TRANSMITTER APPARATUS, MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, BASE STATION AND COMMUNICATION ENABLE SIGNAL TRANSMITTER APPARATUS

• US 20080207239A1
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshino, Hitoshi, Hagiwara, Junichiro, FUJII, Hiromasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/512
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

The present invention has an object of providing a transmitter apparatus, a mobile communication system, a base station and a communication enable signal transmitter unit, which can prioritize communications of a mobile station in a priority communication system over communications of a mobile station in a non-priority communication system, in a network where the priority communication system and the non-priority communication system coexist in the same communication area.

The non-priority communication transmitter apparatuses 10B and 30B comprise signal transmitter units 16 and 17 configured to be enabled to transmit, to the non-priority communication receiver apparatuses 10B and 30B, a signal by using a frequency channel of a second frequency band, when the non-priority communication transmitter apparatuses 10B and 30B receive a communication enable signal from a priority communication system or when the non-priority communication transmitter apparatuses 10B and 30B detect that the non-priority communication transmitter apparatuses 10B and 30B has received the communication enable signal.

Claims

1. A transmitter apparatus used in a non-priority communication system that uses a second frequency band adjacent to a first frequency band utilized in a priority communication system, comprising:

a signal transmitter unit configured to be enabled to transmit, to a receiver apparatus used in the non-priority communication system, a signal by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, when the signal transmitter unit receives a communication enable signal transmitted from the priority communication system or when the transmitter apparatus detects that the receiver apparatus has received the communication enable signal.

2. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal when the transmitter apparatus receives the communication enable signal and when the transmitter apparatus detects that the receiver apparatus has received the communication enable signal.

3. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal only while either the transmitter apparatus or the receiver apparatus is receiving the communication enable signal.

4. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal for a predetermined period when either the transmitter apparatus or the receiver apparatus receives the communication enable signal.

5. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication enable signal is configured to specify at least a part of the second frequency band, and

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal by using a frequency channel of the specified part of the second frequency band.

6. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication enable signal is configured to specify a communication area, and

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal to a receiver apparatus in the specified communication area.

7. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the communication enable signal is configured to specify the predetermined period, and

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal only for the specified predetermined period.

8. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication enable signal is configured to specify an allowable transmission power, and

the signal transmitter unit is configured to be enabled to transmit the signal at the specified allowable transmission power.

9. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to determine that the receiver apparatus received the communication enable signal when the transmitter apparatus receives a special control signal transmitted from the receiver apparatus.

10. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to shorten the predetermined period when either the transmitter apparatus or the receiver apparatus receives the communication enable signal through a relay apparatus.

11. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the transmitter apparatus is a base station, and

the receiver apparatus is a mobile station.

12. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the receiver apparatus is a base station, and

the transmitter apparatus is a mobile station.

13. The transmitter apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the signal transmitter unit is configured to stop transmitting the signal when a control signal that should be constantly transmitted from the base station to the transmitter apparatus is not received.

14. A mobile communication system comprising:

a first priority communication system which performs a first priority communication by using a first frequency band,

a second priority communication system which performs a second priority communication by using a second frequency band and has a lower priority level than the first priority communication, and

a non-priority communication system which uses a third frequency band,

wherein the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and the third frequency band are adjacent to each other,

a first communication enable signal transmitter apparatus in the first priority communication system is configured to transmit a first communication enable signal to allow the second priority communication system to perform a communication by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, in accordance with location information of a first base station in the first priority communication system and a communication status of a first mobile station in the first priority communication system,

a second base station in the second priority communication system is configured to be enabled to transmit, to a second mobile station, a signal by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, when the second base station receives the first communication enable signal from the first priority communication system or when the second base station detects that the second mobile station in the second priority communication system has received the first communication enable signal,

a second communication enable signal transmitter apparatus in the second priority communication system is configured to transmit a second communication enable signal to allow the non-priority communication system to perform a communication by using a frequency channel of the third frequency band, in accordance with the first communication enable signal, location information of the second base station and a communication status of the second mobile station, and

a third base station in the non-priority communication system is configured to be enabled to transmit, to a third mobile station, a signal by using a frequency channel of the third frequency band, when the third base station receives the second communication enable signal from the second priority communication system or when the third base station detects that the third mobile station in the non-priority communication system has received the second communication enable signal.

15. A base station used in a second priority communication system in a mobile communication system comprising a first priority communication system which performs a first priority communication by using a first frequency band, the second priority communication system which performs a second priority communication by using a second frequency band and has a lower priority level than the first priority communication, and a non-priority communication system which uses a third frequency band, wherein the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and the third frequency band are adjacent to each other, the base station comprising:

a signal transmitter unit configured to be enabled to transmit, to a mobile station, a signal by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, when the base station receives a first communication enable signal from the first priority communication system or when the base station detects that the mobile station in the second priority communication system has received the first communication enable signal.

16. A communication enable signal transmitter apparatus used in a second priority communication system in a mobile communication system comprising a first priority communication system which performs a first priority communication by using a first frequency band, the second priority communication system which performs a second priority communication by using a second frequency band and has a lower priority level than the first priority communication, and a non-priority communication system which uses a third frequency band, wherein the first frequency band, the second frequency band, and the third frequency band are adjacent to each other, the communication enable signal transmitter apparatus comprising:

a communication enable signal receiver unit configured to receive a first communication enable signal from the first priority communication system, and

a communication enable signal transmitter unit configured to transmit a second communication enable signal for allowing the non-priority communication system to perform a communication by using a frequency channel of the third frequency band, in accordance with the first communication enable signal, location information of a base station in the second priority communication system, and a communication status of a mobile station in the second priority communication system.

17. A mobile communication system comprising a priority communication system which performs a priority communication by using a first frequency band, and a non-priority communication system which uses a second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band, wherein

a communication enable signal transmitter apparatus in the priority communication system is configured to transmit a communication enable signal that specifies an allowable transmission power and to allow the non-priority communication system to perform a communication by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, in accordance with location information of a priority communication base station in the priority communication system, a communication status of a priority communication mobile station in the priority communication system, and a propagation loss amount between the priority communication base station and the communication enable signal transmitter apparatus, and

a non-priority communication base station in the non-priority communication system is configured to be enabled to perform the communication at the allowable transmission power, by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, between the non-priority communication base station and the non-priority communication mobile station, when the non-priority communication base station receives the communication enable signal from the non-priority communication system, or when the non-priority communication base station detects that the non-priority communication mobile station in the non-priority communication system has received the communication enable signal.

18. A communication enable signal transmitter apparatus used in a priority communication system in a mobile communication system comprising a priority communication system which performs a priority communication by using a first frequency band, and a non-priority communication system which uses a second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band, the communication enable signal transmitter apparatus comprising:

a communication enable signal transmitter unit configured to transmit a communication enable signal that specifies an allowable transmission power and to allow the non-priority communication system to perform a communication by using a frequency channel of the second frequency band, in accordance with location information of a priority communication base station in the priority communication system, a communication status of a priority communication mobile station in the priority communication system, and a propagation loss amount between the priority communication base station and the communication enable signal transmitter apparatus.