Method and apparatus for controlling carrier selection in wireless communications systems
View Patent ↗A mobile communications system including: at least one base station configured to communicate data to/from different terminal devices via respective of plural logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface; first and second terminal devices operable to camp-on to first and second carriers of plural carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the at least one base station via the first and second carriers. The first and second carriers support compatible synchronization signalling such that the first and second terminal devices both can synchronize with the first and second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure. Following synchronization with one of the first or second carriers to begin the camp-on procedure, the second terminal device is configured to determine whether or not to continue with the camp-on procedure in dependence on an aspect of physical layer signalling associated with a control channel of the carrier with which it has synchronized.
1. A mobile communications system comprising:
an arrangement of at least one base station configured to communicate data to and/or from different types of terminal device via respective ones of a plurality of logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface;
a first terminal device operable to camp-on to a first carrier of the plurality of carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the arrangement of at least one base station via the first carrier; and
a second terminal device operable to camp-on to a second carrier of the plurality of carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the arrangement of at least one base station via the second carrier, wherein
the first and second carriers support compatible synchronisation signaling such that the first and second terminal devices both have the ability to synchronize with the first and second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure, and
following synchronisation with one of the first or second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure, the second terminal device is configured to determine whether or not to continue with the camp-on procedure in dependence on an aspect of a control channel of the carrier with which it has synchronized.
2. The mobile communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the control channel is a Physical Broadcast Channel.
3. The mobile communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the aspect of the control channel comprises the presence or absence of information broadcast on the control channel.
4. The mobile communications system according to claim 3 , wherein
the second carrier is configured to broadcast the information and the first carrier is configured to not broadcast the information.
5. The mobile communications system according to claim 3 , wherein
the presence or absence of the information is derivable from system information conveyed by the carrier with which the second device has synchronized.
6. The mobile communications system according to claim 5 , wherein
the presence or absence of the information is determined from signaling on a physical transmission resource derivable from a Master Information Block.
7. The mobile communications system according to claim 3 , wherein
the presence or absence of the information is derivable from information contained within a Master Information Block or System Information Block.
8. The mobile communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the aspect of the control channel comprises an indication of a carrier operating bandwidth for the carrier with which the second device has synchronized.
9. The mobile communications system according to claim 8 , wherein
the second device is configured to not continue the camp-on procedure if the carrier operating bandwidth is greater than a device operating bandwidth for the second device.
10. The mobile communications system according to claim 8 , wherein
the indication of the operating bandwidth of the carrier is derivable from information conveyed in the control channel with which the second device has synchronized.
11. The mobile communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second device is configured to seek to synchronize with another carrier and begin another camp-on procedure in the event the second device determines to not continue with the camp-on procedure with the carrier with which it has synchronized.
12. The mobile communications system according to claim 1 , wherein
the first and second carriers employ incompatible physical layer signaling associated with control channels of their respective camp-on procedures such that the first terminal device is unable to complete a camp-on procedure with the second carrier.
13. A base station in a mobile communications system comprising an arrangement of at least one base station configured to communicate data to and/or from different types of terminal devices via respective ones of a plurality of logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface, the base station comprising:
a communication interface configured to
broadcast synchronisation signaling on a carrier in a format that allows two different types of terminal devices to synchronize with the carrier to begin a camp-on procedure; and
broadcast a control channel on the carrier associated with the camp-on procedure, wherein
an aspect of the control channel indicates to one of the two different types of terminal device whether or not that terminal device should continue with the camp-on procedure.
14. The base station according to claim 13 , wherein
the control channel is a Physical Broadcast Channel.
15. The base station according to claim 13 , wherein
the aspect of the control channel comprises the presence or absence of information broadcast on the control channel.
16. The base station according to claim 15 , wherein
the communication interface is configured to broadcast system information on the carrier and wherein the presence or absence of the information is derivable from the system information.
17. The base station according to claim 16 , wherein
the presence or absence of the information is derivable from information contained within the system information.
18. The base station according to claim 16 , wherein
the information is provided by signaling on a physical transmission resource derivable from a Master Information Block or System Information Block.
19. A method for assisting carrier selection in a mobile communications system comprising: an arrangement of at least one base station configured to communicate data to and/or from different types of terminal device via respective ones of a plurality of logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface; and in which a first terminal device is operable to camp-on to a first carrier of the plurality of carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the arrangement of at least one base station via the first carrier, and a second terminal device is operable to camp-on to a second carrier of the plurality of carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the arrangement of at least one base station via the second carrier, wherein the method comprises:
broadcasting the first and second carriers with compatible synchronisation signaling such that the first and second terminal devices both have the ability to synchronize with the first and second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure;
broadcasting a control channel on each of the carriers; and
determining at a terminal device that has synchronized with one of the carriers to begin a camp-on procedure whether or not to continue with the camp-on procedure in dependence on an aspect of the control channel of the carrier with which it has synchronized.
20. A method for assisting carrier selection performed by a base station in a mobile communications system comprising an arrangement of at least one base station configured to communicate data to and/or from different types of terminal device via respective ones of a plurality of logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface; the method comprising:
broadcasting synchronisation signaling on a carrier in a format that allows two different types of terminal device to synchronize with the carrier to begin a camp-on procedure; and
broadcasting a control channel associated with the camp-on procedure on the carrier, wherein
an aspect of the control channel indicates to one of the two different types of terminal device whether or not that terminal device should continue with the camp-on procedure.