TEPZZ 9_8Z9¥B_T

(19)

(11) EP 2 918 093 B1

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.:

of the grant of the patent: H04W 36/00 (2009.01) H04W 24/08 (2009.01)
19.06.2019 Bulletin 2019/25 H04W 84/04 (2009.01) H04W 76/28 (2018.01)

(21) Application number: 12888032.5 (86) International application number:

PCT/CN2012/084453
(22) Date of filing: 12.11.2012
(87) International publication number:
WO 2014/071629 (15.05.2014 Gazette 2014/20)

(54) DRX PARAMETER CONFIGURATION METHOD AND ASSOCIATED BASE STATION FOR
FACILITATING ANR MEASUREMENT
VERFAHREN ZUR KONFIGURATION VON DRX-PARAMETERN UND ZUGEHÖRIGE
BASISSTATION ZUR ERLEICHTERTEN ANR-MESSUNG
PROCÉDÉ DE CONFIGURATION DE PARAMÈTRES DRX ET STATION DE BASE ASSOCIÉE POUR
FACILITER UNE MESURE ANR

(84) Designated Contracting States: (56) References cited:

AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB CN-A- 101 039 208 CN-A- 102 036 273
GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO CN-A- 102 761 890 CN-A- 102 761 897
PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR US-A1- 2012 120 828 US-A1- 2012 207 069
US-A1- 2012 263 088
(43) Date of publication of application:
16.09.2015 Bulletin 2015/38 • ERICSSON ET AL: "ANR Stage 3 TP", 3GPP
DRAFT; R2-082877 ANR STAGE 3 TP (UPDATED),
(73) Proprietor: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson 3RD GENERATION PARTNERSHIP PROJECT
(publ) (3GPP), MOBILE COMPETENCE CENTRE ; 650,
164 83 Stockholm (SE) ROUTE DES LUCIOLES ; F-06921
SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS CEDEX ; FRANCE, vol. RAN
(72) Inventors: WG2, no. Kansas City, USA; 20080514, 14 May
• HUANG, Min 2008 (2008-05-14), XP050140429, [retrieved on
Beijing 100102 (CN) 2008-05-14]
• TYNDERFELDT, Tobias • INTEL CORPORATION: "LTE Fast Dormancy",
170 69 Solna (SE) 3GPP DRAFT; R2-106285, 3RD GENERATION
• XIAO, Lei PARTNERSHIP PROJECT (3GPP), MOBILE
Beijing 100083 (CN) COMPETENCE CENTRE ; 650, ROUTE DES
LUCIOLES ; F-06921 SOPHIA-ANTIPOLIS
(74) Representative: Ericsson CEDEX ; FRANCE, vol. RAN WG2, no.
Patent Development Jacksonville, USA; 20101115, 10 November 2010
Torshamnsgatan 21-23 (2010-11-10), XP050492396, [retrieved on
164 80 Stockholm (SE) 2010-11-10]
EP 2 918 093 B1

Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent
Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the
Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been
paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).

Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

 EP 2 918 093 B1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

5 [0001] The present invention generally relates to Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter configuration, and par-
ticularly, to a DRX parameter configuration method and an associated base station (BS) for facilitating Automatic Neighbor
Relation (ANR) measurement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

10
[0002] To relieve the operator from the burden of manually managing Neighbor Relations (NRs) and even to construct
a self-optimization network (SON), a technique called ANR has been proposed and applied in cellular communications
systems. One of the fundamental requirements for implementing ANR is to uniquely identify each cell in a cellular
communications system.
15 [0003] Although Physical Cell Identifiers (PCIs) may be used for cell identification, the total amount of PCIs in current
cellular systems (e.g., 504, in LTE systems) is too limited to achieve unique identification of each cell in the system.
When different neighbor cells apply the same PCI, it is impossible to distinguish them by PCI and confusion results. To
avoid such confusion, in addition to a Physical Cell Identifier, a Cell Global Identifier (CGI) is used to describe an effective
NR for a neighbor cell. The total amount of CGIs is about 256 million, which is large enough for each cell to be identified
20 by a unique CGI.
[0004] In this regard, the ANR process requires ANR measurement procedure to successfully acquire CGI. An example
of the ANR process in LTE systems is provided in [1] and will be described in the following by referring to Fig. 1. As
illustrated in Fig. 1, a UE 101 currently located at the border between cell A and Cell B is served by an eNodeB (eNB)
201 and is able to measure the PCI of Cell B.
25 [0005] At the beginning of the ANR process, the UE 101 sends the measured PCI of Cell B to the eNB 201 (step
S101). Upon receiving the measured PCI, the eNB 201 instructs the UE 101 to read the enhanced CGI (ECGI) of Cell
B (step S102). In accordance with the instruction, the UE 101 receives System Information Block 1 (SIB1) from Cell B
and reads the ECGI of Cell B contained in the SIB 1 (step S103). Upon acquiring Cell B’s ECGI, the UE 101 reports it
to the eNB 201 (step S104). Then, using the PCI and the ECGI of Cell B, the eNB 201 creates a new NR entry for Cell
30 B in its NR list.
[0006] At step S103 of the above process, a continuous time gap shall be implemented, during which, instead of
receiving data from Cell A, the UE 101 establishes synchronization with Cell B and maintains the synchronization to
measure the ECGI.
[0007] Currently, to implement such a time gap, the 3rd Partnership Project (3GPP) organization proposes two alter-
35 native approaches: Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and autonomous gap. The DRX approach is described in [1] and
[2], and the description about autonomous gap can be found in [1] and [3]. As the DRX approach is preferable to the
autonomous gap approach in terms of implementation simplicity and backward - compatibility with legacy UEs and
infrastructures, DRX-based ANR measurement should be applied in any phase of LTE networks.
[0008] The DRX functionality is standardized in LTE systems since Release 8. Though some other auxiliary parameters
40 are used, the DRX functionality is mainly characterized by the three parameters as below:

• On-Duration Timer, specifying an on-duration (in terms of time or in number of subframes) during which a UE waking
up from DRX keeps awake to continuously attempt to receive and decode Physical Downlink Control Channels
(PDCCHs). If the UE successfully decodes a PDCCH before the timer expires, it stays awake and starts a DRX
45 Inactivity Timer.

• DRX Inactivity Timer, specifying a duration (in terms of time or in number of subframes) during which the UE
continuously attempts to receive and decode PDCCHs. If the UE fails to successfully decode a PDCCH until the
timer expires, it re-enters into DRX. The UE shall restart the DRX Inactivity Timer
50
• following a successful decoding of a PDCCH for a first user data transmission only (i.e. not for retransmissions).

• DRX Cycle, specifying the periodic repetition of the on-duration.

55 [0009] Fig. 2 illustrates the above three parameters. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 2, the total time duration when UE is
awake to monitor PDCCH is called active-duration, and the result of DRX cycle minus active-duration is called sleep-
duration. The active-duration includes not only the "on-duration" but also the time duration during which the DRX Inactivity
Timer is running. Based on the above, the minimum active-duration is of length equal to on-duration, and the maximum

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is undefined (infinite). Correspondingly, the sleep duration ranges from DRX cycle minus on-duration to 0.
[0010] Since the DRX functionality is originally introduced for power saving at UE, fixed DRX parameters are dedicatedly
set for UEs having relatively low traffic intensity in current implementation. However, in practical situation, a UE does
not necessarily employ the DRX functionality only when it is of low traffic intensity. This is especially true when a UE
5 having high traffic intensity is to perform DRX-based ANR measurement enabling its handover to an unknown neighbor
cell.
[0011] If a UE having high traffic intensity follows the fixed DRX parameters dedicatedly set for UEs having low traffic
intensity, the active duration of the UE will increase while the sleep duration left for the UE will be shorten. This adversely
reduces the possibility for the UE moving towards an unknown neighbor cell to successfully perform the DRX-based
10 ANR measurement procedure, which in turn impedes the UE’s handover to the unknown neighbor cell and may cause
undesirable connection dropping and service interruption.
[0012] Ericsson et al: "ANR stage 3 TP" 3GPP draft 14 May 2008 provide a definition of ANR functions and procedural
texts for ANR with GCI Report Request/Response and request to report strongest cell.
[0013] US2012/120828 discloses a method of setting an inactivity timer that in turn sets the operating mode of com-
15 munications.
[0014] US2012/263088 discloses a method for controlling discontinuous reception by defining a plurality of DRX levels.
[0015] US2012/207069 discloses a method and apparatus for setting an inactivity time based on traffic statistics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

20
[0016] The invention is defined in the appended set of claims.
[0017] An object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least alleviate the negative impact of the prior art traffic-
independent DRX parameter configuration on the DRX-based ANR measurement procedure. To achieve the object,
according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter configuration
25 method for facilitating Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR) measurement. The method comprises determining a traffic
intensity of a User Equipment (UE) by which a DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed, setting a value for a
DRX Inactivity Timer to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement, in accordance with the
determined traffic intensity of the UE, and transmitting the value set for the DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE, wherein
setting the value for the DRX Inactivity Timer comprises setting a value for the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with
30 the determined traffic intensity as well as a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.
[0018] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a base station adapted to perform DRX
parameter configuration to facilitate ANR measurement. The base station comprises a traffic intensity determination unit
configured to determine a traffic intensity of a UE by which a DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed, a DRX
parameter setting unit configured to set a value for a DRX Inactivity Timer to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-
35 based ANR measurement, in accordance with the determined traffic intensity of the UE, and a transmitting unit configured
to transmit the value set for the DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE, wherein the DRX parameter setting unit is configured
to set value for the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with the determined traffic intensity as well as a maximum
acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.
[0019] An advantage of the proposed method and BS according to the first and second aspects of the invention is
40 that the UE can perform the DRX-based ANR measurement by using a DRX parameter set to an appropriate value in
accordance with the UE’s traffic intensity, which leads to an improved performance of the ANR measurement.
[0020] In an embodiment, there is provided a parameter configuration method for facilitating ANR measurement,
comprising: identifying a traffic type of a UE by which a DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed, according
to which range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges a traffic intensity of the UE falls into; adjusting a DRX Inactivity
45 Timer to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement; and transmitting the adjusted DRX Inactivity
Timer to the UE. The adjustment of the DRX Inactivity Timer comprises: for a group of UEs having the same identified
traffic type in a cell, obtaining an ANR measurement failure rate based on a number of ANR measurements performed
by the UEs and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first monitoring period; reducing the DRX
Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement
50 failure rate is larger than a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR
measurement failure rate plus a first positive offset value; and increasing the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the
identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the
maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus
a second positive offset value.
55 [0021] In an embodiment, there is provided a BS adapted to perform DRX parameter configuration to facilitate ANR
measurement, comprising: a traffic type identification unit configured to identify a traffic type of a UE by which a DRX-
based ANR measurement is to be performed, according to which range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges a
traffic intensity of the UE falls into; a UE-group level adjustment unit configured to adjust a DRX Inactivity Timer to be

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used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the adjusted
DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE. The UE-group level adjustment unit comprises: an ANR measurement failure rate
calculator configured to obtain an ANR measurement failure rate based on a number of ANR measurements performed
by a group of UEs having the same identified traffic type in a cell and a number of failures of the ANR measurements,
5 during a first monitoring period; a DRX Inactivity Timer adjustor configured to reduce the DRX Inactivity Timer for the
UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger
than a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate
plus a first positive offset value; and increase the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the
first monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR
10 measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second positive offset value.
[0022] An advantage of the proposed method and BS is that a UE can perform the DRX-based ANR measurement
by using a DRX Inactivity Timer adjusted to an appropriate value based on a comparison between the actual ANR
measurement failure rate and the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate, which leads to an improved
performance of the ANR measurement.
15
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the
following descriptions on embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings, in which:
20
Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating steps of an example of ANR process performed in LTE systems and a
scenario wherein the ANR process is to be performed;

Fig. 2 is a timing chart schematically illustrating parameters relevant to the DRX functionality;
25
Fig. 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a DRX parameter configuration method for facilitating ANR measure-
ment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a graph schematically illustrating relationship between ANR measurement failure rate and DRX Inactivity
30 Timer under different traffic intensities;

Fig. 5 is a graph schematically illustrating relationship between packet missing rate and DRX Inactivity Timer under
different traffic intensities;

35 Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating example traffic types classified according to traffic intensity of a UE
measured in terms of the UE’s data rate;

Fig. 7 is a flowchart schematically illustrating one exemplified implementation of the UE-group level adjustment
according to the present invention;
40
Fig. 8 is a signaling diagram schematically illustrating signaling exchange during a UE level adjustment according
to the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating the concurrent performance of the UE-group level adjustment and the
45 UE level adjustment according to the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a structure of a BS according to the present
invention;

50 Fig. 11 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a structure of a DRX parameter setting unit of
the BS according to the present invention; and

Fig. 12 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a structure of a UE-group level adjustment unit
of the BS according to the present invention.
55
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, the present invention is described with reference to embodiments shown in the attached drawings.

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However, it is to be understood that those descriptions are just provided for illustrative purpose, rather than limiting the
present invention. Further, in the following, descriptions of known structures and techniques are omitted so as not to
unnecessarily obscure the concept of the present invention.
[0025] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to be applied only when a
5 handover is to be performed within a network using a single radio access technology, but can be applied to facilitate
DRX-based ANR measurement when a handover is to be performed between networks using different radio access
technologies, such as from LTE to UTRAN, from LTE to GERAN, and between LTE TDD and LTE FDD.
[0026] Fig. 3 illustrates a fundament method proposed by the present invention to perform DRX parameter configuration
to facilitate ANR measurement. As illustrated, after a start of the proposed method, a traffic intensity of the UE by which
10 a DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed is determined (step S310). As will be further described in the
following, the traffic intensity of the UE can be measured in terms of data rate of the UE, interval of data packets to the
UE, arrival rate of data packets at the UE or any other measurable quantity by which the traffic intensity of the UE can
be reflected. Then, based on the traffic intensity of the UE determined at step S310, a value is set for a DRX parameter
to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement (step S320) and is transmitted to the UE (step
15 S330). After that, the example method of Fig. 3 ends. The DRX parameter may be DRX Cycle, On-Duration Timer and/or
DRX Inactivity Timer.
[0027] A feasible manner to implement step S320 is to set a larger value for the DRX Cycle as the traffic intensity
increases. In this manner, the maximum possible sleep duration determined by the result of the DRX Cycle minus the
On-Duration Timer can be extended as the traffic intensity increases. Accordingly, the adverse increase in the length of
20 active duration due to higher traffic intensity can be compensated for.
[0028] As another manner to implement step S320, the higher the traffic intensity is, the smaller value the On-Duration
Timer is set to. In this manner, the maximum possible sleep duration determined by the result of the DRX Cycle minus
the On-Duration Timer can also be extended to compensate for the adverse increase in the length of active duration
due to higher traffic intensity.
25 [0029] A further manner is to set the DRX Inactivity Timer smaller as the traffic intensity increases. In this manner, the
DRX Inactivity Timer is more likely to expire before subsequent traffic arrives at the UE. Accordingly, the adverse increase
in the length of active duration due to higher traffic intensity can be avoided or compensated for.
[0030] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the above manners can be applied separately or in combination.
In the following description, focus will be given on the setting and adjustment of the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance
30 with the traffic intensity, with the DRX Inactivity Timer and the On-Duration Timer respectively fixed to 256 ms and 10
ms which jointly produce a maximum possible sleep duration larger than a duration of 150 ms required for the ANR
measurement.
[0031] For schematically illustrating the gain in ANR measurement success rate brought by setting the DRX Inactivity
Timer in accordance with the traffic intensity, simulation is performed for the simulation parameter setting summarized
35 in Table 1.

Table 1
DRX parameter configuration DRX Cycle 256 ms

40 On-Duration Timer 10 ms
DRX Inactivity Timer 1-300 ms
Traffic intensity interval of adjacent packets m [10, 20, 50, 100] ms
average data rate R [1000, 500, 200, 100] kbps
45

As shown in Table 1, the lengths of DRX Cycle and On-Duration Timer are fixed to 256ms and 10ms, respectively. The
length of DRX Inactivity Timer ranges from 1-300 ms.
[0032] For representative simplicity and without loss of generality, we assume the traffic packet arrival follows Poisson
50 Flow model and each data packet has a fixed size of L=10k bits. That is, the interval of two adjacent packets (denoted
as T) satisfies exponential distribution, which is characterized by the following probability distribution function

55

where the expectation of the variable T equals the parameter m. Typical values [10, 20, 50, 100] ms are selected for the

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parameter m, which correspond to a set of values [1000, 500, 200, 100] kbps for the average data rate R = L/T = L/m.
[0033] Fig. 4 illustrates the relationship between ANR measurement failure rate and DRX Inactivity Timer under different
traffic intensities. The ANR measurement failure rate is obtained as the quotient of the number of ANR measurement
failures divided by the number of DRX Cycles, with the number of ANR measurement failures incremented by 1 if the
5 length of actual sleep duration in one DRX Cycle is smaller than 150 ms.
[0034] As can be seen from the curves plotted in Fig. 4, for a fixed the DRX Inactivity Timer, the ANR measurement
failure rate increases with the traffic intensity. For a certain traffic intensity, the ANR measurement failure rate declines
(i.e., the ANR measurement success rate rises) as the DRX Inactivity Timer decreases. The ANR measurement failure
rate can be accurately controlled by setting the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with the traffic intensity.
10 [0035] Fig. 5 illustrates the negative impact of the DRX Inactivity Timer on the traffic data transfer performance. The
packet missing rate is obtained as the quotient of the number of missed packets divided by the total number of transmitted
packets. A packet is missed if it arrives at the UE within the sleep duration.
[0036] As can be seen from the curves plotted in Fig. 5, for each of the traffic intensities, the packet missing rate
gradually decreases with the DRX Inactivity Timer. In this regard, for better traffic data transfer performance, the DRX
15 Inactivity Timer should be set as large as possible.
[0037] Referring back to Fig. 4, the largest possible DRX Inactivity Timer for a certain traffic intensity depends on the
maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate. Therefore, to achieve a tradeoff between ANR measurement
performance and traffic data transfer performance, it is preferable to set the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with
the traffic intensity of the UE as well as the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate. Given the simulation
20 result as shown in Fig. 4 and supposing the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate is 0.1, the DRX Inactivity
Timer may be set to 18ms, 32ms, 64ms and 136ms respectively for the four traffic intensities characterized by R = [1000,
500, 200, 100] kbps.
[0038] To further reduce signaling overhead, the DRX Inactivity Timer can be set (quantified) to one of a predetermined
set of values (e.g. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 200, 300] ms), which is the most close to but not
25 larger than the value corresponding to the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate in accordance with the
traffic intensity of the UE.
[0039] In an alternative implementation, a traffic type of the UE is identified, according to which range of a predetermined
set of numerical ranges the traffic intensity of the UE falls into. The DRX parameter is then set, in accordance with the
identified traffic type. Note that the traffic type as used herein is determined by the traffic intensity range into which the
30 traffic intensity of the UE falls, and different traffic types respectively correspond to different traffic intensity ranges. Fig.
6 illustrates an example of this implementation, wherein the DRX Inactivity Timer is set to 100 ms, 60 ms, 30 ms, 10 ms
and 1 ms, respectively, in accordance with traffic types corresponding to data rate ranges of 0 to 100 kbps, 100 to 200
kbps, 200 to 500 kbps, 500 to 1000 kbps and 1000 to positive infinite kbps.
[0040] The values originally set for DRX parameters can be obtained through theoretical calculation or model simulation
35 or can be derived from experience. However, partially because of the difference between the practical situation and the
theoretical analysis and partially because of the network environment timing variance, the UE’s capability and the cost
of ANR measurement might change, and hence the values originally set for DRX parameters might become improper
or obsolete.
[0041] To overcome this shortcoming, a UE-group level adjustment and/or a UE level adjustment for the DRX param-
40 eters may be performed after executing the fundamental DRX parameter configuration method described with reference
to Fig. 3. The UE-group level adjustment is commonly applied for a group of UEs belonging to the same traffic type,
while the UE level adjustment is individually applied for each UE.
[0042] Fig. 7 schematically illustrates one exemplified implementation of the UE-group level adjustment according to
the present invention. As illustrated, after a start of the adjustment, the ANR measurement failure rate is evaluated for
45 a group of UEs in a cell, by using a periodic monitoring timer. During the running of this timer (’No’ in step S710), the
number of failures of the ANR measurement (denoted as nfailure) and the total number of ANR measurements (denoted
as ntotal) are counted for the UEs (step S720). Every time the timer expires (’Yes’ in step S710), the ANR measurement
failure rate nfailure / ntotal is calculated. If the ANR measurement failure rate is larger than a first threshold (’Yes’ in step
S730), the DRX Inactivity Timer is reduced (step S740); on the opposite (’No’ in step S730), if the ANR measurement
50 failure rate is smaller than a second threshold (’Yes’ in step S750), the DRX Inactivity Timer is increased (step S760).
The monitoring timer is started periodically, e.g., every 2 hours (step S770).
[0043] Both the first threshold and the second threshold may be set to the maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate. However, to avoid ping-pong behavior of the UE-group level adjustment, it is preferable to set the first
threshold as the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus a positive offset value and/or to set the second
55 threshold as the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a positive offset value. Moreover, if the
DRX Inactivity Timer can be only adjusted to one of a predetermined set of values, the DRX Inactivity Timer is changed
to the next larger enumerated value at step S760, and is changed to the next smaller enumerated value at step S740.
[0044] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the desired ANR measurement performance can be achieved

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solely through the UE-group level adjustment, regardless of whether the DRX parameters are originally set in accordance
with the traffic intensity of the UE.
[0045] Considering the ANR measurement failure might result from a variety of factors, it would be beneficial to further
require that the UE reports the ANR measurement failure cause along with the existing measurement results. The specific
5 cause could include "insufficient sleep duration". This requirement is optional and would lead to 3GPP specification
modification on Uu interface RRC layer.
[0046] From the perspective of a single UE which is to take ANR measurement, the DRX parameter configuration
produced as a result of setting the DRX parameters in according with the traffic intensity of the UE and/or performing
the UE-group level adjustment should be set as the default DRX parameter configuration on which the UE level adjustment
10 is to be performed. During the monitoring period for the UE level adjustment, if a UE experiences more than a prede-
termined number of ANR measurement failures, the eNB at the serving cell could adjust the DRX configuration (such
as to decrease the DRX Inactivity Timer) for the UE individually, so as to timely provide sufficient sleep duration for
reading CGI from a target cell undetected before. This can help the UE to avoid connection dropping and to improve
handover performance when it is moving towards to the target cell. This kind of UE level adjustment can be continued
15 until either the ANR measurement is successfully performed or the UE moves out of the border of its serving cell.
[0047] Fig. 8 shows an exemplified signaling exchange among a UE, its serving cell and its target cell during the UE
level adjustment. At the beginning, the serving cell provides the UE with a default DRX parameter configuration for ANR
measurement (S81). The UE reads the broadcasting information from the target neighbor cell in the sleep duration,
trying to obtain the target cell’s CGI and other necessary information (S82). But due to insufficient length of sleep duration,
20 this measurement fails (S83). The UE reports the ANR measurement failure to the serving cell in form of measurement
report, which optionally contains the cause of failure (S84). Alternatively, the UE doesn’t send any report. According to
the reported ANR measurement failure from the UE or the UE’s not sending any report, the eNB at the serving cell
determines to reconfigure the UE with updated DRX parameters, such as with a decreased DRX Inactivity Timer, and
provides the UE with the updated DRX parameters for the following ANR measurement (S85 and S86).
25 [0048] With regard to the DRX parameter configuration for ANR measurement, the UE-group level adjustment could
be regarded as a slow operation, and the UE level adjustment could be regarded as a fast operation. The slow operation
normally relies on a long monitoring period, like several hours, and is commonly applied to a group of UEs; while the
fast operation is normally performed once every a few ANR measurements, relies on a relatively shorter monitoring
period, like several seconds, and is individually applied to a single UE. These two kinds of operations can be activated
30 concurrently.
[0049] Fig. 9 shows an exemplified process in which the UE-group level adjustment and the UE level adjustment are
concurrently performed to adjust the value of the DRX Inactivity Timer. As illustrated, three UE groups are considered
in the process. Each group of UEs share the same default value of the DRX Inactivity Timer, and this default value might
be adjusted at the end of the monitoring period for the UE-group level adjustment. Moreover, it is assumed that if the
35 ANR measurement failure rate for a group of UE is larger than 50% for the current monitoring period, the default value
of DRX Inactivity Timer for this group of UE will be reduced for the next monitoring period; if the ANR measurement
failure rate is smaller than 5%, the default value of DRX Inactivity Timer will be increased. Concurrently, once a UE
encounters an ANR measurement failure, its DRX Inactivity Timer is reduced to the next smaller enumerated value.
[0050] Without loss of generality, the process is observed for three monitoring periods. In monitoring period 1, all UEs
40 in group 1 succeed in ANR measurement. The resulting ANR measurement failure rate is thus 0%, which is smaller than
5%. Accordingly, the default value of the DRX Inactivity Timer is increased for the next monitoring period (i.e. monitoring
period 2). In monitoring period 1, all UEs in groups 2 and 3 fail to perform ANR measurement. The resulting ANR
measurement failure rate is thus 100%, which is larger than 50%. Accordingly, the default values of the DRX Inactivity
Timer are decreased for the monitoring period 2.
45 [0051] In monitoring period 2, all UEs in group 1 fail to perform ANR measurement. The resulting ANR measurement
failure ratio is thus 100%. Accordingly, the default value of the DRX Inactivity Timer is decreased for the next monitoring
period (i.e. monitoring period 3). In monitoring period 2, some UEs in group 2 fail to perform ANR measurement failure
but others succeed. The resulting ANR measurement failure rate is 33.3%, which is larger than 5% but smaller than
50%. Accordingly, the default value of the DRX Inactivity Timer is maintained for the monitoring period 3. In monitoring
50 period 2, all UEs in group 3 succeed in ANR measurement, and hence the default value of DRX Inactivity Timer is
increased for the monitoring period 3.
[0052] As can be seen from the change of the DRX Inactivity Timer over time, the concurrent performance of the cell-
level adjustment and the UE-level adjustment on one hand dynamically provides a steady DRX configuration generally
suitable to most UEs in each group in the long term, and on the other hand timely provides an improved DRX configuration
55 dedicatedly suitable to a single UE in the short term.
[0053] Besides the above factors taken into account to set and/or adjust the DRX parameter configuration, some other
factors could be alternatively or additionally based on to set and/or adjust the DRX parameters. These factors can be
divided into two categories. The first category is cell specific and semi-static, including e.g. the interference situation

7
 EP 2 918 093 B1

and the common configuration on power-related measurement (like RSRP/RSRQ thresholds). These factors are suitable
to be applied in the above proposed UE-group level adjustment. The second category is UE specific and dynamic,
including e.g. the UE’s velocity and the UE’s capability on ANR measurement. These factors are suitable to be applied
in the above proposed UE level adjustment.
5 [0054] Taking a UE’s velocity as an example, the higher the velocity is, the smaller value the DRX Inactivity Timer
might take, so that more ANR measurement chance could be retained for a high speed UE as compared with a low
speed UE.
[0055] In the following, a structure of a BS 1000 involved in the DRX parameter configuration method according to
the present invention will be given with reference to Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 10, the BS 1000 according to the present
10 invention may comprise a traffic intensity determination unit 1100, a DRX parameter setting unit 1200, a transmitting
unit 1500.
[0056] In one implementation, the traffic intensity determination unit 1100 is configured to determine a traffic intensity
of a UE by which a DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed. The DRX parameter setting unit 1200 is configured
to set a value for a DRX parameter to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement, in accordance
15 with the determined traffic intensity of the UE. The transmitting unit 1500 is configured to transmit the value set for the
DRX parameter to the UE.
[0057] Preferably, the DRX parameter setting unit 1200 is configured to set a value for a DRX Inactivity Timer in
accordance with the determined traffic intensity as well as a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.
[0058] In another implementation, the DRX parameter setting unit 1200 may comprise a traffic type identification unit
20 1210 as illustrated in Fig. 11. In this case, the traffic type identification unit 1210 is configured to identify a traffic type of
the UE, according to which range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges the traffic intensity of the UE falls into;
and the DRX parameter setting unit 1200 is configured to set a value for the DRX parameter to be used by the UE to
perform the DRX-based ANR measurement, in accordance with the traffic type identified by the traffic type identification
unit.
25 [0059] Preferably, the DRX parameter setting unit is configured to set a value for a DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance
with the identified traffic type as well as a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.
[0060] Referring again to Fig. 10, the BS 1000 may further comprise a UE-group level adjustment unit 1300 and/or a
UE level adjustment unit 1400. As shown in Fig. 12, the UE-group level adjustment unit 1300 may comprise an ANR
measurement failure rate calculator 1310 and a DRX Inactivity Timer adjustor 1320. The ANR measurement failure rate
30 calculator 1320 is configured to obtain an ANR measurement failure rate based on a number of ANR measurements
performed by UEs of the identified traffic type in a cell and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first
monitoring period. The DRX Inactivity Timer adjustor is configured to reduce the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the
identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger than a
maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus
35 a first positive offset value; and increase the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first
monitoring period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR meas-
urement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second positive offset value.
The UE level adjustment unit 1400 is configured to reduce the DRX Inactivity Timer for each UE after a second monitoring
period if a number of ANR measurement failures the UE experiences during the second monitoring period exceeds a
40 threshold. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the structure of the BS 1000 as described above is illustrative
rather than restrictive. For example, configured with a traffic type identification unit, a UE-group level adjustment unit, a
transmitting unit and optionally a UE level adjustment unit, a BS is also capable of performing DRX parameter configuration
to facilitate ANR measurement. Moreover, in case of the hardware implementation of the BS 100, the previously described
units (i.e., the traffic intensity determination unit 1100, the DRX parameter setting unit 1200, the UE-group level adjustment
45 unit 1300, the UE level adjustment unit 1400 and the transmitting unit 1500) can be either implemented as the same
number of corresponding physical units or any number of physical units through functional combination or separation.
For example, in a practical hardware implementation, the DRX parameter setting unit 1200 and the UE-group level
adjustment unit 1300 may be implemented as a single physical unit for DRX parameter determination.
[0061] The present invention is described above with reference to the embodiments thereof. However, those embod-
50 iments are provided just for illustrative purpose, rather than limiting the present invention. The scope of the invention is
defined by the attached claims.
[0062] Those skilled in the art can make various alternations and modifications without departing from the scope of
the invention, which all fall into the scope of the invention.

55 REFERENCES

[0063]

8
 EP 2 918 093 B1

[1] 3GPP specification TS36.300 v10.6.0

[2] 3GPP specification TS36.321 v10.4.0
[3] 3GPP specification TS36.133 v10.6.0

5
Claims

1. A Discontinuous Reception, DRX, parameter configuration method effected by a basestation, BS, for facilitating
Automatic Neighbor Relation, ANR, measurement, comprising:
10
determining a traffic intensity (S310) of a User Equipment, UE, by which a DRX-based ANR measurement is
to be performed;
setting a value for a DRX Inactivity Timer (S320) to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR meas-
urement, in accordance with the determined traffic intensity of the UE; and
15 transmitting the value set for the DRX Inactivity Timer (S330) to the UE, wherein setting the value for the DRX
Inactivity Timer comprises:
setting a value for the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with the determined traffic intensity as well as a
maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.

20 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the DRX Inactivity Timer is set to one of a predetermined set of values,
which is the most close to but not larger than the value corresponding to the maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate in accordance with the determined traffic intensity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein setting the value for the DRX parameter in accordance with the determined
25 traffic intensity of the UE comprises:

identifying a traffic type of the UE, according to which range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges the
traffic intensity of the UE falls into; and
setting the value for the DRX parameter to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement,
30 in accordance with the identified traffic type.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the DRX parameter is DRX Inactivity Timer, and the method further
comprises an adjustment to the set value of the DRX Inactivity Timer, and the adjustment comprises:
for a group of UEs having the same identified traffic type in a cell,
35
obtaining an ANR measurement failure rate based on a number of ANR measurements performed by the UEs
and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first monitoring period;
reducing the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the
calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger than a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate
40 or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus a first positive offset value;
increasing the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if
the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second positive offset value.

45 5. A DRX parameter configuration method according to claim 1, wherein determining the traffic intensity of a UE by
which the DRX-based ANR measurement is to be performed, comprises identifying the traffic type of the UE according
to the range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges which the traffic intensity of the UE falls into,
whereby adjusting the DRX Inactivity Timer to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement
comprises:
50 for a group of UEs having the same identified traffic type in a cell,

obtaining an ANR measurement failure rate based on a number of ANR measurements performed by the UEs
and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first monitoring period;
reducing the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if the
55 calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger than the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure
rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus a first positive offset value; and
increasing the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if
the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR measurement

9
 EP 2 918 093 B1

failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second positive offset value; and

transmitting the adjusted DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE.

5 6. A base station, BS, adapted to perform DRX parameter configuration to facilitate ANR measurement, comprising:

a traffic intensity determination unit (1100) configured to determine a traffic intensity of a UE by which a DRX-
based ANR measurement is to be performed;
a DRX parameter setting unit (1200) configured to set a value for a DRX Inactivity Timer to be used by the UE
10 to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement, in accordance with the determined traffic intensity of the UE; and
a transmitting unit (1500) configured to transmit the value set for the DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE, wherein
the DRX parameter setting unit is configured to set the value for the DRX Inactivity Timer in accordance with
the determined traffic intensity as well as a maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate.

15 7. The BS according to claim 6, wherein the DRX Inactivity Timer is set to one of a predetermined set of values, which
is the most close to but not larger than the value corresponding to the maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate in accordance with the determined traffic intensity.

8. The BS according to claim 7, wherein the DRX parameter setting unit comprises a traffic type identification unit
20 configured to identify the traffic type of the UE, according to which range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges
the traffic intensity of the UE falls into; and the DRX parameter setting unit is configured to set the value for the DRX
parameter to be used by the UE to perform the DRX-based ANR measurement, in accordance with the traffic type
identified by the traffic type identification unit.

25 9. The BS according to claim 8, wherein the BS further comprises a UE-group level adjustment unit, which comprises:

an ANR measurement failure rate calculator configured to obtain an ANR measurement failure rate based on
a number of ANR measurements performed by a group of UEs having the same identified traffic type in a cell
and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first monitoring period;
30 a DRX Inactivity Timer adjustor configured to

reduce the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period, if
the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger than a maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus a first positive offset value; and
35 increase the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period,
if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second positive offset value.

10. The BS according to claim 6, further comprising:

40
the traffic type identification unit configured to identify the traffic type of the UE by which a DRX-based ANR
measurement is to be performed, according to the range of a predetermined set of numerical ranges which the
traffic intensity of the UE falls into;
a UE-group level adjustment unit configured to adjust a DRX Inactivity Timer to be used by the UE to perform
45 the DRX-based ANR measurement, which comprises

an ANR measurement failure rate calculator configured to obtain an ANR measurement failure rate based
on a number of ANR measurements performed by a group of UEs having the same identified traffic type
in a cell and a number of failures of the ANR measurements, during a first monitoring period;
50 a DRX Inactivity Timer adjustor configured to

reduce the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring period,
if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is larger than a maximum acceptable ANR measurement
failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate plus a first positive offset value;
55 and
increase the DRX Inactivity Timer for the UEs of the identified traffic type after the first monitoring
period, if the calculated ANR measurement failure rate is smaller than the maximum acceptable ANR
measurement failure rate or the maximum acceptable ANR measurement failure rate minus a second

10
 EP 2 918 093 B1

positive offset value; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the adjusted DRX Inactivity Timer to the UE.

5 11. The BS according to any of claims 6-10 wherein the traffic intensity of the UE is measured in terms of a data rate
of the UE.

Patentansprüche
10
1. Verfahren zur Konfiguration von Parametern für diskontinuierlichen Empfang, DRX, das von einer Basisstation, BS,
durchgeführt wird, zur Erleichterung von Messung von automatischer Nachbarbeziehung, ANR, umfassend:

Bestimmen einer Verkehrsdichte (S310) einer Benutzereinrichtung, UE, durch welche eine DRX-basierte ANR-
15 Messung durchgeführt werden soll;
Einstellen eines Wertes für einen DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber (S320), der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-
basierten ANR-Messung verwendet werden soll, gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte der UE; und
Senden des für den DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers eingestellten Wertes (S330) an die UE, wobei das Einstellen
des Wertes für den DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers umfasst:
20 Einstellen eines Wertes für den DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte sowie einer
maximal zulässigen ANR-Messfehlerrate.

2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei der DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte auf einen
von einem vorbestimmten Satz von Werten eingestellt wird, der dem Wert, welcher der maximal zulässigen ANR-
25 Messfehlerrate entspricht, am nächsten kommt, aber nicht größer als derselbe ist.

3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Einstellen des Wertes für den DRX-Parameter gemäß der bestimmten
Verkehrsdichte der UE umfasst:

30 Identifizieren eines Verkehrstyps der UE gemäß einem Bereich eines vorbestimmten Satzes von numerischen
Bereichen, in welchen die Verkehrsdichte der UE fällt; und
Einstellen des Wertes für den DRX-Parameter, der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-basierten ANR-
Messung verwendet werden soll, gemäß dem identifizierten Verkehrstyp.

35 4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, wobei der DRX-Parameter ein DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber ist, und das Verfahren ferner
eine Anpassung an den eingestellten Wert des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers umfasst, und die Anpassung umfasst:

für eine Gruppe von UEs mit dem gleichen identifizierten Verkehrstyp in einer Zelle Einholen einer ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate basierend auf einer Anzahl von ANR-Messungen, die von den UEs durchgeführt werden, und einer
40 Anzahl von Fehlern der ANR-Messungen während eines ersten Überwachungszeitraums;
Reduzieren des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten Über-
wachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate größer als eine maximal zulässige ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate plus einem ersten positiven Offsetwert ist;
Erhöhen des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten Über-
45 wachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate kleiner als die maximal zulässige ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate minus einem zweiten positiven Offsetwert ist.

5. DRX-Parameterkonfigurationsverfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Bestimmen der Verkehrsdichte einer UE,
durch welche die DRX-basierte ANR-Messung durchgeführt werden soll, ein Identifizieren des Verkehrstyps der
50 UE gemäß dem Bereich eines vorbestimmten Satzes von numerischen Bereichen umfasst, in welchen die Ver-
kehrsdichte der UE fällt,
wobei das Anpassen des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers, der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-basierten ANR-
Messung verwendet werden soll, umfasst:

55 für eine Gruppe von UEs mit dem gleichen identifizierten Verkehrstyp in einer Zelle Einholen einer ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate basierend auf einer Anzahl von ANR-Messungen, die von den UEs durchgeführt werden, und einer
Anzahl von Fehlern der ANR-Messungen während eines ersten Überwachungszeitraums;
Reduzieren des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten Über-

11
 EP 2 918 093 B1

wachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate größer als die maximal zulässige ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate plus einem ersten positiven Offsetwert ist; und
Erhöhen des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten Über-
wachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate kleiner als die maximal zulässige ANR-Mess-
5 fehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate minus einem zweiten positiven Offsetwert ist; und
Senden des angepassten DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers an die UE.

6. Basisstation, BS, die zum Durchführen von DRX-Parameterkonfiguration zur Erleichterung von ANR-Messung aus-
gelegt ist und umfasst:
10
eine Verkehrsdichtebestimmungseinheit (1100), die so konfiguriert ist, dass sie eine Verkehrsdichte einer UE
bestimmt, durch welche eine DRX-basierte ANR-Messung durchgeführt werden soll;
eine DRX-Parametereinstelleinheit (1200), die so konfiguriert ist, dass sie einen Wert für einen DRX-Inaktivi-
tätszeitgeber, der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-basierten ANR-Messung verwendet werden soll,
15 gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte der UE einstellt; und
eine Sendeeinheit (1500), die so konfiguriert ist, dass die den für den DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber eingestellten
Wert an die UE sendet, wobei die DRX-Parametereinstelleinheit so konfiguriert ist, dass sie den Wert für den
DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte sowie einer maximal zulässigen ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate einstellt.
20
7. BS nach Anspruch 6, wobei der DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber gemäß der bestimmten Verkehrsdichte auf einen von
einem vorbestimmten Satz von Werten eingestellt wird, der dem Wert, welcher der maximal zulässigen ANR-Mess-
fehlerrate entspricht, am nächsten kommt, aber nicht größer als derselbe ist.

25 8. BS nach Anspruch 7, wobei die DRX-Parametereinstelleinheit eine Verkehrstypidentifizierungseinheit umfasst, die

so konfiguriert ist, dass sie den Verkehrstyp der UE gemäß einem Bereich eines vorbestimmten Satzes von nume-
rischen Bereichen identifiziert, in welchen die Verkehrsdichte der UE fällt; und die DRX-Parametereinstelleinheit so
konfiguriert ist, dass sie den Wert des DRX-Parameterzeitgebers, der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-
basierten ANR-Messung verendet werden soll, gemäß dem Verkehrstyp einstellt, der durch die Verkehrstypidenti-
30 fizierungseinheit identifiziert wird.

9. BS nach Anspruch 8, wobei die BS ferner eine Einheit zur Anpassung auf UE-Gruppenebene umfasst, die umfasst:

eine Einrichtung zur ANR-Messfehlerratenberechnung, die so konfiguriert ist, dass sie eine ANR-Messfehlerrate
35 basierend auf einer Anzahl von ANR-Messungen, die von einer Gruppe von UEs mit dem gleichen identifizierten
Verkehrstyp in einer Zelle durchgeführt werden, und einer Anzahl von Fehlern der ANR-Messungen während
eines ersten Überwachungszeitraums einholt;
eine Einrichtung zur DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeberanpassung, die konfiguriert ist zum:

40 Reduzieren des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten
Überwachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate größer als eine maximal zulässige
ANR-Messfehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate plus einem ersten positiven Offset-
wert ist; und
Erhöhen des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten
45 Überwachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate kleiner als die maximal zulässige ANR-
Messfehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate minus einem zweiten positiven Offsetwert
ist.

10. BS nach Anspruch 6, ferner umfassend, dass:

50
die Verkehrsdichtebestimmungseinheit so konfiguriert ist, dass sie den Verkehrstyp der UE, durch welche eine
DRX-basierte ANR-Messung durchgeführt werden soll, gemäß dem Bereich eines vorbestimmten Satzes von
numerischen Bereichen identifiziert, in welchen die Verkehrsdichte der UE fällt;
eine Einheit zur Anpassung auf UE-Gruppenebene so konfiguriert ist, dass sie einen DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeber
55 anpasst, der von der UE zum Durchführen der DRX-basierten ANR-Messung verwendet werden soll, und
umfasst:

eine Einrichtung zur ANR-Messfehlerratenberechnung, die so konfiguriert ist, dass sie eine ANR-Messfeh-

12
 EP 2 918 093 B1

lerrate basierend auf einer Anzahl von ANR-Messungen, die von einer Gruppe von UEs mit dem gleichen
identifizierten Verkehrstyp in einer Zelle durchgeführt werden, und einer Anzahl von Fehlern der ANR-
Messungen während eines ersten Überwachungszeitraums einholt;
eine Einrichtung zur DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgeberanpassung, die konfiguriert ist zum:
5
Reduzieren des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem
ersten Überwachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate größer als eine maximal
zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate plus einem ersten
positiven Offsetwert ist; und
10 Erhöhen des DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers für die UEs des identifizierten Verkehrstyps nach dem ersten
Überwachungszeitraum, wenn die berechnete ANR-Messfehlerrate kleiner als die maximal zulässige
ANR-Messfehlerrate oder die maximal zulässige ANR-Messfehlerrate minus einem zweiten positiven
Offsetwert ist; und
eine Sendeeinheit, die zum Senden des angepassten DRX-Inaktivitätszeitgebers an die UE konfiguriert
15 ist.

11. BS nach einem der Ansprüche 6 bis 10, wobei die Verkehrsdichte der UE in Bezug auf eine Datenrate für die UE
gemessen wird.

20
Revendications

1. Procédé de configuration de paramètres de réception discontinue, DRX, effectué par une station de base, BS, pour
faciliter une mesure de relation de voisins automatique, ANR, comprenant :
25
la détermination d’une intensité de trafic (S310) d’un équipement d’utilisateur, UE, par lequel une mesure ANR
basée sur DRX doit être effectuée ;
le réglage d’une valeur pour une minuterie d’inactivité DRX (S320) à utiliser par l’UE pour effectuer la mesure
ANR basée sur DRX, en fonction de l’intensité de trafic déterminée de l’UE ; et
30 la transmission de la valeur réglée pour la minuterie d’inactivité DRX (S330) à destination de l’UE,
dans lequel le réglage de la valeur pour la minuterie d’inactivité DRX comprend :

le réglage d’une valeur pour la minuterie d’inactivité DRX en fonction de l’intensité de trafic déterminée
ainsi que d’un taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal.
35
2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la minuterie d’inactivité DRX est réglée à l’une d’un ensemble pré-
déterminé de valeurs, qui est la plus proche de la valeur correspondant au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable
maximal, sans être supérieure à celle-ci, en fonction de l’intensité de trafic déterminée.

40 3. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le réglage de la valeur pour le paramètre DRX en fonction de l’intensité
de trafic déterminée de l’UE comprend :

l’identification d’un type de trafic de l’UE, en fonction d’une plage d’un ensemble prédéterminé de plages nu-
mériques dans laquelle se trouve l’intensité de trafic de l’UE ; et
45 le réglage de la valeur pour le paramètre DRX à utiliser par l’UE pour effectuer la mesure ANR basée sur DRX,
en fonction du type de trafic identifié.

4. Procédé selon la revendication 3, dans lequel le paramètre DRX est une minuterie d’inactivité DRX, et le procédé
comprend en outre un ajustement de la valeur réglée de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX, et l’ajustement comprend :
50
pour un groupe d’UE ayant le même type de trafic identifié dans une cellule,
l’obtention d’un taux d’échec de mesure ANR sur la base d’un nombre de mesures ANR effectuées par les UE
et d’un nombre d’échecs des mesures ANR, au cours d’une première période de surveillance ;
la réduction de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première période
55 de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est supérieur à un taux d’échec de mesure ANR
acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal plus une première valeur de
décalage positive ;
l’augmentation de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première période

13
 EP 2 918 093 B1

de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est inférieur au taux d’échec de mesure ANR ac-
ceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal moins une deuxième valeur de
décalage positive.

5 5. Procédé de configuration de paramètres DRX selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la détermination de l’intensité
de trafic d’un UE par lequel la mesure ANR basée sur DRX doit être effectuée comprend l’identification du type de
trafic de l’UE en fonction de la plage d’un ensemble prédéterminé de plages numériques dans laquelle se trouve
l’intensité de trafic de l’UE, de telle manière que l’ajustement de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX à utiliser par l’UE pour
effectuer la mesure ANR basée sur DRX comprenne :
10
pour un groupe d’UE ayant le même type de trafic identifié dans une cellule,
l’obtention d’un taux d’échec de mesure ANR sur la base d’un nombre de mesures ANR effectuées par les UE
et d’un nombre d’échecs des mesures ANR, au cours d’une première période de surveillance ;
la réduction de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première période
15 de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est supérieur au taux d’échec de mesure ANR
acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal plus une première valeur de
décalage positive ; et
l’augmentation de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première période
de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est inférieur au taux d’échec de mesure ANR ac-
20 ceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal moins une deuxième valeur de
décalage positive ; et
la transmission de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX ajustée à l’UE.

6. Station de base, BS, apte à effectuer une configuration de paramètres DRX pour faciliter une mesure ANR,
25 comprenant :

une unité de détermination d’intensité de trafic (1100) configurée pour la détermination d’une intensité de trafic
d’un UE par lequel une mesure ANR basée sur DRX doit être effectuée ;
une unité de réglage de paramètres DRX (1200) configurée pour le réglage d’une valeur pour une minuterie
30 d’inactivité DRX à utiliser par l’UE pour effectuer la mesure ANR basée sur DRX, en fonction de l’intensité de
trafic déterminée de l’UE ; et
une unité de transmission (1500) configurée pour la transmission de la valeur réglée pour la minuterie d’inactivité
DRX à destination de l’UE, dans laquelle l’unité de réglage de paramètres DRX est configurée pour le réglage
de la valeur pour la minuterie d’inactivité DRX en fonction de l’intensité de trafic déterminée ainsi que d’un taux
35 d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal.

7. BS selon la revendication 6, dans laquelle la minuterie d’inactivité DRX est réglée à l’une d’un ensemble prédéterminé
de valeurs, qui est la plus proche de la valeur correspondant au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal,
sans être supérieure à celle-ci, en fonction de l’intensité de trafic déterminée.
40
8. BS selon la revendication 7, dans laquelle l’unité de réglage de paramètres DRX comprend une unité d’identification
de type de trafic configurée pour l’identification du type de trafic de l’UE, en fonction d’une plage d’un ensemble
prédéterminé de plages numériques dans laquelle se trouve l’intensité de trafic de l’UE ; et l’unité de réglage de
paramètres DRX est configurée pour le réglage de la valeur pour le paramètre DRX à utiliser par l’UE pour effectuer
45 la mesure ANR basée sur DRX, en fonction du type de trafic identifié par l’unité d’identification de type de trafic.

9. BS selon la revendication 8, dans laquelle la BS comprend en outre une unité d’ajustement de niveau de groupe
d’UE qui comprend :

50 un calculateur de taux d’échec de mesure ANR configuré pour l’obtention d’un taux d’échec de mesure ANR
sur la base d’un nombre de mesures ANR effectuées par un groupe d’UE ayant le même type de trafic identifié
dans une cellule et d’un nombre d’échecs des mesures ANR, au cours d’une première période de surveillance ;
un ajusteur de minuterie d’inactivité DRX configuré pour :

55 la réduction de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première période
de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est supérieur à un taux d’échec de mesure ANR
acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal plus une première valeur de
décalage positive ; et

14
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l’augmentation de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première
période de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est inférieur au taux d’échec de mesure
ANR acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal moins une deuxième
valeur de décalage positive.
5
10. BS selon la revendication 6, comprenant en outre :

l’unité d’identification de type de trafic configurée pour l’identification du type de trafic de l’UE par lequel une
mesure ANR basée sur DRX doit être effectuée, en fonction de la plage d’un ensemble prédéterminé de plages
10 numériques dans laquelle se trouve l’intensité de trafic de l’UE ;
une unité d’ajustement de niveau de groupe d’UE configurée pour l’ajustement d’une minuterie d’inactivité DRX
à utiliser par l’UE pour effectuer la mesure ANR basée sur DRX, qui comprend :

un calculateur de taux d’échec de mesure ANR configuré pour l’obtention d’un taux d’échec de mesure
15 ANR sur la base d’un nombre de mesures ANR effectuées par un groupe d’UE ayant le même type de
trafic identifié dans une cellule et d’un nombre d’échecs des mesures ANR, au cours d’une première période
de surveillance ;
un ajusteur de minuterie d’inactivité DRX configuré pour :

20 la réduction de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première
période de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est supérieur à un taux d’échec de
mesure ANR acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal plus une
première valeur de décalage positive ; et
l’augmentation de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX pour les UE du type de trafic identifié après la première
25 période de surveillance, si le taux d’échec de mesure ANR calculé est inférieur au taux d’échec de
mesure ANR acceptable maximal ou au taux d’échec de mesure ANR acceptable maximal moins une
deuxième valeur de décalage positive ; et
une unité de transmission configurée pour la transmission de la minuterie d’inactivité DRX ajustée à l’UE.

30 11. BS selon l’une quelconque des revendications 6 à 10, dans laquelle l’intensité de trafic de l’UE est mesurée en
termes d’un débit de données de l’UE.

35

40

45

50

55

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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader’s convenience only. It does not form part of the European
patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be
excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description

• US 2012120828 A [0013] • US 2012207069 A [0015]

• US 2012263088 A [0014]

Non-patent literature cited in the description

• ERICSSON et al. ANR stage 3 TP. 3GPP draft, 14

May 2008 [0012]

23