Patent · US Active

Method of identification of a femtocell base station as a handover target, and apparatus therefor

US8345633B2 · kind B2 · utility

6Cited by
0References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 10, 2009
Grant dateJan 1, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 21, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W84/045
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is provided of identifying which one of a plurality of femtocell base stations neighboring a first femtocell base station is to be the target for handover of a call connection with a user terminal from the first base station. The neighbor femtocell base stations use the same primary scrambling code as each other. The femtocell base stations use code-division multiple access, CDMA. Each of the neighbor femtocell base stations transmits a respective broadcast signal that include timing information such that each neighbor femtocell base station transmits a broadcast signal having different timing information to that of the other neighbor femtocell base stations. The user terminal receives broadcast signals, determines the timing information of at least one of the received broadcast signals and reports the timing information to the first femtocell base station. The first femtocell base station identifies the target femtocell base station for handover from the timing information.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.