METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UTILIZING FEMTOCELL

• US 20110053592A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHUN, Young Gun
• Granted Patent: US 8,897,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/435.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A femtocell utilizing method and apparatus are disclosed. A mobile terminal may establish a communication channel to a microminiaturized base station for mobile communication creating a femtocell on the basis of a frequency, PSC information, or a frequency band or multiple frequencies. The mobile terminal employing the method and apparatus enables the user to initiate femtocell search at a desired point in time, increasing effectiveness in utilization of a femtocell.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a connection in a femtocell, comprising:

in response to receiving a request for a femtocell search, retrieving a search setting data;

determining whether the femtocell is present based on the search setting data; and

if so, registering with the femtocell to establish the connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a femtocell is present based on the search setting data comprises one of:

conducting the femtocell search based on a frequency and primary scrambling code (PSC) information;

conducting the femtocell search based on a frequency;

conducting the femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information; and

conducting the femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, when the femtocell is not present, a notification message indicating failure of the femtocell search.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the femtocell is present comprises conducting the femtocell search based on a frequency and PSC information of the search setting data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the femtocell is present further comprises conducting, when the femtocell search based on a frequency and PSC information fails, another femtocell search based on the frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the femtocell is present further comprises conducting, when the femtocell search based on the frequency fails, another femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the femtocell is present further comprises conducting, when the femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information fails, another femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether a femtocell is present further comprises conducting, when femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information fails, femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the frequency band or multiple frequencies do not contain a previously used frequency for the femtocell search.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the frequency band or multiple frequencies do not contain a previously used frequency for femtocell search.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising one of:

establishing, when registration with the femtocell is successful, a communication channel to the femtocell, and providing a notification message indicating successful registration; and

providing, when registration with the femtocell is unsuccessful, a notification message indicating registration failure.

12. An apparatus for establishing a connection in a femtocell, comprising:

an input unit generating an input signal for a femtocell search;

a storage unit storing search setting data corresponding to the femtocell search;

a control unit retrieving the search setting data in response to the input signal and determining whether a femtocell is present based on the search setting data, and registering with the femtocell when Its presence is determined.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the search setting data comprises at least one of:

a frequency used for the femtocell search;

a primary scrambling code (PSC) information assigned to a microminiaturized base station for mobile communication; and

a frequency band or multiple frequencies used for the femtocell search.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a display unit that outputs at least one of:

a menu item associated with the femtocell search based on a frequency and PSC information;

a menu item associated with the femtocell search based on a frequency;

a menu item associated with the femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information; and

a menu item associated with the femtocell search based on a frequency band or multiple frequencies.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit conducts, in response to the input signal, the femtocell search using at least one of the frequency, the PSC information, the frequency band, and the multiple frequencies.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit controls conducting the femtocell search based on the frequency and PSC information, conducting, when the femtocell search based on the frequency and PSC information fails, another femtocell search based on the frequency, and conducting, when another femtocell search based on the frequency fails, another femtocell search based on the frequency band or multiple frequencies with PSC information or femtocell search based on the frequency band or multiple frequencies.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the control unit excludes a frequency used in a previous femtocell search from the frequency band or multiple frequencies when conducting the femtocell search.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising one of a display unit and an audio processing unit providing, when femtocell search fails, a notification message indicating a failure of the femtocell search.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a radio frequency unit establishing, when registration with the femtocell is successful, a communication channel to the femtocell; and

one of a display unit and an audio processing unit outputting a notification message indicating a registration completion.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising one of a display unit and an audio processing unit outputting, when registration with the femtocell is unsuccessful, a notification message indicating a registration failure.