Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating communication handovers in a bluetooth-public-access radio communication system

• US 6,675,015 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Frank, Matthias, Martini, Peter, Göpffarth, Rolf, Hansmann, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US09/396,691
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41, 455/436, 455/437, 455/466, 455/525, 455/561, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/03 Reselecting a link using a direct mode connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/035 in self-organising networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Apparatus, and an associated method, for facilitating handover of communication in a BLUEPAC (Bluetooth public access) or other radio communication system. Address and timing information associated with potential target base stations is collected and broadcast to mobile devices during operation of the radio communication system. The information is utilized by the mobile device during handover procedures to facilitate efficient handover of communications to a selected target base. In a further implementation, a base station is provided with separate, dedicated transmitters in which a first set of dedicated transmitters is dedicated for setup operations with a mobile device during handover operation and another set of dedicated transmitters is dedicated for regular data communications.

Claims

1. A radio communication system having network infrastructure including a first base station and at least a second base station, the first base station defining a first coverage area and the second base station defining a second coverage area, each of the first and at least second base stations respectively, selectably operable to communicate with a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is positioned in a corresponding one of the first coverage area and the second coverage area, the radio communication system comprising apparatus for facilitating handover of communications between the first and second base stations when the mobile terminal moves between the first and second coverage areas, respectively, said apparatus comprising:

an information collector forming part of the network infrastructure and embodied at the first base station, said information collector suitable for collecting information associated with the second base station, the information collected directly from the second base station during operation of the radio communication system, the information associated with the second base station usable by the mobile terminal during effectuation of the handover of communication; and

a collected-information signal generator also forming part of the network infrastructure, embodied at the first base station and coupled to receive the information collected by said information collector directly from the second base station, said collected-information signal generator suitable for generating and broadcasting a collected-information signal to the mobile terminal to be detectable by the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is positioned within the first coverage area, prior to initiation of effectuation of handover of communications, the information contained in the collected-information signal used by the mobile terminal to pre-synchronize the mobile terminal with the second base station, thereby to facilitate subsequent effectuation of handover of communications between the first base station and the second base station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mobile terminal comprises a Bluetooth device capable of communicating Bluetooth signals, wherein the first and at least second base stations comprise stationary Bluetooth devices and wherein the collected-information signal generated by said collected-information signal generator comprises a Bluetooth signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information collected by said information collector comprises an address which identifies the second base station.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information collected by said information collector comprises a clock offset value of the second base station, the clock offset value comprising timing information of a clock.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information associated with the second base station collected by said information collector comprises information required of the mobile terminal to effectuate handover of communications between the first base station and the second base station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least the second base station comprises the second base station and at least a third base station and wherein said information collector is further suitable for collecting information associated with the at least the third base station.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the collected-information signal generated by said collected-information signal generator further comprises the information associated with the at least the third base station.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and at least second base stations each comprise Bluetooth devices and wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a first Bluetooth transmitter forming a setup connector capable of performing connection setup operations with the mobile terminal; and

at least one additional Bluetooth transmitter to which the mobile terminal is redirected subsequent to connection setup operations, said at least one additional Bluetooth transmitter suitable for performing regular data transmissions with the mobile terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the radio communication system comprises a multi-user communication system having a plurality of mobile terminals and wherein said at least one additional Bluetooth transmitter comprises a plurality of additional Bluetooth transmitters.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first Bluetooth transmitter suitable for redirecting a selected mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals to a selected one of said plurality of additional Bluetooth transmitters.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the connection setup operations performed by said first Bluetooth transmitter which forms the setup connector comprises page scans.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the connection setup operations performed by said first Bluetooth transmitter comprise inquiry scans.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first Bluetooth transmitter is further suitable for detecting a page generated by the mobile terminal and, responsive thereto, and is further suitable for determining to which of said at least one additional Bluetooth transmitter to which the regular data transmissions with the mobile terminal are to be performed.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first Bluetooth transmitter is further suitable for informing a selected one of the at least one additional Bluetooth transmitter to which the regular data transmissions are determined to be redirected, and wherein, responsive thereto, the selected one is suitable for paging by the mobile terminal.

15. The radio communication system of claim 1 further characterized by further apparatus, said further apparatus comprising:

a collected-information signal detector formed at the mobile terminal arid coupled to detect a collected-information signal generated by a selected one of the first base station and the second base station, the collected-infornation signal containing information associated with an other-than-selected one of the first base station and the second base station; and

a storage device also formed at the mobileterminal and coupled to said collected-information signal detector, said storage device suitable for storing values representative of the collected-information signals, the values retrievable and used during subsequent handover procedures.

16. A method for communicating in a radio communication system having network infrastructure including a first base station and at least a second base station, the first base station defining a first coverage area and the second base station defining a second coverage area, each of the first and at least second base stations respectively, selectably operable to communicate with a mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is positioned in a corresponding one of the first coverage area and the second coverage area, the method characterized by a method for facilitating handover of communications between the first and second base stations when the mobile terminal moves between the first and second coverage areas, respectively, said method comprising:

collecting information at the first base station, the information associated with the second base station and collected directly from the second base station during operation of the radio communication system, the information usable by the mobile terminal during effectuation of the handover of communications;

generating a collected-information signal which contains information to be used by the mobile terminal to effectuate handover of communications between the first base station and the second base station; and

broadcasting the collected-information signal to the mobile terminal.