Patent Description:
In the current scenario, during the idle mode cell selection, a User Equipment (UE) can have two options. One is initial cell selection which does not include any prior information to the UE. UE will scan all frequencies in any pre-defined order to find a cell which meets the cell selection criteria and camps on the cell. The other option is stored cell selection in which UE can use some prior information of previously camped cells to scan those frequencies first to check if any suitable cell is present or not and then if it does not find any suitable cell, it can proceed to the initial cell selection.

With current 3gPP specifications, UE after powered on, will perform either initial cell selection or stored cell selection based on some prior stored information. With existing implementations, there is no method to check the UE capabilities prior to doing a cell selection. With all major markets moving towards deploying <NUM>, it becomes all the more important to differentiate the services given.

With the current specification provision, the UE has two ways to do the idle mode cell selection - initial cell selection (blind) and stored cell selection (using previous camped cell info). With both the methods it cannot ensure that UE will camp on a cell which can potentially give a maximum data speed. In areas with overlapping bands where two or more bands have equally good cells to camp on, UE will tend to select the frequency which has the best energy to camp on, irrespective of other frequencies having similar energy. It turns out that it may not be the best possible approach. Because that cell which it finds first may not always provide the maximum data speed as per the UE capability whereas the other cell on the overlapping band which has equally good signal to camp on could have given a much higher data speed if only UE had prioritized this frequency during the cell selection process.

<FIG> illustrates an example case when the UE camped on LTE Band <NUM>. Referring to the <FIG>, a field example where the UE camped on LTE Band <NUM> is shown. Device does not support LTE(long term evolution) CA(carrier aggregation) + NR(new radio) in ENDC(EUTRA-NR dual connectivity) mode when camped on LTE Band <NUM> or LTE B20. So the shown data speed will be only from LTE leg, as NR leg cannot be supported.

<FIG> illustrates the example case when the UE camped on LTE Band <NUM> or LTE B3. Referring to the <FIG>, a field example where the UE camped on LTE Band <NUM> at the same location is shown. Device can support LTE CA + NR in ENDC mode when camped on LTE B3. So the shown data speed will be from LTE leg and NR leg which can work in ENDC mode. Data speed gets better.

<FIG> illustrates the example case when the UE is in coverage of LTE Band <NUM> and LTE Band <NUM>. Consider the case where the UE is in good coverage area of both LTE B3 and LTE B20 with LTE B3 being ENDC capable cell. When the UE wakes up, it tries to find energy on the frequencies present in the area. In this case, since it is closer to LTE B20 cell, it might find the energy of LTE B20 to be slightly better than B3. Even though S-criteria would have met for LTE B3 cell, the UE would try to camp on LTE B20 since it has better energy found. Once it camps on LTE B20, it will continue to be on LTE B20 unless there is no HO initiated from network (NW) side. Since its not ENDC capable cell, the data speed and the user experience will also get affected.

Consider the case where the UE is in good coverage area of both LTE B3 and LTE B20 and both being ENDC capable cell. In this case, the UE is capable of supporting LTE CA + NR in only LTE B3 but single LTE + NR in LTE B20 cell. When the UE wakes up, it tries to find energy on the frequencies present in the area. In this case, since it is closer to LTE B20 cell, it might find the energy of LTE B20 to be slightly better than LTE B3. Even though S-criteria would have met for LTE B3 cell, the UE would try to camp on LTE B20 since it has better energy found. Once it camps on LTE B20, it will continue to be on LTE B20 unless there is no HO initiated from NW side.

In other scenario, a cell change or selection can happen through a cell selection or a reselection or a handover. It is possible that a device support multiple LTE bands. During Cell Reselection and based on the priority defined by the network for each frequency, device will choose the most suitable cell and reselect. During Handover or connected mode mobility procedures, the network configures the measurement and based on the measurement report from the device, and the network send the handover command through which the device move to a new cell. In case of device which supports dual connectivity (DC) , say ENDC, not all supported LTE bands can act as primary band in DC. Some of the bands may not be part of the ENDC combination as well.

Document (<CIT>) discloses a conventional method of cell reselection by a UE in connected mode. In <NPL>, cell reselection scheme for the UE has been discussed in which a new cell reselection mechanism is defined which takes UE capabilities into consideration.

Accordingly, if the device camps on to any such bands during cell selection or cell reselection or when in connected mode, it will restrict device/network to use/configure DC. This will restrict the device having better services/performance by using only LTE (no DC). Also, just by considering the priorities set by the NW or by the measurement configurations, it does not guarantee the best service and the maximum throughput.

Some of the problematic scenario based examples are as follows:.

Device does not camp (during cell selection) to any of the anchor bands in LTE and hence NR addition is not possible.

Device is reselecting to non-anchor bands in idle mode and hence when there is data transfer, NR addition is not possible.

During data transfer, the device is handed over to a LTE cell which cannot act as anchor band and hence NR is removed.

The aforedescribed state of the art cell selection and reselection in Idle mode and measurement mechanism in connected mode refer that the UE remains deprived from a control for selecting or changing the cell based on the ENDC support. If the device is in any cell which belongs to a band which cannot act as the anchor band for ENDC, then this will restrict the device from having the benefits and services of ENDC.

ENDC device can perform better when compared to a LTE only device in terms of performance and services. A device may support multiple LTE bands but these LTE bands may not belong to any of the ENDC combinations as primary band. If a device reselect or get handover to any of the cells which belong to these bands, device will not get the similar performance which gets when it is in a cell which can support ENDC.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of cell selection and reselection performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided as defined by appended claim <NUM>.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a user equipment (UE) adapted to select cells in various modes of operation is provided according to present claim <NUM>.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

The invention is shown in <FIG>, all other Figures are for illustrative purposes, only.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the present disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to "an aspect", "another aspect" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises. a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose a system and method for cell selection with band prioritization to achieve better data speed. Further, the method includes providing a method during the cell selection process so that the UE should be able to prioritize the band scanning based on the UE capability of the device, aided by learning based techniques, to ensure that device camps on cell with maximum data speed capability for mobile phones capable of supporting carrier aggregation (CA) or dual connectivity (DC) or both CA and DC. Further, the method includes providing a method in which when the UE is redirected by the network to a Radio Access Technology (RAT) which supports carrier aggregation (CA) <NUM> or Dual connectivity (DC) or both CA and DC, UE will do a prioritized band scanning based on the UE capability to support maximum data speed on a particular band instead of doing a blind scan. Further, the method includes ensuring that the UE will find a cell first belonging to a band which can according to the UE capability gives the maximum possible data speed. Further, the method includes de-prioritizing a cell which may not be able to give maximum data speed according the UE capabilities.

The proposed method is intended to prioritise the order in which the band scanning takes place by utilising the UE capability instead of doing a normal blind scan. This is to ensure that UE camps on cell on which <NUM> it can get maximum data speed. Since the fifth generation (<NUM>) New Radio (NR) in EUTRA NR Dual connectivity (ENDC) (ENDC - anchor is Long Term Evolution (LTE) legacy cell. <NUM> NR cell is added as secondary cell) mode is being deployed in phases by every operator in the whole market, UE may not be supporting carrier aggregation on all the different bands which it supports. With this limitation from the device side, the way differentiating as a UE vendor is to ensure that the device will maximize the possibility to camp on a cell belonging to particular band which can give us the best possible data speed in that area. The proposed invention will be applicable to any hand held mobile device which support LTE or <NUM> NR (New Radio) technology or both LTE and <NUM> NR.

The proposed solution at least aims to provide a better quality of service to the users by ensuring that a user will camp on a cell which can potentially give the maximum data speed to that user. The proposed solution is following all the 3GPP laid down procedures but using the leeway provided in the stored cell selection, using methods for utilising the device side capabilities and learning methods to make an intelligent ranking to prioritise bands which give a higher data speed and QOS (quality of service).

According to the proposed method, before the UE proceeds to do cell selection, the UE will check its onDevice priority database to find if the available frequencies it has found are part of the database or not. The onDevice priority database is constantly updated database having a ordered list of frequencies based on multiple parameters, not limited to the UE capability support, NW deployment etc. Based on the rankings from the database, device uses the above ordered list to find suitable cells in each band to camp on.

With the proposed solution at least as referred in <FIG> and <FIG>, UE would rank B3 to be higher priority cell since it is capable of providing a higher data speed and the UE would try to select B3 cell first.

<FIG> illustrates the example case when the UE is in coverage of LTE Band <NUM> and LTE Band <NUM> and in <NUM> coverage area. Referring to the <FIG>, consider the case where the UE is in good coverage area of both LTE B3 and LTE B20 with B3 being ENDC capable cell. Initially the UE was camped on LTE Band <NUM> cell and NR cell was added. Later CSFB (circuit switched fall back) call was initiated and the UE camped on <NUM> cell in the same area and made the CSFB Call. Once the call was released, NW gave RRC (radio resource control) connection release with redirection info containing both LTE B3 and LTE B20 EARFCN. If the UE finds energy on LTE Band <NUM> to be slightly better than LTE Band <NUM>, it will try to camp on LTE band <NUM>. The present subject matter utilizes the prior information of LTE Band <NUM> being ENDC capable and if the energy of LTE B3 cell is able to meet S-criteria, the UE will try to camp on it instead of LTE B20 cell due to a better rank awarded to B3 cell.

<FIG> illustrates the example use case based on a proposed method showing the comparison of speedtest data speed results. In the proposed solution, there should be a method by which the UE has to prioritize the band it should camp to, which would be based on the UE capability. In the case shown in the <FIG>, the UE should consider LTE B3 (LTE CA + ENDC) and ranks it better than LTE B20 (Either only LTE CA or LTE single cell + ENDC). During a decision of cell selection, LTE B3 shall be prioritized and scanned before LTE B20 as shown in <FIG> due to the higher ban.

<FIG> illustrates the initial setup based on the proposed method according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. Upon switching ON of the device at Step <NUM>, the device find the list of frequencies upon which it may detect energy through step <NUM>, wherein said frequencies relate to the supported-bands. Accordingly, a band-scan for scanning bands is triggered by the device. In case of the triggering of the first-scan vide step <NUM> (e.g. after device reset when the device does not have historical records of past scanned bands), the usual cell reselection may be performed vide step <NUM>. Else, the priority band selection based on prioritized band scanning is performed vide step <NUM> to enable cell reselection in accordance with the incoming <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates proposed method of cell selection and reselection according to the present invention.

At step <NUM>, the method comprises detecting a plurality of neighboring cells and their associated plurality of Cell Capabilities while the UE, having an associated UE capability, is connected to a serving cell.

At step <NUM>, the method comprises determining a achievable throughput for the plurality of neighbouring cells based on the detected plurality of Cell Capability and UE Capability. The determination of a achievable throughput for the plurality of neighbouring cells based on the detected plurality of Cell Capability and UE Capability includes one or more of:.

In an implementation, managing the Throughput Database comprises receiving, over a period of time, achievable throughput of a plurality of cells and associated Cell Capabilities of the plurality of cells wherein the UE has connected to the plurality of cells over the period of time; and storing the received achievable throughput of a plurality of cells and associated Cell Capabilities of the plurality of cells in a database. In an implementation, the plurality of cells that are ranked comprises cells defined as at-least one of:.

In an implementation, the Cell Capability includes at least one of Dual Connectivity Configuration, Standalone configuration, supported Carrier Aggregation Configurations, supported Bands, list of frequencies assigned to the supported Bands and supported bandwidth parts.

In an implementation, the UE Capability includes at least one of Dual Connectivity Configuration of the UE, Standalone configuration of the UE, Carrier Aggregation Configurations supported by the UE, Frequency Bands supported by the UE, and bandwidth parts supported by the UE.

Further the method comprises selecting (step <NUM>) a first neighboring cell is selected from the plurality of neighboring cells based on the determined achievable thoughput. The selecting of the first neighboring cell comprises pursuing a cell selection process when device is not in camped state or has been redirected by the network, said pursuing defined by the steps of.

In an example, the exploration of cells performed by the UE denotes performing measurement of neighbour cells to receive neighbor base station (BS) information for the purpose of switching to a potential target BS (for Redirection & Handover). Alternatively, the exploration of cells may be referred as scanning of neighbor base stations (BS).

In an implementation, the mapping comprises:.

<FIG> illustrates creation of onDevice priority database, interchangeably referred as throughput database, based on the proposed method according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. More specifically, the present figure illustrates the method implemented for ranking the plurality of serving cells stored in the Throughput Database based on which the device selects cells based on band-prioritization.

At step <NUM>, a set of bands supported along-with the bandwidth is determined by the device. The bandwidth may be defined in respect of serving cell determined from the plurality of serving cells and specifically in accordance with at least one of: LTE, NR ,MRDC ,NRDC and Legacy Radio access networks. The set may be prepared based on the device hardware and software configurations.

At step <NUM>, the method comprises identifying a list of a plurality of carrier aggregation (CA) combinations based on bandwidth & frequency for the at least one serving cell from the plurality of serving cells. More importantly, the CA combinations supported from the bandwidths are defined by the LTE, NR, MRDC, NRDC and Legacy Radio access networks is prepared.

At step <NUM>, q-RxLevMin value for each frequency previously camped by device is stored. q-RxLevMin is used to indicate for cell re-selection the required minimum received RSRP level in EUTRA.

Based on steps <NUM>-<NUM>, an initial onDevice priority database for bands is created for being locally stored upon the device.

At step <NUM>, the method comprises calculating the achievable throughput or an achievable data rate with respect to each of said combination based on the bandwidth supported by the device. The achievable data rate denotes the "theoretical maximum throughput" based on the bandwidth and number of layers (LTE, NR, MRDC, NRDC ) as supported by the device.

At step <NUM>, the entries in the list created in step <NUM> are ranked form high to low or vice versa to thereby yield an ondevice database having a prioritized band list.

At step <NUM>, the on-device as created in step is deployed for prioritized band scanning to enable cell reselection whenever the prioritized band scanning in triggered in accordance with <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates updating of Throughput database, interchangeably referred as onDevice priority database, based on the proposed method according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

Step <NUM> corresponds to step <NUM> and step <NUM> of <FIG>. At step <NUM>, when the device camps on a cell a list of a plurality of carrier aggregation (CA) combinations (forming a part of onDevice priority database) supported from the bandwidths defined by the LTE, NR, MRDC, NRDC and Legacy Radio access networks is again prepared. Accordingly, any variation in q-RxLevMin value for each frequency previously camped by device is noted and q-RxLevMin value is updated with a current value. In addition, with respect to the current camped cell, support for ENDC is noted.

Step <NUM> corresponds to step <NUM>. Here, the achievable data rate for each combination is updated based on the bandwidth and CA configuration deployed by the network when the device camps on cell. In other words, based on the updates observed in step <NUM>, "the theoretical maximum throughput" as achieved based on the bandwidth and number of layers (LTE, NR, MRDC, NRDC) is recalculated for all CA combination and in respect of the actual bandwidth and CA configuration which the network has deployed in respect of the current camped cell.

At step <NUM>, the entries in the list created in step <NUM> are ranked form high to low or vice versa to thereby yield an ondevice database having an updated prioritized band list. In other words, the ranking of step <NUM> associated with the list is updated based on said updated achievable data rate.

In an example, the Steps <NUM> till <NUM> may be executed by machine learning to continuously update the prioritized band list in the onDevice database as created in <FIG>. The basis for said update may be measurements done by the device when it actually camps on various cell as a part of actual network deployment.

At step <NUM>, the on-device as created in step is deployed for prioritized band scanning to enable cell reselection whenever the prioritized band scanning in triggered in accordance with <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates cell selection when device is not in camped state based on the proposed method according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

At step <NUM>, energies are detected on a set of frequencies during the course of performing a cell reselection. It is also detected that device is not in camped state. Accordingly, exploration of a plurality of cells is triggered based on energy detection as a part of cell-selection process.

At step <NUM>, the updating of onDevice database in accordance with <FIG> is executed.

At step <NUM>, the plurality of explored-cells linked with the detected frequencies are mapped with the cells associated with the list within the updated onDevice database of step <NUM>. It is checked if the detected-frequencies in the step <NUM> are linked or associated to the on Device database. If yes, then the control flow transfer to step <NUM>. Else, the control flow is transferred to step <NUM> wherein a normal cell-reselection process is pursued.

At step <NUM>, the onDevice database of step <NUM> is traversed from top-ranked to low-ranked bands. If the current detected frequency (say frequency i) is indeed present within the database then it is checked if following inequality criteria is addressed:.

Energy (Freq i) > <NUM> q-RxLevMin (Freq i) , if q-RxLevMin (Freq i) present in database.

If the current detected frequency (say frequency i) is not present within the database then it is checked if following inequality criteria is addressed.

Energy (Freq i) > -110db , if q-RxLevMin (Freq i) is not present in database.

At step <NUM> if either of the inequality criteria is met, then cell selection is performed on the Freq i.

At step <NUM>, if cell selection is success then the process terminates. Otherwise, in case of no success, then the another frequency i lower in the hierarchy is selected for executing step <NUM> to thereby again attempt cell-selection.

<FIG> illustrates cell selection when device is given redirection from network based on the proposed method according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

At step <NUM>, a cell selection process is pursued when device is redirected by the network and accordingly the network sends an RRC connection release request.

At step <NUM>, energies are detected on a set of frequencies within the RRC release request.

Rest of the steps <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> correspond to the steps <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

At least advantages of the preferred embodiment are: better data speed and QoS compared to state of the art devices, making use of available bandwidth to the fullest and making sure that even if the UE will have some restrictions on certain conditions, those restrictions and their effects can be minimalized.

In an example of the field issue, the LTE Band <NUM> and LTE Band <NUM> both were having good signal, with LTE B20 having slightly better energy and UE camped on LTE Band <NUM> and stayed in connected mode for close to <NUM>. Later once it moved to idle mode again, it did high priority based reselection to LTE Band <NUM> cell. In this case, Band <NUM> does not support LTE CA + NR as per UE capabilities. But Band <NUM> does. Hence the tester saw CA was not getting activated while on LTE Band <NUM> and throughput also was lower. If the proposed solution is implemented, UE will rank LTE Band <NUM> to be higher ranked than Band <NUM> based on the maximum data speed capabilities and will instead attempt to camp on band <NUM> cell first. In the end, the user will get a consistently higher data speed than with the current solution.

In another example it is observed that initially device was on LTE B3 and NR was added. CSFB call was initiated and UE did ESR and camped on a <NUM> cell. CSFB call was finished and then UE received RRC connection release with redirection info carrying frequency corresponding to both LTE B3 and LTE B20. UE found good energy on both the frequency with LTE B20 frequency being higher and immediately camped on LTE B20 cell. But LTE B20 cell is not ENDC capable and UE was stuck in <NUM> only. With the proposed solution, LTE B3 would be ranked higher since UE knows it is ENDC capable ( due to prior camping ) and then it will attempt to camp on the LTE B3 cell first. The proposed solution will ensure that the User will get back to <NUM> immediately after cell ended.

<FIG> illustrates a method implemented for a device to select cells in various modes (reselection or connected) of operation.

At step <NUM>, the method comprises the ranking of the plurality of neighbouring cells is based on the steps of:.

In an example, at least one neighbouring cell compatible with the UE capability and having higher achievable throughput is ranked higher than the other cells from the plurality of neighbouring cells compatible with UE capability and having lower achievable throughput.

In an example, step <NUM> may denote determining within a network at-least one of a device capability; details with respect to one or more serving cells and one or more target-cell; and historical configurations for said one or more serving and target cell.

At step <NUM>, a list of ranked-cells is created as part of the throughput database based on said determination. The first list of cells is ranked based on the checked achievable throughput.

The cells is the list may be defined as at-least one of: one or more cells in Dual connectivity (DC) configuration adjudicated as primary cells and meeting a selection criteria, one or more cells in Dual connectivity (DC) configuration adjudicated as primary cells and current undergoing the selection criteria, one or more bands in respect of NR network defining different-bands in respect of LTE carrier aggregation (CA), one or more bands in respect of standalone NR network, and one or more bands in respect of standalone LTE network.

<FIG> illustrates a first stage ranking. In an example, the ranking of cells based on the device capability comprises determination of a throughput achievable with respect to:.

In an example, the throughput may be maximum theoretical available with respect to the serving band/ENDC combinations. Thereafter, the bands are ordered based on the determined magnitude of the throughput to create a first ranked-list of plurality of bands as a part of the throughput database.

As may be understood, the UE capability is already known to the device. This will be the first stage input given to a model. Based on the capability, device finds out the maximum achievable theoretical throughput that can be achieved if the device camps to a particular band. With respect to each LTE band (anchor and non-anchor), this theoretical maximum throughput achievable by the device will be calculated. Based on the throughput, a priority order of LTE bands will be generated.

For example, the device support Band <NUM> in LTE, LTE CA 2A_5A and ENDC 2A_n5A and both LTE and NR supports 64QAM and <NUM> layers in downlink (DL). Considering n5 supports only <NUM> BW, LTE CA 2A_5A will have peak throughput. Considering n5 supports <NUM>, 2A_n5A will have peak throughput as B5 is only <NUM>. If the theoretical maximum is same for an LTE combination an ENDC combination, priority will be given for ENDC combination.

<FIG> illustrates identifying the first list of cells from the plurality of neighbouring cells having Cell Capabilities compatible with the UE Capability based on the steps of:.

In an example, <FIG> illustrates further steps of ranking in line with <FIG>. The ranking of cells based on details with respect to one or more serving cells and one or more target-cell comprises receiving current serving cell information and the target-cells configured by a network (NW), and refining the first list based on the received information by removing one or more band not associated with frequency. In case of multiple frequencies linked to the same band, the refined list is reordered based on a NW configured- priority to optionally create a second ranked list as a part of the throughput database. A frequency not linked to any band is deleted. In case of multiple frequencies linked to the same band, the frequencies are ordered based on Network-configuration.

As may be understood, serving and target cell details are applied to the priority list coming after applying the UE capability to create the first list. This is the current serving cell information and the target cells which NW configured. After applying this list to the LTE priority bands (i.e. first list) based on theoretical throughput, the number of bands may get reduced based on the network configuration. Each of the serving and target frequencies will be linked to these bands. After applying this information, the list will be with the band and the frequency information. The order of the list will remain based on the theoretical maximum achievable throughput. If there are multiple frequencies linked to the same band, the order of the list will be based on the NW configured priority.

<FIG> illustrates the method steps in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The method comprises:.

In an example, <FIG> illustrates a further done ranking in line with <FIG>. The ranking of cells based on the historical configurations comprises referring a database of the cell details comprising band, frequency, physical cell identifier (PCI) and cell global identifier (CGI). The database is associated with the refined list or the second ranked list as above. A practical-peak data rate for each cell associated with the refined list is created. The first and/or the second list based on the practical peak data rate to create a final ranked list of cells as a part of the throughput database or the onDevice database.

As may be understood, the previous configurations are applied to the priority list coming after applying the serving and target cell details. A DB is maintained with the cell details. The cell details include Band, Freq, PCI and CGI (to handle location change) as the basic information. With each cell details, it also maintains the history of the configurations such as LTE CA configured, ENDC configured, effective BW part configured for NR cells, Normal achievable spectral efficiency based on the allocation etc. The above details may be filled to the DB based on the learnings of each cell when it act as the serving cell/Pcell. The DB can be updated periodically with all these details. This DB is used for getting the practical peak throughput numbers that can be achieved in each cell acting as Pcell/Serving cell. After applying this DB to the priority order received, the PCI and CGI will be linked to the band and frequency in the existing list. Then the list will be sorted based on the practical throughput that can be achieved in each cell acting as Pcell.

If there is any frequency in the incoming list without an information in the DB, the throughput numbers based on theoretical maximum will be applicable. As the practical numbers will never be equal to the theoretical numbers, design may choose to set an offset between the theoretical and practical numbers to prioritize the cells. For example, a cell in ENDC combination 2A_n5A is giving a practical achievable throughput of <NUM> Mbps after applying the DB. Consider there is band <NUM> in the list which can give a theoretical maximum of <NUM> Mbps (considering the best supported combination by the device as band <NUM> cell as Pcell). Device may choose to prioritize band <NUM> cell over band <NUM> based on the allowed offset set between the theoretical and practical achievable throughput.

The priority list or third list as generated is used for reselection and measurement reporting. The priority of every cell above the serving cell priority will be considered as higher priority cells. The idle or connected mode mobility corresponds to a selection from LTE to LTE/LTE to NR/NR to LTE/NR to NR/LTE/NR to Legacy RAT/Legacy RAT to LTE/NR.

<FIG> illustrates a scenario wherein the criteria is met for multiple cells which belong to ENDC anchor bands and non-ENDC anchor bands and the highest priority cell in the list is selected. In other words, the Cell Reselection is performed when multiple cells meet the criteria at the same time and no ongoing measurements of higher priority cells.

At step <NUM>, when the device is camped to a cell, the neighbor cell information is read.

At step <NUM>, the priority of serving and target cells is considered as per the list generated as per the model in <FIG>.

At step <NUM>, the evaluation for reselection as resection criteria of the neighbor cells is performed as per the state of the art criteria.

At step <NUM>, if multiple cells are meeting the reselection criteria at the same time, reselection is made to the cell which is ranked best among all the cells.

In other words, one or more cells in Standalone / Dual connectivity (DC) configuration adjudicated as primary cells and meeting a selection criteria are selected by the steps of:.

Reading (<NUM>) the neighbor cell information when device is camped to a cell;.

Analysing (<NUM>) priority of serving and target cells as per the list generated by the determination; and
selecting (<NUM>) the cell which is ranked best among all the cells if multiple cells meet an Idle mode mobility criteria vide step <NUM> at the same time.

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate a scenario of Cell Reselection when multiple cells meet the criteria at the same time and measurements of higher priority cells are ongoing. In other words, one or more cells in Standalone/Dual connectivity (DC) configuration are adjudicated as primary cells and currently undergoing the evaluation criteria are selected for reselection.

At step <NUM>, when the device is camped to a cell, the neighbor cell information is read.

At step <NUM>, the priority of serving and target cells is considered as per the list generated as per the model.

At step <NUM>, the evaluation of the neighbor cells is performed like step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, it is seen if multiple cells are meeting the reselection criteria or idle mode criteria and at the same time and ongoing measurements of higher priority cells are happening such that it is highly probable that these high priority cells will satisfy the reselection criteria. If yes then the control transfers to step <NUM>. If no ongoing measurements are there, then a process equivalent to step <NUM> executes.

At step <NUM>, it is checked if any of the neighbor cells whose evaluation is ongoing belongs to belongs to higher priority cell as per the list and is a proper candidate to meet the reselection criteria. For example, it could have been determined that lower priority cells are meeting the idle mode mobility criteria and measurements of higher priority cells are underway.

At step <NUM>, it is determined that if there exists such cells, then the evaluation of those cells which already met the criteria is continued. For all the cells whose evaluation is ongoing, a completion is awaited.

At step <NUM>, once the evaluation is complete, the reselection criteria is checked for all the cells. Reselection is made to the cell which is ranked best among all the cells.

In another scenario, if the device is not able to successfully reselect to a cell for a certain number of times or for certain duration even after waiting for completing the evaluation of higher priority cells, then device may choose to reselect to cell which are having lower priority if the reselection criteria is still met.

<FIG> illustrates an application of priority-list generated through <FIG> for measurement reporting or handover scenario. The same may be based on two prong approach, i.e. Case <NUM> and Case <NUM> like <FIG> and <FIG>.

At step <NUM>, the network configures neighbour measurements as a part of initiating handover HO.

At step <NUM>, an offset is added to the measurement configurations for those cells which are having higher priority than the serving cell. This is to prioritize those cells which can achieve higher throughput than the serving cell.

At step <NUM>, once the criteria is met after modifying the measurement configurations, the report quantity is modified as per the actual measurement configuration and such actual measurement is report to the network via step <NUM>. However, if the measurement reporting criteria is met for multiple cells the control transfers to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, it is checked if the cells are with respect to higher priority and if the evaluation for some cells that are of higher priority. If yes then the control transfers to step <NUM>. Else the control transfers to step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, it is checked if the evaluation is ongoing for high priority cells assuming that these will satisfy the measurement reporting criteria. In such a case, the control transfers to step <NUM>. Else, the lower-priority cells meeting the measurement criteria are selected vide step <NUM>.

At step <NUM>, the device may choose to wait for the evaluation of these cells to be completed.

At step <NUM>, the measurement report are sent to the highest priority cell or other cell as may hold applicable. Specifically, if multiple cells meet the reporting criteria, then the measurement reports for those cells which are of highest priority is prioritized. Accordingly, the measurement for those cells are sent first when compared to other cells.

While waiting for the evaluation to be completed, if the serving cells go poor and if the device is in a stage to lose the connection, the device may choose to send the measurement report with the existing evaluated cells despite being lower priority cells.

<FIG> shows yet another exemplary implementation in accordance with the embodiment of the invention, and yet another typical hardware configuration of the UE in the form of a computer system <NUM>. The computer system <NUM> can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system <NUM> to perform any one or more of the methods disclosed. The computer system <NUM> may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system <NUM> may operate in the capacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-client user network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The computer system <NUM> can also be implemented as or incorporated across various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while a single computer system <NUM> is illustrated, the term "system" shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

The computer system <NUM> may include a processor <NUM> e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. The processor <NUM> may be a component in a variety of systems. For example, the processor <NUM> may be part of a standard personal computer or a workstation. The processor <NUM> may be one or more general processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, or other now known or later developed devices for analysing and processing data. The processor <NUM> may implement a software program, such as code generated manually (i.e., programmed).

The computer system <NUM> may include a memory <NUM>, such as a memory <NUM> that can communicate via a bus <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may include, but is not limited to computer-readable storage media such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In one example, memory <NUM> includes a cache or random access memory for the processor <NUM>. In alternative examples, the memory <NUM> is separate from the processor <NUM>, such as a cache memory of a processor, the system memory, or other memory. The memory <NUM> may be an external storage device or database for storing data. The memory <NUM> is operable to store instructions executable by the processor <NUM>. The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described may be performed by the programmed processor <NUM> for executing the instructions stored in the memory <NUM>. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor or processing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firmware, micro-code and the like, operating alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

As shown, the computer system <NUM> may or may not further include a display unit <NUM>, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid-state display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developed display device for outputting determined information. The display <NUM> may act as an interface for the user to see the functioning of the processor <NUM>, or specifically as an interface with the software stored in the memory <NUM> or in the drive unit <NUM>.

Additionally, the computer system <NUM> may include an input device <NUM> configured to allow a user to interact with any of the components of system <NUM>. The computer system <NUM> may also include a disk or optical drive unit <NUM>. The disk drive unit <NUM> may include a computer-readable medium <NUM> in which one or more sets of instructions <NUM>, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions <NUM> may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described. In a particular example, the instructions <NUM> may reside completely, or at least partially, within the memory <NUM> or within the processor <NUM> during execution by the computer system <NUM>.

The present invention contemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions <NUM> or receives and executes instructions <NUM> responsive to a propagated signal so that a device connected to a network <NUM> can communicate voice, video, audio, images or any other data over the network <NUM>. Further, the instructions <NUM> may be transmitted or received over the network <NUM> via a communication port or interface <NUM> or using a bus <NUM>. The communication port or interface <NUM> may be a part of the processor <NUM> or maybe a separate component. The communication port <NUM> may be created in software or maybe a physical connection in hardware. The communication port <NUM> may be configured to connect with a network <NUM>, external media, the display <NUM>, or any other components in system <NUM>, or combinations thereof. The connection with the network <NUM> may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection or may be established wirelessly as discussed later. Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system <NUM> may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly. The network <NUM> may alternatively be directly connected to the bus <NUM>.

The network <NUM> may include wired networks, wireless networks, Ethernet AVB networks, or combinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephone network, an <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. 1Q or WiMax network. Further, the network <NUM> may be a public network, such as the Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to TCP/IP based networking protocols. The system is not limited to operation with any particular standards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet-switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) may be used.

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein.

Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

Claim 1:
A method of cell selection and reselection performed by a user equipment, UE, comprising
detecting (<NUM>) a plurality of neighboring cells related to one or more detected frequencies, and their associated respective plurality of cell capabilities while the UE, having an associated UE capability, is connected to a serving cell;
determining (<NUM>) an achievable throughput for the plurality of neighbouring cells by checking a throughput database for an achievable throughput of the plurality of neighboring cells based on the detected cell capabilities and UE capability; selecting (<NUM>) a first neighboring cell from the plurality of neighboring cells based on the determined achievable throughput of the plurality of neighboring cells; and
sending a request to connect to the first neighboring cell.