Radio base station synchronizing responsive to conditions being met

• US 7,376,120 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Hybrid Network Co., Ltd., Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyawaki, Katsushi, Takahashi, Yuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Gutierrez; Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US10/927,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20050096033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 370/350, 370/342, 370/347, 370/337, 370/321, 370/346, 370/331, 370/324, 370/398.62, 370/503, 370/507, 370/509, 370/510, 455/436
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2687 Inter base stations synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

In the case of radio base stations of different kinds, a synchronization in a radio section cannot be established so that the efficiently effective use of electric waves cannot be retained. According to the invention, therefore, there is provided a TDMA type mobile communication system 100 comprising: a plurality of radio base stations of different system kinds (i.e., a general type radio base station 1, an IP connection type radio base station 10 and a main digital cordless phone 2); mobile phones 5A and 5B wirelessly connected with the plural radio base stations; and a private branch exchange 4 wired with the radio base stations. The radio base station receives, when a synchronized operation mode is decided, a frame signal containing a control CH signal, from a reference radio base station (i.e., a reference station); and times the transmission of the frame signal of a local station to the transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal, thereby to establish a frame synchronization in a radio section between own station and the reference radio base station.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a plurality of radio base stations whose system types are different each other;

mobile phones wirelessly connected with the plurality of radio base stations; and

a private branch exchange wired with the plurality of radio base stations, wherein

an identical calling code is provided to each reference radio base station designated as belonging to a predetermined radio base station group, and a minimum additional ID is provided to said each reference radio base station designated as belonging to the predetermined radio base station group, where the minimum additional ID provided to said each reference radio base station is different from any other minimum additional ID provided to other reference radio base stations belonging to the predetermined radio base station group;

a given reference radio base station is adapted to receive a frame signal transmitted from another reference radio base station, where the frame signal contains radio synchronous conditions including the calling code of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, a reception threshold level which indicates a predetermined satisfactory reception level of the frame signal, and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal,

when the given reference radio base station receives the frame signal containing a control CH signal from the another reference radio base station, the given reference radio base station detects the calling code, the reception threshold level and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, on the basis of control information contained in the control CH signal of the frame signal, and determines the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal as a radio base station to be synchronized-to, if all three conditions of;

the calling codes of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal and the given reference radio base station are identical, the reception threshold level is equal to or more than a predetermined level, and the minimum additional ID level of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal is smaller than the minimum additional ID level of the given reference radio base station, are met, and responsive to the conditions being met, matches a transmission timing of the frame signal of the given reference radio base station with a transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal transmitted from the another reference radio base station, whereby a frame synchronization in a radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station is established.

2. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

when a present elapsed time meets or exceeds a predetermined elapse time in a case where a synchronous state cannot be established in the radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station, the given reference radio base station receives a new frame signal containing the control CH signal from the another reference radio base station again;

and matches the transmission timing of the frame signal of the given reference radio base station with a transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal if the conditions are met, whereby a frame synchronization in the radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station is established.

3. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein when the given reference radio base station detects initiation of an attempted synchronized operation mode setting, the given reference radio base station starts a preset period timer, and starts operation in a self operation mode to output electric waves of the frame signal at an arbitrary transmission timing of the given reference radio base station, in a case where the frame synchronization in the radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station cannot be established within a predetermined time period of the preset period timer.

4. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the given reference radio base station has operation modes including a self operation mode, in which electric waves of the frame signal are outputted at an arbitrary transmission timing of the given reference radio base station, and a synchronized operation mode, in which the electric waves of the frame signal of the given reference radio base station are outputted after the frame synchronization in the radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station was established; and

the private branch exchange can change a selected operation mode of each of the radio base stations to the self operation mode or the synchronized operation mode, in response to a predetermined operation.

5. A mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the mobile communication system has additional IDs added to each group of the radio base stations; and

after the frame synchronization was established in the radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station, the given reference radio base station controls start timing of a segregation control for determining the transmission position of the control CH signal of the given reference radio base station, so as to do not overlap with the transmission position of the control CH signal of the another reference radio base station, on the basis of a timer period resulting from accumulation of the less significant effective bit number of the additional ID of the given reference base radio station and the reference timer period.

6. A radio base station which communicates with a mobile phone, wherein

an identical calling code provided to all radio base stations designated as belonging to a predetermined radio base station group to which the radio base station belongs, is provided to the radio base station, and a minimum additional ID is provided to the radio base station, where the minimum additional ID provided to the reference radio base station is different from an other minimum additional ID provided to other reference radio base stations belonging to the predetermined radio base station group;

the radio base station is adapted to receive a frame signal transmitted from another reference radio base station, where the frame signal contains radio synchronous conditions including the calling code of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, a reception threshold level which indicates a predetermined satisfactory reception level of the frame signal, and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal,

when the radio base station receives the frame signal containing a control CH signal from the another reference radio base station, the radio base station detects the calling code, the reception threshold level and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, on the basis of control information contained in the control CH signal of the frame signal, and determines the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal as a radio base station to be synchronized-to, if all three conditions of;

the calling codes of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal and the radio base station are identical, the reception threshold level is equal to or more than a predetermined level, and the minimum additional ID level of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal is smaller than the minimum additional ID level of the radio base station, are met, and responsive to the conditions being met, matches a transmission timing of the frame signal of the radio base station with a transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal transmitted from the another reference radio base station, whereby a frame synchronization in a radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station is established.

7. A radio base station according to claim 6, wherein

when a present elapsed time meets or exceeds a predetermined elapse time in a case where a synchronous state cannot be established in the radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station, the radio base station receives a new frame signal containing the control CH signal from the another reference radio base station again;

and matches the transmission timing of the frame signal of the radio base station with a transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal if the conditions are met, whereby a frame synchronization in the radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station is established.

8. A radio base station according to claim 6, wherein

wherein when the radio base station detects initiation of an attempted synchronized operation mode setting, the radio base station starts a preset period timer, and starts operation in a self operation mode to output electric waves of the frame signal at an arbitrary transmission timing of the radio base station, in a case where the frame synchronization in the radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station cannot be established within a predetermined time period of the preset period timer.

9. A radio base station according to claim 6, wherein

the radio base station has operation modes including a self operation mode, in which electric waves of the frame signal are outputted at an arbitrary transmission timing of the radio base station, and a synchronized operation mode, in which the electric waves of the frame signal of the radio base station are outputted after the frame synchronization in the radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station was established.

10. A radio base station according to claim 6, wherein:

the mobile communication system has additional IDs added to each group of the radio base stations; and

after the frame synchronization was established in the radio section between the radio base station and the another reference radio base station, the radio base station controls start timing of a segregation control for determining the transmission position of the control CH signal of the radio base station, so as to do not overlap with the transmission position of the control CH signal of the another reference radio base station, on the basis of a timer period resulting from accumulation of the less significant effective bit number of the additional ID of the base radio station and the reference timer period.

11. A frame synchronization establishing method for a mobile communication system comprising:

a plurality of radio base stations whose system types are different each other;

mobile phones wirelessly connected with the plurality of radio base stations; and

a private branch exchange wired with the plurality of radio base stations, wherein

an identical calling code is provided to each reference radio base station designated as belonging to a predetermined radio base station group, and a minimum additional ID is provided to said each reference radio base station designated as belonging to the predetermined radio base station group, where the minimum additional ID provided to said each reference radio base station is different from any other minimum additional ID provided to other reference radio base stations belonging to the predetermined radio base station group;

the method comprising;

receiving a frame signal transmitted from another reference radio base station at a given reference radio base station, where the frame signal contains radio synchronous conditions including the calling code of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, a reception threshold level which indicates a predetermined satisfactory reception level of the frame signal, and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal,

detecting, when the given reference radio base station receives the frame signal containing a control CH signal from the another reference radio base station, the calling code, the reception threshold level and the minimum additional ID of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal, on the basis of control information contained in the control CH signal of the frame signal, and determining the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal as a radio base station to be synchronized-to, if all three conditions of;

the calling codes of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal and the given reference radio base station are identical, the reception threshold level is equal to or more than a predetermined level, and the minimum additional ID level of the another reference radio base station which transmitted the frame signal is smaller than the minimum additional ID level of the given reference radio base station, are met, and responsive to the conditions being met, matching a transmission timing of the frame signal of the given reference radio base station with a transmission position of the control CH signal in the frame signal transmitted from the another reference radio base station, whereby a frame synchronization in a radio section between the given reference radio base station and the another reference radio base station is established.