Base station apparatus and neighboring cell information management method

• US 20090280811A1
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kida, Hiroyuki, Ohiwane, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,391,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists

Abstract

A first base station apparatus, when newly installed, extracts cells of a second base station apparatus and its coverage cells neighboring them from neighboring cell information stored therein. The first base station apparatus notifies the second base station apparatus of the cells by a notification message. The second base station apparatus updates neighboring cell information stored therein based on the notification message. The first base station apparatus also sends a notification message to a third base station apparatus so that the third base station apparatus updates neighboring cell information stored therein.

Claims

1. A base station apparatus comprising:

a neighboring cell information storage unit that stores a list of cells that neighbor each of coverage cells of the base station apparatus; and

a notifying unit that extracts, from the neighboring cell information storage unit, a combination of a cell of a predetermined base station apparatus and a coverage cell of the base station apparatus neighboring the cell of the predetermined base station apparatus, creates a notification message including the combination, and sends the notification message to the predetermined base station apparatus.

2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an own cell information storage unit that stores control information for controlling handover for each of the coverage cells, wherein

the notifying unit acquires control information corresponding to the coverage cell in the combination from the own cell information storage unit to create the notification message including the control information.

3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when connection to other base station apparatus is newly detected on a line for exchanging control information with base station apparatuses, the notifying unit creates the notification message for the other base station apparatus as the predetermined base station apparatus.

4. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a neighboring base station information storage unit that stores a list of neighboring base station apparatuses, wherein

when information in the neighboring cell information storage unit changes, the notifying unit creates the notification message for each of the neighboring base station apparatuses stored in the neighboring base station information storage unit as the predetermined base station apparatus.

5. The base station apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a requesting unit that sends, when information in the neighboring cell information storage unit changes, a request for a notification message to each of the neighboring base station apparatuses stored in the neighboring base station information storage unit.

6. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, upon receipt of a request for the notification message from a base station apparatus, the notifying unit creates the notification message for the base station apparatus as the predetermined base station apparatus.

7. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a neighboring cell information updating unit that, upon receipt of a notification message from other base station apparatus, stores a combination included in the notification message, if not present in the neighboring cell information storage unit, in the neighboring cell information storage unit.

8. A base station apparatus comprising:

a neighboring cell information storage unit that stores a list of cells that neighbor each of coverage cells of the base station apparatus; and

a neighboring cell information updating unit that, upon receipt from other base station apparatus of a notification message including a combination of a cell of the other base station apparatus and a coverage cell of the base station apparatus neighboring the cell of the other base station apparatus, stores the combination, if not present in the neighboring cell information storage unit, in the neighboring cell information storage unit.

9. A neighboring cell information management method comprising:

a first base station apparatus storing, as first neighboring cell information, a list of cells that neighbor each of first coverage cells of the first base station apparatus;

a second base station apparatus storing, as second neighboring cell information, a list of cells that neighbor each of second coverage cells of the second base station apparatus;

the first base station apparatus extracting, from the first neighboring cell information, a combination of a second coverage cell and a first coverage cell neighboring the second coverage cell;

the first base station apparatus creating a notification message including the combination to send the notification message to the second base station apparatus; and

the second base station apparatus storing, upon receipt of the notification message, the combination, if not present in the second neighboring cell information, to update the second neighboring cell information.

10. The neighboring cell information management method according to claim 9, further comprising the first base station apparatus storing, as own cell information, control information for controlling handover for each of the first coverage cells, wherein

the first base station apparatus creating includes acquiring control information corresponding to the first coverage cell in the combination from the own cell information to create the notification message including the control information.

11. The neighboring cell information management method according to claim 9, wherein the first base station apparatus creates the notification message upon detection of connection of the first base station apparatus to the second base station apparatus on a line for exchanging control information between base station apparatuses.

12. The neighboring cell information management method according to claim 9, wherein the first base station apparatus creates the notification message when the first neighboring cell information changes.

13. The neighboring cell information management method according to claim 9, further comprising the first base station apparatus sending, when the first neighboring cell information changes, a request for a notification message to the second base station apparatus.

14. The neighboring cell information management method according to claim 9, wherein the first base station apparatus creates the notification message upon receipt of a request for the notification message from the second base station apparatus.