Mobile station and base stations

• US 8,195,113 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US12/512,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20100093398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/343.1, 455/127.5, 455/572, 455/561, 455/13.4
• US Class Current: 455/127.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements

Abstract

A mobile station includes an intermittent communication managing unit that manages a communication period for communicating with a first base station and a non-communication period for not communicating with the first base station, and a scan period setting unit that shifts and sets a scan period to reduce an overlap period with the communication period. The scan period, during which a scanning process for obtaining a condition of radio waves from a second base station can be executed, overlaps a plurality of the communication periods. Moreover, the mobile station includes a scan processor that executes the scanning process during the scan period.

Claims

1. A mobile station comprising:

an intermittent communication managing unit that manages a communication period for communicating with a first base station and a non-communication period for not communicating with the first base station;

a scan period setting unit that shifts and sets a scan period to reduce an overlap period with the communication period, where the scan period, during which a scanning process for obtaining a condition of radio waves from a second base station can be executed, overlaps the communication period; and

a scan processor that executes the scanning process during the scan period set by the scan period setting unit, wherein,

when a plurality of connections has been established with regard to the first base station, the scan period setting unit sets the scan period so that as priority of the connection becomes higher, the overlap period of the scan period and the communication period becomes shorter.

2. The mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the scan period so that an onset of the scan period and an end of the scan period are included in the non-communication period.

3. The mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the onset of the scan period to be identical to an onset of the non-communication period.

4. The mobile station according to claim 1, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the end of the scan period to be identical to an end of the non-communication period.

5. The mobile station according to claim 1, further comprising:

an overlap period calculator that calculates the overlap period of the scan period and the communication period; and

wherein the scan period setting unit selects a scan period that gives a shorter time length of the overlap period calculated by the overlap period calculation unit, out of the scan period whose onset is set to be identical to the onset of the non-communication period and the scan period whose end is set to be identical to the end of the non-communication period.

6. A base station comprising:

an intermittent communication managing unit that manages a communication period for communicating with a mobile station and a non-communication period for not communicating with the mobile station;

a scan period setting unit that shifts and sets a scan period to reduce an overlap period with the communication period, where the scan period, during which a scanning process for obtaining a condition of radio waves from another base station received by the mobile station can be executed, overlaps the communication period; and

a scan processor that causes the mobile station to execute the scanning process during the scan period set by the scan period setting unit, wherein,

when a plurality of connections has been established with regard to the mobile station, the scan period setting unit sets the scan period so that as priority of the connection becomes higher, the overlap period of the scan period and the communication period becomes shorter.

7. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the scan period so that an onset of the scan period and an end of the scan period are included in the non-communication period.

8. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the onset of the scan period to be identical to an onset of the non-communication period.

9. The base station according to claim 6, wherein the scan period setting unit sets the end of the scan period to be identical to an end of the non-communication period.

10. The base station according to claim 6 further comprising:

an overlap period calculator that calculates the overlap period of the scan period and the communication period; and

wherein the scan period setting unit selects a scan period that gives a shorter time length of the overlap period calculated by the overlap period calculation unit, out of the scan period whose onset is set to be identical to the onset of the non-communication period and the scan period whose end is set to be identical to the end of the non-communication period.