Mobile radio communication system

• US 6,370,377 B1
• Filed: 03/23/1999
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Tomisawa, Toshiaki, Take, Keijiro, Itou, Shuuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/274,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/432, 455/434, 455/435, 455/561, 455/562, 455/11.1, 455/15, 455/16, 455/436, 455/437, 455/438, 455/550, 455/552, 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/445
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes

Abstract

A mobile radio communication system which does not need an omnidirectional channel for both a base station and a mobile station to track each other and uses only a narrow beam channel and can reduce a tracking time than before for an adjacent base station and a mobile station to search each other while a visiting area base station and the mobile station are communicating in the overlapped area. The base station and the mobile station comprise a unit for transmitting and receiving in forward or reverse channel, in different frequency, in different tracking channel using a narrow beam. Both the mobile station and the visiting area base station search the location each other, and after searched, they assign the frequency and the beam used in the tracking channel. At the same time, by comprising a searching slot in an information channel to search an adjacent base station while communicating with the visiting area base station, a tracking of other adjacent base station can be performed.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a mobile station;

at least one base station covering an area into which said mobile station enters;

said at least one base station having a controller for transmitting a narrow forward tracking beam in a tracking channel at a certain frequency and for varying the direction of said forward tracking beam;

said mobile station having a controller for varying the direction of reception for receiving said forward tracking beam, for transmitting a narrow reverse tracking beam in said tracking channel and for varying the direction of said reverse tracking beam;

wherein upon completion of a tracking process in which said mobile station and said at least one base station track each other'"'"'s position relative to each other using said narrow tracking beams, said mobile station and said at least one base station switch to an information channel using the same frequency and direction as said tracking channel.

2. A mobile communication system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an adjacent base station covering an area adjacent to the area covered by said at least one base station, including a controller for transmitting a narrow forward tracking beam;

wherein

said mobile station is adapted to track said adjacent base station by receiving said narrow forward tracking beam of said adjacent base station during communication with said at least one base station.

3. A mobile communication system as set forth in claim 2, wherein a searching slot is provided in said information channel used by said at least one base station and said mobile station, and wherein said mobile station searches for said adjacent base station using said searching slot during communication with said at least one base station.

4. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a mobile station;

at least one base station covering an area into which said mobile station enters;

an adjacent base station covering an area adjacent to the area covered by said at least one base station;

said at least one base station and said adjacent base station having a controller for transmitting a narrow forward tracking beam in a tracking channel at a certain frequency and for varying the direction of said forward tracking beam;

said mobile station having a controller for varying the direction of reception for receiving the forward tracking beam from each of said base station, for transmitting to said at least one base station a narrow reverse tracking beam in said tracking channel and for varying the direction of said reverse tracking beam;

wherein during communication between said at least one base station and said mobile station over an information channel, said mobile station receives over a tracking channel in a searching slot of said information channel a base station identifier transmitted by said adjacent base station, and said mobile station transmits to said at least one base station control information including position information of said mobile station, a mobile station identifier, and said base station identifier of said adjacent base station, and said at least one base station transmits said control information to said adjacent base station through said controller.

5. A mobile communication system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said at least one base station includes a timer which starts counting down a predefined period of time upon receipt by said at least one base station of said position information from said mobile station, and said at least one base station releases said tracking channel upon expiration of said predefined period of time as determined by said timer and uses the released tracking channel to search for other mobile stations within said covered area.