IP Library Granted Patent US 12,647,865
Granted Patent B2
US 12,647,865 · App. 17/929,219 · Granted Jun 2, 2026

Seamless mobility for wireless devices

Inventors: Sharad Sambhwani (San Diego, CA); Pranav Tripathi (San Jose, CA); Dirk Nickisch (Oberpframmern, DE); Sanjeevi Balasubramanian (San Jose, CA); Dhiraj J Shirke (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
H04W36/32H04W36/0085H04W36/08H04W36/30H04W16/28
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,647,865
App. No.
17/929,219
Granted
Jun 2, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

User equipment may include a transmitter and a receiver coupled to an antenna to enable the user equipment to transmit and receive user data with a base station of the wireless network. However, the user equipment may perform power-consuming searches to determine a base station for connection. Furthermore, the connection may be affected by blockages and transitions during mobility scenarios. As such, it may be beneficial for the user equipment to implement mobility procedures. For example, the user equipment may form links with multiple base stations of a cell cluster for transitioning. In another example, the wireless network may generate a map with locations of base stations and beam characteristics for the user equipment to determine coverage areas and decrease a number of transitions. Still in another example, the user equipment may receive blockage information to predict a blockage and implement mobility procedures to maintain wireless service during a blockage.

Claims (48)

1 . A user equipment, comprising:

one or more antennas;

a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver and configured to

communicate user data with a first base station via the transceiver and the one or more antennas,

receive a map using the transceiver, the map indicating a location, a beam coverage area, a beam shape, and a beam direction of each base station of a plurality of base stations,

request a transition to communicate the user data with a second base station via the transceiver and the one or more antennas based on a predicted route of the user equipment and the map, and

communicate the user data with the second base station via the transceiver and the one or more antennas based on a response to the request.

2 . The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

determine the predicted route of the user equipment based on a location of the user equipment.

3 . The user equipment of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

request the transition to the second base station prior to the user equipment leaving a beam coverage area of the first base station using the transceiver based on a beam coverage area of the second base station being above a threshold coverage area.

4 . The user equipment of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

request a transition to a third base station of the plurality of base stations based on a beam coverage area of the second base station being below a threshold coverage area, the predicted route, and the map.

5 . The user equipment of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the predicted route based on a historical route of the user equipment, instructions from a map software application, Global Navigation Satellite System data, or any combination thereof.

6 . The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the beam shape is indicated by global navigation satellite system data.

7 . The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive a portion of the map using the transceiver, the portion comprising a threshold radius surrounding a location of the user equipment.

8 . The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

receive the user data associated with a signal characteristic using the transceiver from each of a subset of base stations of the plurality of base stations along the predicted route of the user equipment, and

request the transition to communicate the user data with the second base station based on the signal characteristic.

9 . The user equipment of claim 1 , comprising a wireless network configured to generate the map based on the location of each base station of the plurality of base stations and the beam coverage area of each base station of the plurality of base stations.

10 . A base station, comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

processing circuitry coupled to the transmitter and receiver, the processing circuitry configured to

generate a map indicating a location, a beam coverage area, a beam shape, and a beam direction of each base station of a plurality of base stations,

receive a first indication of a location of a user equipment using the receiver,

transmit a portion of the map to the user equipment based on the location of the user equipment using the transmitter,

receive a second indication of a request from the user equipment to transition to a second base station using the receiver, and

transition the user equipment to the second base station.

11 . The base station of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the map with one or more added or removed base stations indicated by a wireless network.

12 . The base station of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

generate the portion of the map based on a threshold radius surrounding the location of the user equipment.

13 . The base station of claim 10 , wherein the map comprises Global Navigation Satellite System coordinates indicative of the beam coverage area of each base station of the plurality of base stations.

14 . The base station of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

update the map with a range of a beam of each base station of the plurality of base stations based on a sensing operation.

15 . A method for wireless communications comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, a map from a first base station indicating a location, a beam coverage area, a beam shape, and a beam direction of each base station of a plurality of base stations;

predicting, by the user equipment, a route of the user equipment based on a location of the user equipment;

transmitting, by the user equipment, a request to transition to a second base station of the plurality of base stations based on the map and the predicted route; and

communicating with the second base station based on a response to the request.

16 . The method of claim 15 , comprising:

receiving, by the user equipment, a signal characteristic from each base station of a subset of base stations of the plurality of base stations along the route; and

transmitting, by the user equipment, the request to transition to the second base station based on the signal characteristic.

17 . The method of claim 15 , comprising, determining, by the user equipment, the beam coverage area of the second base station is above a threshold based on the route and the map.

18 . The method of claim 15 , comprising, transmitting, by the user equipment, an indication of the location of the user equipment to the second base station, and receiving, by the user equipment, the map from the second base station comprising a region surrounding the location of the user equipment.

19 . The user equipment of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive one or more signal characteristics comprising a signal strength, a signal quality, a power signal, or a signal delivery of each base station of the plurality of base stations.

20 . The user equipment of claim 19 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update radio resource management measurements, channel state information measurements, or both based on the one or more signal characteristics.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 27, 2022
From: TRIPATHI, PRANAV; SAMBHWANI, SHARAD; NICKISCH, DIRK; BALASUBRAMANIAN, SANJEEVI; SHIRKE, DHIRAJ J
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 061228/0345 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63336467 · Apr 29, 2022
Related Publication 20230354137A1 · Nov 2, 2023
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