Handover in LTE Using Parallel Sniffer

摘要

A base station can observe downlink communications of neighboring base stations of neighboring cells to determine operational parameters of these neighboring base stations in a process called sniffing. The base station ceases downlink transmission and/or uplink reception and initiates downlink reception for a duration in time and/or over frequency to form a sniffing window to observe the downlink communications of the one or more neighboring base stations. The sniffing window represents an area in time and/or frequency where downlink communications are not transmitted. The base station determines operational parameters based upon the downlink communications of the one or more neighboring base stations that are observed during the sniffing window. The base station and/or the one or more neighboring base stations can adjust their respective operational parameters such that, on average, each of the base stations within the cellular network should have a substantially similar deviation in their operational parameters.

主权项

1. A cellular network, comprising:
a first base station, within a first cell of the cellular network, configured to provide a downlink communication to a first mobile communication device within a first geographic area of coverage; and a second base station, within a second cell of the cellular network, configured to cease communication with a second mobile communication device within a second geographic area of coverage during a sniffing window and to sniff the downlink communication for a synchronization signal during the sniffing window, wherein a periodicity of the sniffing window is different than a periodicity of a synchronization signal.