Mobile radio communication terminal device with base station searching function

• US 6,393,282 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iimori, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILORD, MARCEAU
• Application Number:
  US09/659,586
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/432, 455/440, 455/441, 455/442, 455/434, 455/412, 455/422, 455/574, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The history of handover destinations is stored in a handover history storage section. Each time handover is effected, the history of past five consecutive handover destinations including the present handover destination is determined on the basis of the handover history storage section. When any of the handover destinations has been stored in the handover history storage section, the mobile station recognizes its state to be in the steady state and otherwise to be in the moving state. On the basis of the result of the recognition, the mobile station selects a search algorithm suitable for each state and searches for a base station. This enables the best base station to be searched for according to the state of the mobile station, thereby reducing the power consumption in the wait state, which lengthens the battery service life.

Claims

1. A mobile radio communication terminal device for use in a cellular mobile radio communication system where base stations are distributed over a service area, the base stations form their respective radio areas, and a radio channel connects the mobile radio communication terminal device and a base station in each of the radio areas, comprising:

history information storage means for storing information relating to past handovers representing base stations connected to the mobile radio communication terminal device as handover history information;

update means for updating the handover history information stored in said history information storage means each time handover is performed; and

state determining means for determining whether the mobile radio communication terminal device is in a steady state or a moving state, on the basis of the handover history information stored in said history information storage means.

2. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein, each time handover is performed, said state determining means determines whether any of the base stations connected to the mobile station by a specific number of past successive handovers including the present handover became a destination base station connected to the mobile station in the past, on the basis of the handover history information stored in said history information storage means, and when determining that any of the base stations became the handover destination base station, recognizes the mobile radio communication terminal device to be in the steady state and, in contrast, when determining that at least one of the base station did not become the handover destination base station, recognizes its own mobile radio communication terminal device to be in the moving state.

3. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising base station searching means for selecting a search algorithm, depending on either the steady state or the moving state, according to the result of the determination by said state determining means and searches for a base station according to the selected search algorithm.

4. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 3, wherein said base station searching means, in the steady state, classifies a first number of base stations in the handover destination base stations stored in said history information storage means into a first search group and a second number of the other base stations larger than said first number into a second search group and that the first search group is given priority in search over the second search group.

5. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 4, wherein said base station searching means includes necessity determining means for determining whether handover is needed and that when the necessity determining means determines that handover is not needed, each base station belonging to said first search group and each base station belonging to said second search group are searched for alternately.

6. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 4, wherein said base station searching means includes necessity determining means for determining whether handover is needed and that when the necessity determining means determines that handover is needed, all the base stations belonging to the first search group are searched for and, when a suitable base station is not be found as the result of the search, each base station belonging to the second search group is searched for.

7. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 6, wherein, when a suitable base station is not be found as the handover destination as the result of the search of the first search group, said base station searching means causes said necessity determining means to determine again whether handover is needed and, only when the determination determines that handover is needed, searches the second search group.

8. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, when a suitable base station is not be found as the handover destination as the result of searching the first search group and the second search group, said base station searching means searches the first search group and the second search group repeatedly.

9. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 8, wherein said base station searching means counts the number of times the first search group and the second search group are searched repeatedly and, when the number of repetitions becomes a predetermined number of times, performs variable control of the determination conditions of said necessity determining means.

10. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 3, wherein said base station searching means, in the moving state, selects a third number of neighboring base stations closer in distance to the base station connected to the mobile radio communication terminal device, on the basis of a list of neighboring base stations reported from the connected base station classifies these neighboring base stations into a third search group and the other neighboring base stations in said list into a fourth search group, and gives priority in search to the third search group over the fourth search group.

11. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 10, wherein said base station searching means includes necessity determining means for determining whether handover is needed and that when the necessity determining means determines that handover is not needed, the third number of neighboring base stations belonging to said third search group and the fourth number of neighboring base stations smaller than said third number selected from said fourth search group are searched for alternately.

12. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 10, wherein said base station searching means includes necessity determining means for determining whether handover is needed and that when the necessity determining means determines that handover is needed, all the base stations belonging to the third search group are searched for and, when a suitable base station is not be found as the result of the search, each base station belonging to the fourth search group is searched for.

13. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 12, wherein, when a suitable base station is not be found as the handover destination as the result of the search of the first search group, said base station searching means causes said necessity determining means to determine again whether handover is needed and, only when the determination determines that handover is needed, searches one base station of the fourth search group.

14. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, when a suitable base station is not be found as the handover destination as the result of searching the third search group and the fourth search group, said base station searching means searches the third search group and the fourth search group repeatedly.

15. The mobile radio communication terminal device according to claim 14, wherein said base station searching means counts the number of times the third search group and the fourth search group are searched repeatedly and, when the number of repetitions becomes a predetermined number of times, performs variable control of the determination conditions of said necessity determining means.

16. A mobile communication terminal device for use in a cellular mobile radio communication system where base stations are distributed over a service area, the base stations form their respective radio areas, the mobile communication terminal device and a base station are connected by radio in each of the radio areas, comprising:

history information storage means for storing information relating to past handovers representing base stations connected to the mobile radio communication terminal device as handover history information;

means for updating the handover history information stored in said history information storage means each time handover is performed; and

base station search control means for controlling the operation of searching for said base stations on the basis of the handover history information stored in said history information storage means.

17. A mobile terminal, coupled through a radio channel to at least one base station, said mobile terminal comprising:

a memory that stores history information relating to handovers between the mobile terminal and at least one base station;

first logic that updates the handover history information stored in the memory each time handover is performed; and

second logic that determines whether the mobile terminal is in a steady state or a moving state, using the handover history information.

18. A communication system, comprising:

one or more base stations distributed over a service area; and

a mobile terminal, coupled through a radio channel to at least one of the base stations, said mobile terminal including

a memory that stores information relating to handovers between the mobile terminal and at least one base station,

first logic that updates the handover history information stored in the memory each time handover is performed, and

second logic that controls the operation of searching for the at least one base station using the handover history information.