Communication traffic control method

• US 20030171124A1
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kataoka, Masayuki
• Application Number:
  US10/344,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171124A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/40 during macro-diversity or soft handoff

Abstract

A communication traffic control method is performed for a hierarchy mobile communication system having a plurality of mobile stations 9a and 9b, a plurality of microcells 7a and 7b and a macrocell 6 including the microcells. Even though an upward transmission electric power of either a mobile station handed over to a macrocell from an adjacent macrocell or a mobile station placed in the neighborhood of a boundary of an area of a macrocell gives interference to communication of a mobile station placed in a microcell of the macrocell, a sufficiently high communication quality is maintained in the mobile station placed in the microcell against the interference. Therefore, when a compulsory hand-over is performed, a mobile station having a long round-trip time period or a measuring impossible round-trip time period is selected to be compulsorily handed over, and a communication traffic control is performed.

Claims

1. A communication traffic control method, in which a communication traffic of a hierarchy mobile communication system having a plurality of mobile stations, a plurality of microcells and a macrocell including the microcells is controlled,

characterized in that the communication traffic control method comprises the step of determining that a compulsory hand-over is to be performed for one mobile station for which a round-trip time period is longer than a threshold value or cannot be measured.

2. A communication traffic control method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the compulsory hand-over is to be performed comprises steps of:

performing control of a transmission electric power between each mobile station communication-connected to the macrocell and a macrocell base station of the macrocell;

making the macrocell base station perform an appropriateness judgment of the compulsory hand-over of each of all mobile stations placed in the macrocell to the corresponding microcell;

making the macrocell base station measure the round-trip time period for each mobile station of the macrocell;

making the macrocell base station select the mobile station, for which the performance of the compulsory hand-over is determined, according to both the appropriateness judgment of the compulsory hand-over of the mobile station and the round-trip time period for the mobile station;

making the macrocell base station perform the compulsory hand-over for the mobile station; and

performing control of an upward transmission electric power between the mobile station compulsorily handed over and the corresponding microcell within a range of values equal to or higher than an upward transmission electric power standard value set for the microcell.

6. A communication traffic control method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the compulsory hand-over is to be performed comprises steps of:

setting a range of a channel capacity of the macrocell as a range of a macrocell channel capacity set every prescribed time period;

performing control of the compulsory hand-over according to both a result that a total volume of communication performed in the macrocell every prescribed time period is placed within the range of the macrocell channel capacity and a result that the total volume of communication is out of the range of the macrocell channel capacity.

7. A communication traffic control method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether or not it is required to introduce a mobile relay station;

instructing a network administrator through a network that the network administrator introduces the mobile relay station, in cases where it is judged that it is required to introduce the mobile relay station; and

notifying the network administrator of contents required for a relay operation.

3. A communication traffic control method, in which a communication traffic of a hierarchy mobile communication system having a plurality of mobile stations, a plurality of microcells and a macrocell including the microcells is controlled, characterized in that the communication traffic control method comprises the steps of:

making one microcell have an upward transmission electric power standard value required to communication-connect one mobile station placed in the microcell with the macrocell;

making the microcell notify the mobile station of both the upward transmission electric power standard value and a macrocell code of the macrocell included in information of a notice channel;

making the mobile station, which receives the information of the notice channel, transmit a traffic channel preamble, while increasing an upward transmission electric power of the traffic channel preamble step by step, until the upward transmission electric power reaches the upward transmission electric power standard value or until the mobile station receives a base station acknowledgement order transmitted after a microcell base station of the microcell receives the traffic channel preamble having an electric power intensity equal to or higher than a reception electric power set in the microcell base station;

making the mobile station communication-connect with both the microcell base station and a macrocell base station of the macrocell; and

performing a site-diversity between the mobile station and both the microcell base station and the macrocell base station.

4. A communication traffic control method according to claim 3, wherein the step of performing the site-diversity between the mobile station and both the microcell base station and the macrocell base station comprises steps of:

performing control of the upward transmission electric power between the mobile station and the macrocell; and

performing no control of the upward transmission electric power between the mobile station and the microcell.

5. A communication traffic control method according to claim 4, wherein the step of performing the site-diversity between the mobile station and both the microcell base station and the macrocell base station comprises steps of:

making the macrocell base station perform an appropriateness judgment of a compulsory hand-over of the mobile station to the microcell;

making the macrocell base station measure a round-trip time period for the mobile station;

making the macrocell base station determine according to both the appropriateness judgment of the compulsory hand-over of the mobile station and the round-trip time period for the mobile station that a compulsory hand-over is to be performed for the mobile station;

making the macrocell base station perform the compulsory hand-over for the mobile station; and

performing the control of the upward transmission electric power between the mobile station compulsorily handed over and the microcell within a range of values equal to or higher than an upward transmission electric power standard value set for the microcell.