Mobile communication system

• US 6,014,566 A
• Filed: 05/13/1997
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Owada, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fuller, Greta J.
• Application Number:
  US08/856,615
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 455/441, 455/444, 455/448, 455/436, 455/552, 455/449, 455/443, 455/524, 455/525, 455/439, 455/437, 455/432, 455/422, 455/513
• US Class Current: 455/444
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures

Abstract

A mobile communication system includes mobile terminals, radio base stations belonging to low- and high-speed mobile communication systems, and a mobile subscriber connecting apparatus to which the radio base stations are connected. The system uses both a first communication mode including the low-speed mobile communication system and a micro-cell zone and a second communication mode including the high-speed mobile communication system and a macro-cell zone. Each terminal includes a system mode selecting section for selecting the first or second communication modes constituting a system selection mode, and a terminating call responding section for transmitting, to the radio base station belonging to the low-speed mobile communication system, a terminating call response signal to which movement state information indicating that the mobile terminal is moving at a high speed is added, in response to a received call signal, when the system selection mode is set to the first communication mode, and the mobile terminal is moving at a high speed. The connecting apparatus includes a notifying section for notifying an originating subscriber that the terminal is moving at a high speed, upon reception of a terminating call response signal having movement state information added thereto through the radio base station.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of mobile terminals, a plurality of radio base stations belonging to low- and high-speed mobile communication systems and serving to perform radio communication with said mobile terminals, and a mobile subscriber connecting apparatus to which said radio base stations are connected, said mobile communication system using both a first communication mode including said low-speed mobile communication system and a micro-cell zone and a second communication mode including said high-speed mobile communication system and a macro-cell zone,

said mobile terminal including

first mode selecting means for selecting and setting one of the first and second communication modes constituting a system selection mode,

communication control means for performing position registration and an originating/terminating operation of said terminal in the communication mode selected by said first mode selecting means,

second mode selecting means for selecting one of a narrow-area calling mode of receiving a call in a narrow calling area constituted by at least one of said radio ports belonging to said high-speed mobile communication system or said low-speed mobile communication system, and a wide-area calling mode of receiving a call in a plurality of narrow calling areas,

first transmitting means for, when the calling mode is selected by said second mode selecting means, transmitting a calling mode registration signal to said radio port belonging to said currently selected mobile communication system,

second transmitting means for, when position registration is to be performed by said communication control means, adding the calling mode selected by said second mode selecting means to a position registration request signal, and transmitting the signal to said radio port belonging to said currently selected mobile communication system,

third mode selecting means for, when the system selection mode set to the first communication mode, selecting an ON/OFF state of a movement state notification mode of notifying a movement state with respect to a call signal while said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, and

terminating call responding means for transmitting, to said radio port belonging to said low-speed mobile communication system, a terminating call response signal to which movement state information indicating that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, in response to a received call signal, when the system selection mode is set to the first communication mode, said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, and the movement state notification mode is set in the ON state, and

said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus including

notifying means for notifying an originating subscriber that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, upon reception of a terminating call response signal having movement state information added thereto through said radio base station.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a mobile subscriber information storage unit connected to said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus and serving to store and update subscriber information, position information, movement mode information, and terminating mode information of said mobile terminal.

3. A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of mobile terminals, a plurality of radio base stations belonging to low- and high-speed mobile communication systems and serving to perform radio communication with said mobile terminals, a mobile subscriber connecting apparatus to which said radio ports are connected, and a mobile subscriber information storage unit connected to said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus and serving to store and update subscriber information, position information, movement mode information, and terminating mode information of said mobile terminal, said mobile communication system using both a first communication mode including said low-speed mobile communication system and a micro-cell zone and a second communication mode including said high-speed mobile communication system and a macro-cell zone,

said mobile terminal including

determining means for detecting a moving speed of said terminal, and determining on the basis of a predetermined reference speed that the detected speed is one of high and low speeds,

first mode selecting means for selecting and setting one of the first and second communication modes constituting a systems selection mode,

communication control means for performing position registration and an originating/terminating operation of said terminal in the communication mode selected by said first mode selecting means,

second mode selecting means for selecting one of a narrow-area calling mode of receiving a call in a narrow calling area constituted by at least one of said radio ports belonging to said high-speed mobile communication system or said low-speed mobile communication system, and a wide-area calling mode of receiving a call in a plurality of narrow calling areas,

first transmitting means for, when the calling mode is selected by said second mode selecting means, transmitting a calling mode registration signal to said radio port belonging to said currently selected mobile communication system,

second transmitting means for, when position registration is to be performed by said communication control means, adding the calling mode selected by said second mode selecting means to a position registration request signal, and transmitting the signal to said radio port belonging to said currently selected mobile communication system,

third mode selecting means for, when the system selection mode is set to the first communication mode, selecting an ON/OFF state of a movement state notification mode of notifying a movement state with respect to a call signal while said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, and

terminating call responding means for transmitting, to said radio port belonging to said low-speed mobile communication system, a terminating call response signal to which movement state information indicating that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, in response to a received call signal, when the system selection mode is set to the first communication mode, said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, and the movement state notification mode is set in the ON state, and

said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus including

updating means for determining the system selection mode and the calling mode of said mobile terminal, and updating position information, system selection mode information, and calling mode information of said mobile terminal, which are stored in said mobile subscriber information storage unit, on the basis of a position registration request signal having calling mode information added thereto from said mobile terminal, and said radio port which has relayed the position registration request signal, and for, when a calling mode registration signal is received from said mobile terminal, updating calling mode information of said mobile terminal which is stored in said mobile subscriber information storage unit,

calling means for, when a terminating signal for said mobile terminal is received, reading out the position information, system selection mode information, and calling mode information of said mobile terminal from said mobile subscriber information storage unit and analyzing the position information, system selection mode information, and calling mode information, and transmitting a call signal to said radio port belonging to said selected mobile communication system and corresponding to the narrow calling area if the calling mode is the narrow-area calling mode, and transmitting a call signal to said radio port belonging to said selected mobile communication system and corresponding to the wide calling area if the calling mode is the wide-area calling mode, and

notifying means for, when a terminating call response signal is received from said mobile terminal, analyzing movement state information added to the terminating call response signal, and when the movement state information indicates that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, notifying an originating subscriber that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal comprises display means for, when the system selection mode is set to the second communication mode, and it is determined that said terminal is moving at a low speed, displaying information indicating that the system selection mode can be switched to the first communication mode, and for, when the system selection mode is set to the first communication mode, and it is determined that said mobile terminal is moving at a high speed, displaying, by using at least auditory or visual means, information indicating that the system selection mode can be switched to the second communication mode.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal comprises fourth mode selecting means for, when it is detected that a moving speed of said terminal has changed from a low speed to a high speed or from a high speed to a low speed, selecting an ON/OFF state of an automatic system switching mode of automatically switching the system selection mode to the second communication mode, if said terminal is moving at a high speed, or switching the system selection mode to the first communication mode, if said terminal is moving at a low speed, and transmitting a position registration request signal to said radio port belonging to said mobile communication system after switching of the mode, and

when the automatic system switching mode is set in the ON state by said fourth selecting means, a system switching operation and a position registering operation are automatically performed.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal comprises display means for, when the calling mode is set to the narrow-area calling mode, and it is determined that said terminal is moving at a high speed, displaying information indicating that the calling mode can be switched to the wide-area calling mode, and for, when the calling mode is set to the wide-area calling mode, and it is determined that said terminal is moving at a low speed, displaying information indicating that the calling mode can be switched to the narrow-area calling mode.

7. A system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal comprises fourth selecting means for selecting an ON/OFF state of an automatic calling switching mode of automatically switching the calling mode to the wide-area calling mode, when it is detected that the moving speed of said terminal has changed from a low speed to a high speed, and transmitting, to said radio port belonging to said mobile communication system selected by the system selection mode, a calling mode registration signal indicating that the calling mode is switched to the wide-area calling mode, and automatically switching the calling mode to the narrow-area calling mode, when it is determined that the moving speed of said terminal has changed from a high speed to a low speed, and transmitting, to said radio port belonging to said mobile communication system selected by the system selection mode, a calling mode registration signal indicating that the calling mode is switched to the narrow-area calling mode, and

when the automatic calling switching mode is set in the ON state by said fourth selecting means, a calling mode switching operation and a calling mode registering operation are automatically performed.

8. A system according to claim 3, wherein said mobile terminal comprises

first display means for displaying an originating subscriber number added to a received call signal when said terminal is moving at a high speed, and the movement state notification mode is set in the ON state,

storage means for storing the displayed originating subscriber number, and

second display means for displaying information indicating reception of a terminating call during high-speed movement, and the stored originating subscriber number when the system selection mode is switched from the first communication mode to the second communication mode, and the moving speed of said mobile terminal falls in a range allowing low-speed mobile communication, and

said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus adds the originating subscriber number to the call signal addressed to said mobile terminal.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said mobile terminal comprises fourth mode selecting means for selecting an ON/OFF state of an automatic calling mode of automatically generating an originating call for a stored originating subscriber number when the system selection mode is switched from the first communication mode to the second communication mode, and it is detected that the moving speed of said mobile terminal falls in a range allowing low-speed mobile communication, and

when the automatic calling mode is set in the ON state by said fourth selecting means, an originating call is automatically generated for a stored originating subscriber number.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said mobile terminal comprises decrypting means for decrypting an original originating subscriber number when the originating subscriber number added to a received call signal is encrypted according to a predetermined rule, and

said mobile subscriber connecting apparatus encrypts the originating subscriber number according to a predetermined rule and adding the encrypted number to a call signal addressed to said mobile terminal.