Patent ID: 9655025
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method of managing the performance of a wireless device handover in a heterogeneous network having a macro access node with a first coverage area and a small access node with a second coverage area within the first coverage area, said method comprising: monitoring a first signal level of the macro access node and a second signal level of the small access node; attempting a handover from the macro access node to the small access node when the second signal is greater than the first signal, or from the small access node to the macro access node when the first signal is greater than the second signal; identifying that the attempted handover of a wireless device meets a failure criteria, wherein the failure criteria comprises one or more of determining the first signal level of the macro access node and the second signal level of the small access node received at the wireless device at a time when the attempted handover was initiated; for handovers from the macro access node to the small access node, adjusting of a first handover initiation timer and a first signal level modifier based on the failure criteria, the determined first signal level, and the determined second signal level; wherein the first signal level modifier adjusts a value of the first signal level of the macro access node for handovers from the small access node to the macro access node, adjusting a second handover initiation timer and a second signal level modifier based on the failure criteria, the determined first signal level, and the determined second signal level; wherein the second signal level modifier adjusts a value of the second signal level of the small access node performing one or more additional handovers using upon determining that a threshold failure level is met, suspending the adjusting of the first and second handover initiation timer and the first and second signal level modifier.