Adaptive neighbor cell list

In a mobile telecommunications system comprising a plurality of mobile stations and, a fixed network comprising a first plurality of base stations, each of said first plurality of base stations having a coverage area, a method for creating a neighbor cell list for use in determining a handoff target base station in handoff of communications, between said system and a selected mobile station, from a first base station to a second base station, said method comprising the steps of:

• collecting data at a call control unit, the data associated with each of a first plurality of base station pairs, each of said first plurality of base station pairs comprising a combination of two base stations of said system;
• providing the data collected during said step of collecting to a quality matrix generator;
• determining, responsive to the data provided to the quality matrix generator, a first plurality of parameters, each of said parameters associated with one of said first plurality of base station pairs;
• providing the first plurality of parameters determined during said step of determining the first plurality of parameters to a neighbor cell list generator;
• measuring, at the selected mobile station, a plurality of signal levels on a plurality of measurement channels, each measurement channel carrying transmissions from a base station of one of said first plurality of base stations;
• determining, responsive to results of signal level measurements performed in said step of measuring, a second plurality of parameters, each associated with the selected mobile station and one of the base stations of said first plurality of base stations, wherein each of said second plurality of parameters is a function of said first plurality of parameters and said plurality of signal levels measured in said step of measuring;
• providing the second plurality of parameters determined during said step of determining the second plurality of parameters to the neighbor cell list generator;
• and
• generating, responsive to said second plurality of parameters, a neighbor cell list at the neighbor cell list generator, said neighbor cell list including a channel identifier of a channel of each of a second plurality of base stations of said first plurality of base stations.

In a mobile telecommunications system comprising a plurality of mobile stations in a fixed network comprising a first base station and a first plurality of neighboring base stations, each of said first base station and first plurality of neighboring base stations having a coverage area and an apparatus for creating a neighbor cell list for use in determining a handoff target base station in handoff of communications with a selected mobile station from the first base station to a neighboring base station, said apparatus comprising:

• a call control unit for collecting data associated with the first base station and each of the first plurality of neighboring base stations;
• a quality matrix generator, coupled to said call control unit, said quality matrix generator for receiving data collected in said call control unit and generating a plurality of parameters, wherein each of said parameters is associated with the first base station and one of the plurality of neighboring base stations;
• and
• a neighbor list generator, coupled to said quality matrix generator, said neighbor list generator for receiving said parameters generated by said quality matrix generator and generating a neighbor cell list wherein said neighbor cell list includes information on each of a second plurality of neighboring base stations of the first plurality of neighboring base stations.

In a mobile telecommunications system comprising a plurality of mobile stations and, a fixed network comprising a first plurality of base stations, each of said first plurality of base stations having a coverage area, an apparatus for creating a neighbor cell list for use in determining a handoff target base station in handoff of communications, between said system and a selected mobile station, from a first base station to a second base station, said apparatus comprising:

• a call control unit for collecting data associated with each of a first plurality of base station pairs, each of said first plurality of base station pairs comprising a combination of two base stations of said first plurality of base stations;
• a quality matrix generator, coupled to said call control unit, said quality matrix generator for receiving data collected in said call control unit and determining, responsive to the data collected in said step of collecting, a first plurality of parameters, each of said first parameters associated with one of said first plurality of base station pairs;
• and
• a neighbor list generator, coupled to said matrix generator, said neighbor list generator for receiving signal level measurements, made at the selected mobile station, on a plurality of measurement channels, each measurement channel carrying transmissions from a base station of said system, said neighbor list generator for determining, from said signal level measurements, a second plurality of parameters, each associated with the selected mobile station and one of the base stations of said first plurality of base stations, wherein each of said second plurality of parameters is a function of said first plurality of parameters and said plurality of signal level measurements, said neighbor list further generating, responsive to said second plurality of parameters, a neighbor cell list, said neighbor cell list including channel identifiers of each of a second plurality of base stations of said first plurality of base stations.

In a mobile station-handoff method for handing off communications in a mobile telecommunications system formed of radio communication stations including at least a selected mobile station, a first base station, and a first plurality of neighboring base stations neighboring the first base station, each of said first base stations defining a coverage area, an improvement of a method for creating a neighbor cell list associated with the selected mobile station, the neighbor cell list for use in determining a handoff target base station in handoff of communications with the selected mobile station from the first base station to a neighboring base station, the handoff target base station selected out of the first plurality of neighboring base stations, said method comprising the steps of:

• collecting data at a call control unit, the data associated with at least one of the radio communication stations of the mobile telecommunications system;
• providing the data collected during said step of collecting to a quality matrix generator;
• determining, responsive to the data provided during said step of providing the data to the quality matrix data, a plurality of parameters, including at least one parameter associated with the at least one of the radio communication stations;
• providing the plurality of parameters, determined during said step of determining, to a neighbor cell list generator;
• and
• generating, responsive to said parameters provided to the neighbor cell list generator, a neighbor cell list for the at least one radio communication station.