Radio telecommunication network

• US 20020173275A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cellon France SAS
• Original Assignee: Cellon France SAS
• Inventors: Coutant, Francois
• Application Number:
  US10/145,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173275A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/10 Reselecting an access point controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/36 by user or terminal equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of telecommunication networks of the GSM type. A telecommunication network comprises at least one terminal, for example 105, able to switch from idle mode to dedicated mode when a communication is established and a plurality of cells, for example 101 and 102, on which the terminal can camp in idle mode or dedicated mode and controlled by base stations, for example 103, intended to manage such a switching when a communication is established. One purpose of the invention is to avoid a terminal camping in idle mode on a cell on which it cannot camp in dedicated mode, because of a fault in the base station controlling this cell, at the time of switching. For this purpose, the terminal comprises detection means 109 able to detect a fault in a base station at the time of switching, means 110 of identifying the cell controlled by such a faulty base station, means 111 of establishing a black list of cells controlled by faulty base stations and means 112 of selecting a cell for camping of the terminal in idle mode, a selection criterion being the presence or not of a cell in the black list.

The invention has an interest for all mobile networks, an interest which is all the greater, the older the installations in the network, since the number of faulty base stations may then be relatively high.

Claims

1. A telecommunication network comprising

at least one terminal which can switch from an idle mode to a dedicated mode when a communication is established, and

a plurality of cells on which said terminal can camp in idle mode or dedicated mode, controlled by base stations intended to manage such a switching when a communication is established,

characterized in that said terminal comprises:

detection means able to detect a fault in a base station at the time of said switching;

means of identifying the cell controlled by such a faulty base station;

means of establishing a black list of cells controlled by faulty base stations;

means of selecting a cell for camping of said terminal in idle mode, a selection criterion being the presence or not of this cell in the black list.

2. A terminal able to switch from idle mode to dedicated mode when a communication is established, characterized in that it comprises:

detection means able to detect a fault in a base station at the time of said switching;

means of identifying the cell controlled by such a faulty base station;

means of establishing a black list of cells controlled by faulty base stations;

means of selecting a cell for camping of said terminal in idle mode, a selection criterion being the presence or not of this cell in the black list.

3. A terminal as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that a cell exits from said black list after a certain predetermined period following its entry.

4. A terminal as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said establishment means comprise at least one counting system per cell able to count a number of faults in the base station controlling this cell, said cell entering said black list after a predetermined nonzero number n of faults.

5. A terminal as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that

a counting system associated with a cell present in the black list counts a fault each time the terminal wishes to camp on this cell in idle mode, and

a cell exits from said black list when the counting system associated with said cell indicates a predetermined number m of faults strictly greater than n.

6. A terminal as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that it comprises means of reinitializing a counting system, such a reinitialization taking place either at the time of a successful switching by the base station controlling the cell associated with said counting system, or when this cell exits from the black list.

7. A data processing method for a terminal able to switch from idle mode to dedicated mode when a communication is established, characterized in that it comprises:

a detection step for detecting a fault in a base station at the time of said switching;

a step of identifying the cell controlled by such a faulty base station;

a step of establishing a black list of cells controlled by faulty base stations;

a step of selecting a cell for camping of said terminal in idle mode, a selection criterion being the presence or not of this cell in the black list.

8. A data processing method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a cell exits from said black list after a certain predetermined period following its entry.

9. A data processing method as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that said establishment step is performed by means of at least one counting system per cell able to count a number of faults in the base station controlling this cell, said cell entering said black list after a predetermined non-zero number n of faults.

10. A data processing method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that:

a counting system associated with a cell present in the black list counts a fault each time the terminal wishes to camp on this cell in idle mode, and

a cell exits from said black list when the counting system associated with said cell indicates a predetermined number m of faults strictly greater than n.

11. A data processing method as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a step of reinitializing a counting system, such a reinitialization taking place either at the time of a successful switching by the base station controlling the cell associated with said counting system, or when this cell exits from the black list.

12. A program comprising program code instructions for executing the steps of the method as claimed in claim 7 when said program is executed on a processor.