelled handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) (e.g., certain criteria are not met, measurement reports were never transmitted hence ts(1) = infinite)); and
adding a handover is defined as:
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([0238] Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10. However, UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior...With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover; (hence the added earlier/later handover exists when ≠ the original handover timing)),
Regarding claim 16, IMRAN further discloses:
monitoring cellular network QoS (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements(e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that a predetermined QoS threshold has not been met, continuing QoS monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined QoS threshold has been met, engaging a determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;), wherein the cellular network QoS (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements; [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) includes data throughput, end-to-end latency, jitter, and communication reliability) ([0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100; [0002] The growing frequency of handovers leads to a heightened probability of handover failures (HOF), which can significantly impact user experience quality (QoE) metrics such as retainability, latency, and throughput, and also increase signaling load; [0007] proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user... the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs)).
Regarding claim 17, IMRAN further discloses:
monitoring cellular network signal strength as reference signal perceived power (RSRP) (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that predetermined signal strength thresholds have not been met, continuing RSRP monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined signal strength thresholds have been met, engaging the determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;); and
determining whether events have met MC thresholds set in an original MC ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have not been met ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false then event report not sent) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0236] Eq. (3) represents the current 3GPP standardized event A3 evaluation for handover. All user equipment 400 connected to the serving base station 102a utilize this evaluation criteria), continuing RSRP monitoring ([0218] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have been met, triggering an MR (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement Reports; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met).
Regarding claim 18, IMRAN further discloses:
incorporating a QoS metric within decision-making criteria ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0230] Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter. This event is triggered when the neighboring BS signal becomes better than the serving BS signal by an offset value, considering the effect of hysteresis, cell individual offset, and frequency offset. The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0253] The effectiveness of the UIO in optimizing wireless network performance can be demonstrated through three important KPIs 320: SINR, handover success rate (HOSR), and handover signaling overhead (SigO). By optimizing these KPIs 320, the overall quality of experience (QoE) for wireless network users is enhanced) for the MR (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement Reports), wherein:
advancing or preponing a handover process ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... With a positive UIO... FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1)) prior to RSRP decreasing enough to trigger a handover according to the MC thresholds in the original MC ([0217]; [0225]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ, Otar; [0222] The value of UIO... Prior to initiating a handover event, the measured signal from neighboring base station 102b (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) is modified by the UIO value. If a positive UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO). Conversely, if a negative UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 may subtract the UIO from the measured signal value and report that the measured value is lower than the actual value (i.e., actual value minus UIO));
advancing or preponing the handover process ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... With a positive UIO... FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters > Serving BS, the QoS metrics fall below Qmin)), only a portion of events are kept in the MC ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message); and
cancelling ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter (event report is not sent to trigger the handover process due to condition failing to remain true for the duration; hence handover process is cancelled);) or postponing the handover process (Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics are above
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters >! Serving BS, the QoS metrics are above Qmin)), and RSRP anomalies are detected ([0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ; [0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310), wherein RSRP anomalies define short duration signal strength fluctuations ([0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0189] The event can be a failure of a neighboring cell tower (hence abnormal changes to the RSRP due to the failure), an opening of an office building that is served by the cell 310, etc. Based on the time at which the event occurred, the ML model 344 can aid in identifying the event, by analyzing all the network events that happened at the particular time),
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is a predetermined minimum QoS, and
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is a predetermined threshold QoS greater than
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence the target BS parameters is
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, the serving BS Parameters is
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, and the Eq. 1 is
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>
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)).
Regarding claim 19, IMRAN further discloses:
detecting repetitive unnecessary handovers ([0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102 (hence using UIO approach will minimize the detection of repetitive unnecessary handovers according to [0241];[0007];)) or ping-pong handovers between cells such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T: P(T),
If
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such that:
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;
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;
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then: Ping-Pong = True; and
adjusting a location of a handover between cells (Fig. 7B and 7C) upon detection of a ping-pong handover (0243] One technique for setting and optimizing UIO is a domain knowledge based manual setting. This technique involves identifying the underlying causes of handover issues, such as too early handover, handover to the wrong cell, too late handover, or ping-pong handover... Once the underlying cause has been identified, an appropriate UIO value can be selected to address the issue... negative UIO values can prevent premature handovers by neighboring cells (according to [0003] delaying handover to prevent too early or ping-pong handovers); [0238] FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO is imposed... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover (hence adjust in location of the handover to a later time); [0239] UIO allows the parameter adjustment on individual user behavior, such as user speed, trajectory, serving base station, target base station, and service requirements etc) such that:
When Ping-Pong =True ([0243] One technique for setting and optimizing UIO is a domain knowledge based manual setting. This technique involves identifying the underlying causes of handover issues, such as too early handover, handover to the wrong cell, too late handover, or ping-pong handover... Once the underlying cause has been identified, an appropriate UIO value can be selected to address the issue. For instance, a positive UIO value can be used to address delayed handovers (e.g., too early handover issue, not ping-pong handover issue)):
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where v = velocity, D = estimated distance to a heatmap + host device trajectory,
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= velocity weight, ϵ = small constant,
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= distance weight, Δmax = a maximum allowed modification, where
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,
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, Δmax ≥ 0 , ϵ > 0.
Regarding claim 20, IMRAN discloses:
A method for cellular network mobility management (Fig. 1; Abstract - Systems and methods for improving cellular handover performance are provided) based on user equipment measurements (Fig. 5-6B – UE 400 measurements; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5. For simplicity, the term “target base station 102b” as used herein may encompass some or all of the logic and/or hardware of intervening core network and associated control planes, such as an Access Management Function (AMF) in 5G networks 100 and Mobility Management Entity in 4G networks 100. Requests transmitted to and from target base station 102b may therefore be directly to/from the physical target base station 102b or any aspect of the core network) comprises:
executing programmatic control logic including a cellular network mobility management application (CMMA) (Fig. 3; Fig. 5-6B;) stored in memory of one or more controllers ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 461 stored in the UE non-transitory memory 460 in order to control the overall operation of user equipment 400; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5), the one or more controllers (Fig. 4A – Processor 440) disposed within a host device ([0201] The UE processor/controller 440 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 461 stored in the UE non-transitory memory 460 in order to control the overall operation of user equipment 400) and within a back office ([0229] a core network 106 may have an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions), each of the one or more controllers has a processor, a memory ([0201]; [0229];), and input/output (I/O) ports ([0202] UE I/O interface 445), the processor executing the programmatic control ([0201]; [0229];), the I/O ports in wireless communication ([0202] the UE I/O interface 445 provides a user equipment 400 with the ability to connect to other devices... UE I/O interface 445 is operable to form a communication path between these accessories and the processor/controller 440... the UE I/O interface 445 may be constructed in accordance with the requirements of communication protocols) via a cellular network with the one or more cellular communication cells (Fig .1; [0159] The NANs of a network 100 formed by the network 100 also include wireless devices 104a through 104g (referred to individually as “wireless device 104” or collectively as “wireless devices 104”) and a core network 106... a 5G communication channel... the wireless device 104 can operatively couple to a base station 102 over a... 4G communication channel) and the back office ([0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls... Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. The base stations 102 interface with the core network 106 through a first set of backhaul links (e.g., S1 interfaces) and can perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with the wireless devices 104), the CMMA including control logic (Fig. 5-6B; [0202] the UE processor/controller 440 is configured to execute an application 462 based on the OS 461 or in response to signals received from the base station 102 or the operator; [0215] A contemporary 3GPP handover mechanism is illustrated between the user equipment 400, serving base station 102a, and target base station 102b in FIG. 5) for:
generating, by the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement), measurement event based handover suggestions ([0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below;
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[0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ), including:
Storing ([0013] The instructions executed by the controller/processor may further cause the controller/processor to link the user individual offset parameter to an identifier associated with the user device... The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database), with one or more databases of the back office (Fig. 1 – Core Network 106; Fig. 3; [0160] The core network 106 provides, manages, and controls security services, user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions; [0016] A core network may also be provided including an RF transceiver, a processor/controller, and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions), prior knowledge ([0013] the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), the prior knowledge including historical information ([0227] a plurality of UIO values may be previously calculated according to preset values of the one or more properties of user equipment 400 and stored in the database... The BS controller/processor 478 may then retrieve a UIO from the database; [0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400. Accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400 can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as training a machine learning model to map user behaviors determined by historical data obtained by the user equipment 400 on the KPIs of interest) from the host device and from other devices communicating on the cellular network ([0014] A method may be provided including determination of a user individual offset parameter for a user device, determination of a signal strength and quality measurement corresponding to a signal between an RF transceiver of a base station and the user device, and adjustment of the signal strength and quality measurement with the user individual offset parameter), the historical information comprising:
QoS information ([0014] optimization of the user individual offset parameter to maximize at least one key performance indicator, such as signal to interference and noise ratio, handover success rate, and signaling overhead), cellular network signal strength information ([0013] The instructions may cause the controller/processor to store the user individual offset parameter for the user in a database and overwrite a user individual offset for the user already in the database with a new user individual offset. In some implementations, instead of calculating a new user individual offset parameter, the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold, and then initiate a handover request), and host device state information ([0226] The BS controller/processor 478 may calculate the UIO... and accounting for the one or more properties of the user equipment 400; [0010] In some embodiments, the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements. By incorporating these factors, this system and method can optimize handovers for each user, thereby improving the overall network performance);
the host device state information ([0226]; [0010];) comprising:
static and dynamic information about the host device including velocity ([0010] the UIO value for each user is unique and determined by factors such as user velocity, trajectory, mobility pattern, and service requirements), distance from the host device to a suggested handover location ([0005] an algorithm was proposed to dynamically optimize handover parameters such as hysteresis and TTT based on user location, RSRP, signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), and speed), a host device location ([0026] The one or more properties may include location, speed, trajectory, and service requirements of the user equipment 400), and a network signal strength and network condition at a current host device location ([0013] the instructions may cause the controller/processor to retrieve and use a previous user individual offset parameter from the database. The instructions may cause the controller/processor to determine that the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement has exceeded a handover threshold (hence the signal strength and network condition at the current host device location has exceeded the handover threshold), and then initiate a handover request);
receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message from at least one cellular communication cell of the cellular network (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment; [0216] First, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is formed between the user equipment 400 and the serving base station 102a. An RRC connection request is transmitted from the user equipment 400 to the serving base station 102a... The BS controller/processor 478 executes instructions from the BS non-transitory memory 480 to generate an RRC Connection Setup response. The response is converted into an RF signal by the BS TX processing circuit 474 and the BS RF transceivers 472a . . . 472n, and transmitted via the BS antennas 470a . . . 470n. The user equipment 400 then completes the RRC connection process by transmitting an RRC connection complete message using its respective RF components);
generating, based on the RRC message, an original MC (Fig. 5-6B, RRC establishment, Measurement Control; [0217] First, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message... This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and transmitting the original MC to the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control; [0217] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 receive and process the message. The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message); and
identifying events and event thresholds relevant to identified events, the event thresholds ([0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) stored in the memory ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message);
performing event-based threshold ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4)) modification utilizing the identified events and event thresholds ([0201] UE processor/controller 440; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO); [0223] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate exemplary handover procedures with UIO implemented. In a first implementation shown in FIG. 6A, a UIO may be generated by the serving base station 102a and transmitted in the Measurement Control message. The Measurement Control message may include instructions to the user equipment 400 to modify one or more signal strength and quality metrics with the UIO. The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports);
determining a handover suggestion, wherein the handover suggestion comprises (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements transmitted on the control plane to support handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) below; [0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) at least one ([0223] The user equipment 400 may then take measurements of the one or more signal strength and quality metrics, modify the one or more signal strength or quality measurements with the UIO, and transmit the modified signal strength and quality measurements back to the serving base station 102a via the Measurement Reports; [0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400) of:
preponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover),
postponing a handover ([0239] UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior... Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover),
canceling a handover (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report. In some implementations, exceeding a handover threshold... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request (e.g., measurement report where the measurements do not exceed a handover threshold, hence the handover is not initiated, e.g., cancelled)), and
adding a handover ([0230] an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; [0239];);
generating a suggested MC (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement Control) that causes a measurement report (MR) for each monitored physical cell to trigger at time ts (1) (Fig. 5-6B, measurement; [0218] the UE RF transceiver 410 measures the signal strength from the target base station(s) 102b.. and recording the measurements), and based on the MR, initiates a handover at time ts (2) (Fig. 5-6B, handover decision; [0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report... Then, the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Request), in context,
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, defines that a handover occurs at t (2) (Fig. 5-6B; handover command and handover confirmation; [0220] the serving base station 102a BS controller/processor 478 generates a Handover Command... The user equipment 400 receives the command via the respective RF components, and the UE processor/controller 440 initiates a random access channel (RACH) procedure to connect to the target base station 102b) takes place shortly after t (1), where t (1) is the time at which the MR (Fig. 5-6B, measurement Report; [0222] the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO)) is triggered such that:
a preponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7B; [0238] With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover);
a postponed handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover);
a cancelled handover is defined as:
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(Fig. 5-6B, Measurement reports; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met. An example of one such event condition is in eq. (4) (e.g., certain criteria are not met, measurement reports were never transmitted hence ts(1) = infinite)); and
adding a handover is defined as:
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([0238] Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10. However, UIO can be selectively applied to individual users to modify their handover behavior...With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover; (hence the added earlier/later handover exists when ≠ the original handover timing));
generating, by the host device (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement), quality-of-service (QoS) measurement based handover suggestions (Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure); [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ), and
performing, by the one or more cells (Fig. 5-6B, Source Cell 102a - Measurement Control), cellular network signal strength monitoring (Fig. 5-6B – Measurement reports; [0217] the BS controller/processor 478 generates a Measurement Control message, which configures the user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b. This message carries configuration information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements) and determining that a measurement configuration (MC) threshold has been achieved ([0219] Next, the BS controller/processor 478 receives and evaluates the Measurement Report and determines whether the adjusted signal strength and quality measurement exceeds a handover threshold, which is a predetermined handover event trigger based upon an evaluation of the Measurement Report), including:
monitoring cellular network QoS (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements(e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that a predetermined QoS threshold has not been met, continuing QoS monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined QoS threshold has been met, engaging a determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;), wherein the cellular network QoS (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] user equipment 400 to perform certain measurements on the serving base station 102a and target base station(s) 102b... information regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements; [0218]; [0230]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ) includes data throughput, end-to-end latency, jitter, and communication reliability) ([0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100; [0002] The growing frequency of handovers leads to a heightened probability of handover failures (HOF), which can significantly impact user experience quality (QoE) metrics such as retainability, latency, and throughput, and also increase signaling load; [0007] proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user... the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs));
monitoring cellular network signal strength as reference signal perceived power (RSRP) (Fig. 5-6B, Measurement; Eq. 1; Eq. 4; [0217] measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as which cells to monitor, what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)), and how frequently to perform these measurements (e.g., QoS measurements used to support handover procedure);), and upon determining that predetermined signal strength thresholds have not been met, continuing RSRP monitoring ([0218] UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells.. and the UE processor/controller 440 averages these measurements to obtain an RSRP... the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met (hence UE continues to monitor and record measurements when certain criteria are not met); [0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1), and upon determining that the predetermined signal strength thresholds have been met, engaging the determinator control logic ([0218] when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met;); and
determining whether events have met MC thresholds set in an original MC ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have not been met ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true (e.g., false then event report not sent) for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0236] Eq. (3) represents the current 3GPP standardized event A3 evaluation for handover. All user equipment 400 connected to the serving base station 102a utilize this evaluation criteria), continuing RSRP monitoring ([0218] The UE RF transceiver 410 and UE RX processing circuit 425 periodically scan and measure the signal strength and quality metrics from the serving and neighboring cells), and upon determining that the MC thresholds have been met, triggering an MR (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement Reports; [0217] regarding the measurements to be taken by the user equipment 400, such as... what signal strength and quality metrics to measure (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)) (e.g., measurements used to support control plane handover procedure); [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met);
incorporating a QoS metric within decision-making criteria ([0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0230] Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter. This event is triggered when the neighboring BS signal becomes better than the serving BS signal by an offset value, considering the effect of hysteresis, cell individual offset, and frequency offset. The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter; [0253] The effectiveness of the UIO in optimizing wireless network performance can be demonstrated through three important KPIs 320: SINR, handover success rate (HOSR), and handover signaling overhead (SigO). By optimizing these KPIs 320, the overall quality of experience (QoE) for wireless network users is enhanced) for the MR (Fig. 5 -6B, Measurement Reports), wherein:
advancing or preponing a handover process ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... With a positive UIO... FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1)) prior to RSRP decreasing enough to trigger a handover according to the MC thresholds in the original MC ([0217]; [0225]; [0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ, Otar; [0222] The value of UIO... Prior to initiating a handover event, the measured signal from neighboring base station 102b (e.g., RSRP or RSRQ) is modified by the UIO value. If a positive UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 adds the measured value to the UIO and reports to the base station 102 that the measured signal value is higher than the actual value (i.e., actual value plus UIO). Conversely, if a negative UIO value is used, the UE processor/controller 440 of the user equipment 400 may subtract the UIO from the measured signal value and report that the measured value is lower than the actual value (i.e., actual value minus UIO));
advancing or preponing the handover process ([0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... With a positive UIO... FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics fall below
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([0230] To illustrate the impact of UIO on handover, an event A3 is used as a trigger for handover. Event A3 is a mechanism that ensures the user equipment 400 will perform a handover to a neighboring base station 102b with a better signal condition by controlling the mobility decision using an offset parameter; The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters > Serving BS, the QoS metrics fall below Qmin)), only a portion of events are kept in the MC ([0217] The UE processor/controller 440 stores the measurement configuration in the UE non-transitory memory 460; [0218] the UE processor/controller 440 generates a Measurement Report... In other implementations, the Measurement Report may be event-triggered when the UE processor/controller 440 evaluates that certain criteria have been met; [0225] the BS controller/processor 478 via BS backhaul and network interface 482 may first scan the database for a UIO associated with the UE identifier of user equipment 400. If a UIO is found, the BS controller/processor 478 may retrieve the UIO from the database for transmission to the user equipment 400 via the Measurement Control message); and
cancelling ([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter (event report is not sent to trigger the handover process due to condition failing to remain true for the duration; hence handover process is cancelled);) or postponing the handover process (Fig. 7C; [0238] when a negative UIO is imposed on the user equipment 400 of user #2 toward the target base station 102b, the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) when QoS metrics are above
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence when Target BS parameters >! Serving BS, the QoS metrics are above Qmin)), and RSRP anomalies are detected ([0231] Mtar represents the measured value of RSRP or RSRQ; [0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0187] Once detected, the ML model 342 can produce the report 350 indicating that there is a performance issue with the cell 310), wherein RSRP anomalies define short duration signal strength fluctuations ([0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320; [0189] The event can be a failure of a neighboring cell tower (hence abnormal changes to the RSRP due to the failure), an opening of an office building that is served by the cell 310, etc. Based on the time at which the event occurred, the ML model 344 can aid in identifying the event, by analyzing all the network events that happened at the particular time),
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is a predetermined minimum QoS, and
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is a predetermined threshold QoS greater than
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([0230] The event report is sent when the following condition remains true for a duration set by the time-to-trigger (TTT) parameter: Mtar+Otar, freq+Otar, cell-hyst > Mserv+Oserv ,freq+Oserv ,cell+off Eq.1; [0231] wherein the left side of the inequality represents the parameters related to target base stations 102b, 102c, . . . 102n (hereafter “102b”)... On the right-hand side, we have the parameters related to the serving base station 102a with the addition of an offset (off) parameter (hence the target BS parameters is
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, the serving BS Parameters is
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, and the Eq. 1 is
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>
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));
detecting repetitive unnecessary handovers ([0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102 (hence using UIO approach will minimize the detection of repetitive unnecessary handovers according to [0241];[0007];)) or ping-pong handovers between cells such that for a physical cell identity (PCI) at time T: P(T),
If
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such that:
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;
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;
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,
then: Ping-Pong = True; and
performing anomaly detection ([0186] The ML model 342 can perform multivariate timeseries outlier detection. The ML model 342 can detect an anomaly, such as an abnormal spike/event, in one or more timeseries in a multivariate timeseries data, e.g., KPI 320); and
selectively altering timing of cellular network handovers between the host device and the one or more cellular communication cells ([0246] RAN intelligence can observe and learn from a large number of handover events with associated parameters, and use this information to train AI/ML models to identify sets of UIO values that result in successful handovers; [0238] FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate how the implementation of the UIO parameter can alter handover behavior of individual user equipment 400s... FIG. 7A depicts a situation where no UIO is implemented. Without UIO, the handover points for both user equipment 400 occur at a certain time T such as T10... With a positive UIO applied to the user equipment 400 of user #2 towards the target base station 102b, as depicted in FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... a negative UIO... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover) to reduce a potential for repetitive handovers ([0007] the authors proposed an algorithm that dynamically adjusts handover settings for each user based on a weight function that considers factors such as SINR, cell load, and UE speed. By doing so, the proposed algorithm improved the RSRP, reduce ping pong handovers, and minimize radio link failures (RLFs); [0239] UIO offers multiple advantages over a CIO-only approach. Firstly, UIO allows the parameter adjustment on individual user behavior, such as user speed, trajectory, serving base station, target base station, and service requirements etc; [0240] To illustrate the potential detrimental impact of tuning CIO values, an experiment was run to test its impact on static users... FIG. 8 illustrates the results. Using the default configuration (i.e., no CIO), users #1, #3, and #4 suffer handover issues, including handover failures and radio link failures (RLFs)... Likewise, optimizing CIO to improve the performance of user #4 comes at the expense of unwanted handovers of the static users or performance degradation for other user. These unwanted handovers of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102) from a first level to a second level less than the first level while maintaining or improving a cellular network QoS ([0240] These unwanted handovers (e.g., first level = higher number of repetitive/unwanted handovers) of static users and adverse impact to other mobile users are unavoidable with a parameter which applies to all user equipment 400 such as CIO. However, this can be avoided with UIO (e.g., second level = lower number of repetitive/unwanted handovers) since UIO can target specific user equipment 400 rather than specific base stations 102; [0241] This UIO parameter can be easily adapted to current 5G networks 100, with minimal impact on the existing handover standards. The simplicity of the UIO approach of the present disclosure and compatibility with current standards make the UIO approach of the present disclosure a promising solution for improving handover performance in wireless networks 100) by adjusting a location of a handover between cells upon detection of a ping-pong handover ([0243] One technique for setting and optimizing UIO is a domain knowledge based manual setting. This technique involves identifying the underlying causes of handover issues, such as too early handover, handover to the wrong cell, too late handover, or ping-pong handover... Once the underlying cause has been identified, an appropriate UIO value can be selected to address the issue... negative UIO values can prevent premature handovers by neighboring cells (according to [0003] delaying handover to prevent too early or ping-pong handovers); [0238] FIG. 7B, the transition point for UE #2 changes to T9, resulting in an earlier handover... FIG. 7C, when a negative UIO is imposed... the handover shifts from T10 to T11, resulting in a later handover (hence adjust in location of the handover to a later time); [0239] UIO allows the parameter adjustment on individual user behavior, such as user speed, trajectory, serving base station, target base station, and service requirements etc) such that:
When Ping-Pong =True ([0243] One technique for setting and optimizing UIO is a domain knowledge based manual setting. This technique involves identifying the underlying causes of handover issues, such as too early handover, handover to the wrong cell, too late handover, or ping-pong handover... Once the underlying cause has been identified, an appropriate UIO value can be selected to address the issue. For instance, a positive UIO value can be used to address delayed handovers (e.g., too early handover issue, not ping-pong handover issue)):
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,
where v = velocity, D = estimated distance to a heatmap + host device trajectory,
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= velocity weight, ϵ = small constant,
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= distance weight, Δmax = a maximum allowed modification, where
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,
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, Δmax ≥ 0 , ϵ > 0.
Allowable Subject Matter
Dependent claim 10, which is dependent upon claims 1 and 6-9, would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
IMRAN is the most the most relevant prior art toward the claimed invention as cited above in claims 1 and 6-9, which claim 10 is depends upon.
IMRAN does not explicitly disclose the system of claim 10 such that if Ping-Pong = True:
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,
where v = velocity, D = estimated distance to a heatmap + host device trajectory,
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= velocity weight, ϵ = small constant,
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= distance weight, Δmax = a maximum allowed modification, where
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,
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, Δmax ≥ 0 , ϵ > 0.
SUN discloses evaluating a link reliability as a condition in the handover decision in addition to triggering the event A3 to further avoid ping-pong effect and address the handover delay issues (SUN - Page 12, The HO trigger condition in this paper is similar to A3 trigger event... conversely, the larger the TTT, the slower the UE’s measurement report and the later the handover is performed. This parameter can decrease the number of unnecessary handovers and effectively avoid ping-pong effects. But it can also delay the handover which then increase the probability of handover failures. UE would suffer HO failure if the condition is satisfied as follow
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(12)
where d is the trajectory length of a UE in a small cell, v̄ is its average speed in m/s. For the smaller coverage area of cells and lower v̄, the TTT should be configured by smaller value... Worse link quality indicators result in longer time delay of data packet and lower resource utilization. Therefore, the wireless link reliability is a critical consideration of HO decision, and imposes a significant impact on QoS/QoE improvement... The RSRQ measurement provides additional information when RSRP is not sufficient to make a reliable handover... The faster UE moves, the more unstable its communication link will be due to Doppler effect... Therefore, the wireless link reliability is evaluated by RSRQ and speed as
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(14)
where
R
S
R
Q
-
denotes the average RSRQ of neighbour cell).
However, IMRAN and SUN, either alone or in combination do not teach or suggest the system of claim 10 such that if Ping-Pong = True,
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where v = velocity, D = estimated distance to a heatmap + host device trajectory,
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= velocity weight, ϵ = small constant,
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= distance weight, Δmax = a maximum allowed modification, where
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,
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, Δmax ≥ 0 , ϵ > 0, as recited in claim 10. No additional evidence was found to reasonable render a case of obviousness against the claimed invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. PTO-892 form.
Sun et al. ("A Multi-Attribute Handover Algorithm for QoS Enhancement in Ultra Dense Network") teaches mobility management methods to avoid unnecessary handovers.
KARABULUT et al. (US 20240121676 A1) teaches TA assists measurement report triggering event by scaling the handover parameters based on the TA changes rate to prevent late handovers or ping-pong effect.
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/THERESA NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 2418
/Moo Jeong/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2418
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