BRIDGE-BASED CELLULAR ETHERNET SYSTEM AND HANDOVER PROCESSING METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20080159230A1
• Filed: 01/03/2008
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Inventors: Yoon, Jong-Ho, Hwang, Seong-Taek, Kim, Hoon, Cho, Jae-Hun
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/087 for preserving data network PoA address despite hand-offs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols

Abstract

A bridge-based cellular Ethernet system and a handover processing method therefore are provided. In the bridge-based cellular Ethernet system, an HLR manages configuration information about network entities, and a plurality of Base Station Bridges (BSBs) are connected to a plurality of Base Stations (BSs), each BSB including a layer 2 switch, and a plurality of SCBs connected to part of the BSBs under the SCBs. Each SCB includes a layer 2 switch forming a core network, and SCB monitors the signal power of a Mobile Node (MN) within its service area, determines whether the MN is to move to another site, selects a new SCB to which the MN is to move, sends necessary path information to associated SCBs and the HLR, for setting of the path information in the associated SCBs and the HLR, and commands a handover to the MN.

Claims

1. A bridge-based cellular Ethernet system, comprising:

a Home location Register (HLR) for managing configuration information about network entities comprising a table for storing an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a Mobile Node (MN) within a network, a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the MN, and an address of a site in which the MN is located;

a plurality of Base Stations (BSs) configured for communicating with one or more MNs;

a plurality of Base Station Bridges (BSBs), each BSB being connected to two or more of said plurality of Base Stations (BSs), and each BSB including a layer 2 switch; and

a plurality of Site Core Bridges (SCBs), wherein each SCB is connected to one or more of the BSBs, each SCB comprising a layer 2 switch forming a core network for sending frames to other SCBs of said plurality of SCBs in a MAC-in-MAC manner, and for querying the HLR about a correspondent node with which an MN associated within a particular SCB requests communications, and for sending a frame to another SCB of said plurality of SCBs of a site in which the correspondent node is located,

wherein each SCB is configured for monitoring a signal power of the MN, for determining whether the MN is to move to another SCB, for selecting a new SCB from said plurality of SCBs to which the MN is to be moved to, for sending necessary path information to associated SCBs of said plurality of SCBs and the HLR for setting of the path information in the associated SCBs and the HLR, and for commanding a handover to the MN.

2. The bridge-based cellular Ethernet system of claim 1, wherein the HLR is configured for updating engaged node information of the MN according to the path information, and wherein the new SCB buffers data destined for the MN, and an anchor SCB forwards data destined for the MN to the new SCB.

3. The bridge-based cellular Ethernet system of claim 1, wherein said particular SCB commands the MN to perform the handover at a predetermined subsequent time.

4. The bridge-based cellular Ethernet system of claim 3, where the predetermined time for handover to the new SCB is specified by said particular SCB.

5. The bridge-based cellular Ethernet system of claim 1, wherein when said particular SCB determines that the MN will move to another site, said particular SCB considers an end BSB of a geographically neighboring site to be connected to the MN as a new site.

6. The bridge-based cellular Ethernet system of claim 3, wherein when said particular SCB determines that the MN will move to another site, said particular SCB considers an end BSB of a geographically neighboring site to be connected to the MN as a new site.

7. A handover processing method in a bridge-based cellular Ethernet including a plurality of Base Station Bridges (BSBs) connected to a plurality of Base Stations (BSs), each BSB including a layer 2 switch, a plurality of Site Core Bridges (SCBs) connected to part of the BSBs under the SCBs, each SCB including a layer 2 switch forming a core network, and a Home Location Register (HLR) for managing configuration information about network entities, the method comprising:

monitoring the signal power of a Mobile Node (MN) within the service area of an old SCB, and based on the signal power determining whether the MN is to move to another site, selecting a new SCB to which the MN is to move, sending necessary path information to the new SCB, an anchor SCB, and the HLR for updating the path information, and commanding a handover to the MN by the old SCB;

relaying a frame destined for the MN to the new SCB according to the path information without sending the frame to the old SCB by the anchor SCB; and

receiving the frame destined for the MN from the anchor SCB, buffering the received frame, and sending the buffered frame to the MN when the MN completely moves to the new SCB, by the new SCB.

8. The handover processing method of claim 7, wherein the handover commanding comprises commanding the MN to perform the handover at a predetermined subsequent time by the old SCB.

9. The handover processing method of claim 7, wherein the determination as to whether the MN is to move to another site includes, when the old SCB determines that the MN will move to another site, considering an end BSB of a geographically neighboring site for connection with the MN as a new site.

10. The handover processing method of claim 8, wherein the determination as to whether the MN is to move to another site includes, when the old SCB determines that the MN will move to another site, considering an end BSB of a geographically neighboring site for connection with the MN to be a new site.

11. The handover processing method of claim 7, wherein the considering step comprises selecting the end BSB with a strongest signal strength from the MN.

12. The handover processing method of claim 7, wherein the considering step comprises selecting the end BSB with a strongest signal strength from the MN.