Wireless communication device capable of efficient handoffs

摘要

A wireless communication device is disclosed that is capable of performing efficient handoffs in order to maximize connection time with either a serving or target base station. The wireless communication device performs measurements of only intra-frequency base stations to avoid retuning its radio module. Based on this information, as well as stored information relating to nearby base stations, the serving base station is able to estimate a position of the wireless communication device and compare the estimated position to positions of the known base stations in order to make a handoff decision. In addition, by storing information during measurement or handoff preparation, the device is capable of skipping handoff steps, immediately return to the serving base station after handoff failure, and/or perform streamlined PLMN searching.

主权项

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a memory module that stores information of nearby base stations, the nearby base stations including both intra-frequency and inter-frequency base stations; and a handoff decision module configured to receive measurement data of an intra-frequency base station, and to determine whether a handoff should be initiated to one of the nearby base stations based only on the measurement data and the stored information, wherein the stored information includes locations and transmit powers of the nearby base stations, wherein the measurement data is received from an external device and includes receive powers of a plurality of measured base stations, and wherein the handoff decision module is configured to determine an estimated location of the external device based on the receive powers of the plurality of measured base stations.