Title of Invention

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERFORMING HANDOVER OPERATION IN BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Abstract A method to perform handover by a subscriber station (SS) in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system, the method comprising the steps of eceiving, from a serving Base Station (BS), information on a plurality of neighbor BSs; characterized in transmitting, to the serving BS, a handover request message including pilot signal Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios (CINRs) information of the plurality of neighbor BSs; and receiving, from the serving BS, a handover response message including information on a target BS from among the neighbor BSs
Full Text BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadband wireless access
communication system, and more particularly to a system and method for
performing a handover operation upon receipt of an SS (Subscriber Station)
request in a BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) communication system using an
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
Intensive research is being conducted into the 4G (4th Generation)
communication system, one of the next generation communication systems, to
provide a plurality of users with specific services having a variety of QoSs
(Quality of Services) at a transfer rate of about 100 Mbps. Presently, the 3G (3rd
Generation) communication system provides a transfer rate of about 384kbps in
an outdoor channel environment having a relatively poor channel environment,
and provides a maximum transfer rate of about 2Mbps in an indoor channel
environment having a relatively good channel environment. A wireless Local
Area Network (LAN) system and a wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
system have been designed to provide a transfer rate of 20~50 Mbps. The 4G
communication system provides the wireless LAN and MAN systems a
relatively high transfer rate with mobility and QoS, and many secondory
developers are conducting intensive research into high-speed services to be
provided from the 4G communication system.
However, the wireless MAN system is suitable for a high-speed
communication service in that it has a wide coverage area and supports a
high-speed transfer rate, but it does not consider the mobility of a subscriber
station (SS) at all, so that there is no consideration of the need for a handover
operation (i.e., a cell selection operation) caused by the movement of the SS.
The communication system currently considered in IEEE (Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers) 802.16a specification acts as a specific communication
system for performing a ranging operation between the SS and a base station (BS).
The communication system considered in the IEEE 802.16a specification will
hereinafter be described with reference to Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a BWA communication system using
an OFDM/OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing / Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiple Access) scheme. In more detail, Fig. 1 depicts the
IEEE 802.16a communication system.
The wireless MAN system acting as a BWA communication system has a
much wider coverage area and a much higher transfer rate than the wireless LAN
system. In case of adapting the OFDM scheme and the OFDMA scheme to a
physical channel of the wireless MAN system to provide the wireless MAN
system with a broadband transmission network, this application system is referred
to as an IEEE 802.16a communication system. The IEEE 802.16a
communication system applies the OFDM/OFDMA scheme to the wireless MAN
system, such that it transmits a physical channel signal using a plurality of
sub-carriers, resulting in high-speed data transmission. The IEEE 802.16e
communication system has been designed to consider the mobility of an SS in the
IEEE 802.16a communication system. There is no detailed specification for the
IEEE 802.16e communication system.
Referring to Fig. 1, the IEEE 802.16a communication system has a single
cell structure, and is composed of a BS 100 and a plurality of SSs 110, 120, and
130 managed by the BS 100. Signal transmission/reception among the BS 100
and the SSs 110, 120, and 130 can be established using the OFDM/OFDMA
scheme. A downlink frame structure for use in the IEEE 802.16a
communication system will hereinafter be described with reference to Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the downlink frame structure for
use in the BWA communication system using the OFDM/OFDMA scheme. In
more detail, Fig. 2 depicts a downlink frame structure for use in the IEEE 802.16a
communication system.
Referring to Fig. 2, the downlink frame includes a preamble field 200, a
broadcast control field 210, and a plurality of TDM (Time Division Multiplexing)
fields 220 and 230. A synchronous signal (i.e., a preamble sequence) for
acquiring synchronization between the BS and the SSs is transmitted via the
preamble field 200. The broadcast control field 210 is composed of a
DL(DownLink)_MAP field 211 and a UL(UpLink)_MAP field 213. The
DL MAP field 211 is adapted to transmit the DL MAP message, and a plurality
of IEs (Information Elements) contained in the DL MAP message are shown in
the following Table 1:

With reference to the above Table 1, the DL MAP message includes a
Management Message Type field indicative of a plurality of IEs (i.e., transmission
message type information); a PHY (PHYsical) Synchronization field established
in response to a modulation or demodulation scheme applied to a physical channel
in order to perform synchronization acquisition; a DCD count field indicative of
count information in response to a DCD (Downlink Channel Descriptor) message
configuration variation containing a downlink burst profile; a Base Station ID
field indicative of a Base Station Identifier; and a Number of DL MAP Element n
field indicative of the number of elements found after the Base Station ID.
Particularly, the DL MAP message (not shown in Table 1) includes information
associated with ranging codes allocated to individual ranging processes to be
described later.
The UL MAP field 213 is adapted to transmit the UL MAP message, and
a plurality of IEs contained in the UL MAP message are shown in the following
Table 2:

With reference to Table 2, the UL MAP message includes a Management
Message Type field indicative of a plurality of IEs (i.e., transmission message type
information); an Uplink Channel ID field indicative of a used Uplink Channel ID;
a UCD (Uplink Channel Descriptor) count field indicative of count information in
response to a UCD message configuration variation containing an uplink burst
profile; and a Number of UL MAP Element n field indicative of the number of
elements found after the UCD count field. In this case, the uplink channel ID
can only be allocated to a Media Access Control (MAC) sub-layer.
The UIUC (Uplink Interval Usage Code) area records information
indicative of the usage of offsets recorded in the offset area. For example,
provided that 2 is recorded in the UIUC area, a starting offset for use in the initial
ranging process is recorded in the offset area. Provided that 3 is recorded in the
UIUC area, a starting offset for use in either the bandwidth request ranging or the
maintenance ranging process is recorded in the offset area. The offset area
records a starting offset value for use in either the initial ranging process or the
maintenance ranging process according to the information recorded in the UIUC
area. Physical channel characteristic information to be transferred from the UIUC
area is recorded in the UCD.
Provided that the SS results in a ranging failure, a predetermined backoff
value is set up to increase the probability of success in the next trial, and the
ranging process is re-performed after the lapse of a predetermined time
corresponding to the backoff time. In this case, information needed for
determining the backoff value is contained in the UCD message. The
aforementioned UCD message configuration is shown in the following Table 3:

With reference to the Table 3, the UCD message includes a Management
Message Type field indicative of a plurality of IEs (i.e., transmission message type
information); an Uplink Channel ID field indicative of a used Uplink Channel
Identifier; a Configuration Change Count field counted by the BS; a mini-slot size
field indicative of the number of mini-slots of the uplink physical channel; a
Ranging Backoff Start field indicative of a backoff start point for an initial
ranging process, i.e., an initial backoff window size for the initial ranging process;
a Ranging Backoff End field indicative of a backoff end point for the initial
ranging process, i.e., a final backoff window size; a Request Backoff Start field
indicative of a backoff start point for establishing contention data and requests,
i.e., an initial backoff window size; and a Request Backoff End field indicative of
a backoff end point for establishing contention data and requests, i.e., a final
backoff window size. In this case, the backoff value indicates a kind of standby
time which is a duration time between the start of SS's access failure and the start
of SS's re-access time. If the SS fails to execute an initial ranging process, the
BS must transmit the backoff values indicative of standby time information for
which the SS must wait for the next ranging process to the SS. For example,
provided that a specific number of 10 is determined by the "Ranging Backoff
Start" and "Ranging Backoff End" fields shown in Table 3, the SS must pass over
210 access executable chances (i.e., 1024 access executable chances) and then
execute the next ranging process according to a Truncated Binary Exponential
Backoff Algorithm.
The TDM fields 220 and 230 indicate fields corresponding to timeslots
allocated using a TDM/TDMA (Time Division Multiplexing / Time Division
Multiple Access) scheme. The BS transmits broadcast information to be
broadcast to SSs managed by the BS over the DL MAP field 211 using a
predetermined center carrier. The SSs monitor all the frequency bands having
been previously allocated to individual SSs upon receipt of a power-on signal,
such that they detect a pilot channel signal having the highest signal intensity, i.e.,
the highest pilot CINR (Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratio). It is
determined that the SS belongs to a specific BS which has transmitted the pilot
channel signal with the highest pilot CINR. The SSs check the DL MAP field
211 and the UL MAP field 213 of the downlink frame having been transmitted
from the BS, such that they recognize their own uplink and downlink control
information and specific information indicative of a real data
transmission/reception position.
The downlink frame structure for use in the IEEE 802.16a
communication system has been disclosed with reference to Fig. 2. An uplink
frame structure for use in the IEEE 802.16a communication system will
hereinafter be described with reference to Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an uplink frame structure for use
in a BWA communication system using an OFDM/OFDMA scheme. In more
detail, Fig. 3 depicts an uplink frame structure for use in the IEEE 802.16a
communication system.
Prior to describing the uplink frame structure shown in Fig. 3, three
ranging processes for use in the IEEE 802.16a communication system, i.e., an
initial ranging process, a maintenance ranging process (also called a period
ranging process), and a bandwidth request ranging process will hereinafter be
described in detail.
First, the initial ranging process will be described in detail.
The initial ranging process for establishing synchronization acquisition
between the BS and the SS establishes a correct time offset between the SS and
the BS, and is adapted to control a transmission power (also called a transmit
power). In more detail, the SS is powered on, and receives the DL MAP
message, the UL MAP message, and the UCD message to establish
synchronization with the BS in such a way that it performs the initial ranging
process to control the transmission power between the BS and the time offset. In
this case, the IEEE 802.16a communication system uses the OFDM/OFDMA
scheme, such that the ranging procedure requires a plurality of ranging
sub-channels and a plurality of ranging codes. The BS allocates available
ranging codes to the SS according to objectives of the ranging processes (i.e., the
ranging process type information). This operation will hereinafter be described
in detail.
The ranging codes are created by segmenting a PN (Pseudorandom Noise)
sequence having a length of 215-1 bits into predetermined units. Typically, one
ranging channel is composed of two ranging sub-channels each having a length of
53 bits, PN code segmentation is executed over the ranging channel having the
length of 106 bits, resulting in the creation of a ranging code. A maximum of 48
ranging codes RC#1~RC#48 can be assigned to the SS. More than two ranging
codes for every SS are applied as a default value to the three ranging processes
having different objectives, i.e., an initial ranging process, a period ranging
process, and a bandwidth request ranging process. In this way, a ranging code is
differently assigned to the SS according to each objective of the three ranging
processes. For example, N ranging codes are assigned to the SS for the initial
ranging process as denoted by a prescribed term of "N RC (Ranging Codes) for
Initial Ranging", M ranging codes are assigned to the SS for the periodic ranging
process as denoted by a prescribed term of "M RCs for maintenance ranging", and
L ranging codes are assigned to the SS for the bandwidth request ranging process
as denoted by a prescribed term of "L RCs for BW-request ranging". The
assigned ranging codes are transmitted to the SSs using the DL MAP message,
and the SSs perform necessary ranging procedures using the ranging codes
contained in the DL MAP message.
Second, the period ranging process will be described in detail.
The period ranging process is periodically executed such that an SS which
has controlled a time offset between the SS and the BS, and a transmission power
in the initial ranging process can control a channel state associated with the BS.
The SS performs the period ranging process using the ranging codes assigned for
the period ranging process.
Third, the bandwidth request ranging process will be described.
The bandwidth request ranging process is adapted to enable the SS, which
has controlled a time offset between the SS and the BS, and a transmission power
in the initial ranging process, to request a bandwidth allocation from the BS in
such a way that the SS can communicate with the BS.
Referring to Fig. 3, the uplink frame includes an initial maintenance
opportunity field 300 using the initial and period ranging processes, a request
contention opportunity field 310 using the bandwidth request ranging process, and
an SS scheduled data field 320 composed of uplink data of a plurality of SSs.
The initial maintenance opportunity field 300 includes a plurality of access burst
fields each having real initial and period ranging processes, and a collision field in
which there is a collision between the access burst fields. The request contention
opportunity field 310 includes a plurality of bandwidth request fields each having
a real bandwidth request ranging process, and a collision field in which there is a
collision between the bandwidth request ranging fields. The SS scheduled data
fields 320 are each composed of a plurality of SS scheduled data fields (i.e., SS 1
scheduled data field ~ SS N scheduled data field). The SS transition gap is
positioned between the SS scheduled data fields (i.e., SS 1 scheduled data field ~
SS N scheduled data field).
Fig. 3 has disclosed the uplink frame structure for the IEEE 802.16a
communication system. A ranging procedure for the IEEE 802.16a
communication system using an OFDM scheme will hereinafter be described with
reference to Fig. 4.
Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the ranging procedure between the SS and
the BS in a BWA communication system using the OFDM scheme.
Referring to Fig. 4, the SS 400 monitors all of its own predetermined
frequencies upon receipt of a power-on signal, such that it detects a pilot channel
signal having the highest signal intensity, i.e., the highest pilot CINR (Carrier to
Interference and Noise Ratio). It is determined that SS 400 belongs to a specific
BS 420 which has transmitted the pilot channel signal with the highest pilot CINR.
The SS 400 receives a downlink frame preamble from the BS 420, such that it
acquires system synchronization with the BS 420.
Upon establishing synchronization between the SS 400 and the BS 420, the
BS 420 transmits the DL MAP message and the UL MAP message to the SS 400
at steps 411 and 413, respectively. As previously shown in Table 1, the
DL MAP message includes a variety of information, for example, requisite
information for establishing synchronization between the SS 400 and the BS 420
in a downlink direction and configuration information of a physical channel
capable of receiving a variety of messages transmitted to a plurality of SSs 400
over a downlink channel. As previously shown in Table 2, the UL MAP
message informs the SS 400 of SS scheduling interval information and physical
channel configuration information, etc.
The DL MAP message is periodically broadcast from the BS to all the SSs.
In the case where the SS 400 can continuously receive the periodically-broadcast
DLMAP message, it is assumed that the SS is synchronized with the BS. The
SSs receiving the DL MAP message can receive all the messages transmitted
over a downlink channel.
As stated above in Table 3, if the SS results in an access failure, the BS
transmits the UCD message containing available backoff value indication
information to the SS.
In case of performing the above ranging process, the SS 400 transmits an
RNG_REQ (Ranging Request) message to the BS 420 at step 415. The BS 420
receiving the RNG REQ message transmits an RNG RSP (Ranging Response)
message containing information for controlling a variety of factors (e.g.,
frequency, time, and transmission power) to the SS 400 at step 417.
The RNG REQ message configuration is shown in the following Table 4:

With reference to Table 4, the Downlink Channel ID field indicates a
downlink channel ID contained in the RNG-REQ message received in the SS via
the UCD. The Pending Until Complete field indicates priority information of a
transmission ranging response. In more detail, if the Pending Until Complete
field is set to "0", a previous ranging response has priority. Otherwise, if the
Pending Until Complete field is not set to "0", a current transmission ranging
response has priority.
A detailed configuration of the RNG RSP message to the RNG REQ
message shown in Table 4 is shown in Table 5:

With reference to Table 5, the Uplink Channel ID field indicates an uplink
channel ID contained in the RNG REQ message.
Fig. 4 has disclosed the ranging process when the IEEE 802.16a
communication system uses the OFDM scheme. A ranging procedure for the
IEEE 802.16a communication system using the OFDMA scheme will hereinafter
be described with reference to Fig. 5. In this case, the IEEE 802.16a
communication system contains a dedicated ranging interval in order to enable the
IEEE 802.16a communication system to more effectively perform the ranging
process using the OFDMA scheme, so that it may transmit the Ranging-Code
instead of the RNG REQ message according to a ranging code transmission
scheme in the dedicated ranging interval.
Referring to Fig. 5, the BS 520 transmits the DL MAP message and the
UL MAP message to the SS 500 at steps 511 and 513, respectively. Detailed
operations of steps 511 and 513 are equal to those of steps 411 and 413. The
communication system using the OFDMA scheme of Fig. 5 transmits a ranging
code instead of the RNG-REQ message having been described in Fig. 4 at step
515. The BS 520 receiving the ranging code transmits the RNG RSP message
to the SS 500 at step 517.
New information must be added to the RNG RSP message such that
information corresponding to the ranging code transmitted to the BS can be
recorded in the RNG RSP message. The aforementioned new information to be
added to the RNG RSP message is composed of a ranging code (i.e., a received
ranging CDMA code), a ranging symbol (i.e., an OFDM symbol in the received
ranging CDMA code), a ranging sub-channel (i.e., a ranging sub-channel in the
received ranging CDMA code), and a ranging frame number (i.e., a frame number
in the received ranging CDMA code).
As described above, the IEEE 802.16a communication system operates on
the basis of a fixed state of a current SS (i.e., there is no consideration given to the
mobility of the SS) and a single cell structure. However, the IEEE 802.16e
communication system has been defined as a system for considering the SS's
mobility in the IEEE 802.16a communication system, such that the IEEE 802.16e
communication system must consider the SS's mobility in a multi-cell
environment. In order to provide the SS's mobility in the multi-cell environment,
individual operating modes of the SS and the BS must be converted . However,
the IEEE 802.16e communication system has not proposed a new method for the
SS's mobility in the multi-cell environment. In conclusion, a handover system
considering both an idle state and a communication service execution mode must
be developed to provide mobility to an SS in a IEEE 802.16e communication
system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above
problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and
method for performing a handover operation in a BWA communication system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method
for performing a handover operation upon receipt of an SS request signal in a
BWA communication system.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other
objects can be accomplished by the provision of a subscriber station (SS)
handover method upon receiving a handover request from the SS in a BWA
(Broadband Wireless Access) communication system comprised of a serving BS
(Base Station) and a plurality of neighbor BSs adjacent to the serving BS,
comprising the steps of: a) receiving from the serving BS information relating to
the plurality of neighbor BSs; b) measuring CINRs (Carrier to Interference and
Noise Ratios) of pilot signals transferred from the neighbor BSs upon receipt of
the information relating to the neighbor BSs; c) transmitting a handover request
signal to the serving BS along with pilot signal CINR information of the neighbor
BSs; d) upon receipt of the handover request signal, receiving from the serving
BS information of a target BS inform among the neighbor BSs; and e) performing
a handover function from the serving BS to the target BS.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a serving BS (Base Station) handover method upon receiving a handover
request from an SS (Subscriber Station) in a BWA (Broadband Wireless Access)
communication system comprised of a serving BS and a plurality of neighbor BSs
adjacent to the serving BS, comprising the steps of: a) transmitting to the SS
information relating to the neighbor BSs; b) receiving from the SS a handover
request signal containing CINR (Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratio)
information of pilot signals of the neighbor BSs; c) determining if the neighbor
BSs contained in the handover request signal can support a handover function for
the SS, and selecting a target BS acting as a handover target of the SS from
among neighbor BSs capable of supporting the handover function for the SS; and
d) transmitting a response signal associated with the handover request signal of
the SS along with the target BS information, and informing the target BS of a
handover ready state of the SS.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an SS (Subscriber Station) handover method upon receiving a handover
request from the SS in a BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) communication
system comprised of a serving BS (Base Station) and a plurality of neighbor BSs
adjacent to the serving BS, comprising the steps of: a) receiving from the serving
BS information relating to the plurality of neighbor BSs and handover condition
information; b) measuring CINRs (Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios) of
pilot signals transferred from the neighbor BSs upon receipt of the neighbor BSs
information; c) selecting a plurality of candidate BSs corresponding to the
handover condition information from among the neighbor BSs, and transmitting a
handover request signal to the serving BS along with pilot signal CINR
information of the candidate BSs; d) upon receipt of the handover request signal,
receiving from the serving BS information of a target BS from among the
candidate BSs; and e) performing a handover function from the serving BS to the
target BS.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a handover method upon receiving a handover request from an SS
(Subscriber Station) in a BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) communication
system comprised of a serving BS (Base Station) and a plurality of neighbor BSs
adjacent to the serving BS, comprising the steps of: a) controlling the serving BS
to transmit to the SS information of the neighbor BSs and handover condition
information; b) controlling the SS to measure CINRs (Carrier to Interference and
Noise Ratios) of pilot signals transferred from the neighbor BSs according to the
neighbor BSs information; c) controlling the SS to determine a plurality of
candidate BSs corresponding to handover condition information from among the
neighbor BSs, and transmitting to the serving BS a handover request signal along
with pilot signal CINR information of the candidate BSs; d) if the serving BS
receives the handover request signal from the SS, determining if the neighbor BSs
contained in the handover request signal can support a handover function for the
SS, and selecting a target BS acting as a handover target of the SS from among
candidate BSs capable of supporting the handover function for the SS; e)
controlling the serving BS to transmit a response signal associated with the
handover request signal to the SS along with the target BS information, and
informing the target BS of a handover ready state of the SS; and f) controlling the
SS to perform a handover operation from the serving BS to the target BS
according to the target BS information contained in the handover request response
signal.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a handover apparatus upon receiving a handover request from the SS
(Subscriber Station) in a BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) communication
system comprised of a serving BS (Base Station) and a plurality of neighbor BSs
adjacent to the serving BS, comprising: the serving BS, which transmits
information of the neighbor BSs and handover condition information to the SS,
determines if the neighbor BSs contained in the handover request signal can
support a handover function for the SS upon receiving the handover request signal
from the SS, selects a target BS acting as a handover target of the SS from among
candidate BSs capable of supporting the handover function for the SS, transmits a
response signal associated with the handover request signal to the SS along with
the target BS information, and informs the target BS of a handover ready state of
the SS; and the SS, which measures CINRs (Carrier to Interference and Noise
Ratios) of pilot signals transferred from the neighbor BSs according to the
neighbor BSs information, selects a plurality of candidate BSs corresponding to
handover condition information from among the neighbor BSs, transmits a
handover request signal to the serving BS along with pilot signal CINR
information of the candidate BSs, and performs a handover operation from the
serving BS to the target BS according to the target BS information contained in
the handover request response signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present
invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional BWA (Broadband
Wireless Access) communication system using an OFDM/OFDMA scheme;
Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conventional downlink frame
structure for use in a BWA communication system using an OFDM/OFDMA
scheme;
Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conventional uplink frame
structure for use in a BWA communication system using an OFDM/OFDMA
scheme;
Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a conventional ranging process between
an SS and a BS in a BWA communication system using an OFDM scheme;
Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a conventional ranging process between
an SS and a BS in a BWA communication system using an OFDMA scheme;
Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a BWA communication system using
an OFDM/OFDMA scheme to perform a variety of functions in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a handover procedure upon receiving a
handover request from an SS in a BWA communication system using an OFDM
scheme in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a handover procedure upon receiving a
handover request from an SS in a BWA communication system using an OFDMA
scheme in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the SS for
performing inventive functions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating operations of the SS in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating operations of a serving BS in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in
detail with reference to the annexed drawings. In the drawings, the same or
similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are
depicted in different drawings. In the following description, a detailed
description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be
omitted when it may obscure the subject matter of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a BWA communication system using
an OFDM/OFDMA scheme to perform a variety of functions in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Prior to describing the BWA communication system shown in Fig. 6, it is
noted that the present invention adapts the IEEE 802.16e communication system
using an OFDM/OFDMA scheme as a representative example. It is also noted
that an IEEE 802.16e communication system acting as a communication system
for considering the mobility of an SS in the IEEE 802.16a communication system
has not been developed yet. Provided that the SS's mobility is considered in
the IEEE 802.16a communication system, it is possible to consider the multi-cell
structure and an SS's handover operation (i.e., a cell selection operation) between
the multi-cells. Therefore, the present invention provides the IEEE 802.16e
communication system as shown in Fig. 6.
Referring to Fig. 6, the IEEE 802.16e communication system includes a
multi-cell structure, i.e., a plurality of cells 600 and 650. In more detail, the
IEEE 802.16e communication system includes a first BS 610 for managing the
cell 600, a second BS 640 for managing the cell 650, and a plurality of SSs 611,
613, 630, 651, and 653. Signal transmission/reception among the BSs 610 and
640 and the SSs 611, 613, 630, 651, and 653 is established using the
OFDM/OFDMA scheme. Among the subscriber stations 611,613,630,651,and 653,
the subscriber station 630 is located in a boundary region, or a handover region,
between the cell 600 and the cell 650. Therefore, it is necessary to support a
handover of the subscriber station 630 in order to support mobility of the
subscriber station 630 .
In general, and according to an embodiment of the present invention an SS
for use in the BWA communication system receives a plurality of signals from a
plurality of BSs. The SS detects individual CINRs (Carrier to interference and
Noise Ratios) of the received pilot signals. The SS selects a specific BS, which
has transmitted a pilot channel having the highest CINR from among CINRs of
the pilot signals, and determines the selected BS to be a serving BS (i.e., an active
BS) to which the SS belongs. In more detail, the SS selects a BS having the best
reception state from among a plurality of BSs transmitting the pilot signals, and
recognizes the selected BS as its own serving BS. For the convenience of
description, the term "Active BS" or "Serving BS" may be employed in the
present invention for illustrative purposes.
The SS which has selected the active BS receives a downlink frame and a
uplink frame from the active BS. The detailed configurations of the downlink
frame and the uplink frame received from the active BS have been disclosed in
the prior art, so that they will herein be omitted for the convenience of description.
The present invention must add new IEs (Information Elements) to the DL MAP
message provided from the IEEE 802.16a / IEEE 802.16e communication system
in such a way that it can support a handover operation upon receiving a request
from the SS. A detailed configuration of the DL MAP message for supporting
the handover operation upon receipt of the SS's request is shown in the following
Table 6:

With reference to the above Table 6, the number of neighbor BSs (denoted
by "Neighbor list BS Num") indicates the number of neighbor BSs contained in
the neighbor list. The neighbor list field indicates the list of neighbor BSs of the
active BS. The Neighbor list Info field indicates neighbor BSs contained in the
neighbor list, i.e., a plurality of neighbor BSs from a first neighbor BS to the last
neighbor BS. The neighbor list information denoted by "Neighbor list Info"
includes a Neighbor list BS ID field, a Neighbor Frequency field, a Neighbor
Frequency Offset field, and a Neighbor Frame Offset field. The Neighbor list
BS ID field indicates IDs of individual BSs contained in the neighbor list. The
Neighbor Frequency field indicates a center frequency of a corresponding
neighbor BS. The Neighbor Frequency Offset field indicates a frequency offset
of a corresponding neighbor BS. The neighbor frame offset field indicates a
frame offset of a corresponding neighbor BS. The Measurement Info field
includes a minimum pilot signal CINR (Pilot min CINR) field, a maximum time
(MAXJT) field and a minimum time (MIN_T) field. The Pilot min CINR field
is adapted as a reference for selecting neighbor BSs containable in the Neighbor
list Info field from among a plurality of BSs of the IEEE 802.16e communication
system. In more detail, only BSs transmitting pilot signals each higher than the
Pilot min CINR can be adapted as neighbor BSs contained in the neighbor list.
The MAXJT field indicates a maximum time for enabling each neighbor BS to
have a pilot signal CINR of less than the Pilot min CINR. In more detail, the
neighbor BSs must transmit pilot signals higher than the Pilot min CINR. If the
pilot signal less than the Pilot min CINR is transmitted during the MAXJT time, a
corresponding neighbor BS is removed from the neighbor list. In this way, if the
neighbor BS capable of transmitting the pilot signal having the Pilot min CINR
during the MAXJT time has been removed from the neighbor list, there is no need
for the SS to measure an unnecessary pilot CINR. The MINT time indicates a
minimum time during which the highest pilot CINR from among a plurality of
pilot CINRs of the neighbor BSs must be higher than a pilot CINR of the active
BS. In more detail, in order to control the SS to be handed over from the active
BS to a specific neighbor BS (i.e., a target BS), a CINR of a pilot signal
transmitted from the target BS must be higher than that of the other pilot signal
transmitted from the active BS during more than the MINT time.The MINT is
set in order to prevent a ping-pong phenomenon in which the subscriber station
sends a handover request to the base station each time a CINR of a received pilot
channel is higher than a CINR of the active base station. In this case, it should
be noted that the MAXJT time and the MINT time may be differently
determined according to state and channel condition information of individual
BSs in the IEEE 802.16e communication system.
A ranging request step during which the SS having received the DL MAP
message and the UL MAP message requests the ranging process from the active
BS and a ranging response step during which a response signal to the ranging
request is transmitted to the SS which has transmitted the ranging request are
equal to those of the prior art, such that their detailed description will herein
omitted for the convenience of description. The SS having successfully
established the ranging process wirelessly communicates with the active BS.
The handover process in response to the SS request signal during the wireless
access communication time between the SS and the active BS will hereinafter be
described with reference to Fig. 7.
Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the handover procedure upon receiving a
handover request from the SS in the IEEE 802.16e communication system using
the OFDM scheme in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
Referring to Fig. 7, upon establishing system synchronization between an
SS 701 and a serving BS (also called an active BS) 702, the serving BS 702
transmits the DL MAP message and the UL MAP message to the SS 701 at steps
711 and 712, respectively. The DL MAP message format and the UL MAP
message format have been disclosed in Table 6 and Table 2, respectively, such that
their detailed description will herein be omitted. The SS 701 receives the
DLMAP message to detect information of neighbor BSs of the SS 701, such that
the SS 701 measures CINRs of the pilot signals received from the neighbor BSs at
step 731.
The SS 701 temporarily stops receiving transmission data of the serving
BS 702. In more detail, the SS 701 measures CINRs of the pilot signals received
from the neighbor BSs during a reception interrupt time of the transmission data
of the serving BS 702. In this case, the SS 701 does not measure individual
CINRs of the pilot signals received from all the neighbor BSs contained in the
neighbor list contained in the DL MAP message, and is adapted to measure only
CINRs of pilot channel signals received from the neighbor BSs excluded by the
MINT time. The method for measuring the CINRs of the pilot signals received
from the neighbor BSs will be described in detail.
The SS 701 establishes synchronization with individual neighbor BSs
using a variety of information of neighbor BSs contained in the neighbor list of
the DL MAP message. Upon establishing synchronization with the neighbor
BSs, the SS 701 measures CINRs of pilot signals received from the neighbor BSs.
The SS 701 having measured the CINRs of the pilot signals received from
the neighbor BSs determines whether it is handed over to another BS instead of
the serving BS 702. The handover determination step of the SS 701 will be
described in detail. At least one of the CINRs of pilot signals received from the
neighbor BSs must satisfy the MAX T condition. Provided that the CINRs of
the pilot signals received from the neighbor BSs contained in the neighbor list are
less than the minimum pilot CINR denoted by "Pilot min CINR" during more than
the MAX T time, corresponding pilot signals are removed from the neighbor list,
such that the MAX T condition must be satisfied. In this case, the neighbor BSs
which have satisfied the MAX T condition are each called a candidate BS (i.e., a
target BS). If the MAX T condition has been satisfied, the SS 701 determines
whether CINRs of pilot signals transmitted from the neighbor BSs are greater than
a CINR of a pilot signal received from the serving BS 702. If it is determined
that the pilot signal CINR received from the serving BS 702 is greater than
individual CINRs of the pilot signals received from the neighbor BSs, the SS 702
does not request the handover operation from the serving BS 702. Otherwise, if
it is determined that the pilot signal CINR received from the serving BS 702 is
less than CINRs of the pilot signals received from the neighbor BSs, the SS 701
requests the handover operation from the serving BS 702. Needless to say, the
SS 701 requests the handover operation from the serving BS 702 on the condition
that a neighbor BS satisfying the MIN T condition is found. The reason why the
SS 701 requests the handover operation from the serving BS 702 on the condition
that the MIN T time condition has been satisfied is to prevent the aforementioned
pingpong phenomenon from being generated.
If the handover operation has been determined, the SS 701 transmits a
handover request (HOREQ) message to the serving BS 702 at step 713. The
HOREQ message format is shown in Table 7:


Prior to describing Table 7, it should be noted that neighbor BSs act as
target BSs after receiving a handover request from the SS 701, such that they are
the same as the target BSs after the SS has generated the handover request.
Referring to Table 7, the Neighbor list BS carrier frequency field indicates carrier
frequencies of neighbor BSs (i.e., target BSs) which have received the handover
request from the SS 701. The CINR of neighbor list BS field indicates CINRs of
pilot signals transmitted from the neighbor BSs. The QoS field indicates a
quality of service (QoS) desired by the SS 701. The BW request field indicates a
bandwidth requested in response to the QoS desired by the SS 701. In this case,
the QoS is composed of a variety of service grades, i.e., an Unsolicited Grant
Service (UGS), a Real-Time Polling Service (rtPS), a Non-Real-Time Polling
Service (nrtPS), and a Best Effort Service (BE). The serving BS 702 having
received the handover request message from the SS 701 arranges neighbor BSs
contained in the handover request message. There are a variety of possible
methods for arranging the neighbor BSs. As stated above, the CINR of the
neighbor BS which stops measuring the CINR of the pilot signal using the SS 701
is set to "0". The serving BS 702 may configure information of the arranged
neighbor BSs in the form of a list, and may store the list-formatted information.
The serving BS 702 arranging the neighbor BSs sequentially transmits an
HO_CONNECTION_REQ (Handover Connection Request) message to
corresponding neighbor BSs (i.e., target BSs) according to the arranged order of
the neighbor BSs at steps 714 and 716. The HO_CONNECTION_REQ message
format is shown in the following Table 8:


With reference to Table 8, the Target BS ID indicates ID information of the
target BS. The CID (Connection ID) is a connection CID assigned from the
serving BS 702 to the SS 701. The QoS field indicates a quality of service
(QoS) desired by the SS 701. The BW request field indicates a bandwidth
requested in response to the QoS desired by the SS 701. The reason why the
serving BS 702 transmits the HO_CONNECTION_REQ message to the target
BSs (i.e., a target BS1 703 and a target BS2 704) is to determine whether or not a
QoS and a bandwidth associated with the service desired by the SS 701 can be
satisfied.
If the target BSs 703 and 704 receive the HO_CONNECTION_REQ
message, they transmit the HO_CONNECTION_RSP (Handover Connection
Response) message to the serving BS 702 at steps 715 and 717. A representative
example of the HO CONNECTION RSP message format is shown in the
following Table 9:

With reference to Table 9, the Target BS ID field indicates ID information
of the target BS transmitting the HO_CONNECTION_RSP, the CID is a
connection ID used for the serving BS 702 of the SS 701. The ACK/NACK
field indicates HO (handover) approval or disapproval information of the SS 701.
In more detail, in the case where the ACK message is contained in the
HO CONNECTION RSP message, a corresponding target BS is able to provide
the SS 701 with a handover function. In the case where the NACK message is
contained in the HO CONNECTION RSP message, a corresponding target BS is
unable to provide the SS 701 with the handover function. As shown in Fig. 7,
the target BS1 703 transmits the HO CONNECTION RES message containing
the NACK field indicative of an handover support disable state for the SS 701.
It is assumed that the target BS2 704 transmits the HO_CONNECTION_RSP
message containing the ACK field indicative of a handover support enable state
for the SS 701.
The HO_CONNECTION_REQ message and the
HO CONNECTION RSP message are sequentially transmitted as shown in Fig.
7, but they may also be transmitted simultaneously if needed.
Upon receiving the HO CONNECTION RSP message from the target
BSs, the serving BS 702 detects the ACK/NACK field contained in the received
HO_CONNECTION_RSP message, such that it sets the target BS (i.e., the target
BS2 704) which has transmitted the HO_CONNECTION_RSP message
containing the ACK field to a last target BS to which the SS 701 is handed over.
Thereafter, the serving BS 702 transmits the HO RSP (Handover Response)
message containing the last target BS information to the SS 701 at step 718. The
HO RSP message includes information of the last target BS to which the SS 701
is handed over. A representative example of the HO RSP message is shown in
Table 10:

With reference to Table 10, the Target BS ID field indicates ID information
of the last target BS to which the SS 701 is handed over. The Target BS carrier
frequency field indicates a carrier frequency of the last target BS. The serving
BS 702 having transmitted the HORSP message transmits an
HO CONNECTION CFM (Handover Connection Confirmation) message to the
last target BS (i.e., the target BS2 704) at step 719. In this case, the
HO_CONNECTION_CFM message indicating that the SS 701 will be handed
over to the last target BS 704 is transmitted. A representative example of the
HO_CONNECTION_CFM message is shown in Table 11:
[Table 11]

With reference to Table. 11, the Target BS ID field indicates ID
information of a neighbor BS (i.e., the last target BS) receiving the
HO_CONNECTION_CFM message. The CID indicates a connection ID
assigned from the serving BS 702 to the SS 701. The serving BS 702 having
transmitted the HO_CONNECTIN_CFM message to the target BS2 704 releases a
link connected to the SS 701 at step 734.
The target BS2 704 transmits the DL MAP message and the UL MAP
message to the SS 701 at steps 720 and 721, respectively. The DL MAP
message and the UL MAP message include updated information of the SS 701.
The SS 701 having received the DL MAP message and the UL MAP message
transmits an RNG REQ (Ranging Request) message to the target BS2 704 at step
722. The target BS2 704 having received the RNG REQ message transmits the
RNG RSP message acting as a response message associated with the RNG REQ
message to the SS 701 at step 723.A detailed process performed in the steps 720
to 723 is identical to the process performed in the steps 411 to 417 illustrated in
Fig. 4. Therefore, a detailed description of these steps will not be given again
herein.
Fig. 7 has disclosed the handover procedure upon receiving a handover
request from the SS in the IEEE 802.16e communication system using the OFDM
scheme. Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a handover procedure upon receiving a
handover request from the SS in the IEEE 802.16e communication system using
the OFDMA scheme in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
Prior to describing Fig. 8 in detail, it should be noted that steps 811 to 821
and steps 831 to 834 shown in Fig. 8 are equal to steps 711 to 721 and steps 731
to 734 shown in Fig. 7, respectively, such that their detailed description will
herein be omitted. Because the OFDMA scheme is applied to Fig. 8, the SS 801
transmits a ranging code instead of the RNG REQ message to the last target BS
(i.e., the target BS2 804) at step 822. The target BS2 804 having received the
ranging code transmits the RNG RSP message acting as a response associated
with the ranging code to the SS 801 at step 823. In more detail, the handover
procedure of Fig. 7 is substantially equal to that of Fig. 8, however, the IEEE
802.16e communication system transmits the RNG REQ message according to
the OFDM scheme in Fig. 7 scheme whereas it transmits the ranging code
according to the OFDMA scheme in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 has disclosed the handover
procedure upon receipt of a handover request from the SS in the IEEE 802.16e
communication system using the OFDMA scheme. The SS internal
configuration for performing inventive functions will hereinafter be described
with reference to Fig. 9.
Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the SS internal configuration for
performing inventive functions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. Referring to Fig. 9, the SS internal configuration includes a
matched filter 900, a reception power measurement unit 910, a reception power
comparator 920, a controller 930, and a transmitter 940. The matched filter 900
determines whether a PN (Pseudo Noise) code for synchronization detection is
synchronized or not, and outputs a predetermined energy value according to the
determined result. In this case, the correlator may also be adapted as the
matched filter 900. The matched filter 900 compares the received
synchronization detection PN code with a unique PN code of the SS, and outputs
the energy value in association with the same PN code. In more detail, the
matched filter 900 sequentially enters a reception signal of the SS in a
predetermined window, and performs a predetermined bit operation in parallel to
the unique PN code value, resulting in the sum of the bit-operation values.
Therefore, if the reception signal of the SS is equal to the unique PN code value
stored in the SS, this condition is called an auto-correlation state, such that a
maximum energy value is generated. If the SS reception signal is different from
the unique PN code value, this condition is called an inconsistent synchronization
state, such that a relatively low energy value is generated. Typically, the output
energy values are compared with a predetermined threshold value so that it is
determined whether the auto-correlation state is established. In conclusion, the
output value of the matched filter 900 is compared with the predetermined
threshold value so that the presence or absence of the auto-correlation state can be
determined.
If the reception power measurement unit 910 is synchronized with a pilot
signal received from each neighbor BS via the matched filter, the reception power
measurement Unit 910 measures the reception power of the received pilot signal.
The reception power measurement unit 910 measures the CINR of the received
pilot signal, and transmits the measured CINR of the pilot signal to the reception
power comparator 920. Upon receiving CINRs of the pilot signals from the
reception power measurement unit 910, the reception power comparator 920
compares the received pilot signal CINRs of the neighbor BSs with a
predetermined threshold value (i.e., a Pilot min CINR). If at least one pilot
signal CINR from among pilot signal CINRs transmitted from the neighbor BSs is
greater than the threshold value, the reception power comparator 920 goes to the
next step. In more detail, it is determined whether at least one pilot signal CINR
from among the neighbor BSs' pilot signal CINRs is greater than a pilot signal
CINR of the serving BS. If it is determined that a neighbor BS having a pilot
signal CINR greater than that of the serving BS is found, information of a
neighbor BS having the pilot signal CINR greater than that of the serving BS is
transmitted to the controller 930. The controller 930 determines whether the SS
transmits its own handover request to the serving BS according to information
received from the reception power comparator 920.
In more detail, if the CINRs of the pilot signals transmitted from the
neighbor BSs are greater than that of the other pilot signal transmitted from the
serving BS, the controller 930 generates a handover request signal of the SS. In
this case, although there is no description in the drawings, it should be noted that
the MAX T and MIN T conditions must be satisfied in the handover request
process. The controller 930 generates a handover request (HO_REQ) message
by controlling the transmitter 940, and transmits the generated handover request
message to the serving BS. The transmitter 940 generates the HO REQ message
upon receiving a control command from the controller 930, and transmits the
HO REQ message to the serving BS.
Fig. 9 has disclosed the SS internal configuration according to the present
invention. Operations of the SS will hereinafter be described with reference to
Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating operations of the SS in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 10, the
SS reads the DL MAP message received from the serving BS at step 1000, reads
the UL MAP message received from the serving BS at step 1002, and reads the
neighbor BS list information contained in the DL MAP message at step 1004. If
the SS reads the neighbor BSs information at step 1004, it sets an ID "i"
indicative of the number of the neighbor BSs to "0" (i.e., i=0) at step 1004.
The SS adds a number of 1 to a variable "i" (i.e., i = i+1), measures a
CINR of a pilot signal transmitted from the i-th neighbor BS at step 1006, and
goes to step 1008. In this case, it is assumed that the neighbor BSs' number
transmitted from the serving BS is in the range from "BS 1" to
"MAX BS NUM". Therefore, the SS measures a pilot signal CINR for the
neighbor BSs' number "BS_1" at step 1006, and determines whether the number
of the neighbor BS having measured the pilot signal CINR is equal to or greater
than "MAX BS NUM" at step 1008. If it is determined the number of the
measured neighbor BS is equal to or greater than "MAX BS NUM" at step 1008,
the SS goes to step 1010. Otherwise, if it is determined that the number of the
measured neighbor BS is less than "MAX_BS_NUM" at step 1008, the SS returns
to step 1006.
If it is determined that the value of MAX Neighbor BS CINR is equal to
or less than the pilot signal CINR of the serving BS, the SS returns to step 1000.
Otherwise, if it is determined that the value of MAX Neighbor BS CINR is
greater than the pilot signal CINR of the serving BS, the SS determines its own
handover request, and goes to step 1012.
The SS transmits the HO REQ message to the serving BS at step 1012.
The detailed configuration of the HO REQ message has been disclosed in the
aforementioned Table 7. The SS receives the HO RSP message associated with
the HO REQ message from the serving BS at step 1014, and goes to step 1016.
The detailed configuration of the HO RSP message has been disclosed in the
aforementioned Table 10. The SS reads ID and carrier frequency information of
the last target BS from among the HO RSP message at step 1016, and goes to
step 1018. In this case, the last target BS acts as a specific BS to which the SS is
handed over.
The SS converts an SS frequency into a target BS frequency, and goes to
step 1020, such that data transmission/reception between the SS and the serving
BS is interrupted and the SS can communicate with the last target BS. The SS
reads the DL MAP message received from the last target BS at step 1020, and
goes to step 1022. The SS reads the UL MAP message received from the last
target BS, and goes to step 1024. The SS communicates with the last target BS
at step 1024, and terminates its handover operation.
Fig. 10 has disclosed operations of the SS according to the present
invention. Operations of the serving BS will hereinafter be described with
reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating operations of a serving
BS in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The
serving BS transmits the DL MAP message to the SS at step 1100, and transmits
the UL MAP message to the SS at step 1102.
The serving BS receives the HO_REQ message from the SS at step 1104,
and goes to step 1106. The detailed configuration of the HO REQ message has
been disclosed in the aforementioned Table 7. The serving BS arranges CINRs
of the pilot signals of the neighbor BSs in other of descending magnitude, and
goes to step 1108. In this case, the CINRs of the pilot signals of the neighbor
BSs are contained in the HO REQ message. As stated above, the neighbor BSs
for commanding the SS to measure the pilot signal CINR act as candidate BSs
which satisfy the MAX T and MIN T conditions, such that each candidate BS
has a signal greater than a Pilot min CINR (i.e., a minimum pilot signal CINR).
As previously stated in Fig. 10, it is assumed that the number of neighbor BSs of
the SS is in the range from BS_1 to MAX_BS_NUM. In addition, the ID "i"
indicative of the number of the neighbor BSs is set to "0" (i.e., i=0) at step 1106.
The ID indicative of the number "i" of the neighbor BSs is determined in the
order of the pilot CINRs.
The serving BS transmits the HO_CONNECTION_REQ message to the
neighbor BS having the greatest pilot CINR from among the arranged neighbor
BSs at step 1108. The detailed configuration of the HO_CONNECTION_REQ
message has been shown in the aforementioned Table 8.
The serving BS receives the HO_CONNECTION_RSP message indicative
of a response to the HO_CONNECTION_REQ message from the neighbor BS
which have transmitted the HO_CONNECTION_REQ message at step 1110, and
goes to step 1112. The detailed configuration of the HO_CONNECTION_RSP
message has been disclosed in the aforementioned Table 9. The serving BS
determines whether there is a neighbor BS capable of supporting a handover
function of the SS in a plurality of neighbor BSs transmitting the SS handover
request signals. In more detail, the serving BS determines whether the ACK
message is contained in the HO_CONNECTION_RSP message. If it is
determined that a specific neighbor BS from among the neighbor BSs can support
the handover service for the SS, the serving BS goes to step 1116. Otherwise, if
it is determined that none of the neighbor BSs is able to support the handover
service for the SS, the serving BS goes to step 1114. The serving BS selects a
neighbor BS with the second greatest pilot CINR from among the neighbor BSs
and increases the variable "i" by one (i.e., i = i + 1) at step 1114, and returns to
step 1108.
The serving BS transmits the HO_RSP message to the SS at step 1116, and
goes to step 1118. The detailed configuration of the HORSP message has been
disclosed in the aforementioned Table 10. The serving BS transmits the
HO_CONNECTION_CFM message to a neighbor BS (i.e., the last target BS)
capable of supporting the handover function at step 1118, and returns to step 1120.
The detailed configuration of the HO CONNECTION CFM message has been
disclosed in the aforementioned Table 11. Needless to say, the serving BS may
first transmit the HO_CONNECTION_CFM message to the last target BS, or may
transmit the HO RSP message to the SS. The serving BS releases the link
connected to the SS at step 1120, and terminates its handover operation.
As apparent from the above description, the present invention enables the
SS based on a multi-cell structure to perform the handover operation, resulting in
a guarantee of the SS's mobility. In more detail, the conventional SS performs a
communication function in a single cell, such that it must cancel the link
connected to a BS currently communicating with the SS when the SS moves to the
other cell. Furthermore, the conventional SS must newly set up a
communication mode with a new BS, such that it must newly perform the initial
ranging process. However, in order to solve the aforementioned problems of the
conventional SS, the present invention performs the handover process without
performing the initial ranging process with the new BS, resulting in reduction of a
data communication interruption time.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been
disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing
from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.
We claim:
1. A method to perform handover by a subscriber station (SS) in a
Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system, the method
comprising the steps of:
receiving, from a serving Base Station (BS), information on a plurality of
neighbor BSs;
characterized in transmitting, to the serving BS, a handover request
message including pilot signal Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios (CINRs)
information of the plurality of neighbor BSs; and
receiving, from the serving BS, a handover response message including
information on a target BS from among the neighbor BSs.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information on the
plurality of neighbor BSs includes information indicative of the number of
neighbor BSs, BS Identifier (ID) information for identifying the neighbor BSs, and
individual carrier frequency information of the neighbor BSs.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information on the target
BS includes BS Identifier (ID).
4. A method to perform handover by a serving Base Station (BS) in a
Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) communication system, the method
comprising the steps of:
transmitting, to a subscriber station (SS), information on a plurality of
neighbor BSs;
receiving, from the SS, a handover request message including pilot signal
Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios (CINRs) information of the plurality of
neighbor BSs; and
transmitting, to the SS, a handover response message including
information on a target BS from among the neighbor BSs.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the information on the
plurality of neighbor BSs includes information indicative of the number of
neighbor BSs, BS Identifier (ID) information for identifying the neighbor BSs, and
individual carrier frequency information of the neighbor BSs.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the information on the target
BS includes BS Identifier (ID) information for the targer BS.
7. A system to perform handover in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA)
communication system, the system comprising:
a subscriber station (SS);
a serving Base Station (BS); and
a plurality of neighbor BSs.
wherein the SS receives, from the serving BS, information on the plurality
of neighbor BSs, transmit, to the serving BS, a handover request message
including pilot signal Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios (CINRs) information
of the plurality of neighbor BSs, and receives, from the serving BS, a handover
response message including information on a target BS from among the
neighbor BSs.
8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information on the plurality
of neighbor BSs includes information indicative of the number of neighbor BSs,
BS Identifier (ID) information for identifying the neighbor BSs, and individual
carrier frequency information of the neighbor BSs.
9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the information on the target
BS includes BS Identifier (ID) information for the target BS.
10. A system to perform handover in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA)
communication system, the system comprising:
a subscriber station (SS);
a serving Base Station (BS); and
a plurality of neighbor BSs,
wherein the serving BS transmits, to the SS, information on the plurality
of neighbor BSs, receives, from, the SS, a handover request message including
pilot signal Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios (CINRs) information of the
plurality of neighbor BSs, and transmits, to the SS, a handover response
message including information on a target BS from among the neighbor BSs.
11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information on the
plurality of neighbor BSs includes information indicative of the number of
neighbor BSs, BS Identifier (ID) information for identifying the neighbor BSs, and
individual carrier frequency information of the neighbor BSs.
12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the information on the target
BS includes BS Identifier (ID) information for the target BS.

A method to perform handover by a subscriber station (SS) in a Broadband
Wireless Access (BWA) communication system, the method comprising the steps
of eceiving, from a serving Base Station (BS), information on a plurality of
neighbor BSs; characterized in transmitting, to the serving BS, a handover
request message including pilot signal Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratios
(CINRs) information of the plurality of neighbor BSs; and receiving, from the
serving BS, a handover response message including information on a target BS
from among the neighbor BSs

Documents:

1559-KOLNP-2005-FORM 27-1.1.pdf

1559-KOLNP-2005-FORM 27.pdf

1559-KOLNP-2005-FORM-27.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-abstract.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-claims.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-correspondence.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-description (complete).pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-drawings.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-examination report.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-form 1.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-form 18.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-form 2.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-form 3.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-form 5.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-gpa.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-specification.pdf

1559-kolnp-2005-granted-translated copy of priority document.pdf


Patent Number 232997
Indian Patent Application Number 1559/KOLNP/2005
PG Journal Number 13/2009
Publication Date 27-Mar-2009
Grant Date 25-Mar-2009
Date of Filing 05-Aug-2005
Name of Patentee SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD.
Applicant Address 416, MAETAN-DONG, YEONGTONG-GU, SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 SO-HYUN KIM #531-1402, SHINAN APT., YEONGTONG-DONG, PALDAL-GU, SUWON-SI, GYEONGGI-DO
2 CHANG-HOI KOO 2ND FLOOR, 241-8, JEONGIA-DONG, BUNDANG-GU, SEONGNAM-SI, GYEONGGI-DO
3 JUNG-JE SON #401-905, 181, SANGNOKMAEUL BOSEONG APT., JEONGIA-DONG, BUNDANG-GU, SEONGNAM-SI, GYEONGGI-DO
PCT International Classification Number H04B 7/26
PCT International Application Number PCT/KR2004/000469
PCT International Filing date 2004-03-05
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 10-2003-0014641 2003-03-08 Republic of Korea