Communication method and apparatus using heterogeneous neighbor base station information in a broadband wireless access communication system

• US 20060092872A1
• Filed: 11/04/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Koo, Chang-Hoi, Lee, Sung-Jin, Son, Yeong-Moon, Kang, Hyun-Jeong, Son, Jung-Je, Lim, Hyoung-Kyu
• Application Number:
  US11/266,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092872A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A broadband wireless access communication system including a serving BS that periodically broadcasts an MOB_NBR-ADV message to an MS, and different kinds of heterogeneous networks. In order to communicate using the neighbor Base Station (BS) information, the serving BS gathers information about neighbor BSs and determines if heterogeneous communication systems exist using the gathered information. If the heterogeneous communication systems exist, the serving BS includes the information about the heterogeneous communication systems in the MOB_NBR-ADV message and broadcasts the MOB_NBR-ADV message to an MSS. If the MOB_NBR-ADV message is received from the serving BS, the MSS identifies if the heterogeneous communication systems exist using the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

Claims

1. A communication method using a neighbor Base Station (BS) information in a broadband wireless access communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

gathering information in a serving BS about neighbor BSs;

determining if heterogeneous communication systems exist from the gathered information;

if the heterogeneous communication systems exist, including, in the serving BS, the information about the heterogeneous communication systems in a MOB_NBR-ADV (Mobile_Neighbor-Advertisement) message;

broadcasting the MOB_NBR-ADV message to a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS); and

if the MOB_NBR-ADV message is received in the MSS from the serving BS, identifying if the heterogeneous communication systems exist from in the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of accessing the heterogeneous communication systems, by the MSS, according to necessity, if the MSS identifies that the heterogeneous communication systems exist.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the heterogeneous communication systems is information indicating if the heterogeneous communication systems exist in a system to which the MSS has accessed, and is configured by a prescribed field in the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the prescribed field includes an HET_NBR_INFO (Heterogeneous neighbor Information) field to which predetermined bits are allocated, the predetermined bits representing, in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, if the heterogeneous communication systems exist.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein bits corresponding to a number of scanned heterogeneous communication systems are allocated to the prescribed field to indicate the information about the heterogeneous communication systems.

6. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the HET_NBR_INFO includes a bit value representing that the heterogeneous communication systems, to which the MSS can access, exist in a corresponding cell area, and a bit value representing that no accessible heterogeneous communication system exists in the corresponding cell area.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the MOB_NBR-ADV message includes a field indicating if the respective heterogeneous communication systems exist and at least one field for identifying the corresponding heterogeneous communication systems.

8. A method for configuring a Mobile_Neighbor-Advertisement (MOB_NBR-ADV) message that is periodically broadcast to a Mobile Subscriber Station (MSS), in a serving Base Station (BS) of a broadband wireless access communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

gathering information about neighbor BSs;

determining if heterogeneous BSs exist from among the neighbor BS information; and

allocating identification information that represents if the heterogeneous BSs exist to a prescribed field, according to a result of the determining step.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the information about the heterogeneous BSs is not included in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, the MOB_NBR-ADV message is configured by including only information about homogeneous BSs.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the prescribed field indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist is allocated to the MOB_NBR-ADV message, and includes an HET_NBR_INFO (Heterogeneous neighbor Information) field including predetermined bits which represents whether or not the heterogeneous BSs exist.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein, of the predetermined bits, bits corresponding to a number of scanned heterogeneous BSs are allocated for indicating the information about the heterogeneous BSs.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the MOB_NBR-ADV message includes prescribed fields for identifying heterogeneous BSs, to which a corresponding MSS can access, among the heterogeneous BSs.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of bits used in the prescribed field including the identification information for indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist, identifies each different heterogeneous BS and represents if a heterogeneous BS information field corresponding to each heterogeneous BS is included in the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identification information indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist includes a bit value representing that the heterogeneous BSs, to which the MSS can access, exist in a corresponding cell area, and a bit value representing that no accessible heterogeneous BS exists in the corresponding cell area.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of configuring the MOB_NBR-ADV message comprises the steps of:

when the serving BS includes the information about the heterogeneous BSs in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, determining if the heterogeneous BSs exist;

if at least one heterogeneous BS exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, estimating the information about the heterogeneous BSs;

setting up bits of the prescribed field, which correspond to the number of the heterogeneous BSs, according to the estimated information about the heterogeneous BSs; and

inserting access identifications (IDs) of heterogeneous BSs, to which the MSS can access, from among at least one heterogeneous BSs into the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of configuring the MOB_NBR-ADV message comprises the steps of:

when the serving BS includes the information about the heterogeneous BSs in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, determining if wireless local area network access points (WLAN APs) exist;

if at least one WLAN AP exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, setting a corresponding bit of the prescribed field to ‘

0’

; and

inserting IDs of corresponding WLAN APs, to which the MSS can access, from among at least one WLAN AP into the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the IDs of the WLAN APs accessible by the MSS are allocated to an ESS (Extended Service Set) ID field.

18. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of configuring the MOB_NBR-ADV message comprises the steps of:

when the serving BS includes the information about the heterogeneous BSs in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, determining if cellular network BSs exist;

if at least one cellular network BS exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, setting a corresponding bit of the prescribed field to ‘

1’

; and

inserting IDs of corresponding cellular network BSs, to which the MSS can be service-coupled, from among at least one cellular network BS into the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the IDs of the cellular network BSs to which the MSS can be service-coupled are allocated to a BS-ID field.

20. An apparatus for communicating through Mobile_Neighbor-Advertisement (MOB_NBR-ADV) message transmission/reception in a broadband wireless access communication system including heterogeneous communication systems, the apparatus comprising:

a serving base station (BS) for gathering information about neighbor BSs, determining if heterogeneous BSs exist from among neighbor BSs, allocating identification information that indicates if the heterogeneous BSs exist to a prescribed field according to a result of the determining step to configure the MOB_NBR-ADV message, and broadcasting the MOB_NBR-ADV message, to which the prescribed field is added; and

a mobile subscriber station (MSS) for checking an information field for the heterogeneous BSs included in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, if receiving the MOB_NBR-ADV message from the serving BS, determining if a heterogeneous BS, to which the MSS can access, exists in a cell of the BS, according to a value set in the information field for the heterogeneous BSs, and performing one of power control thereof and an access to the heterogeneous BS, based on whether the heterogeneous BS that the MSS can access exists in the cell of the BS.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein when the serving BS does not include the information about the heterogeneous BSs in the MOB_NBR-ADV message, the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message with only information about homogeneous BSs.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message by allocating the prescribed field indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist to the MOB_NBR-ADV message and adding an HET_NBR_INFO (Heterogeneous neighbor Information), to which predetermined bits indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist are allocated, to the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein, of the predetermined bits, bits corresponding to the number of scanned heterogeneous BSs are allocated for indicating the information about the heterogeneous BSs.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message by adding prescribed fields for identifying heterogeneous BSs, to which a corresponding MSS can access, among the heterogeneous BSs to the MOB_NBR-ADV message.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the serving BS allocates the identification information indicating if the heterogeneous BSs exist as a bit value representing that the heterogeneous BSs, to which the MSS can access, exist in a corresponding cell area, and a bit value representing that no accessible heterogeneous BS exists in the corresponding cell area.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein if at least one heterogeneous BS exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message by setting up the bits of the prescribed field such that the bits corresponds to the number of the heterogeneous BSs, and inserting access IDs of heterogeneous BSs, to which the MSS can access, from among at least one heterogeneous BSs into the MOB_NBR-ADV message, and broadcasts the configured MOB_NBR-ADV message to the MSS.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein if at least one wireless local area network access point (WLAN AP) exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message by setting a corresponding bit of the prescribed field to ‘

0’ and

inserting IDs of corresponding WLAN APs, to which the MSS can access, from among at least one WLAN AP into the MOB_NBR-ADV message, and broadcasts the configured MOB_NBR-ADV message to the MSS.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the serving BS allocates the IDs of the WLAN APs accessible by the MSS to an ESS (Extended Service Set) ID field.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein if at least one cellular network BS exists in a corresponding cell of the serving BS, the serving BS configures the MOB_NBR-ADV message by setting a corresponding bit of the prescribed field to ‘

1’ and

inserting IDs of corresponding cellular network BSs, to which the MSS can be service-coupled, from among at least one cellular network BS into the MOB_NBR-ADV message, and broadcasts the configured MOB_NBR-ADV message to the MSS.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the serving BS allocates the IDs of the cellular network BSs, to which the MSS can be service-coupled, to a BS-ID field.

31. A method for communicating between an MSS (mobile subscriber station) and a heterogeneous network in a communication system in which a serving BS (base station) periodically broadcasting an Mobile_Neighbor-Advertisement (MOB_NBR-ADV) message coexists with different kind of heterogeneous networks, the method comprising the steps of:

if the MSS receives the MOB_NBR-ADV message from the serving BS, checking an information field for heterogeneous BSs included in the MOB_NBR-ADV message; and

performing operations corresponding to if a heterogeneous BS, to which the MSS can access, exists in a cell of the serving BS, according to a value set in the information field for the heterogeneous BSs.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein when a bit of the information field for the heterogeneous BSs is set to ‘

1’

, the MSS recognizes that there is no heterogeneous BS accessible by the MSS in a cell of the serving BS, and turns off a function for connecting to the heterogeneous BS.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein when a bit of the information field for the heterogeneous BSs is set to ‘

0’

, the MSS recognizes that there is a heterogeneous BS accessible by the MSS in a cell of the serving BS, and accesses the heterogeneous BS.