Location managing method for managing location of mobile station in mobile wireless packet communication system and mobile wireless packet communication system

• US 20010027107A1
• Filed: 12/19/2000
• Published: 10/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NNT Docomo Incorporated
• Inventors: Shinozaki, Takuya, Yamao, Yasushi, Umeda, Narumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,785,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/085 involving hierarchical organized mobility servers, e.g. hierarchical mobile IP [HMIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

A location managing method for managing a location of a mobile station in a mobile wireless packet communication system in which each of communication nodes down to a base station have a hierarchical structure, wherein a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which a mobile station is located, is managed as location information of the mobile station, by being distributed to the communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and to each of communication nodes in the route to the base station.

Claims

1. A location managing method for managing a location of a mobile station in a mobile wireless packet communication system in which each of communication nodes down to a base station have a hierarchical structure, wherein:

a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which a mobile station is located, is managed as location information of the mobile station, by being distributed to the communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and to each of communication nodes in the route to the base station.

2. The location managing method for managing the location of the mobile station as claimed in

claim 1

, wherein:

each of the communication nodes manages a portion of the route from the communication node positioned at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure to the base station of the cell in which the mobile station is located, in correspondence with the mobile station.

3. The location managing method for managing the location of the mobile station as claimed in

claim 2

, wherein:

each of the communication nodes manages a communication node positioned in an immediately lower layer and the mobile station in correspondence with each other.

4. The location managing method for managing the location of the mobile station as claimed in

claim 2

, wherein:

when the mobile station moves to an other cell of an other base station, of each of communication nodes positioned in layers higher than that of the other base station of the other cell, a communication node which does not manage a portion of a route to the other base station of the other cell newly manages the portion of the route in correspondence with the mobile station.

5. The location managing method for managing the location of the mobile station as claimed in

claim 4

, wherein:

the mobile wireless communication system makes a paging with respect to the mobile station from a plurality of base stations under control of a predetermined communication node, and

when the mobile station in a reception waiting state moves between cells of the plurality of base stations, managing contents are not modified in each of communication nodes positioned in layers higher than that of the base station of the cell to which the mobile station moves.

6. A mobile wireless packet communication system wherein:

each of communication nodes to a base station form a hierarchical structure,

a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which a mobile station is located, is managed as location information of the mobile station, by being distributed to the communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and to each of communication nodes in the route to the base station, and

a packet addressed to the mobile station is successively transferred from the communication node in the highest layer to the base station depending on the route which is distributedly managed, so as to transfer the packet from the base station to the mobile station by a wireless communication.

7. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 6

, wherein:

each of the communication nodes is provided with a routing table which manages a portion of the route from the communication node positioned at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure to the base station of the cell in which the mobile station is located, in correspondence with the mobile station.

8. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 7

, wherein:

the routing table provided in each of the communication nodes manages a communication node positioned in an immediately lower layer and the mobile station in correspondence with each other.

9. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 7

, wherein:

when the mobile station moves to an other cell of an other base station, of each of communication nodes positioned in layers higher than that of the other base station of the other cell, a communication node which is provided with a routing table which does not manage a portion of a route to the other base station of the other cell updates the routing table so as to newly manage the portion of the route in correspondence with the mobile station.

10. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 9

, wherein:

a plurality of base stations under control of a predetermined communication node make the paging with respect to the mobile station, and

when the mobile station in a reception waiting state moves between cells of the plurality of base stations, the routing table is not updated in each of communication nodes positioned in layers higher than that of the base station of the cell to which the mobile station moves.

11. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 7

, wherein:

when the mobile station which assumes a communication state with the base station moves to another cell of another base station, each of communication nodes in a route from a common communication node which is common to a route to the base station of the cell in which the mobile station was located before the move and a new route to the other base station of the other cell to the base station of the cell in which the mobile station was located before the move deletes from a routing table thereof management information of a route portion from the common communication node to the base station of the cell in which the mobile station was located before the move.

12. The mobile wireless packet communication system as claimed in

claim 11

, wherein:

each of communication nodes positioned in layers lower than the common communication node and in the route from the common communication node to the base station of the cell before the node, returns the packet addressed to the mobile station to the common communication node.

13. A location managing method for managing a location of a mobile station in a mobile wireless packet communication system in which each of communication nodes down to a base station have a hierarchical structure, comprising the step of:

distributedly managing, as location information of a mobile station, a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which the mobile station is located, in the communication nodes including a communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and each of communication nodes in the route.

14. A mobile wireless packet communication system wherein:

each of communication nodes to a base station form a hierarchical structure,

a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which a mobile station is located, is distributedly managed as location information of the mobile station, in the communication nodes including the communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and each of communication nodes in the route, and

a packet addressed to the mobile station is successively transferred from the communication node in the highest layer to the base station depending on the route which is distributedly managed, so as to transfer the packet from the base station to the mobile station by a wireless communication.

15. A communication node adapted to a mobile wireless communication system having a hierarchical structure made up of a plurality of communication nodes which are hierarchically connected in a plurality of layers including a lowest layer in which base stations are provided as the communication nodes, comprising:

managing means for distributedly managing, as location information of a mobile station, a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to one base station of a cell in which the mobile station is located, together with all other communication nodes in the route.

16. The communication node as claimed in

claim 15

, further comprising:

transfer means, responsive to the location information, for transferring a packet addressed to the mobile station and originating from said one base station towards the mobile station in said route by a wireless communication.

17. The communication node as claimed in

claim 15

, wherein:

said managing means manages a portion of said route by a routing table which registers a communication node positioned in an immediately lower layer of the hierarchical structure in correspondence with the mobile station.