Wireless communication system, server and mobile station therefor

• US 7,610,049 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2004
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Communication Technologies, Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller; Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US10/883,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20050119001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 455/439, 455436-437, 455/440, 455/448, 455/434, 455/435.2, 455/435.1, 455/442, 455/67.11, 455/41.2, 370/225, 370/349, 370/313, 370/338, 370/331, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

This invention provides a wireless communication system wherein a network to which a mobile station should be handed over can be selected, using parametric data collected from network components other than the mobile station. Time taken for a handover between different types of network systems is reduced. The wireless communication system of the present invention comprises a mobile station equipped with multiple wireless interfaces, a server connected to a fixed network, and multiple access points. The mobile station determines available wireless interfaces and sends notification of the available interfaces'"'"' identifiers to the server. The server collects managerial data from network components and selects a wireless interface, based on the notification from the mobile station and the managerial data. The mobile station registers its locations in visiting networks corresponding to multiple available wireless interfaces with the server. The server retains the registrations of mobile station locations for the above wireless interfaces.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising a mobile station which includes a plurality of wireless interfaces, a server connected to a network, and a plurality of access points each of which is connected to said network and communicates with said mobile station via one of the plurality of wireless interfaces,

wherein the plurality of wireless interfaces of the mobile station perform communication conforming to at least two different wireless communication standards,

wherein said mobile station comprises a control unit which determines available foreign wireless interfaces which are accommodated by each of said access points and differ from the wireless interfaces of said mobile station,

wherein said mobile station sends notification of the available foreign interfaces'"'"' identifiers to said server via one of said plurality of wireless interfaces thereof;

and

wherein said server comprises a control unit which collects managerial data measured at said plurality of access points and selects a foreign wireless interface based on said notification from said mobile station and said managerial data, and a communication unit which sends notification of the selected foreign wireless interface'"'"'s identifier to said mobile station,

the notification comprises the identifiers and communication conditions of the available foreign wireless interfaces, and said server includes means for selecting a foreign wireless interface operating at the highest data rate from said available foreign wireless interfaces as an in-service wireless interface,

said mobile station transmits a handover request message to said server to execute a handover from one of the plurality of access points which accommodates the mobile station using one of the foreign wireless interfaces to another one of the plurality of access points which corresponds to the target of the handover using the foreign wireless interface selected by the server,

said control unit of said server controls packet transmission path routing, based on said handover request message from said mobile station, and

wherein the managerial data comprises radio conditions of the wireless interfaces accommodated by the access points, packet discard ratios, packet error counts, a number of packets received at the access points, and an amount of data received per unit.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the mobile station registers its locations in visiting networks corresponding to said plurality of available foreign wireless interfaces with said server and transmits a handover request message to said server to execute a handover to another one of the foreign wireless interfaces, and

wherein said server includes means for retaining the registrations of the mobile station locations for said plurality of available foreign wireless interfaces and controls transmission path routing to forward packets to one of the available foreign wireless interfaces, based on said handover request message.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein said registrations of the mobile station locations are Mobile IP compliant registrations of the locations.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile station sends notification of either the authenticated status or the type of authentication for each of the foreign wireless interfaces to said server and the control unit of said server selects a foreign wireless interface to be used for communication, based on either the authenticated status or the type of authentication for each of the foreign wireless interfaces.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit of said server preferentially selects an authenticated foreign wireless interface rather than an unauthenticated foreign wireless interface or preferentially selects a foreign wireless interface that needs a short time for authentication rather than a foreign wireless interface that needs a long time for authentication.

6. A server in a wireless communication system, said server comprising:

a communication unit which receives from a mobile station notification of identifiers of available foreign wireless interfaces, which are accommodated by each of a plurality of access points and differ from a wireless interface of said mobile station; and

a control unit which collects managerial data measured at said plurality of access points and selects a foreign wireless interface based on said notification and said managerial data,

wherein the notification comprises the identifiers and communication conditions of the available foreign wireless interfaces notified from said mobile station, and said server includes means for selecting a wireless interface operating at the highest data rate from said available foreign wireless interfaces as an in-service wireless interface,

wherein said communication unit sends notification of the selected foreign wireless interface'"'"'s identifier to the mobile station,

wherein said communication unit receives a handover request message from said mobile station to execute a handover from one of the plurality of access points which accommodates the mobile station using one of the foreign wireless interfaces to another one of the plurality of access points which corresponds to the target of the handover using the foreign wireless interface selected by the server,

wherein said control unit controls packet transmission path routing, based on said-handover request message from the mobile station, and

wherein the managerial data comprises radio conditions of the wireless interfaces accommodated by the access points, packet discard ratios, packet error counts, a number of packets received at the access points, and an amount of data received per unit.

7. The server according to claim 6,

wherein said communication unit receives from said mobile station message of registrations of mobile station locations in visiting networks corresponding to plurality of available foreign wireless interfaces,

wherein said control unit has the registrations of the mobile station locations for said plurality of available foreign wireless interfaces retained on the server and controls transmission path routing to forward packets to one of the available foreign wireless interfaces, based on said handover request message.

8. The server according to claim 7, wherein said messages of mobile station location registration are Mobile IP compliant messages of mobile station location registration.

9. The server according to claim 6, wherein said communication unit receives from said mobile station notification including either the authenticated status or the type of authentication for each of the foreign wireless interfaces and a handover request message to execute a handover to another one of the foreign wireless interfaces, said control unit selects a foreign wireless interface to be used for communication, based on either the authenticated status or the type of authentication for each of the foreign wireless interfaces, said communication unit sends notification of the selected foreign wireless interface'"'"'s identifier to the mobile station, and said control unit controls packet transmission path routing, based on said handover request message from the mobile station.

10. The server according to claim 9, wherein said control unit preferentially selects an authenticated foreign wireless interface rather than an unauthenticated foreign wireless interface or preferentially selects a foreign wireless interface that needs a short time for authentication rather than a foreign wireless interface that needs a long time for authentication.

11. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a mobile station using a plurality of wireless interfaces;

a plurality of access points; and

a server, wherein the mobile station determines available interfaces'"'"' identifiers of the plurality of wireless interfaces, and sends the available interfaces'"'"' identifiers to an first access point which accommodates the mobile station,

the first access point sends the available interfaces'"'"' identifiers to the server,

the server collects managerial data measured at the plurality of access points, selects based on the managerial data one available interface'"'"'s identifier from available interfaces'"'"' identifiers sent from the first access point, and sends the selected available interface'"'"'s identifier to the first access point,

the first access point sends the selected available interface'"'"'s identifier to the mobile station,

the mobile station sends to the first access point a hand over request to hand over the mobile station from the first access point to a second access point based on the selected available interface'"'"'s identifier,

the first access point sends the hand over request to the server, and

the server changes a packet transmission path via the first access point to the packet transmission path via the second access point based on the handover request, and

wherein the managerial data comprises radio conditions of the wireless interfaces accommodated by the access points, packet discard ratios, packet error counts, a number of packets received at the access points, and an amount of data received per unit.

12. A wireless communication system according to claim 11, wherein the server looks up a quality of a communication channel at the first access point which accommodates the mobile stations by referring to the managerial data.