APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR X2 INTERFACE SETUP AND CELL SWITCHING IN MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110269464A1
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: WANG, Hong, XU, Lixiang
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for setting up an X2 interface setup are provided. The method includes transmitting, by a first Base Station (BS), an X2 interface setup request to a second BS, wherein the X2 interface setup request comprises an access mode of a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) supported by a cell in the first BS, and transmitting, by the second BS, an X2 interface response message to the first BS, wherein the X2 interface response message comprises the access mode of the CSG supported by the cell in the second BS.

Claims

1. A method for setting up an X2 interface in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a first Base Station (BS), an X2 interface setup request to a second BS, wherein the X2 interface setup request comprises an access mode of a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) supported by a cell in the first BS; and

transmitting, by the second BS, an X2 interface response message to the first BS, wherein the X2 interface response message comprises the access mode of the CSG supported by the cell in the second BS.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the X2 interface setup request further comprises a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the cell on the first BS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the X2 interface response message further comprises a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the cell on the second BS.

4. A method for cell switching in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

determining, by a source Base Station (BS), whether to permit a handover of a User Equipment (UE) based on an access mode of a target BS;

transmitting, by the source BS, a handover request to the target BS, wherein the handover request comprises a group member state indication of the UE; and

transmitting, by the target BS, a handover response to the source BS.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the source BS, a measurement report transmitted by the UE, wherein the measurement report comprises an identifier of the target BS.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, an access request to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request; and

transmitting, by the MME, an access response to the source BS, wherein the access response comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access, or, the access response comprises an indication that the UE is permitted to have access and a group member state indication of whether the UE is associated with a Hybrid cell.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the handover request comprises the group member state indication of the UE when the target cell comprises a Hybrid cell.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the target BS, an access request to an MME when a target cell comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell before transmitting the handover response, wherein the access request comprises a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the target cell and an identifier of the UE; and

transmitting, by the MME, an access response to the target BS.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the handover request comprises a CSG ID supported by the target cell which is reported from the UE, and

further comprising:

determining, by the target BS, whether the CSG ID included in the handover request is consistent with the CSG ID supported by the target cell before transmitting the access request,

transmitting, by the target BS, the access request to the MME when the CSG IDs are consistent; and

transmitting, by the target BS, a handover failure message to the source BS when the CSG IDs are not consistent.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the access response is transmitted, by the MME, when the target cell comprises the CSG cell and comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting, by the MME, of the access response comprises:

transmitting, by the MME, a success response if the UE is permitted to have access when the target cell comprises the CSG cell; and

transmitting, by the MME, a failure access response if the UE is not permitted to have access when the target cell comprises the CSG cell.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, an access request to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request, when the target cell comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell; and

transmitting, by the MME, an access response to the source BS, wherein the access response comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration request to the UE;

transmitting, by the UE, an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the target BS;

transmitting, by the target BS, a path switching request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME), wherein the path switching request message comprises an access mode and a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the target cell;

transmitting, by the MME, a path switching response message to the target BS, wherein the path switching response message comprises a group member state indication of the UE; and

transmitting, by the target BS, a UE context release message to the source BS.

14. An apparatus for a Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting an X2 interface setup request to a second BS, wherein the X2 interface setup request comprises an access mode of a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) supported by a cell in the first BS, and for receiving an X2 interface response message from the second BS, wherein the X2 interface response message comprises the access mode of the CSG supported by the cell in the second BS; and

a storage unit for storing the access mode of the CSG supported by the cell on the second BS.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the X2 interface setup request comprises a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the cell on the first BS.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the X2 interface response message comprises a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the cell on the second BS.

17. An apparatus for a Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for determining whether to permit a handover of a User Equipment (UE) based on an access mode of a target BS;

a communication unit for transmitting a handover request to the target BS, wherein the handover request comprises a group member state indication of the UE, and for receiving a handover response from the target BS.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a modem for receiving a measurement report transmitted by the UE, wherein the measurement report comprises an identifier of the target BS.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communication unit transmits an access request to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request, and receives an access response from the MME,

wherein the access response comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access, or, the access response comprises an indication that the UE is permitted to have access and a group member state indication of whether the UE is associated with a Hybrid cell.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the handover request comprises the group member state indication of the UE when the target cell comprises a Hybrid cell.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the access response comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access when the target cell comprises the Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the access response comprises, access when the target cell comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell, a success response if the UE is permitted to have access and a failure access response if the UE is not permitted to have access.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the communication unit transmits, before transmitting the handover request, an access request to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) when the target cell comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell, and receives an access response from the MME, wherein the access response comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

24. An apparatus for a Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for receiving a handover request comprising a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) IDentifier (ID) supported by a target cell which is reported from a User Equipment (UE); and

a controller for determining whether the CSG ID included in the handover request is consistent with the CSG ID supported by the target cell before transmitting an access request,

wherein the communication unit transmits the access request to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) when CSG IDs are consistent, and transmits a handover failure message to a source BS when the CSG IDs are not consistent.