WO2018227619A1

WO2018227619A1 - Identification of system information blocks

Info

Publication number: WO2018227619A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/088786
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zijiang Ma; Wenting LI
Original assignee: Zte Corporation
Priority date: 2017-06-16
Filing date: 2017-06-16
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Also published as: CN110731102A

Abstract

One or more devices, systems, and/or methods for identifying system information with an identifier are provided. The identifier may include an area component, a level component and a value component.

Description

IDENTIFICATION OF SYSTEM INFORMATION BLOCKS

BACKGROUND

A communication link between nodes, such as a user equipment ( “UE” ) and a base station ( “BS” ) in a wireless network, for example, has a limited range. When the quality of the communication link degrades as the UE moves away from the BS, a new, higher-quality communication link is established between the UE and another BS. This handoff of the UE to another BS occurs when the quality of an existing communication link is inferior to the quality of a new communication link available to be established.

Each new communication link is established based on information associated with the new BS. All such information required to establish the new communication link is obtained via a wireless transmission from the new BS to the UE. However, as the performance demands on each BS continues to increase, the range of each BS becomes shorter, requiring the handoff to occur frequently. Repeatedly obtaining all of the information required to establish a new communication link as part of a handoff consumes computational resources of the wireless network, degrading the performance of the wireless network.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present disclosure, a device and/or method for identifying, transmitting and/or receiving system information to establish a communication link between nodes in a wireless network is/are provided. As an example, the system information blocks may be identified with an identifier for transmission by a node that establishes a cell. The identifier may include an area component, a level component, and a value component. The area component indicates a geographic region where the cell is located. The level component has a first value to identify the system information block as constituting cell-level information and a second value to identify the system information as constituting system-level information. The value component is indicative of a version of the system information block.

As another example, a system information block and an identifier associated with the system information block may be received from a node that establishes a cell. The identifier of the present example includes an area component, a level component, and a value component. The area component may indicate a geographic region where the cell is located. The level component may have a first value to identify the system information block as being cell-level information, and have a second value to identify the system information block as being system-level information. The value component indicates a version of the system information block. Cellular communications are conducted within the cell using the system information block that is received.

Another example involves identifying, with an identifier, a system information block for transmission by a node that establishes a first cell. The identifier of the present example includes an area component and a neighbor component. The area component is indicative of a first geographic region where the first cell is located. The neighbor component may be indicative of a second geographic region where a second cellular antenna node is located to facilitate cellular communications in a second cell using the system information block.

In an embodiment, a method involves receiving a system information block with an identifier from a node that establishes a first cell. The identifier includes an area component indicative of a geographic region where the first cell is located, and a neighbor component or neighbor component list. The neighbor component or neighbor component list is indicative of a second geographic region where a second cellular antenna is located to facilitate cellular communications in a second cell using the system information block. The system information is used to conduct cellular communications within the first cell, and the system information is used to conduct cellular communications within the second cell.

According to some examples, a method involves, responsive to all system information blocks included in system information of a first cell constituting cell-level information, labeling all of the system information blocks for the first cell with an identifier that includes a value component indicative of a version of the system information block.

In some examples, a method involves transmitting a registry of system information for a cell to a wireless node after the wireless node comes within range of the cell. Cell information is received, indicating a subset of the system information in the registry for the cell that is different from previous system information for a second cell that was previously occupied by the wireless node. The subset of the system information is transmitted to the wireless node to update the previous system information stored in a memory of the wireless node.

In some examples, a method involves receiving a system information block transmitted by a first cellular antenna establishing a first cell and storing the received system information block in a memory comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In response to entering a second cell, a registry of system information for the second cell transmitted by a second cellular antenna is received. The system information for the second cell in the registry is compared to previous system information for the first cell. A subset of the system information in the registry transmitted by the second cellular antenna is read. The system information is updated for the first cell stored in the memory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the techniques presented herein may be embodied in alternative forms, the particular embodiments illustrated in the drawings are only a few examples that are supplemental of the description provided herein. These embodiments are not to be interpreted in a limiting manner, such as limiting the claims appended hereto.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a communication system including a plurality of cells and a user equipment moving relative to the cells.

Fig. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system that facilitates handover of a UE from a first BS that establishes a cell to a second BS that establishes a cell during a wireless communication.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for identifying system information.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of method for receiving identified system information with UE.

Fig. 5 shows a table of identifier components for CELL 5 in SIAID1 according to a specific example.

Fig. 6 shows a table of identifier components for CELL 6 in SIAID1 according to a specific example.

Fig. 7 shows a table of identifier components for CELL 3 in SIAID4 according to a specific example where CELL 3 has only cell-level system information.

Fig. 8 shows a table of identifier components, including a neighbor component, for CELL 1.

Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a general receiving procedure of a UE.

Fig. 10 is an illustration of a scenario involving an example configuration of a base station (BS) that may utilize and/or implement at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

Fig. 11 is an illustration of a scenario involving an example configuration of a user equipment (UE) that may utilize and/or implement at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

Fig. 12 is an illustration of a scenario featuring an example non-transitory computer readable medium in accordance with one or more of the provisions set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific example embodiments. This description is not intended as an extensive or detailed discussion of known concepts. Details that are known generally to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may have been omitted, or may be handled in summary fashion.

The following subject matter may be embodied in a variety of different forms, such as methods, devices, components, and/or systems. Accordingly, this subject matter is not intended to be construed as limited to any illustrative embodiments set forth herein as examples. Rather, the embodiments are provided herein merely to be illustrative. Such embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof.

One or more computing devices and/or techniques for communicating system information blocks between nodes in a communication network to facilitate wireless communications in different cells are provided. For example, a base station ( “BS” ) , as a node that includes a cellular antenna to establish a cell in the communication network for example, may communicate with a user equipment ( “UE” ) , forming a second node in the communication network, while the UE is located within the cell established by the BS. During an early stage of the communications, the BS transmits various types of system information (e.g., system information blocks ( “SIBs” )) that are used by the UE to initially establish communications with the BS. An identifier associated with each of the SIBs transmitted by the BS identifies, and optionally uniquely identifies, the SIBs within the communication network.

Embodiments of the identifier may include at least one, optionally a plurality, and optionally all of: an area component, a level component and a value component. The area component of the identifier indicates a geographic region in which the cell corresponding to the SIB is located. One or a plurality of other cells may also be located within the geographic region. The level component may be assigned or otherwise provided with a first value to identify whether SIB as being cell-level information. Cell-level information changes between all the cells in the geographic region identified by the area component. The level component may be assigned or otherwise provided with a second value, which is different than the first value, to identify the system information as being system-level information, which is common to at least two of the cells in the region identified by the area component. The value component may indicate a version of the SIB, which can be used to determine whether the SIB is up to date.

According to embodiments, the SIBs are stored in association with the identifier in a memory of the UE. Based on the identifier, the UE is able to determine for each SIB received and stored: (i) the cell associated with the SIB within the geographic region based on the area component； (ii) based on the level component, whether the SIB will change for all other cells within the geographic region (e.g., cell-level SIBs) , or whether the SIB will be the same for at least two, and optionally all cells within the geographic region (e.g., system-level SIBs) ； and (iii) based on the value component, whether the SIB is the then-current, up-to-date version.

For example, as the UE moves within the geographic region and begins communicating with a second BS establishing a neighboring cell within the geographic region, the UE can read and store the SIBs transmitted by the second BS to replace, supplement or otherwise update the cell-level SIBs read from the previous BS. Since the system-level SIBs will remain the same for all cells within the geographic region, the UE can avoid reading the system-level SIBs from the second BS to replace, supplement or otherwise update the cell-level SIBs read from the previous BS, (e.g., solely) as a result of changing cells. System-level SIBs may be replaced, supplemented or otherwise updated, however, if those SIBs are determined to be outdated based on the value component upon changing cells. An outdated SIB is replaced, supplemented or otherwise updated by reading the current version of the respective SIB from the second BS and storing the current version of the respective SIB in the memory. Thus, by transmitting the SIBs identified with the identifier, the BS and the second BS can control operation of the UE to obtain the SIBs required to establish cellular communications in each respective cell in an efficient manner, conserving computational resources of the communication network.

According to some embodiments, the identifier transmitted by each BS with the SIBs may include an area component and a neighbor component. The area component may indicate a first geographic region where the first cell is located. The neighbor component may indicate a second geographic region where a second BS is located to facilitate cellular communications in a second cell using the SIBs. Thus, as the UE moves from the first cell to the second cell, which is located in a different geographic region from the first cell, the UE determines that the same SIB can be used to facilitate cellular communications in the first cell and the second cell based on the neighbor component. By transmitting the SIB with the identifier including the neighbor component, the BS enables the UE to avoid unnecessarily reading the SIB from the second BS and updating the memory of the UE as a result of changing cells.

According to some embodiments, a BS may transmit only cell-level SIBs to facilitate cellular communications with a UE in the respective cell. In other words, none of the SIBs transmitted by the BS are used to facilitate cellular communications in a different cell within the geographic region in which the BS is located. The BS, according to such embodiments, may determine a type of information included in the SIBs for the cell. If it is determined that the all SIBs constitute the cell-level information (e.g., no SIBs constitute system-level information) , the BS may identify the system information block with an identifier that: (i) includes a value component, and optionally only the value component. Such an identifier would lack an area component and a level component. If, however, it is determined that both cell-level information and system-level information are included in the SIBs (e.g., at least one SIB constitutes system-level information) for the cell, the BS may transmit the SIBs with identifiers that include an area component, a level component and a value component.

Some embodiments involve transmitting a registry of system information (e.g., minimum system information “MSI” ) for a cell to a UE after the UE enters the cell. In response, the UE compares information included in the registry to identify any SBIs that can be reused to establish cellular communications in a new cell. The UE may limit the SIBs or other system information read from broadcasts by the BS and stored in a memory of the UE to the subset of the system information that changed, thereby replacing, supplementing or otherwise updating the previous system information stored in a memory of the UE. The portion of the system information in the registration that is the same as the previous system information can be excluded from the subset of information read and stored by the UE. As a result, cellular communications between nodes in different cells is efficiently maintained.

With reference to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a cellular communication system 100, such as a cellular communication network. The communication system 100 includes a plurality of nodes, including a plurality of BSs 105, each establishing a cell (CELLs 1-16) within the communication system 100. The communication system 100 also includes a plurality of nodes, one of which is shown in Fig. 1 as UE 110, moving along a path 115 within the communication system 100 relative to the cells CELLs 1-16. The presence of the UE 110 within a plurality of different cells CELL 5, CELL 6, CELL 1, CELL 3 and CELL 14 is designated by points A, B, C, D and E, respectively.

In Fig. 1, the cellular communication system 100 is divided into a plurality of tracking areas TA1, TA2. The tracking areas TA1, TA2 may represent large geographic regions such as states, cities, or portions thereof. Each tracking area TA1, TA2 is divided into a plurality of relatively-smaller geographic areas (e.g., city districts) referred to herein as system information areas ( “SIAs” ) . Each SIA is provided with an SIA identification ( “SIAID” ) in the communication system 100. For example, TA1 is divided into four SIAs: SIAID1, SIAID 2, SIAID 3, SIAID 4. Similarly, TA2 is also divided into four SIAs: SIAID1, SIAID 2, SIAID 3, SIAID 4. Although each tracking area TA1, TA2 is divided into four equal-sized SIAs, the present disclosure is not so limited. Each tracking area TA1, TA2 may be independently divided into two or more SIAs, and each SIA includes at least one, and optionally a plurality of BSs 105.

An example of a system that facilitates handover of the UE 110 from a first BS 105A that establishes CELL 5 (Fig. 1) to a second BS 105B that establishes CELL 6 (Fig. 1) during a wireless communication is shown in Fig. 2. For the illustrated embodiment, each

BS

105A, 105B includes a memory 200 storing a system information database 205. An identification module 210, which can optionally be embodied as logic stored in the memory 200 and executed by a processor to control the storage of the system information in association with an identifier. The SIBs and their respective identifiers are transmitted by a transceiver 215 on a periodic basis over the air to be received by the UE 110.

The system information database 205 stores at least the system information such as the SIBs, and optionally other system information such as master information blocks ( “MIBs” ) , and/or scheduling blocks ( “SB” ) , for example. The SIBs provide the UE 105 with system information such as cell ID, core network domain information, UE timers, constants, and other parameters that can be used to establish a connection with the BS 105B as part of the handover process. The SIBs may be classified into various types, and their size may vary depending upon the information they contain. For example, SIB1 and SIB2 can contain the necessary camping information and initial access information to conduct cellular communications within a cell. SIB3-SIB8, for example, can contain the cell reselection information required to handover the UE 105 to a new cell. However, SIBs can be classified in other manners and contain any information for conducting cellular communications without departing from the scope of this disclosure. To accommodate SIBs of various sizes, the SIBs may be segmented and broadcast by a BS 105 over a control channel in a plurality of frames, and/or other SIBs may be transmitted, as a whole, in a single frame.

Each SIB may be considered to be a cell-level SIB or a system-level SIB. A cell-level SIB contains information for a cell within a SIA that is different from the information contained in a corresponding SIB for all other cells within that same SIA. In other words, a cell-level SIB for one cell in an SIA is not usable to facilitate cellular communications in the other cells in that same SIA. A system-level SIB can be used to facilitate cellular communications for at least two, and optionally each cell in a given SIA.

The MIBs contain information about the scheduling of the SIBs, including the repetition count, number of segments, the system frame number ( “SFN” ) of the first segment and the SFN offset for the remaining segments (if any) for each of the SIBs. In addition to MIB, the control channel may broadcast SBs, which may contain the information for SIBs that have not been included in the MIB.

An illustrative example of a UE 110 in the form of a cellular telephone is also shown in Fig. 2. The UE 110 may include a platform that can exchange data and/or commands with the cellular communication system 100. The UE 110 may include a transceiver 220 operably coupled to a handover module 225, which may be embodied by an application specific integrated circuit, or other processor, microprocessor, logic circuit, or other data processing device executing instructions stored in a memory 230. As a specific example, the handover module 225 may execute an application programming interface that interfaces with any resident programs in the memory 230. The memory 230 may be comprised of read-only or random-access memory (RAM and ROM) , EEPROM, flash cards, or any memory common to computer platforms, or an array thereof. The memory 230 may also can include a system information database 235. The system information database 235 stores SIBs received via the transceiver 220. The SIBs stored by the memory 230 are retrievable by the handover module 225 to be used to handover the UE 110 from the BS 105A to the BS 105B as described herein. Various communication protocol layers in the UE 110, and which may execute various commands and processes at different layers.

The identification module 210 identifies the SIBs stored by the memory 200 with an identifier, represented generally at 240. Identification can be achieved by establishing a referential link between the SIBs and their respective identifiers 240 within the system information database 205. According to some embodiments, the SIBs can be identified by encapsulating the SIBs in the same system frame with their respective identifiers 240, thus forming part of the same communication. Some embodiments of identifying SIBs may involve appending the identifiers 240 to strings representing their respective SIBs, and/or separately transmitting the SIBs and their respective identifiers 240 according to a defined schedule that would allow the UE 110 to receive and decode the relationships. According to the embodiments, identification with the identifier may involve labeling or otherwise associating the SIB with the identifier.

The example of the identifier 240 shown in Fig. 2 includes a string having multiple components. A tracking area component 245 can be selected to uniquely identify each tracking area TA1, TA2 within a service region. The number of bits included in the tracking area component 245 can be selected depending on the number of tracking areas that make up the service region. For example, an eight-bit tracking area component 245 can be used to uniquely identify up to 256 tracking areas within a service region.

The illustrated example of the identifier 240 in Fig. 2 also includes an area component 250 that uniquely identifies each SIA within each tracking area. The length of the area component 250 can be selected based on the number of areas to be identified in the tracking area of interest. The four-bit area component 250 is suitable to uniquely identify up to 16 SIAs within one tracking area. According to some embodiments, the area component 250 does not necessarily uniquely identify each SIA in a tracking area. Instead, an area component 250 can be selected for each SIA such that no contiguous SIAs are afforded the same area component 250. For such embodiments, when the UE 110 receives an identifier having a new area component 250, the UE 110 determines that a boundary between SIAs has been crossed.

The example of the identifier 240 in Fig. 2 also includes a value component 255, shown as encompassing three-bits of the identifier 240. The value component 255 indicates a version of the SIB identified by the identifier 240. If the value component 255 of the SIB being broadcast indicates a different version than the version of the SIB stored in the system information database 235 of the UE 110, the stored SIB is determined to be outdated.

Additionally, the example of the identifier 240 shown in Fig. 2 also includes a one-bit level component 260 that indicates whether the respective SIB is a cell-level SIB or a system-level SIB. The handover module 225 of the UE 110, upon receiving a broadcast SIB and its respective identifier 240, may designate system-level SIBs in the system information database 235 for use during handovers until the UE 110 enters a new SIA or the value component 255 indicates that the SIB in the system information database 235 is outdated.

An embodiment of a method for identifying system information to be used to handover a UE 110 from a first BS 105A to a second BS 105B is shown in Fig. 3. For such an embodiment, at 300, the system information including the SIBs is identified with an identifier 240 by the identification module 210 (Fig. 2) of the BS 105A. Identifying the system information may include storing the SIBs in the system information database 205 in a known relationship (e.g., linked to) their respective identifiers 240. As another example, identifying the system information may include assigning, with the identification module 210 (Fig. 2) of the BS 105A, the identifier 240 to the SIB as it is prepared for transmission by the transceiver 215. Some embodiments of identifying the system information with the identifier 240 involve transmitting the SIBs and their respective identifiers 240 according to a defined schedule. Each SIB and identifier 240 is transmitted by the transceiver 215 of the BS 105A at times when the transceiver 220 of the UE 110 is configured to receive them, enabling the UE 110 to link the received SIBs to their respective identifiers 240.

At 305 in Fig. 3, the SIBs and the identifiers 240 is transmitted by the transceiver 215 of the BS 105A. The system information may be broadcast occasionally, such as at regular, periodic intervals. Each SIB may optionally be transmitted with the identifier 240 as part of a common (e.g., the same) communication, such as by encapsulating the identifier 240 with the corresponding SIB.

An example of a method for receiving system information with a UE 110 from a first BS 105A is illustrated in Fig. 4. At 400, the transceiver 220 of the UE 110 receives the SIB and the identifier 240 that were transmitted by the transmitted by the BS 105A. The transmitted SIB and identifier 240 may optionally be received directly from the BS 105A, or indirectly by way of a repeater, router, or other networking device disposed within the communication channel between the BS 105A and the UE 110. At 405, the received SIB and identifier 240 are stored in the system information database 235 in the memory 230 of the UE 110. The identifier 240 may be stored in a defined relationship with the received SIB for comparison purposes with new identifiers 240 received with SIBs from a second BS 105B as described herein. Based on the received SIBs from the BS 105A, the EU 110 commences cellular communications with the received SIBs at 410.

A specific example of the techniques for identifying system information will be described with reference to SIAID1 of the tracking area TA1 of the cellular communication system 100 in Fig. 1. For SIAID1 of tracking area TA1, the following system information exists:

i) SIB3 is a system-level SIB, and is used to facilitate communications in all of the cells of SIAID1；

ii) SIB4 in CELL 5 is version “m, ” while SIB4 in CELL 6 is version “m+1； ”

iii) SIB5 is a cell-level SIB in CELL 5, but SIB5 in CELL 6 is shared by another cell (not shown) in SIAID1 and at least one other cell in SIAID4； and

iv) SIB6 is a cell-level SIB in CELL 5 and CELL 6.

According to the methods of identifying SIBs described above, the SIBs for CELL 5 and CELL 6 are identified based on at least some of the following:

A. The identifier of each SIB for the different cells is assigned an area component identifying the SIA, and optionally the tracking area TA1 in which the cells are located；

B. The identifier for each SIB includes a level component that is one-bit long to indicate whether the SIB is cell-level information or system-level information； and

C. The identifier for each SIB includes a value component comprising a string that is indicative of the SIB’s version.

Accordingly, the system information of CELL 5 in SIAID1 is identified using at least some of the identifier components presented in Fig. 5, and the system information of CELL 6 in SIAID1 is identified using at least some of the identifier components presented in Fig. 6. In Figs. 5 and 6, setting the value of the one-bit level component 260 to “1” is indicative of a system-level SIB, while setting the value of the one-bit level component 260 to “0” is indicative of a cell-level SIB. Further, the different alphabetical values assigned to the value component in Figs. 5 and 6 are merely representative of different versions of the SIB. These alphabetical values may be represented by the multi-bit value component 255 shown in Fig. 2, optionally as part of the same multi-bit word as the area component 250 and the level component 260.

According to an embodiment, the area component 250 and/or the level component 260 of the identifier 240 to label SIBs for a cell that includes only cell-level information among the system information may be omitted. In other words, if all of the SIBs included in the system information for a cell are specific to that cell, then all of the SIBs will change each time the UE 110 enters a new cell, even within the same SIA. No SIBs will be used in more than one cell within the SIA or outside of the SIA, so the area component and/or the level component are unnecessary. This is true because the area component identifies the geographic region (e.g., SIA) in which a system-level SIB for a cell can be shared with another cell within the geographic region that also uses that system-level SIB. However, because there are no system-level SIBs to share according to the embodiments, transmitting the area component from the BS 105 and/or reading and storing the area component with the UE 110 can be avoided.

Thus, out of the area component 250, the level component 260 and the value component 255, the identifier 240 transmitted by the BS 105 establishing the cell and/or read and stored by the UE 110 can be limited to the value component 255. This is not to say that the identifier is absolutely devoid of any other values, components, and the like. But that one or both of the area component 250 and/or the level component 260, of the group comprising the area component 250, the value component 255 and the level component 260, can be omitted from the system information database 235 of the UE 110 within the cell. Identifying, or indexing system information with an identifier 240 for a cell, CELL 3 for example, that has only cell-level information is shown in Fig. 7.

According to another example, an embodiment of the identifier 265 (Fig. 2) may include a neighbor component 270. The neighbor component 270 may be used to identify a SIB that is used to establish cellular communications in a plurality of cells, and at least one of the plurality of cells is located in a different SIA from another one of the plurality of cells. For example, CELL 1 (Fig. 1) in SIAID4, as well as other cells in SIAID4, utilize the same SIB3, SIB4 and SIB5 to establish cellular communications between the BS 105 and the UE 110. SIB5 of CELL 1 is also utilized in CELL 6 in SIAID 1. Identifying, or indexing system information with an identifier 265 for CELL 1, for example, including a SIB shared by cells in different SIAs is illustrated in Fig. 8. According to an embodiment, a neighbor component list including a plurality of neighboring SIAs can be transmitted instead of, or in addition to the identifier 265 including the neighbor component 270.

UE Receiving Examples

Illustrative embodiments of methods for receiving system information identified with the identifier 240 and/or the identifier 265 described below are based on the identifier components associated with the system information as shown in the tables appearing in Figs. 5-8.

An embodiment of the method of receiving system information as a result of the UE 110 moving from CELL 5 (point A in Fig. 1) to CELL 6 (point B in Fig. 1) is illustrated by the flow diagram of Fig. 9. While establishing cellular communications with the BS 105 of CELL 5, the UE 110 received and stored SIB3, SIB4, SIB5 and SIB6 transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 5 at 900. This received information is used by the UE 110 to establish cellular communications with the BS 105 of CELL 5 at 905. The UE 110 moves from CELL 5 into CELL 6 and begins to establish cellular communications with the BS 105 of CELL 6 at 910 by reading the minimum system information ( “MSI” ) constituting a registry that is broadcast over a control channel by the BS 105 of CELL 6. The MSI of CELL 6 is compared to the identified system information from CELL 5 stored in the memory 230 at 915 to determine any differences and identify any system information from CELL 5 that can be reused in CELL 6.

For the specific example of the UE 110 moving from CELL 5 to CELL 6, the UE 110 determines:

(i) The identifier components of SIB3 in CELL 6 are the same as the identifier components stored for SIB3 in CELL 5, so the UE 110 may reuse SIB3 in the memory 230 to establish cellular communications with the BS 105 of CELL 6, without re-reading and again storing SIB3 from CELL 6 in the memory 230.

(ii) Although SIB4 is designated as system-level information by the level component 260 for both CELL 5 and CELL 6, the value component 255 of SIB4 for CELL 6 is different than the value component 255 of SIB4 for CELL 5 stored in the memory 230, so the UE 110 re-reads the SIB4 transmitted by the BS 105 for CELL 6 and stores that SIB4 in the memory 230.

(iii) The UE 110 is to re-read SIB5 transmitted by the BS 105 for CELL 6 and store that SIB5 in the memory 230 since the level component 260 of the identifier 240 for SIB5 of CELL 5 indicates SIB5 of CELL 5 constitutes cell-level information, and cannot be used in a cell other than CELL 5.

(iv) The UE 110 is to re-read SIB6 transmitted by the BS 105 for CELL 6 and store that SIB6 in the memory 230 because the level component 260 of the identifier 240 for SIB6 of CELL 5 and CELL 6 indicates SIB6 of CELL 5 and CELL 6 constitute cell-level information.

Accordingly, to be handed over from CELL 5 to CELL 6 and establish cellular communications with the BS 105 of CELL 6, the UE 110 will reuse SIB3 from CELL 5. Reusing SIB3 from CELL 5 in CELL 6 avoids the need to re-read and update the memory 230 with a newly-read value, thereby conserving system resources. The remainder of the system information blocks of the present example, namely SIB4, SIB5 and SIB6, are re-read when broadcast by the BS 105 of CELL 6 and stored in the memory 230 of the UE 110 to be used to establish cellular communication with the BS 105 of CELL 6.

According to some embodiments, in response to transmitting the MSI, the BS 105 receives cell information indicating a subset of the system information in the MSI for the cell that is different from a previous SIB stored by the UE 110 for a second cell that was previously occupied by the UE 110. For such an embodiment, the BS 105 can transmit content limited to the subset of content, and exclude from the content transmitted the SIB already stored by the UE 110.

As another specific example of receiving system information, the UE moves from CELL 6 (in SIAID1) to CELL 1 (in SIAID4) . Such a move corresponds to the UE 110 moving from point B to point C in Fig. 1, and involves moving from one SIA to a different SIA. The general procedure illustrated by the flow diagram of Fig. 9 can again be followed. Reading the MSI transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 1 enables the UE 110 to determine what, if any SIBs obtained in the current (CELL 6 in the present example) can be reused in the new cell (CELL 1 in the present example) .

For the present example, based on the identifier 240 and/or the identifier 265, the components of which are tabulated in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8, the UE 110:

(i) Re-reads and stores new SIB3 and SIB4 transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 1 because the UE 110 has moved from one geographic region SIAID1 to a new geographic region SIAID4, and neither

identifier

240, 265 includes a neighbor component 270 indicative of the other geographic region.

(ii) Reuses SIB5 obtained from the BS 105 of CELL 6 because the identifier 265 includes the neighbor component 270 identifying the geographic region SIAID1 in which CELL 6 is located as a neighbor. This renders system-level information of cells within SIAID1 to be system-level information within the new geographic region SIAID4. And since the level component 260 and value component 255 of SIB5 are the same for both CELL 6 and CELL 1, SIB5 is reusable in CELL 1 despite the fact that CELL 1 is in a different geographic region than CELL 6.

(iii) Re-reads and stores new SIB6 transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 1 because SIB6 is designated as cell-level information by the level component 260 of the

identifiers

240, 265.

As another specific example of receiving system information, the UE moves from CELL 1 (in SIAID4) to CELL 3 (in SIAID4) . Such a move corresponds to the UE 110 moving from point C to point D in Fig. 1, and involves moving from one cell to another in the same SIA. The general procedure illustrated by the flow diagram of Fig. 9 can again be followed. Reading the MSI transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 3 enables the UE 110 to determine what, if any SIBs obtained in the current cell (CELL 1 in the present example) can be reused in the new cell (CELL 3 in the present example) .

For the present example, based on the identifier 265 and/or the identifier 240, the components of which are tabulated in Fig. 8 and Fig. 7, respectively, the UE 110:

(i) Re-reads and stores new SIB3, SIB4, SIB5 and SIB6 because, the Null value or absence of a value for the level component 260 and/or the absence of the area component 250 indicates that all SIBs of CELL 3 constitute cell-level information.

As another specific example of receiving system information, the UE moves from CELL 3 (in SIAID4 of tracking area TA1) to CELL 14 (in SIAID1 of tracking area TA2) . Such a move corresponds to the UE 110 moving from point D to point E in Fig. 1, and involves moving from a SIA in tracking area TA1 to a different SIA in tracking area TA2. The general procedure illustrated by the flow diagram of Fig. 9 can again be followed. Reading the MSI transmitted by the BS 105 of CELL 14 enables the UE 110 to determine what, if any SIBs obtained in the current (CELL 3 in the present example) can be reused in the new cell (CELL 14 in the present example) .

For the present example, based on the identifier 240, the components of which for CELL 3 are tabulated in Fig. 7, the UE 110:

(i) Re-reads and stores new SIB3, SIB4, SIB5 and SIB6 because, the Null value or absence of a value for the level component 260 and/or the absence of the area component 250 indicates that all SIBs of CELL 3 constitute cell-level information. Further, a change in the tracking area component 245 as a result of the UE 110 moving from tracking area TA1 to tracking area TA2 indicates that the SIBs obtained in CELL 3 are to be re-read and saved in the memory 230 from tracking area TA2.

Fig. 10 presents a schematic architecture diagram 1000 of a base station 1050 (e.g., a network entity) that may utilize at least a portion of the techniques provided herein. Such a base station 1050 may vary widely in configuration and/or capabilities, alone or in conjunction with other base stations, nodes, end units and/or servers, etc. in order to provide a service, such as at least some of one or more of the other disclosed techniques, scenarios, etc. For example, the base station 1050 may connect one or more user equipment (UE) to a (e.g., wireless and/or wired) network (e.g., which may be connected and/or include one or more other base stations) , such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, etc. The network may implement a radio technology, such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) , CDMA2000, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) , Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) , IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. The BS 105 and/or the UE 110 may communicate using a standard, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) , 5G New Radio (NR) , etc.

The base station 1050 may comprise one or more (e.g., hardware) processors 1010 that process instructions. The one or more processors 1010 may optionally include a plurality of cores； one or more coprocessors, such as a mathematics coprocessor or an integrated graphical processing unit (GPU) ； and/or one or more layers of local cache memory. The base station 1050 may comprise memory 1002 storing various forms of applications, such as an operating system 1004； one or more base station applications 1006； and/or various forms of data, such as a database 1008 and/or a file system, etc. The base station 1050 may comprise a variety of peripheral components, such as a wired and/or wireless network adapter 1014 connectible to a local area network and/or wide area network； one or more storage components 1016, such as a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device (SSD) , a flash memory device, and/or a magnetic and/or optical disk reader； and/or other peripheral components.

The base station 1050 may comprise a mainboard featuring one or more communication buses 1012 that interconnect the processor 1010, the memory 1002, and/or various peripherals, using a variety of bus technologies, such as a variant of a serial or parallel AT Attachment (ATA) bus protocol； a Uniform Serial Bus (USB) protocol； and/or Small Computer System Interface (SCI) bus protocol. In a multibus scenario, a communication bus 1012 may interconnect the base station 1050 with at least one other server. Other components that may optionally be included with the base station 1050 (though not shown in the schematic diagram 1000 of Fig. 10) include a display； a display adapter, such as a graphical processing unit (GPU) ； input peripherals, such as a keyboard and/or mouse； and/or a flash memory device that may store a basic input/output system (BIOS) routine that facilitates booting the base station 1050 to a state of readiness, etc.

The base station 1050 may operate in various physical enclosures, such as a desktop or tower, and/or may be integrated with a display as an “all-in-one” device. The base station 1050 may be mounted horizontally and/or in a cabinet or rack, and/or may simply comprise an interconnected set of components. The base station 1050 may comprise a dedicated and/or shared power supply 1018 that supplies and/or regulates power for the other components. The base station 1050 may provide power to and/or receive power from another base station and/or server and/or other devices. The base station 1050 may comprise a shared and/or dedicated climate control unit 1020 that regulates climate properties, such as temperature, humidity, and/or airflow. Many such base stations 1050 may be configured and/or adapted to utilize at least a portion of the techniques presented herein.

Fig. 11 presents a schematic architecture diagram 1100 of a user equipment (UE) 1150 (e.g., a communication device) whereupon at least a portion of the techniques presented herein may be implemented. Such a UE 1150 may vary widely in configuration and/or capabilities, in order to provide a variety of functionality to a user. The UE 1150 may be provided in a variety of form factors, such as a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone) ； a desktop or tower workstation； an “all-in-one” device integrated with a display 1108； a laptop, tablet, convertible tablet, or palmtop device； a wearable device, such as mountable in a headset, eyeglass, earpiece, and/or wristwatch, and/or integrated with an article of clothing； and/or a component of a piece of furniture, such as a tabletop, and/or of another device, such as a vehicle or residence. The UE 1150 may serve the user in a variety of roles, such as a telephone, a workstation, kiosk, media player, gaming device, and/or appliance.

The UE 1150 may comprise one or more (e.g., hardware) processors 1110 that process instructions. The one or more processors 1110 may optionally include a plurality of cores； one or more coprocessors, such as a mathematics coprocessor or an integrated graphical processing unit (GPU) ； and/or one or more layers of local cache memory. The UE 1150 may comprise memory 1101 storing various forms of applications, such as an operating system 1103； one or more user applications 1102, such as document applications, media applications, file and/or data access applications, communication applications, such as web browsers and/or email clients, utilities, and/or games； and/or drivers for various peripherals. The UE 1150 may comprise a variety of peripheral components, such as a wired and/or wireless network adapter 1106 connectible to a local area network and/or wide area network； one or more output components, such as a display 1108 coupled with a display adapter (optionally including a graphical processing unit (GPU) ) , a sound adapter coupled with a speaker, and/or a printer； input devices for receiving input from the user, such as a keyboard 1111, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, and/or a touch-sensitive component of the display 1108； and/or environmental sensors, such as a GPS receiver 1119 that detects the location, velocity, and/or acceleration of the UE 1150, a compass, accelerometer, and/or gyroscope that detects a physical orientation of the UE 1150. Other components that may optionally be included with the UE 1150 (though not shown in the schematic architecture diagram 1100 of Fig. 11) include one or more storage components, such as a hard disk drive, a solid-state storage device (SSD) , a flash memory device, and/or a magnetic and/or optical disk reader； a flash memory device that may store a basic input/output system (BIOS) routine that facilitates booting the UE 1150 to a state of readiness； and/or a climate control unit that regulates climate properties, such as temperature, humidity, and airflow, etc.

The UE 1150 may comprise a mainboard featuring one or more communication buses 1112 that interconnect the processor 1110, the memory 1101, and/or various peripherals, using a variety of bus technologies, such as a variant of a serial or parallel AT Attachment (ATA) bus protocol； the Uniform Serial Bus (USB) protocol； and/or the Small Computer System Interface (SCI) bus protocol. The UE 1150 may comprise a dedicated and/or shared power supply 1118 that supplies and/or regulates power for other components, and/or a battery 1104 that stores power for use while the UE 1150 is not connected to a power source via the power supply 1118. The UE 1150 may provide power to and/or receive power from other client devices.

Fig. 12 is an illustration of a scenario 1200 involving an example non-transitory computer readable medium 1202. The non-transitory computer readable medium 1202 may comprise processor-executable instructions 1212 that when executed by a processor 1216 cause performance (e.g., by the processor 1216) of at least some of the provisions herein. The non-transitory computer readable medium 1202 may comprise a memory semiconductor (e.g., a semiconductor utilizing static random access memory (SRAM) , dynamic random access memory (DRAM) , and/or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) technologies) , a platter of a hard disk drives, a flash memory device, or a magnetic or optical disc (such as a compact disc (CD) , digital versatile disc (DVD) , and/or floppy disk) . The example non-transitory computer readable medium 1202 stores computer-readable data 1204 that, when subjected to reading 1206 by a reader 1210 of a device 1208 (e.g., a read head of a hard disk drive, or a read operation invoked on a solid-state storage device) , express the processor-executable instructions 1212. In some embodiments, the processor-executable instructions 1212, when executed, cause performance of operations, such as at least some of the example method 100A of Fig. 1A, the example method 100B of Fig. 1 B, and/or the example method 100C of Fig. 1 C, for example. In some embodiments, the processor-executable instructions 1212 are configured to cause implementation of a system and/or scenario, such as at least some of the example system 200A of Fig. 2A, the example system 200B of Fig. 2B, the example system 300A of Fig. 3A, the example system 300B of Fig. 3B, the example system 400A of Fig. 4A, the example system 400B of Fig. 4B, the example system 500 of Fig. 5, the example system 600A of Fig. 6A, and/or the example system 600B of Fig. 6B, for example.

As used in this application, "module, " "system" , "interface" , and/or the like are generally intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a controller and the controller can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers (e.g., nodes (s)) .

Unless specified otherwise, “first, ” “second, ” and/or the like are not intended to imply a temporal aspect, a spatial aspect, an ordering, etc. Rather, such terms are merely used as identifiers, names, etc. for features, elements, items, etc. For example, a first object and a second object generally correspond to object A and object B or two different or two identical objects or the same object.

Moreover, “example, ” “illustrative embodiment, ” are used herein to mean serving as an instance, illustration, etc., and not necessarily as advantageous. As used herein, "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or" . In addition, "a" and "an" as used in this application are generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Also, at least one of A and B and/or the like generally means A or B or both A and B. Furthermore, to the extent that "includes" , "having" , "has" , "with" , and/or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising” .

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing at least some of the claims.

Furthermore, the claimed subject matter may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer (e.g., node) to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. Of course, many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter.

Various operations of embodiments and/or examples are provided herein. The order in which some or all of the operations are described herein should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. Alternative ordering will be appreciated by one skilled in the art having the benefit of this description. Further, it will be understood that not all operations are necessarily present in each embodiment and/or example provided herein. Also, it will be understood that not all operations are necessary in some embodiments and/or examples.

Also, although the disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art based upon a reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. The disclosure includes all such modifications and alterations and is limited only by the scope of the following claims. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc. ) , the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent) , even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims

A method comprising:

identifying, with an identifier, a system information block for transmission by a node that establishes a cell, the identifier comprising:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the cell is located；

a level component having a first value to identify the system information block as being cell-level information and a second value to identify the system information as being system-level information； and

a value component indicative of a version of the system information block.
The method of claim 1, wherein the area component of the identifier is specific to the cell and identifies the cell within a tracking area that also includes a plurality of other cells.
The method of claim 2, wherein the area component comprises:

a tracking area identifier that identifies the tracking area, and

a system information area identifier that identifies one system information area from among a plurality of system information areas within the tracking area.
The method of claim 1 comprising transmitting the system information block and the identifier from the node to a second node within the cell.
The method of claim 4, wherein the system information block and the identifier are transmitted together as portions of a common communication.
The method of claim 1 comprising transmitting the system information block and the identifier from the node to a second node within a system information area that comprises the cell and an additional cell.
The method of claim 6, wherein the area component, the level component and the value component are transmitted together as portions of a multi-bit word.
The method of claim 1, wherein the value component is common to a plurality of cells within a system information area.
A method comprising:

receiving a system information block and an identifier associated with the system information block from a node that establishes a cell, wherein the identifier comprises:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the cell is located；

a level component having a first value to identify the system information block as being cell-level information and a second value to identify the system information block as being system-level information； and

a value component indicative of a version of the system information block； and

using the system information block to conduct cellular communications in the cell.
The method of claim 9, wherein the area component of the identifier is specific to the cell and identifies the cell within a tracking area that also includes a plurality of other cells.
The method of claim 10, wherein the area component comprises:

a tracking area identifier that identifies the tracking area, and

a system information area identifier that identifies one system information area from among a plurality of system information areas within the tracking area.
The method of claim 9, wherein the system information block and the identifier are received together as portions of a common communication.
The method of claim 9, wherein the area component, the level component and the value component are received together as portions of a multi-bit word.
The method of claim 9, wherein the value component is common to a plurality of cells within a specific system information area.
A method comprising:

identifying, with an identifier, a system information block for transmission by a node that establishes a first cell, the identifier comprising:

an area component indicative of a first geographic region where the first cell is located； and

a neighbor component indicative of a second geographic region where a second node is located to facilitate cellular communications in a second cell using the system information block.
The method of claim 15, wherein the neighbor component defines a list comprising a plurality of additional cells in neighboring geographic regions, and the system information block is used to facilitate cellular communications in the plurality of additional cells.
The method of claim 15 comprising transmitting the system information block and the identifier from the node to a receiver node within the first cell, wherein the identifier causes the system information block to be excluded from a subsequent transmission from the second node to the receiver node within the second cell.
The method of claim 15, wherein the system information block and the identifier are transmitted together as portions of a common communication.
The method of claim 15, wherein the area component and the neighbor component are transmitted together as portions of a multi-bit word.
A method comprising:

receiving a system information block with an identifier from a node that establishes a first cell, the identifier comprising:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the first cell is located； and

a neighbor component or neighbor component list indicative of a second geographic region where a second cellular antenna is located to facilitate cellular communications in a second cell using the system information block；

using the system information to conduct cellular communications within the first cell； and

using the system information to conduct cellular communications within the second cell.
The method of claim 20, wherein the neighbor component list comprises a plurality of additional cells in neighboring geographic regions, and the system information block is used to facilitate cellular communications in the plurality of additional cells.
The method of claim 20, wherein, in response to the receiving the system information block and the identifier from the node, a receiver node excludes the system information block from system information read and stored from a second node that establishes the second cell.
The method of claim 20, wherein the system information block and the identifier are received together as portions of a common communication.
The method of claim 20, wherein the area component and the neighbor component are received together as portions of a multi-bit word.
A method comprising:

responsive to all system information blocks included in system information of a first cell constituting cell-level information, labeling all of the system information blocks for the first cell with an identifier that comprises a value component indicative of a version of the system information block.
The method of claim 25 comprising:

responsive to at least one of the system information blocks included in the system information of the first cell comprising system-level information, labelling each of the system information blocks for the first cell with an identifier that comprises:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the first cell is located；

a level component indicative of whether the system information block is shared with a second cell； and

the value component.
The method of claim 25, wherein the area component of the identifier is specific to the cell and identifies the cell within a tracking area that also includes a plurality of other cells.
The method of claim 27, wherein the area component comprises:

a tracking area identifier that identifies the tracking area, and

a system information area identifier that identifies one system information area from among a plurality of system information areas within the tracking area.
The method of claim 25 comprising transmitting the system information block and the identifier from a first node to a second node within the cell.
The method of claim 29, wherein the system information block and the identifier are transmitted together as portions of a common communication.
The method of claim 25 comprising transmitting the system information block and the identifier from a first node to a second node within a system information area that comprises the cell and an additional cell.
The method of claim 31, wherein, in response to the determining that cell-level information and system-level information are included in the system information of the cell, the area component, the level component and the value component are transmitted together as portions of a multi-bit word.
A method comprising:

transmitting a registry of system information for a cell to a wireless node after the wireless node comes within range of the cell；

receiving cell information indicating a subset of the system information in the registry for the cell that is different from previous system information for a second cell that was previously occupied by the wireless node； and

transmitting the subset of the system information to the wireless node to update the previous system information.
The method of claim 33 comprising excluding, from the subset of the system information transmitted to the wireless node, a portion of the system information in the registry that is the same as the previous system information.
The method of claim 33, wherein the subset of the system information includes each system information block associated with an identifier in the system information that is different than a corresponding identifier in the previous system information.
The method of claim 35, wherein each system information block included in the subset of the system information received is labeled with the identifier in the system information.
The method of claim 36, wherein the identifier for each of a plurality of the system information blocks included in the subset of system information comprises:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the cell is located；

a level component having a first value to identify the system information block as being cell-level information and a second value to identify the system information block as being system-level information； and

a value component indicative of a version of the system information block.
A method comprising:

receiving a system information block transmitted by a first cellular antenna establishing a first cell；

in response to entering a second cell, receiving a registry of system information for the second cell transmitted by a second cellular antenna；

comparing the system information for the second cell in the registry to previous system information for the first cell；

reading a subset of the system information in the registry transmitted by the second cellular antenna； and

updating the system information for the first cell.
The method of claim 38 comprising excluding from the subset of the system information read, a portion of the system information that is the same as the system information for the first cell.
The method of claim 38, wherein the subset of the system information received includes each system information block associated with an identifier in the system information that is different than a corresponding identifier in the system information for the first cell.
The method of claim 40, wherein each system information block included in the subset of the system information received is labeled with the identifier.
The method of claim 41, wherein the identifier for each of a plurality of the system information blocks received comprises:

an area component indicative of a geographic region where the cell is located；

a level component having a first value to identify the system information block as being cell-level information and a second value to identify the system information block as being system-level information； and

a value component indicative of a version of the system information block.
A communication device comprising:

a processor； and

a memory comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause performance of a method recited in any of claims 1 to 42.
A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions that when executed cause performance of a method recited in any of claims 1 to 42.