Mobile communication system, radio switching method, mobile base station and mobile terminal

• US 7,852,808 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Weizhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Mattis; Jason E
• Application Number:
  US10/461,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20030235165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,738 Days
• Field of Search: 370/278, 370/328, 370/315, 370/331, 455/444
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A mobile communication system, a radio switching method, a mobile base station and a mobile terminal in which the mobile terminal does not perform handover to a fixed base station while moving in/on a moving body to avert an adverse affect of variation of received field intensity on communication. Fixed base stations that are connected to a public telephone network are disposed along a traveling direction of a train. The train which a user who possesses a mobile terminal gets on is provided with a mobile base station capable of being connected to the fixed base stations. The mobile base station detects the mobile terminal entering into the communication area covered by the mobile base station and the train starting moving to the next station. Triggered by the two kinds of detection, the mobile base station takes over processes of handover to the fixed base station from the mobile terminal. While moving, the mobile base station performs handover to a next base station one after another. When the train approaches the next station, the mobile terminal performs handover to the fixed base station that covers the communication area around the station of arrival in behalf of the mobile base station.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a plurality of fixed base stations that are serially disposed along a moving direction of a moving body capable of high-speed moving and that are connected to a public telephone network;

a mobile terminal that is possessed by a user who gets on the moving body; and

a mobile base station that is capable of being connected to the plural fixed base stations and that is put in or on the moving body, wherein;

triggered by an entrance of the mobile terminal into a first communication area of the mobile base station and by a start of the moving body, the mobile terminal performs a first handover from one of the fixed base stations that has been connected to the mobile terminal to the mobile base station;

while the moving body is moving, the mobile base station initiates and sequentially performs a second handover to an adjacent one of the fixed base stations when the moving body enters into a second communication area of the adjacent one of the fixed base stations; and

when the moving body approaches a stop, the mobile terminal initiates a third handover from the mobile base station to another of the fixed base stations that covers a third communication area around the stop, so that the mobile terminal communicates directly with the another of the fixed base stations and does not communicate via the mobile base station,

wherein the mobile base station is separate and distinct from the mobile terminal.

2. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the moving body is an express train; and

the express train moves along a predetermined track where there is set at least one stop.

3. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone, personal handyphone system, or personal digital assistant capable of being connected to the public telephone network.

4. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile station is capable of performing handoff for a plurality of mobile terminals located in the first communication area of the mobile station.

5. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mobile station determines that the express train has stopped when the express train is determined, based on positional information provided to the mobile station, to be located at a position corresponding to the at least one stop that is known beforehand by the mobile station.

6. A mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, while the moving body is moving, all communications to and from the mobile terminal pass through the mobile base station and then to one or more of the fixed base stations, and

wherein, when the moving body is not moving and after the third handover has occurred, all communications to and from the mobile terminal do not pass through the mobile base station but instead go directly to the one or more of the fixed base stations.

7. A radio switching method for sequentially performing handover to an adjacent fixed base station among a plurality of fixed base stations that covers respective communication areas divided into cells according to a move of a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

performing, by the mobile terminal in or on a moving body, a first handover from one of the fixed base stations that covers a first communication area where the moving body is located to a mobile base station that is put in or on the moving body, which is triggered by an entrance of the mobile terminal possessed by a user into a second communication area of the mobile base station and when the moving body starts moving;

initiating and sequentially performing, by the mobile base station, a second handover to an adjacent one of the fixed base stations when the moving body enters into a third communication area of the adjacent one of the fixed base stations while the moving body is moving; and

initiating, by the mobile terminal, a third handover from the mobile base station to another of the fixed base stations that covers a fourth communication area around a stop when the moving body approaches the stop, so that the mobile terminal communicates directly with the another of the fixed base stations and does not communicate via the mobile base station,

wherein the mobile base station is separate and distinct from the mobile terminal.

8. A radio switching method as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the moving body is an express train; and

the express train moves along a predetermined track where there is set at least one stop, the method further comprising;

moving the mobile terminal outside of the moving body, so as to be separated from the moving body;

maintaining a telephone communication that began when the mobile terminal was in or on the moving body, between the mobile terminal and the another of the fixed base stations, without utilizing the mobile base station.

9. A radio switching method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone, personal handyphone system, or personal digital assistant capable of being connected to a public telephone network.

10. A radio switching method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mobile station determines that the express train has stopped when the express train is determined, based on positional information provided to the mobile station, to be located at a position corresponding to the at least one stop that is known beforehand by the mobile station.

11. A radio switching method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, while the moving body is moving, all communications to and from the mobile terminal pass through the mobile base station and then to one or more of the fixed base stations, and

wherein, when the moving body is not moving and after the third handover has occurred, all communications to and from the mobile terminal do not pass through the mobile base station but instead go directly to the one or more of the fixed base stations.

12. A mobile base station that is put in or on a moving body, comprising:

a first detecting means for detecting a mobile terminal entering into a first communication area of the mobile base station;

a second detecting means for detecting the moving body which a user of the mobile terminal gets on starting moving; and

a control means for;

connecting to the mobile terminal and to a first fixed base station that has been connected to the mobile terminal to continue communication between the mobile terminal and the first fixed base station on the basis of the detection by the first and the second detecting means;

performing, by the mobile terminal upon entrance of the mobile terminal into the first communication area of the mobile base station and upon a start of the moving body, a first handover from the first fixed base station that has been connected to the mobile terminal to the mobile base station;

performing a second handover, upon receiving an external signal sent from another device, to a second fixed base station when the moving body enters into a second communication area of the second fixed base station while the moving body is moving; and

getting the mobile terminal to initiate a third handover to a third fixed base station that covers a third communication area around a stop when the moving body approaches the stop, so that the mobile terminal communicates directly with the another of the fixed base stations and does not communicate via the mobile base station,

wherein the mobile base station is separate and distinct from the mobile terminal.

13. A mobile base station as claimed in claim 12, wherein, when the second detecting means detects the moving body starting moving, the control means informs a public telephone network of the detection by the second detecting means to direct the mobile terminal to perform handover to the mobile base station.

14. A mobile base station as claimed in claim 12, wherein the control means includes a third detecting means for detecting the moving body entering into a fourth communication area of another fixed base station disposed adjacent to a currently connected fixed base station to notify a public telephone network of the detection by the third detecting means and to perform handover to the adjacent fixed base station according to a direction from the public telephone network in response to the notification.

15. A mobile base station as claimed in claim 12, wherein the control means includes a fourth detecting means for detecting the moving body approaching a next stop so that a public telephone network informs the mobile terminal of a direction to perform handover to another fixed base station that covers a fourth communication area around the next stop on the basis of the detection by the fourth detecting means.

16. A mobile base station as claimed in claim 12, wherein the mobile base station is capable of performing handoff for a plurality of mobile terminals located in the first communication area of the mobile base station.

17. A mobile base station as claimed in claim 12, wherein, while the moving body is moving, all communications to and from the mobile terminal pass through the mobile base station and then to one or more of the fixed base stations,

wherein, when the moving body is not moving and after the third handover has occurred, all communications to and from the mobile terminal do not pass through the mobile base station but instead go directly to the one or more of the fixed base stations, and

wherein, when the mobile terminal has entered into the first communication area of the mobile base station but the moving body has not started moving, the mobile terminal continues communications using the one of the fixed base stations and does not communicate using the mobile base station.

18. A mobile terminal capable of communicating with a fixed base station connected to a public telephone network by radio, including a communication means capable of communicating with a mobile base station put in or on a moving body when the mobile terminal is in or on or in the vicinity of the moving body, wherein:

the mobile terminal communicates with the mobile base station while the mobile terminal is moving in or on the moving body; and

the mobile terminal initiates a first handover from the mobile base station to a fixed base station that covers a communication area around a stop when the moving body approaches the stop, so that the mobile terminal communicates directly with the fixed base station that covers a communication area around a stop and does not communicate via the mobile base station,

wherein the mobile terminal performs, upon of the mobile terminal into a first communication area of the mobile base station and upon a start of the moving body, a second handover from the fixed base station that has been connected to the mobile terminal to the mobile base station,

wherein the mobile terminal does not initiate handover from the mobile base station when the moving body is not approaching the stop and the mobile terminal moves from a cell of a first base station to a cell of a second base station,

wherein the mobile base station is separate and distinct from the mobile terminal, and

wherein the mobile base station is capable of assisting in handover for a plurality of mobile terminals including the mobile terminal.

19. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein the mobile station determines that the moving body has stopped when the moving body is determined, based on positional information provided to the mobile station, to be located at a position corresponding to the at least one stop that is known beforehand by the mobile station.

20. A mobile terminal as claimed in claim 18, wherein, while the moving body is moving, all communications to and from the mobile terminal pass through the mobile base station and then to one or more of the fixed base stations,

wherein, when the moving body is not moving and after the handover from the mobile base station to a fixed base station that covers a communication area around a stop has occurred, all communications to and from the mobile terminal do not pass through the mobile base station but instead go directly to the one or more of the fixed base stations, and

wherein, when the mobile terminal has entered into the first communication area of the mobile base station but the moving body has not started moving, the mobile terminal continues communications using the one of the fixed base stations and does not communicate using the mobile base station.