Method of supporting media independent handover with resource management function in a mobile communication system

• US 7,710,924 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin, Kim, Yong-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US11/428,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 370/331, 370/338, 370/401, 370/469, 455/436, 455/442
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/005 involving radio access media independent information, e.g. MIH [Media independent Hand-off]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management

Abstract

A method of performing handover with at least one homogeneous and heterogeneous network is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes mobile station (MS) which establishes a heterogeneous network handover module for converging information from the at least one network interface module associated with the at least one of a homogeneous and heterogeneous network into a unified presentation; transmits to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network a handover request message to initiate handover from a serving network to a target network, wherein the handover request message is configured by the heterogeneous network handover module of a mobile station (MS); receives a handover confirmation message in response to the handover request message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network; transmits a handover commit request message to the heterogeneous network handover module of a serving network, wherein the handover commit request message includes at least one target network information and includes the request to retain resources of the MS; and receives a handover commit confirmation message from the heterogeneous network handover module of the serving network, wherein the handover commit confirmation message includes a response to the request to retain resources of the MS.

Claims

1. A method of performing a media independent handover (MIH) in a MIH module of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

transmitting a first MIH message to a serving network, wherein the first MIH message includes a first parameter indicating a first link type of a target network and first information of the target network for handover;

receiving a second MIH message in response to the first MIH message from the serving network, wherein the second MIH message includes a second parameter indicating a second link type of the target network and second information of the target network for handover;

transmitting a third MIH message to the serving network, wherein the third MIH message includes a first link action parameter related to at least one link action to be executed in a handover procedure; and

receiving a fourth MIH message from the serving network, wherein the fourth MIH message includes a second link action parameter containing a result of the at least one link action,

wherein the first link action parameter is set to retain a link resource for a link connection between the mobile terminal and the serving network after the link connection is disconnected.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first MIH information from an upper layer of the mobile terminal, the first MIH information including a link action list to control the MIH module, wherein the link action list is related to the at least one link action; and

transmitting second MIH information to report the result of the at least one link action to the upper layer, wherein the second MIH information includes the result of the at least one link action.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third MIH message is received by an MIH module of the serving network and the fourth MIH message is transmitted from the MIH module of the serving network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fourth MIH message further includes a timer parameter indicating a time interval during which the link resource is retained.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter indicate the same link type of the target network and the first information of the target network and the second information of the target network are the same information.

6. A method of supporting a media independent handover (MIH) in an MIH module of a serving network, the method comprising:

receiving a first MIH message from a mobile terminal, wherein the first MIH message includes a first parameter indicating a first link type of a target network and information of the target network for the media independent handover;

transmitting a second MIH message in response to the first MIH message to the mobile terminal, wherein the second MIH message includes a second parameter indicating a second link type of the target network and second information of the target network for handover;

receiving a third MIH message from the mobile terminal, wherein the third MIH message includes a first link action parameter related to at least one link action to be executed in a handover procedure; and

transmitting a fourth MIH message to the mobile terminal, wherein the fourth MIH message includes a second link action parameter containing a result of the at least one link action,

wherein the first link action parameter is set to retain a link resource for a link connection between the mobile terminal and the serving network after the link connection is disconnected.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a fifth MIH message from the target network, wherein the fifth MIH message indicates completion of the handover procedure and includes a result parameter indicating whether the handover is successful, fails, or is rejected; and

transmitting a sixth MIH message, wherein the sixth MIH message includes a resource retain result parameter in response to the fifth MIH message, the resource retain result parameter indicating whether the resource of the mobile terminal is retained or released.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting first MIH information including the result parameter to an upper layer of the serving network; and

receiving second MIH information to report the result of the at least one link action from the upper layer of the serving network, wherein the second MIH information includes the result of the at least one the link action.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the third MIH message is transmitted by an MIH module of the mobile terminal and the fourth MIH message is received from the MIH module of the mobile terminal.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the fourth MIH message further includes a timer parameter indicating a time interval during which the link resource is retained.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter indicate the same link type of the target network and the first information of the target network and the second information of the target network are the same information.

12. A mobile terminal for performing a media independent handover (MIH), the mobile terminal comprising:

a transmit module for transmitting a message related to the MIH;

a receiving module for receiving a message related to the MIH;

a MIH module for controlling an operation of the MIH; and

an upper entity for controlling an operation of an upper layer;

wherein the MIH module transmits a first MIH message including a first parameter indicating a first link type of a target network and first information of the target network for handover to the serving network, receives a second MIH message including a second parameter indicating a second link of the target network and second information of the target network for handover from the serving network in response to the first MIH message, transmits a third MIH message to the serving network including a first link action parameter related to at least one link action to be executed in a handover procedure, and receives a fourth MIH message from the serving network including a second link action parameter containing a result of the at least one link action, and

wherein the first link action parameter is set to retain a resource for a link connection between the mobile terminal and the serving network after the link connection is disconnected.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 12,

wherein the MIH module further receives first MIH information from the upper entity including a link action list to control the MIH module and transmits second MIH information to the upper entity to report the result of the at least one link action, and

wherein the link action list is related to the at least one link action and the second MIH information includes the result of the at least one link action.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the third MIH message is received by an MIH module of the serving network and the fourth MIH message is transmitted from the MIH module of the serving network.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the fourth MIH message further includes a timer parameter indicating a time interval during which the link resource is retained.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter indicate the same link type of the target network and the first information of the target network and the second information of the target network are the same information.

17. A serving network for supporting a media independent handover (MIH), the serving network comprising:

a transmit module for transmitting a message related to the MIH;

a receiving module for receiving a message related to the MIH;

a MIH module for controlling an operation of the MIH; and

an upper entity for controlling an operation of an upper layer;

wherein the serving network receives a first MIH message including a type parameter indicating a first link type of a target network and information of the target network for the MIH from a mobile terminal, transmits a second MIH message including a second parameter indicating a second link type of the target network and second information of the target network for handover, receives a third MIH message from the mobile terminal including a first link action parameter related to at least one link action to be executed in a handover procedure, and transmits a fourth MIH message to the mobile terminal including a second link action parameter containing a result of the at least one link action,

wherein the first link action parameter is set to retain a link resource for a link connection between the mobile terminal and the serving network after the link connection is disconnected.

18. The serving network according to claim 17,

wherein the MIH module of the serving network further receives a fifth MIH message from the target network indicating completion of the handover procedure and transmits a sixth MIH message including a resource retain result parameter in response to the fifth MIH message, and

wherein the fifth MIH message includes a result parameter indicating whether the handover is successful, fails, or is rejected and the resource retain result parameter indicates whether the resource of the mobile terminal is retained or released.

19. The serving network according to claim 18,

wherein the MIH module of the serving network further transmits first MIH information including the result parameter and receives second MIH information to report the result of the at least one link action, and

wherein the second MIH information includes the result of the at least one link action.

20. The serving network according to claim 17, wherein the third MIH message is transmitted by an MIH module of the mobile terminal and the fourth MIH message is received from the MIH module of the mobile terminal.

21. The serving network according to claim 17, wherein the fourth MIH message further includes a timer parameter indicating a time interval during which the link resource is retained.

22. The serving network according to claim 17, wherein the first parameter and the second parameter indicate the same link type of the target network and the first information of the target network and the second information of the target network are the same information.