Handoff method for a communication system of a train

• US 7,096,000 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yano, Yukiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US10/874,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20040266444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 455/99, 455/33.2, 455/345, 455/446, 455/447, 455/454, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 455/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

In a mobile communication system, even when cells formed by fixed radio base stations are separated from each other, the switching operation between the cells is easily carried out to conduct continuous communication. A first-end radio device mounted in a first-end section of a mobile unit and linked with one of fixed radio base stations or a last-end radio device mounted in a last-end section of a mobile unit and linked with one of fixed radio base stations is selected. A communication network is established between the first-end or last-end radio device thus selected and a plurality of mobile terminals in the mobile unit. This makes it possible to construct a communicable zone (a virtual cell) on the mobile unit and hence elongates the ranges of cells formed by the base stations.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a plurality of fixed radio base stations each of which configures a predetermined wave arrival range and establishes a linked state with a radio device within the wave arrival range to conduct radio communication with the radio device; and

a mobile unit with at least two modules of the radio devices mounted at positions of the mobile unit to be in a wave arrival range of any one of the base stations, the unit including communication controller for controlling the radio devices on the mobile unit, wherein;

the base stations are disposed at positions at which the base stations form wave arrival ranges not overlapping with each other;

the communication controller includes a radio device connecter for establishing a communication network between a plurality of mobile terminals in the mobile unit and at least one radio device selected from a first-end radio device mounted in a first-end section of the mobile unit is linked in a linked state with one of the base stations and a last-end radio device mounted in a last-end section of the mobile unit is linked in a linked state with one of the base stations; and

the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals at occurrence of an event in which once the linked state of the first-end radio device with a first fixed radio base station is released and then a linked state of the first-end radio device with a second fixed radio base station is established, and

establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals at occurrence of an event in which once the linked state of the last-end radio device with the first fixed radio base station is released and then a linked state of the last-end radio device with the second fixed radio base station is established.

2. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the communication controller includes a radio wave controller for comparing a value of a radio wave level received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith with a value of a radio wave level received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith; and

the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

3. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the radio wave controller compares, when a radio wave received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith is transmitted from the first-end radio device or when a radio wave received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith is transmitted from the last-end radio device, values of radio wave levels of the radio waves with each other, and establishes a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

4. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 2, wherein:

the first-end radio device measures therein a value of a level of a radio wave received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith;

the last-end radio device measures therein a value of a level of a radio wave received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith; and

the radio wave controller compares, when the values resultant from measurement by the respective radio devices are transmitted therefrom, the values with each other and then establishes a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

5. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the communication controller includes;

a positional information measuring part for measuring a central position of the mobile unit while the mobile unit is moving;

a positional information storage storing installation positions respectively of the fixed radio base stations; and

a positional information retrieval part for retrieving from the positional information storage an installation position of one of the base stations according to the central position of the mobile unit measured by the positional information measuring part, the installation position being most associated with the central position; and

the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals when it is determined that the installation position of the base station retrieved by the positional information retrieval part is at a forward position of the mobile unit, and

establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals when it is determined that the installation position of the base station retrieved by the positional information retrieval part is at a backward position of the mobile unit.

6. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the communication controller includes a passage time calculating part for obtaining a period of incoming time from when the first-end radio device enters a radio wave arrival range formed by the base station associated therewith to when a central radio device disposed at a central position of the mobile unit enters the radio wave arrival range and a period of outgoing time from when the first-end radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range formed by the base station to when the central radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range; and

the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals by predicting, on the basis of the period of incoming time obtained by the passage time calculating part, a period of time from when the central radio device enters the radio wave arrival range to when the last-end radio device enters the radio wave arrival range, and

establishes a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals by predicting, on the basis of the period of outgoing time obtained by the passage time calculating part, a period of time from when the central radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range to when the last-end radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range.

7. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals and a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals when the last-end radio device is in the linked state with the first base station and the last-end radio device is in the linked state with the second base station.

8. A mobile communication system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the communication controller includes communication data distributor for making, when the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals and a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals, a check to determine whether data is transmitted to the first-end radio device or the last-end radio device and sends a data packet to the first-end or last-end radio device determined as a result of the check.

9. A communication control method for use with a mobile communication system comprising a plurality of fixed radio base stations each of which configures a predetermined wave arrival range and establishes a linked state with a radio device within the wave arrival range to conduct radio communication with the radio device and a mobile unit with at least two modules of the radio devices mounted at positions of the mobile unit to be in a wave arrival range of any one of the base stations, the unit including communication controller for controlling the radio devices on the mobile unit, the communication controller including radio device connecter for establishing a communication network between a plurality of mobile terminals in the mobile unit and at least one radio device selected from a first-end radio device mounted in a first-end section of the mobile unit is linked in a linked state with one of the base stations and a last-end radio device mounted in a last-end section of the mobile unit is linked in a linked state with one of the base stations, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting by the radio device connecter, when the radio device connecter senses occurrence of an event in which once the linked state of the first-end radio device with a first fixed radio base station is released and then a linked state of the first-end radio device with a second fixed radio base station is established, the first-end radio device and establishing a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals; and

selecting by the radio device connecter, when the radio device connecter senses occurrence of an event in which once the linked state of the last-end radio device with the first fixed radio base station is released and then a linked state of the last-end radio device with the second fixed radio base station is established, the last-end radio device and establishing a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals.

10. A communication control method in accordance with claim 9, the communication controller further including radio wave controller for comparing a value of a radio wave level received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith with a value of a radio wave level received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith, the method further comprising the steps of:

comparing by the radio wave controller a value of a radio wave level received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith with a value of a radio wave level received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith; and

establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

11. A communication control method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

comparing by the radio wave controller, when a radio wave received by the first-end radio device from the base station associated therewith is transmitted from the first-end radio device or when a radio wave received by the last-end radio device from the base station associated therewith is transmitted from the last-end radio device, values of radio wave levels of the radio waves with each other; and

establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

12. A communication control method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

measuring by the first-end radio device a value of a level of a radio wave received from the base station associated therewith and transmitting the value to the radio wave controller;

measuring by the last-end radio device a value of a level of a radio wave received from the base station associated therewith and transmitting the value to the radio wave controller;

comparing by the radio wave controller, when the values resultant from measurement by the respective radio devices are transmitted therefrom, the values with each other; and

establishing the radio device connecter a communication network between the mobile terminals in the mobile unit and one of the radio devices having a higher value of the radio wave level determined as a result of the comparison by the radio wave controller.

13. A communication control method in accordance with claim 9, the communication controller further including a positional information measuring part measuring a central position of the mobile unit while the mobile unit is moving, a positional information storage storing installation positions respectively of the fixed radio base stations, and a positional information retrieval part for retrieving from the positional information storage an installation position of one of the base stations according to the central position of the mobile unit measured by the positional information measuring part, the installation position being most associated with the central position, the method further comprising the steps of:

measuring by the positional information measuring part a central position of the mobile unit while the mobile unit is moving, and transmitting the central position to the positional information retrieval part;

retrieving, by the positional information retrieval part, from the positional information storage an installation position of one of the base stations according to the central position of the mobile unit measured by the positional information measuring part, the installation position being most associated with the central position, and delivering the installation position to the radio device connecter; and

establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals when it is determined that the installation position of the base station retrieved by the positional information retrieval part is at a forward position of the mobile unit, and

establishing a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals when it is determined that the installation position of the base station retrieved by the positional information retrieval part is at a backward position of the mobile unit.

14. A communication control method in accordance with claim 9, the communication controller further including a passage time calculator for obtaining a period of incoming time from when the first-end radio device enters a radio wave arrival range formed by the base station associated therewith to when a central radio device disposed at a central position of the mobile unit enters the radio wave arrival range and a period of outgoing time from when the first-end radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range formed by the base station to when the central radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range, the method further comprising the steps of:

obtaining by the passage time calculator the period of incoming time from when the first-end radio device enters a radio wave arrival range formed by the base station associated therewith to when a central radio device disposed at a central position of the mobile unit enters the radio wave arrival range, and transmitting the period of incoming time to the radio device connecter;

establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals by predicting, on the basis of the period of incoming time obtained by the passage time calculator, a period of time from when the central radio device enters the radio wave arrival range to when the last-end radio device enters the radio wave arrival range;

obtaining by the passage time calculator the period of outgoing time from when the first-end radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range formed by the base station to when the central radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range, and transmitting the period of outgoing time to the radio device connecter; and

establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals by predicting, on the basis of the period of outgoing time obtained by the passage time calculator, a period of time from when the central radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range to when the last-end radio device leaves the radio wave arrival range.

15. A communication control method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising the step of establishing by the radio device connecter a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals and a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals when the last-end radio device is in the linked state with the first base station and the last-end radio device is in the linked state with the second base station.

16. A communication control method in accordance with claim 15, the communication controller further including a communication data distributor for making a check to determine whether data is transmitted to the first-end radio device or the last-end radio device and sends a data packet to the first-end or last-end radio device determined as a result of the check, the method further comprising the steps of making a check by the communication data distributor, when the radio device connecter establishes a communication network between the last-end radio device and the mobile terminals and a communication network between the first-end radio device and the mobile terminals, to determine whether data is transmitted to the first-end radio device or the last-end radio device and sending a data packet to the first-end or last-end radio device determined as a result of the check.