Mobile communication system and mobile communication method

• US 7,933,551 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2004
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shibouta, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casca; Fred A
• Application Number:
  US10/938,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20050064863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,416 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422.1, 455/446, 455/546, 455/422, 455/41.2, 455/13.1, 455/16, 455/7, 455/8, 455/9, 455/10, 455/11.1, 455/12.1, 455/13.2, 455/13.3, 370/315
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

When a wireless base station temporarily runs short of communication resources, the base station searches for a portable telephone having a relay function of mobile communication. Based on a demand of the wireless base station, the portable telephone having the relay function relays communication of a portable telephone within a communication area of the base station on behalf of the base station. This portable telephone can communicate with an adjacent wireless base station and can communicate with a receiving portable telephone and another portable telephone having the relay function.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a wireless base station; and

a plurality of mobile stations, including a predetermined mobile station, a first mobile station and a second mobile station,

wherein the wireless base station transmits information to the predetermined mobile station, which includes a relay circuit that relays a signal between the first mobile station and the second mobile station,

the information transmitted from the wireless base station includes an instruction that makes the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station start relaying, and

in response to receiving the instruction that makes the relay circuit start relaying, the predetermined mobile station forms a communication path between the first mobile station and the second mobile station, in the communication path the predetermined mobile station relays the signal between the first mobile station and the second mobile station, and

the predetermined mobile station notifies the wireless base station, when the communication path is unable to be formed,

the first mobile station is spatially separated from the predetermined mobile station,

the second mobile station is spatially separated from the predetermined mobile station and from the first communication station,

the first mobile station is at an end of the communication path and the second mobile station is at another end of the communication path,

the communication path bypasses the wireless base station, and

the wireless base station determines whether a communication throughput between the wireless base station and a mobile station within a communication area of the wireless base station exceeds a throughput limit, and

the wireless base station transmits the signal that starts the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station if the communication throughput is determined to exceed the throughput limit.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the communication path formed by the predetermined mobile station between the first and second mobile stations comprises at least one other mobile station that includes a relay circuit that relays signals between the predetermined mobile station and another mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the first and second mobile stations are within a communication area of the wireless base station.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 2,

wherein when connection with the second mobile station cannot be made, the predetermined mobile station searches for another mobile station including a relay circuit that relays signals between the predetermined mobile station and another mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the information includes information about a mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations which is located within a communication area of the wireless base station and has difficulty in communicating with the base station.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 5,

wherein the first mobile station is a mobile station which has difficulty in communicating with the wireless base station after communication with the base station is started.

7. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first mobile station does not include a relay circuit that relays signals.

8. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the second other mobile station does not include a relay circuit that relays signals.

9. The mobile communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the second mobile station is outside the communication are of the wireless base station.

10. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless base station transmits the information including the signal to start the relay circuit to the predetermined mobile station when the wireless base station cannot process a demand for communication received from the first mobile station.

11. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication path formed by the predetermined mobile station is a direct path between the first mobile station and the second mobile station having only the predetermined mobile station there-between.

12. A mobile communication method in a mobile communication system including a wireless base station and a plurality of mobile stations, including mobile station, a first mobile station and a second mobile station, the method comprising:

transmitting, from the wireless base station, information to the predetermined mobile station, which includes a relay circuit that relays a signal between the first mobile station and the second mobile station, wherein the information transmitted from the wireless base station includes an instruction that makes the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station start relaying,

forming, by the predetermined mobile station, a communication path between the first mobile station and second mobile station in the communication path the predetermined mobile station relays the signal transmitted between the first mobile station and second mobile station, in response to receiving the instruction that makes the relay circuit start relaying,

the predetermined mobile station notifies the wireless base station when the communication path is unable to be formed,

the first mobile station is spatially separated from the predetermined mobile station,

the second mobile station is spatially separated from the predetermined mobile station and from the first communication station,

the first mobile station is at an end of the communication path and the second mobile station is at another end of the communication path, and

the communication path bypasses the wireless base station, and

determining, by the wireless base station, whether a communication throughput between the wireless base station and a mobile station within a communication area of the wireless base station exceeds a throughput limit, and

the wireless base station transmits the signal that starts the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station if the communication throughput is determined to exceed the throughput limit.

13. The mobile communication method according to claim 12, wherein

the communication path formed by the predetermined mobile station between the first and second mobile stations comprises at least one other mobile station that includes a relay circuit that relays signals between the predetermined mobile station and another mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations.

14. The mobile communication method according to claim 12, wherein the communication path formed by the predetermined mobile station is a direct path between the first mobile station and the second mobile station having only the predetermined mobile station there-between.

15. A mobile communication system comprising:

a first wireless base station; and

a plurality of mobile stations, including a predetermined mobile station and a first mobile station,

wherein the first wireless base station transmits information to a the predetermined mobile station, which includes a relay circuit that relays a signal between the first mobile station and a second wireless base station,

the information transmitted from the first wireless base station includes an instruction that makes the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station start relaying, and

in response to receiving the instruction that makes the relay circuit start relaying, the predetermined mobile station forms a communication path between the first mobile station and the second wireless base station, in the communication path the predetermined mobile station relays the signal between the first mobile station and the second wireless base station,

the predetermined mobile station notifies the first wireless base station, when the communication path is unable to be formed,

the first mobile station is spatially separated from the predetermined mobile station,

the first mobile station is at an end of the communication path and the second wireless base station is at another end of the communication path,

the communication path bypasses the first wireless base station, and

the first wireless base station transmits the instruction that makes the relay circuit of the predetermined mobile station start relaying when the first wireless base station determines that the communication throughput between the first wireless base station and the first mobile station exceeds a throughput limit and thus cannot process a demand for communication received from the first mobile station.

16. The mobile communication system according to claim 15,

wherein the information transmitted by the first wireless base station further includes information about the second wireless base station which is adjacent to the first wireless base station and has available communication throughput to communicate with the first mobile station.

17. The mobile communication system according to claim 15, wherein the communication path formed by the predetermined mobile station is a direct path between the first mobile station and the second wireless base station having only the predetermined mobile station there-between.