Cell access control method and user equipment

• US 8,224,321 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Qiu, Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US12/642,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20100099407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 455/425, 455/434, 455/436, 455/433, 455/435.2, 455/422.1, 4554561-4565, 455/453, 455/522, 455/450, 455/555, 455/417, 455/432.2, 455/445, 455/406, 455/465, 455/462, 455/464, 455/414, 370/331, 370/332, 370/262, 370/401, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356, 370/229, 370/355, 370/465, 370/230, 370/252, 370/259, 370/270, 370/285, 370/402, 370/494, 370/392, 370/389, 370/411, 370/437, 370/466
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0077 of access information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A cell access control method and a user terminal are provided, the method includes: obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), cell access information through a pilot channel and/or a synchronization channel; determining a current cell is a macro base station cell or an HNB cell according to the cell access information; determining, when the current cell is an HNB cell, whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell according to HNB information of the cell access information, if the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell, performing the access processing, if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB, abandoning the access. A UE is provided accordingly.

Claims

1. A cell access control method, comprising:

obtaining, by a user equipment (UE), cell access information from a synchronization channel;

determining, by the UE, whether a cell is a home eNodeB (HNB) cell according to the cell access information obtained by the UE;

determining whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell by comparing, in instances where the cell is an HNB cell, the cell access information obtained from the synchronization channel with HNB information stored in UE memory; and

accessing the HNB cell if the UE determines that the HNB information stored in UE memory corresponds to the HNB cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell access information comprises:

cell identifier information obtained from the synchronization channel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the UE, the HNB information; and

storing, by the UE, the HNB information in the UE.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disregarding, by the UE, accessing the HNB cell if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB cell.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a macro base station cell in instances where the UE determines from the cell access information that the cell is not an HNB cell.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the HNB information includes an HNB list, and the HNB list includes at least one HNB that allows the UE to be accessed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing, by the UE, the HNB cell if the UE determines that the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell comprises:

measuring, by the UE, the HNB cell if the UE is active; and

reporting, by the UE, a measurement result to an HNB serving the HNB cell.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing of the HNB cell comprises:

sending, by the UE, a residence request to an HNB serving the HNB cell if the UE is idle.

6. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain cell access information from a synchronization channel;

a cell attribute determining unit configured to determine whether a cell is a home eNodeB (HNB) cell according to the cell access information obtained by the obtaining unit;

an access determining unit configured to determine whether the UE is allowed to access the HNB cell by comparing, in instances where the cell is an HNB cell, the cell access information obtained from the synchronization channel with HNB information stored in UE memory; and

an access processing unit configured to access the HNB cell if the access determining unit determines that the HNB information stored in UE memory corresponds to the HNB cell.

7. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the access processing unit comprises a measurement module;

and

wherein the measurement module is configured to measure the HNB cell when the UE is active, and report a measurement result to an HNB serving the HNB cell.

8. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the UE further comprises an access control unit;

and

wherein the access control unit is configured to access a macro base station cell in instances where the UE determines from the cell access information that the cell is not an HNB cell.

12. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the access processing unit is further configured to abandon accessing the HNB cell if the UE is not allowed to access the HNB cell.

13. The user equipment of claim 6, wherein the HNB information includes an HNB list, and the HNB list includes at least one HNB that allows the UE to be accessed.