Handover method and apparatus thereof

US8200224B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Alcatel Lucent · FR

Inventors

• Heidrun Grob-Lipski · Starzach, DE
• Stephen Kaminski · Eislingen/Fils, DE
• Hajo Bakker · Eberdingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 28, 2009
• Grant date: Jun 12, 2012
• Expiry date: Aug 23, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W36/0016
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a handover method in a base station of a mobile communication system, the mobile communication system further comprising a plurality of base stations. A telecommunication link being established between a user equipment and the base station, the method comprises: receiving a first measurement report from the user equipment; selecting a first candidate base station using the evaluation of the signal quality from the first measurement report; initiating a first handover preparation by transmitting a first request to the first candidate base station; determining if the first handover preparation has failed; selecting a set of candidate base stations including at least some of the candidate base stations identified in the first measurement report; initiating a second handover preparation by transmitting a second handover request to at least one of the set of candidate base stations, if the first handover preparation has failed; selecting a target base station from the set of candidate base stations, if the second handover preparation has not failed; initiating the handover of the user equipment from the base station to the target base station.