Wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication network and software upgrading method

• US 7,773,981 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kurata, Ryosuke, Okita, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Wesley L
• Application Number:
  US12/250,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/423, 455/436, 455/438, 455/439, 455/450, 455/453, 455/456.6, 455/524, 455/525, 455/561, 370/329, 370/330, 370/331, 370/322, 370/341, 709/220, 709/224
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42136 Administration or customisation of services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A base station control portion 200 selects one or plural signals from signals received by plural settable communication paths in accordance with the state of the wave. A wireless communication apparatus 110 communicates with a wireless terminal 300 and a wired communication network. When the wireless communication apparatus 110 receives a request for upgrading software from a network management device 250, the wireless communication apparatus 110 controls the state of the transmission wave of a wireless interface so as to switch a communication path in which communication services are being provided to another wireless communication apparatus 110 without blackouts, rewrites the set software to software having been received through a wired interface in advance, returns the state of the transmission wave of the wireless interface and upgrades software without blackouts of the supply of communication services to the wireless terminal 300.

Claims

1. A software upgrading method for base station apparatus in a wireless communication system which has a plurality of base station apparatuses having a plurality of sectors, a base station control device connected to the plurality of base station apparatuses to control the base station apparatuses, and a network management device maintaining and managing the base station apparatuses and the base station control device, the software upgrading method comprising the steps of:

receiving an upgrading request to upgrade software from the network management device by one of the base station apparatuses, at a state in which a new software for upgrading has been transferred to the base station apparatus; and

controlling each of the sectors by the base station apparatus, in response to receiving the upgrading request, such that one of the sectors no longer provides the communication services to perform a software upgrading processing and other sectors provide the communication services and, performing the software upgrading processing for each of the sectors sequentially,

wherein, in the sector which performs the software upgrading processing, the step of controlling includes the steps of;

requesting to reduce a transmission power of a wireless interface of the sector by a predetermined rate of the power reduction,

reducing the transmission power in response to the request by the wireless interface,

notifying the transmission power value after the transmission power reduction,

determining, in accordance with the notification, if the notified transmission power value reaches a predetermined lowest value of the transmission power or not,

further requesting, in a case that the transmission power value does not reaches the lowest value, to reduce the transmission power of the wireless interface by the predetermined rate of the power reduction, and

finishing, in a case that the transmission power value reaches the lowest value, the reduction of the transmission power, performing a reset processing and a load processing of the new software for upgrading and, performing a processing of gradually increasing the transmission power, thereby performing the software upgrading processing.

2. A software upgrading method according to claim 1, wherein a state that the communication services are no longer provided at the sector is achieved by the steps of requesting, reducing, notifying, determining and further request to reduce the transmission power to the lowest value.

3. A software upgrading method in a wireless communication system which has a plurality of base station apparatuses having first, second and third sectors, a base station control device connected to the plurality of base station apparatuses to control the base station apparatuses, and a network management device maintaining and managing the base station apparatuses and the base station control device, the software upgrading method comprising the steps of:

receiving an upgrading request to upgrade software from the network management device by one of the base station apparatuses, at a state in which a new software for upgrading has been transferred to the base station apparatus; and

controlling each of the sectors by the base station apparatus, in response to receiving the upgrading request, such that the first sector no longer provides the communication services to perform a software upgrading processing and the second and the third sectors provide the communication services, and performing the software upgrading processing for the first and the second and the third sectors sequentially,

wherein, in a sector which performs the software upgrading processing, the step of controlling includes the steps of;

requesting to reduce a transmission power of a wireless interface of the sector by a predetermined rate of the power reduction,

reducing the transmission power in response to the request by the wireless interface,

notifying the transmission power value after the transmission power reduction,

determining, in accordance with the notification, if the notified transmission power value reaches a predetermined lowest value of the transmission power or not,

further requesting, in a case that the transmission power value does not reaches the lowest value, to reduce the transmission power of the wireless interface by the predetermined rate of the power reduction, and

finishing, in a case that the transmission power value reaches the lowest value, the reduction of the transmission power, performing a reset processing and a load processing of the new software for upgrading and, performing a processing of gradually increasing the transmission power, thereby performing the software upgrading processing.

4. A software upgrading method in a wireless communication system which a plurality of base station apparatuses having a plurality of sectors, a base station control device connected to the plurality of base station apparatuses to control the base station apparatuses, and a network management device maintaining and managing the base station apparatuses and the base station control device, the software upgrading method including the steps of:

transmitting an upgrading request to upgrade software to the plurality of base station apparatuses from the network management device,

controlling each of the sectors by each of the base station apparatuses, in response to receiving the upgrading request, such that one of the sectors no longer provides the communication services to perform a software upgrading processing and other sectors provide the communication services and, performing the software upgrading processing for each of the sectors sequentially,

wherein, in a sector which performs the software upgrading processing, the step of controlling includes the steps of;

requesting to reduce a transmission power of a wireless interface of the sector by a predetermined rate of the power reduction,

reducing the transmission power in response to the request by the wireless interface,

notifying the transmission power value after the transmission power reduction,

determining, in accordance with the notification, if the notified transmission power value reaches a predetermined lowest value of the transmission power or not,

further requesting, in a case that the transmission power value does not reaches the lowest value, to reduce the transmission power of the wireless interface by the predetermined rate of the power reduction, and

finishing, in a case that the transmission power value reaches the lowest value, the reduction of the transmission power, performing a reset processing and a load processing of the new software for upgrading and, performing a processing of gradually increasing the transmission power, thereby performing the software upgrading processing.