Cell selection in a cellular communication network

A user equipment (2, 4, 6) receives mobility information representing a time-dependent location change of a mobile cell (11, 21) of a cellular communication network. A cell of a plurality of cells (11, 21, 31) of cellular communication network is selected for the user equipment (2, 4, 6) to camp on. Selecting the cell comprises processing the mobility information to determine whether the user equipment (2, 4, 6) is to camp on the mobile cell (11, 21).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to methods and devices for cell selection in a cellular communication network. The invention relates in particular to techniques of selecting a cell for a user equipment to camp on when a cellular communication network includes a mobile base station or repeater relay.

BACKGROUND ART

The demand for mobile data and voice communication continues to evidence a significant growth. Examples for wireless communication systems provided to meet the increasing demand for data and voice communication include cellular-based wireless communication networks which have a plurality of cells. In order to meet the ever increasing demand for mobile data and voice communication also under conditions where a user equipment travels, mobile base stations and mobile repeater relays may be provided. Mobile base stations and/or mobile repeater relays may be installed in public transportation vehicles, such as trains, buses, subway trains, or other vehicles, for example, without being limited thereto.

A user equipment may camp on a cell of the cellular communication network which is mobile because the base station or repeater relay serving the cell is mobile. Such mobile cells may increase the risk that cell reselection may need to be carried out more frequently. Movement of the user equipment is no longer the only reason why the user equipment may move out of the coverage area of the mobile cell. Rather, movement of the mobile cell may also cause the user equipment to become located outside of the coverage area of the mobile cell. The relative movement between the mobile base station or repeater relay and the user equipment may require a handover procedure already when the user equipment has camped on a mobile cell for a short time period only.

While handover procedures including cell reselection may be performed to find a new, more appropriate cell for the user equipment to camp on, the cell reselection involves additional signaling. This may be undesirable for various reasons, including the resultant decrease in bandwidth which is available for data and voice communication, and/or the power consumption associated with the signaling, for example.

SUMMARY

There is a need in the art for techniques which address at least some of the shortcomings of conventional cell selection techniques. There is in particular a need for methods, devices and systems which mitigate the risk that a user equipment camps on a mobile cell which can be anticipated to provide coverage for the user equipment for only a short time period.

According to exemplary embodiments of the invention, the user equipment receives and processes mobility information which represents a time-dependent location change of a mobile cell of the cellular communication network. The mobility information may include the current velocity and direction of movement of a base station or repeater relay, for example, or other information from which the velocity and direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay may be established. By processing the mobility information for cell selection and/or cell reselection, the user equipment may selectively prioritize or deprioritize cells depending on the relative velocity between the base station or repeater relay of the respective cell and the user equipment.

According to exemplary embodiments, a method and a user equipment as recited in the independent claims are provided. The dependent claims define further embodiments.

According to an embodiment, a method of selecting a cell of a cellular communication network having a plurality of cells is provided. The method comprises receiving, by a user equipment, mobility information representing a time-dependent location change of a mobile cell of the plurality of cells. The method comprises selecting a cell of the plurality of cells for the user equipment to camp on. The method comprises processing the mobility information to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

By utilizing the mobility information which indicates the time-dependent location change of the mobile cell in the cell selection, the risk of the user equipment camping on a cell which moves at a high velocity relative to the user equipment may be mitigated. For a user equipment travelling on a vehicle on which a base station or repeater relay of the mobile cell is installed, the mobility information may be utilized by the user equipment to identify the cell of the cellular communication network which travels jointly with the user equipment. The risk is mitigated that handovers occur at a short time interval after a cell has been selected in an attach procedure.

The user equipment may receive the mobility information while the user equipment is in idle mode and may select the cell while the user equipment is in idle mode.

The method may comprise monitoring user equipment movement data which represent a time-dependent location change of the user equipment. Processing the mobility information of the mobile cell may include performing a comparison of the user equipment movement data with the mobility information.

The user equipment may compute a relative velocity between the user equipment and a base station or a repeater relay of the mobile cell to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may select a cell different from the mobile cell for the user equipment to camp on if the relative velocity exceeds a threshold.

The mobility information may include a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the mobile cell.

The user equipment may compare the current velocity of the mobile cell with a current velocity of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell. The user equipment may compare the current a direction of movement of the mobile cell with a current direction of movement of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The mobility information may include information on a time-averaged historical velocity and information on a time-averaged historical direction of movement of the mobile cell.

The user equipment may compare the time-averaged historical velocity of the mobile cell with a time-averaged historical velocity of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell. The user equipment may compare the time-averaged direction of movement of the mobile cell with a time-averaged historical direction of movement of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may perform a hard prioritization of cells by selectively discarding the mobile cell depending on the mobility information.

The user equipment may perform a soft prioritization of cells by making a selection of the mobile cell more likely or less likely, depending on the mobility information.

The method may comprise measuring a signal strength indicator and/or a signal quality indicator for the mobile cell. The method may comprise selectively incrementing or decrementing the measured signal strength or signal quality indicator for the mobile cell in dependence on a result of the comparison to generate a movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or a movement-dependent signal quality indicator which is used to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may report the movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or the movement-dependent signal quality indicator to the cellular communication network for cell reselection. This allows the processing of mobility information to be readily integrated into conventional handover procedures, for example. The mobility information may be used without requiring that adjustments are made to cell reselection procedures performed at a base station, for example.

A base station or repeater relay of the mobile cell may broadcast the mobility information.

The base station or the repeater relay may determine a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the base station or the repeater relay, respectively. The base station may compute a time-averaged velocity and time-averaged direction of movement for a pre-defined time interval before the base station or repeater relay broadcasts the mobility information.

The base station or the repeater relay may generate the mobility information and may broadcast the mobility information as system information. The base station or the repeater relay may broadcast the mobility information as a system information block, SIB.

The base station or the repeater relay may broadcast the mobility information which may include information on a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the base station or of the repeater relay, and information on a historical movement of the base station or of the repeater relay in the past.

According to another embodiment, a user equipment configured to attach to a cellular communication network having a plurality of cells is provided. The user equipment comprises a receiver configured to receive mobility information representing a time-dependent location change of a mobile cell of the plurality of cells. The user equipment comprises at least one processing device coupled to the receiver and configured to select a cell of the plurality of cells to camp on. The at least one processing device is configured to determine, based on the mobility in-formation, whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to receive the mobility information while the user equipment is in idle mode. The user equipment may be configured to select the cell while the user equipment is in idle mode.

The user equipment may be configured to capture and monitor user equipment movement data which represent a time-dependent location change of the user equipment. The user equipment may be configured to perform a comparison of the user equipment movement data with the mobility information to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to compute a relative velocity between the user equipment and a base station or a repeater relay of the mobile cell to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to select a cell different from the mobile cell for the user equipment to camp on if the relative velocity exceeds a threshold.

The mobility information may include a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to compare the current velocity of the mobile cell with a current velocity of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell. The user equipment may be configured to compare the current direction of movement of the mobile cell with a current direction of movement of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The mobility information may include information on a time-averaged historical velocity and information on a time-averaged historical direction of movement of the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to compare the time-averaged historical velocity of the mobile cell with a time-averaged historical velocity of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell. The user equipment may be configured to compare the time-averaged direction of movement of the mobile cell with a time-averaged historical direction of movement of the user equipment to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to perform a hard prioritization of cells by selectively discarding the mobile cell depending on the mobility information.

The user equipment may be configured to perform a soft prioritization of cells by making selection of the mobile cell more likely when the mobility information indicates that the mobile cell moves in the same direction as the user equipment. The user equipment may be configured to perform a soft prioritization of cells by making selection of the mobile cell less likely when the mobility information indicates that the mobile cell moves opposite to the user equipment.

The user equipment may be configured to measure a signal strength indicator and/or a signal quality indicator for the mobile cell. The user equipment may be configured to selectively increment or decrement the measured signal strength or signal quality indicator for the mobile cell in dependence on a result of the comparison to generate a movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or a movement-dependent signal quality indicator. The user equipment may be configured to use the movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or a movement-dependent signal quality indicator to determine whether the user equipment is to camp on the mobile cell.

The user equipment may be configured to report the movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or the movement-dependent signal quality indicator to the cellular communication network for cell reselection.

According to another embodiment, a system is provided which comprises a cellular communication network and a user equipment. The cellular communication network comprises a plurality of cells including at least one mobile cell. A base station or a repeater relay of the mobile cell is displaceable and is configured to broadcast mobility information which represents a time-dependent location change of the base station or of the repeater relay. The user equipment may be the user equipment according to any one aspect or embodiment disclosed herein.

The base station or the repeater relay of the mobile cell may be configured to determine a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the base station or the repeater relay, respectively. The base station or the repeater relay of the mobile cell may be configured to compute a time-averaged velocity and time-averaged direction of movement for a pre-defined time interval which precedes the broadcasting of the mobility information.

The base station or the repeater relay of the mobile cell may be configured to generate the mobility information and to broadcast the mobility information as system information. The base station or the repeater relay may be configured to broadcast the mobility information as a system information block, SIB.

The base station or the repeater relay may be configured to broadcast the mobility information which may include information on a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the base station or of the repeater relay, and which may further include information on a historical movement of the base station or of the repeater relay in the past.

Embodiments of the invention may be used for cell selection procedures in cellular communication networks, including 3rd generation (3G) or Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular communication networks. Embodiments of the invention may in particular used when a user equipment becomes attached to the cellular communication network.

Although specific features described in the above summary and the following detailed description are described in the context of specific embodiments and aspects of the invention, the features of the embodiments and aspects may be combined with each other unless specifically noted otherwise.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail. It has to be understood that the features of the various exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined with each other unless specifically noted otherwise. Identical or similar reference numerals refer to identical or similar components.

While some embodiments will be described in the context of specific communication standards and techniques, embodiments of the invention are not limited to these particular communication standards but may be used in a wide variety of communication systems.

FIG. 1shows a communication system1according to an embodiment. The communication system1is configured as a cellular wireless communication system which has a plurality of cells11,21,31. The communication system1may comprise a plurality of base stations. Base stations12,22,32are exemplarily illustrated inFIG. 1. The communication system1may comprise one or several repeater relays. The operation and configuration of the base station which will be explained in more detail below may also be performed by repeater relays. I.e., one or several of the base stations12,22,32may be replaced by a repeater relay.

The base stations12,22,32may communicate with each other via wireless radio communications or via an operator core network. The communication network may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. A radio access network (RAN) of the communication network may be an evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), with the base stations12,22,32respectively being an evolved Node B (eNodeB). The base station12,22,32may be connected to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and/or Serving Gateway (S-GW) in the core network (CN).

The base station12provides a radio cell11in which a user equipment2may communicate directly with the base station12via radio frequency communication. The base station22provides a radio cell21in which the user equipment2may communicate directly with the base station22via radio frequency communication. The base station32provides a radio cell31in which the user equipment2may communicate directly with the base station32via radio frequency communication. Further user equipments4,6according to embodiments may be provided in the communication network. The user equipment2,4,6may respectively have a wireless interface for communication with the RAN.

One or several of the cells11,21,31of the cellular communication network are mobile cells. The base station or repeater relay serving the respective mobile cell is mobile. As the base station or repeater relay moves, the cell11,21,31also moves. For illustration, the base station or repeater relay of a mobile cell may be installed in a public transportation vehicle, e.g. a bus or a train, or in another vehicle.

A first base station12may move at a first velocity indicated by velocity vector13. A first cell11may move jointly with the first base station12. Boundaries of the first cell11may optionally also deform slightly due to shielding effects, for example, as the first base station12moves. Generally, as used herein, the movement, velocity and movement direction of a mobile cell may be identical to the movement, velocity and movement direction of the base station or repeater relay of the respective mobile cell.

The movement of the first cell11may be defined by the velocity vector13in a world reference frame. The velocity vector13defines the velocity, e.g. the magnitude of the velocity vector13, and a movement direction. The movement direction may be defined by an angle14relative to a coordinate axis in the world reference frame, for example.

For further illustration, a second base station22may move at a second velocity indicated by velocity vector23. The second cell21moves in accordance with the second base station22. For still further illustration, a third base station32may be stationary. The third cell31served by the third base station32may be stationary.

According to exemplary embodiments, a user equipment may receive mobility information that is broadcast by the base station or repeater relay of a mobile cell. The mobility information may be broadcast by the respective base station or repeater relay as system information, e.g. as a system information block (SIB). The mobility information may include data which allows the user equipment to determine a velocity and movement direction of the base station or repeater relay which broadcasts the mobility information. The mobility information may include data which allows the user equipment to determine a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay which broadcasts the mobility information. The mobility information may include data which allows the user equipment to determine a historical time-averaged velocity and a historical time-averaged direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay which broadcasts the mobility information.

The mobility information may take any one of a variety of formats. For illustration rather than limitation, the mobility information may include the two or three components of the velocity vector in a world reference frame. The mobility information may include the magnitude of the velocity vector and an angle which indicates the direction of movement. The mobility information may include the position of the base station or repeater relay recorded at a plurality of times, i.e. two or more than two times, prior to broadcasting the mobility information. The user equipment may process the mobility information to determine the velocity and movement direction of the base station or repeater relay which broadcasts the mobility information.

The user equipment may compare the velocity and direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay to the velocity and direction of movement of the user equipment. Mobile cells may be selectively prioritized or deprioritized when a cell selection is performed. In particular, when the user equipment becomes attached to the cellular communication network, the user equipment may take the broadcast mobility information into account in cell selection. Moving cell(s) may be selectively be prioritized or deprioritized over stationary cells or other moving cells, depending on whether the base station or repeater relay moves in a direction and at a velocity similar to that of the user equipment.

For illustration, the user equipment2moves with a velocity indicated by velocity vector3when a cell selection is performed in an attach procedure. The user equipment2may be located in the coverage area of a first base station12. The user equipment2may optionally be located in the coverage area of at least one further base station or repeater relay22,32. The user equipment2may receive the mobility information from the first base station12and, optionally, the second base station22while the user equipment2is in idle mode.

The user equipment2may use the mobility information to select a cell to camp on. The user equipment2may prioritize the first cell11over the second cell21and the third cell31, even when the signal strength of the first base station12measured by the user equipment2is less than that of the second base station22and/or the third base station32. The user equipment2may prioritize the first cell11because the first base station12moves with a first velocity vector13which is similar in magnitude and direction to the velocity vector3of the user equipment2. The user equipment2may compute a relative velocity between the user equipment2and each base station or repeater relay which provide coverage at the location at which the user equipment2is positioned when attempting to attach to the cellular communication network. The user equipment2may prioritize or deprioritize cells based on the magnitude of the relative velocity. For illustration, the user equipment2may prioritize the first cell11over the second cell21, because the base station12or repeater relay of the first cell11has the smallest relative velocity relative to the velocity vector3of the user equipment2.

Other factors may be taken into account in the cell selection or reselection. For illustration, a signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator may be used in combination with the mobility information when a cell selection or reselection is performed. The signal quality indicator may be the Cell Selection quality value (typically indicated in dB), which is also referred to as Squal in the art. The signal strength indicator may be the Cell Selection RX level value (typically indicated in dB), which is also referred to as Srxlev in the art.

The other user equipments4,6may also use mobility information broadcast by mobile base stations. The user equipment4may prioritize the second cell21over the first cell11and the third cell31, because the base station22or repeater relay of the second cell21has the smallest relative velocity relative to the velocity5of the user equipment4. The user equipment6may prioritize the third cell31over the first cell11and the second cell21, because the base station32or repeater relay of the third cell31has the smallest relative velocity relative to the stationary user equipment6.

FIG. 2is a schematic block diagram of a system1according to an embodiment. The base station12of the RAN may be connected to a node of the RAN or of the core network (CN). For illustration, for a base station12implemented as an eNodeB, the base station12may be connected to a MME or S-GW.

The user equipment2has a wireless interface41. The wireless interface41may be configured to communicate with the RAN of the cellular communication network. The wireless interface41may be configured for communication over the E-UTRA air interface.

The user equipment2has a processing device46connected to the wireless interface41. The processing device46may comprise one or several microprocessors, one or several microcontrollers, one or several processors, one or several controllers, one or several application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or a combination of such devices.

The processing device46may be configured to process mobility information broadcast by a base station and received at the wireless interface41. The processing device46may be configured to use the mobility information when determining on which cell of the communication network the user equipment is to camp.

The user equipment2has a movement detection device45configured to detect a location change of the user equipment2. The movement detection device45may include one or several of a position sensing device, e.g. a GPS or Galileo sensor, an acceleration sensor, or other known devices configured to detect a location change of the user equipment2. The movement detection device45may be configured to determine the location of the user equipment2based on measured signal strengths from stationary or mobile base stations in combination with triangulation techniques, for illustration. The processing device46may process an analog or digital output signal of the movement detection device45. The processing device46may be configured to determine a current velocity and a current direction of movement of the user equipment2based on the output signal of the movement detection device45. The processing device46may be configured to perform further processing functions, such as computing a time-averaged velocity vector.

The processing device46may compare the information on the current and/or historical velocity vector of the base station12to the data representing the current and/or historical velocity vector of the user equipment2. The processing device46may compute a relative velocity between the base station12and the user equipment2. The processing device46may determine, based on the relative velocity, whether the mobile cell served by the base station12is suitable for the user equipment2to camp on.

The processing device46may perform a prioritization among candidate serving cells. The processing device46may be configured to use the mobility information received from one or several mobile base stations or repeater relays for the prioritization. The processing device46may perform the prioritization while the user equipment2is in idle mode. The processing device46may perform the prioritization while the user equipment2is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) disconnected state. The processing device46may perform a hard prioritization in which cells are selectively discarded based on the mobility information. An exemplary implementation of such a hard prioritization will be described with reference toFIG. 5. The processing device46may perform a soft prioritization in which the likelihood that a cell is selected to camp on is increased or decreased gradually, based on the mobility information. An exemplary implementation of such a soft prioritization will be described with reference toFIG. 6.

The processing device46may use the mobility information not only for a cell selection during an attach procedure, but also for a cell reselection, e.g. in a handover procedure. For illustration, the processing device46may use the mobility information of several base stations to determine for which base stations a measured signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator is to be reported to the RAN for a cell reselection. Alternatively or additionally, the processing device46may selectively increment or decrement the measured signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator measured for a base station, depending on the relative velocity between the base station and the user equipment2. The incremented or decremented signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator may be reported to the cellular communication network for a cell reselection, for example. The processing device46may be configured to control a transmitter path44of the wireless interface41to report the incremented or decremented signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator to the cellular communication network.

The base station12includes a wireless interface15. The wireless interface15may be configured for communication over the E-UTRA air interface, for example. The base station12may be configured to determine a time-dependent location change of the base station12. The base station12is configured to transmit mobility information which is indicative of the time-dependent location change of the base station12over the wireless interface15.

The base station12may be configured to transmit system information which includes the mobility information. The base station12may be configured to transmit the mobility information as system information block (SIB). The base station12may be configured to transmit the mobility information as SIB message as defined in technical specification 3GPP TS 25.331, entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (Release 11)”. The base station12may be configured to transmit the mobility information as SIB message as defined in chapter 10.2.48 of technical specification 3GPP TS 25.331 V11.7.0 (2013-09), entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (Release 11)”. The base station12may be configured to transmit the mobility information as SIB message as defined in technical specification 3GPP TS 36.331, entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (Release 11)”. The base station12may be configured to transmit the mobility information as SIB message as defined in chapter 5.2.2 of technical specification 3GPP TS 36.331 V11.5.0 (2013-09), entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification (Release 11)”.

The base station12includes a movement detection device16configured to detect a location change of the base station12. The movement detection device16may include one or several of a position sensing device, e.g. a GPS or Galileo sensor, an acceleration sensor, or other known devices configured to detect a location change of the base station12. The movement detection device16may be configured to determine the location of the base station12by measuring signal strengths of stationary base stations or other mobile base stations of the cellular communication network, in combination with triangulation techniques, for example. The movement detection device16may comprise an acceleration sensor. The movement detection device16may be configured to compute a velocity vector by integrating measured accelerations. The movement detection device16may be configured to perform further processing functions, such as computing a magnitude of a velocity vector and a direction of movement.

The base station12includes a storage medium17for at least temporarily storing historical information on time-dependent location changes of the base station12. For illustration, the velocity and movement direction may be stored in regular time intervals in the storage medium17. The base station12may be configured to compute a time-averaged historical velocity and time-averaged historical direction of movement from the data stored in the storage medium17. Time-averaging may be performed over a time interval having a pre-defined length which precedes the broadcasting of mobility information. Alternatively or additionally, the location of the base station12may be stored in regular time intervals in the storage medium17. The base station12may be configured to compute a time-averaged historical velocity and time-averaged historical direction of movement from the locations recorded in the storage medium17.

The base station12may be configured to broadcast mobility information in any one of a variety of formats. The base station12may be configured to transmit two or three components of a velocity vector of the base station12in a world reference frame. The mobility information may include the magnitude of the velocity vector and one angle or two angles which indicate the direction of movement. The mobility information may include the position of the base station12or repeater relay recorded at a plurality of times, i.e. two or more than two times, prior to transmission of the mobility information.

FIG. 3is a flow diagram of a method50according to an embodiment. The method50may be performed by a user equipment according to an embodiment.

At51, the user equipment receives mobility information from at least one mobile base station or repeater relay. The mobility information represents a time-dependent location change of the mobile cell. The mobility information may include the current velocity and current direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay, or information from which the current velocity and current direction of movement of the base station or repeater relay may be computed. The mobility information may optionally include historical data which are indicative of the movement of the base station or repeater relay in a predefined time window before the mobility information is broadcast by the base station or repeater relay.

At52, the user equipment monitors a movement of the user equipment. Monitoring the movement of the user equipment may comprise collecting user equipment movement data. The user equipment movement data may include the current velocity and current direction of movement of the user equipment, or information from which the current velocity and current direction of movement of the user equipment may be computed.

Steps51and52may be performed while the user equipment is in idle mode. Steps51and52may be performed while the user equipment is in a RRC disconnected state, for example.

At53, it is determined whether the user equipment shall attach to the communication network. If the user equipment does not need to attach to the communication network, the method may return to steps51and52. If the user equipment shall attach to the communication network, the method may continue at54.

At54, the mobility information is used in a cell selection. In the cell selection, a cell is selected for the user equipment to camp on. The mobility information may be combined with the user equipment movement data to determine whether the base station or repeater relay of the mobile cell and the user equipment move with similar velocities and in similar directions. A relative velocity may be computed. The mobile cell may be selected depending on the relative velocity between the user equipment and the base station or repeater relay.

For illustration, and as will be described in more detail with reference toFIG. 4to

FIG. 8, a mobile cell may be prioritized over a stationary cell or another mobile cell when the relative velocity between the user equipment and the mobile cell is small. A mobile cell may be deprioritized over a stationary cell or another mobile cell when the relative velocity between the user equipment and the mobile cell is large.

At55, signaling of an attach procedure may be performed. A radio link may be established between the user equipment and the base station or repeater relay of the cell selected at step54. The attach procedure may comprise an RRC connection setup. The attach procedure may comprise establishing a public data network (PDN) connection.

FIG. 4illustrates signaling in a system according to an embodiment. The user equipment may initially be in idle mode61. While the user equipment is in the idle mode, a first base station may broadcast system information62. The system information62may include mobility information. The mobility information may be selectively included in the system information when the base station is mobile. In other implementations, the mobility information may also be included in system information transmitted by a stationary base station. The system information62may include a system information block with mobility information. The mobility information may have any one of the various formats described with reference toFIG. 1andFIG. 2above. While the user equipment is in the idle mode, a second base station may broadcast system information63. The system information63may include mobility information for the cell of the second base station. The system information62,63may be broadcast repeatedly while the user equipment is in idle mode.

When an attach procedure is to be carried out for the user equipment, a cell selection64is performed. In the cell selection, a cell is selected for the user equipment to camp on. The mobility information received from at least one base station or repeater relay is used to determine the cell on which the user equipment shall camp. The cell selection may be triggered when the user equipment is to make a transition from the idle mode to a connected state, e.g. for a data or voice communication session.

An RRC connection setup65may be performed with the base station of the selected cell. The user equipment may perform an attach/packet data network (PDN) connection establishment66.

As will be described in more detail with reference toFIG. 5toFIG. 8in the following, the user equipment may use the mobility information broadcast by a base station or repeater relay in a variety of ways. A hard cell prioritization may be performed in which cells are discarded as candidate cells depending on a comparison of the current velocity vector of the base station and the current velocity vector of the user equipment. A soft cell prioritization may be performed in which the selection of a cell is made more likely or less likely, depending on a comparison of the current velocity vector of the base station and the current velocity vector of the user equipment. The cell selection may optionally also be based on a historical mobility information of the base station.

While the cell selection techniques described in more detail with reference toFIG. 5toFIG. 8may be used when a user equipment becomes attached to the cellular communication network, the techniques may additionally or alternatively also be used for cell reselection, e.g. during handover.

While the cell selection techniques described in more detail with reference toFIG. 5toFIG. 8are described in the context of a mobile base station, the techniques may also be used for mobile repeater relays.

FIG. 5is a method70of selecting a cell according to an embodiment. The method70may be performed by a user equipment according to an embodiment.

At71, the user equipment receives mobility information which may be broadcast by at least one base station. At72, the user equipment processes the mobility information broadcast by a base station to determine the current velocity and direction of movement of the base station. The user equipment may read the current velocity and direction of movement from the broadcast mobility information. The user equipment may compute the current velocity and direction of movement from the broadcast mobility information, e.g. when the broadcast mobility information includes the location of the base station as a function of time. At73, the user equipment may compute a relative velocity between the velocity vector of the base station and the velocity vector of the user equipment. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment may compare a time-averaged historical velocity and direction of movement of the base station to the current velocity vector of the user equipment or to a time-averaged historical velocity vector of the user equipment to determine the relative velocity.

At74, the user equipment may use the relative velocity to determine whether the cell for which the mobility information was broadcast is suitable as a candidate cell for the user equipment to camp on. A magnitude of the relative velocity may be compared to a threshold, for example.

At75, if the cell for which the mobility information was broadcast is a suitable candidate cell for the user equipment to camp on, the user equipment may measure a signal strength indicator and/or a signal quality indicator for the cell. The signal quality indicator may be the Cell Selection quality value (typically indicated in dB), which is also referred to as Squal in the art. The signal strength indicator may be the Cell Selection RX level value (typically indicated in dB), which is also referred to as Srxlev in the art. The Cell Selection quality value and the Cell Selection RX level value may be measured in accordance with technical specification 3GPP TS 25.304, entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode (Release 11)”. The Cell Selection quality value and the Cell Selection RX level value may be measured in accordance with technical specification 3GPP TS 25.304 V11.4.0 (2013-09), entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode (Release 11)”.

At76, if the cell for which the mobility information was broadcast is not a suitable candidate cell, e.g. because it moves with a high relative velocity relative to the user equipment, the cell may be discarded from a set of candidate cells. The discarding at76may be performed dependent upon one or several further conditions. For illustration, the mobile cell which moves at a high relative velocity relative to the user equipment may be selectively discarded only if there is at least one further candidate cell on which the user equipment could camp.

At77, it is determined whether the user equipment is located in a coverage area of a further base station or repeater relay. If the user equipment is located in the coverage area of a further base station or repeater relay, steps71to76may be repeated for the further base station or repeater relay. If no further cells are available, the method may proceed to78.

At78, a prioritization may be performed among the cells which have not been discarded. The prioritization at step78may be performed based on the measured signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator of the cells. The relative velocity at which the base station(s) respectively move relative to the user equipment may additionally be taken into account in the prioritization at step78. For illustration, the one of the cells may be selected at step78for which a target function has the maximum or minimum value. The target function may include both a term which depends on the signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator, and another term which depends on the relative velocity. A weighting factor may be used to adjust a relative weight between the term which depends on the signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator, and the other term which depends on the relative velocity, for example, so as to balance the influence of high signal strength and low relative velocity.

With the method ofFIG. 5, cells may be discarded which move at a high velocity relative to the user equipment. This hard prioritization may be used to ensure that the user equipment never camps on a cell which moves at a rather high relative velocity relative to the user equipment, or is at least unlikely to camp on such a cell.

Alternatively or additionally, a soft prioritization may be performed which uses the relative velocity of the mobile cell relative to the user equipment as one of several criteria, as will be explained with reference toFIG. 6.

FIG. 6is a method80of selecting a cell according to an embodiment. The method80may be performed by a user equipment according to an embodiment.

At71, the user equipment received mobility information which may be broadcast by at least one base station. At72, the user equipment processes the mobility information broadcast by a base station. At73, the user equipment may compute a relative velocity between the velocity vector of the base station and the velocity vector of the user equipment. These steps may be implemented as explained with reference to the method70ofFIG. 5above.

At75, a signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator may be measured for the cell. The signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator may be configured as explained with reference to step75of the method70ofFIG. 5above.

At79, the measured signal strength indicator and/or the measured signal quality indicator may be selectively incremented or decremented depending on the relative velocity between the base station of the mobile cell and the user equipment. For illustration, depending on a magnitude of the relative velocity, the measured signal strength indicator and/or the measured signal quality indicator may be decremented to make a selection of a cell less likely when it moves at a higher relative velocity. The decrement may be a function of the magnitude of the relative velocity vector. Alternatively or additionally, the measured signal strength indicator and/or the measured signal quality indicator may be incremented to make selection of a cell more likely when it moves at a small relative velocity relative to the user equipment. The increment may be a function of the magnitude of the relative velocity vector.

The output value resulting from step79is an incremented or decremented signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator, which will also be referred to as a movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or movement-dependent signal quality indicator, because the increment or decrement depends on the movement between base station and user equipment.

At77, it may be determined whether the user equipment is located in a coverage area of a further base station or repeater relay. If the user equipment is located in a coverage area of a further base station or repeater relay, the method may repeat steps71,72,73,75,79, and77for the further base station or repeater relay. If no further cells are available, the method may proceed to78.

At78, a prioritization among the cells is performed. The prioritization may be performed based on the movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator determined at step79. The prioritization algorithm may be the same as in conventional cell selection, e.g. as defined in technical specification 3GPP TS 25.304 referred to above. However, the input parameters are the movement-dependent signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator determined at step79, which may include a movement-dependent increment or decrement.

With the method ofFIG. 6, cells may be preferred depending on a combination of criteria involving the signal strength indicator and/or signal quality indicator as well as the relative velocity between base station and user equipment. This soft prioritization may be readily integrated into existing cell selection techniques.

Both in the method70ofFIG. 5and in the method80ofFIG. 6, the prioritization at step78may be used for cell selection when the user equipment becomes attached to the communication network and/or for cell reselection. For illustration, the prioritization at step78may include that the user equipment reports signal strength indicators and/or signal quality indicators for various cells to the cellular communication network. The cells for which the reporting is performed may be selected in a velocity-dependent manner, as explained with reference toFIG. 5. The signal strength indicators and/or signal quality indicators may be incremented or decremented in a manner which depends on the relative velocity between the base stations and the user equipment, as explained with reference toFIG. 6. In either case, the mobility information may be used for cell reselection in the RAN or CN.

The identification of a mobile cell which moves in a manner that allows the user equipment to camp on the mobile cell for a longer time period may be performed in a variety of ways, taking into account the current velocity and/or historical velocity and the movement direction of the base station and the user equipment. Exemplary procedures will be described with reference toFIG. 7andFIG. 8.

FIG. 7is a flow chart of a procedure90which may be used in a method according to an embodiment. The procedure90may be performed by a user equipment according to an embodiment.

At91, a first difference vector between a current velocity vector of the base station and a current velocity vector of the mobile terminal is computed. The current velocity vectors may respectively be the most recent velocity vectors determined before the mobility information is received at the user equipment from the base station.

At92, a magnitude of the first difference vector may be compared to a first threshold TH1. If the magnitude is less than the first threshold, the method may proceed to step93. Otherwise, the method may proceed to step96where the cell is deprioritized.

At93, a second difference vector between a time-averaged velocity vector of the base station and a time-averaged velocity vector of the user equipment may optionally be computed. The time-averaged velocity vectors may respectively represent the average of the velocity vectors in a time-interval before the mobility information is broadcast. For illustration, the time-averaged velocity vectors may correspond to an average velocity vector averaged over a time interval of between 5 second to 30 seconds before the mobility information is generated and broadcast.

At94, a magnitude of the second difference vector may be compared to a second threshold TH2. If the magnitude is less than the second threshold, the method may proceed to step95where the cell is prioritized. Otherwise, the method may proceed to step96where the cell is deprioritized.

At step95, a cell may be prioritized if the magnitude of the relative velocity between the base station and the user equipment is less than a first threshold and, optionally, if the magnitude of the time-averaged historical relative velocity between the base station and the user equipment is less than a second threshold. The prioritization may be a hard prioritization, as explained with reference to the method70ofFIG. 5. The prioritization may be a soft prioritization, as explained with reference to the method80ofFIG. 6.

At step96, a cell may be deprioritized if the magnitude of the relative velocity between the base station and the user equipment is equal to or greater than the first threshold, or, optionally, if the magnitude of the time-averaged historical relative velocity between the base station and the user equipment is equal to or greater than the second threshold. The deprioritization may be a hard deprioritization in which cells are discarded based on the mobility information, as explained with reference to the method70ofFIG. 5. The deprioritization may be a soft deprioritization, as explained with reference to the method80ofFIG. 6.

The historical information on the base station velocity in the past, e.g. a time-averaged velocity for a time interval in the past, may be evaluated in various ways in the cell selection. For illustration, the historical information may be used to determine a variance of the base station velocity, as exemplarily illustrated inFIG. 8. A cell which has a current velocity vector similar to the current velocity vector of the user equipment may be prioritized if the variance of the base station velocity is small, for example.

FIG. 8is a flow chart of a procedure100which may be used in a method according to an embodiment. The procedure100may be performed by a user equipment according to an embodiment.

At101, a first difference vector between a current velocity vector of the base station and a current velocity vector of the mobile terminal is computed. At102, a magnitude of the first difference vector may be compared to a first threshold TH1. These steps may be implemented as described with reference to steps91,92of the procedure90ofFIG. 7.

At103, a variance of the base station velocity may be computed based on the historical data included in the mobility information. For illustration, the current base station velocity may be compared to a time-averaged velocity of the base station to determine whether the current base station velocity is representative for the movement of the base station in a time interval which precedes the cell selection. Alternatively or additionally, the velocity vector information of the base station obtained for various points in time may be processed to compute the variance of the base station velocity.

At104, the variance of the base station velocity may be compared to another threshold TH3. If the variance is less than the other threshold TH3, the procedure may proceed to step105where the cell is prioritized. Otherwise, the method may proceed to step106where the cell is deprioritized.

The prioritization at step105may be performed in any one of the ways described with reference to step95above. The deprioritization at step106may be performed in any one of the ways described with reference to step96above.

While embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to the drawings, various modifications and alterations may be implemented in other embodiments.

For illustration, while the user equipment may select a cell to camp on based on a comparison of a current velocity of the user equipment and a current velocity of a base station, the user equipment may alternatively or additionally perform a cell selection based on a comparison of a time-averaged velocity of the user equipment and a time-averaged velocity of the base station.

For further illustration, while a hard prioritization or a soft prioritization may be used for a mobility-aware cell selection, a combination of soft and hard prioritization schemes may also be employed.

The base station and/or repeater relay of a mobile cell may be installed in a vehicle. For illustration, the base station and/or repeater relay of a mobile cell may be installed in a public transportation vehicle. However, methods and devices according to embodiments may also be used in association with other mobile base stations and/or repeater relays.