Base station equipment

• US 8,160,589 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuwahara, Mikio
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hua, Quan
• Application Number:
  US12/359,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20090253461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 455/502, 455/436, 455/438, 455/432.1, 455/418, 455/525, 455/574, 370/252, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/440
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A base station equipment determines, based on a specified condition, whether or not a wireless terminal exists in the vicinity thereof, and then if it exists in the vicinity, the base station equipment transmits information indicating that the base station equipment is ready to communicate with the wireless terminal.

Claims

1. A base station equipment that communicates with a wireless terminal, comprising:

a timer;

a transmitter that transmits information indicating that the base station equipment is ready to communicate with the wireless terminal;

a receiver for receiving a signal; and

a control unit which;

determines whether or not a power value of a signal transmitted from the wireless terminal to other base station equipment different from the base station equipment, but received from the wireless terminal via the receiver, is greater than a predetermined threshold value;

controls the receiver and the transmitter so as to transfer between a sleep mode where the transmitter stops operation and the receiver operates and an active mode where both of the transmitter and the receiver operate;

judges that the wireless terminal exists near the base station and switches to the active mode when the amount of power of the signal which is transmitted from the wireless terminal to other base station equipment different from the base station equipment, is larger than the predetermined threshold value;

starts transmission of a control signal from the transmitter to provoke communication with the wireless terminal, and operates the timer; and

stops the control signal transmitted from the transmitter when communication is not started even after a predetermined period of time.

2. The base station equipment according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes a system synchronization based on a preamble signal which the control unit received from the other base station equipment different from the base station equipment;

stores in advance a time zone at which the preamble signal is transmitted from the other base station equipment;

sets a signal transmitted from the other base station equipment as receiving subject in the time zone; and

sets a signal transmitted from the wireless terminal as receiving subject in an other time zone different from the time zone.

3. A base station equipment that communicates with a wireless terminal, comprising:

a receiving system block, a transmission system block, a timer and a control unit, wherein;

the control unit controls the receiving system block and the transmission system block so as to transfer between a sleep mode where the transmission system block stops operation and the receiving system block operates and an active mode where both of the transmission system block and the receiving system block operate;

compares an amount of power of a signal with a predetermined threshold value when the receiving system block receives the amount of power of the signal which is transmitted from the wireless terminal to other base station equipment different from the base station equipment;

judging that the wireless terminal exists near the base station and switches to the active mode when the amount of power of the signal which is transmitted from the wireless terminal to other base station equipment different from the base station equipment is larger than the predetermined threshold value;

starts transmission of a control signal from the transmission system block and operates the timer; and

stops the control signal transmitted from the transmission system block when communication does not be started even after a predetermined period of time.

4. The base station equipment according to claim 3, wherein the control unit executes a system synchronization based on a preamble signal which the control unit received from the other base station equipment different from the base station equipment;

stores in advance a time zone at which the preamble signal is transmitted from the other base station equipment;

sets a signal transmitted from the other base station equipment as receiving subject in the time zone; and

sets a signal transmitted from the wireless terminal as receiving subject in an other time zone different from the time zone.