Base station apparatus, mobile apparatus, and communication method

• US 8,467,723 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Yoshiko, Aramaki, Takashi, Miyoshi, Kenichi, Hiramatsu, Katsuhiko, Suzuki, Hidetoshi, Hirano, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US13/585,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 455/23, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455/553.1, 455/445, 455436-444, 455/500, 455/517, 455 301- 306, 455/575.1, 455/551, 455/422.1, 455/403, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/450, 455/509, 455/515, 370/328, 370/329, 370/310, 370/343, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations

Abstract

A mobile communication system includes a plurality of RAT (Radio Access Technology) and can eliminate the need of a control channel for reporting RAT information. An LTE relay station has a cover area identical to a cover area owned by a WLAN host station and relays/transmits the signal received from an LTE base station to a mobile station in the cover area of the LTE relay station. The LTE relay station adds to the signal received from the LTE base station, one of the offsets: a frequency offset, a time offset, and a power offset as information indicating that the mobile station which receives a relay signal from the local station is located in the cover area of WLAN and transmits the signal after offset addition to the mobile station located in the cover area of the LTE relay station (i.e., the cover area of WLAN).

Claims

1. A base station apparatus employing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and covering a first area, the first area including part or entirety of a second area which is covered by a host station employing a second RAT different from the first RAT, the base station apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive notification information from a mobile station apparatus which belongs to the first area while the mobile station apparatus is using the first RAT, the notification information being transmitted when the mobile station apparatus detects that the mobile station apparatus is located in the second area while using the first RAT, and

a controller configured to control traffic in the first area and the second area using the notification information.

2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit, to the mobile station apparatus, a request signal to request a transmission of the notification information when the mobile station apparatus detects that the mobile station apparatus is located in the second area, wherein the request signal is transmitted using a broadcast channel to the mobile station apparatus.

3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification information includes at least one of an ID of the mobile station apparatus, a detection result by the mobile station apparatus, and a communication state at the mobile station apparatus.

4. The base station apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit, to the mobile station apparatus, a request signal to request a transmission of the notification information.

5. A mobile station apparatus that belongs to a first area which is covered by a base station apparatus employing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), the first area including part or entirety of a second area which is covered by a host station employing a second RAT different from the first RAT, the mobile station apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to the base station apparatus, notification information while the mobile station apparatus is using the first RAT when the mobile station apparatus detects that the mobile station apparatus is located in the second area while using the first RAT, and

a controller configured to perform handover based on traffic control by the base station apparatus using the notification information.

6. The mobile station apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mobile station apparatus includes a receiver configured to receive, from the base station apparatus, a request signal for requesting a transmission of the notification information to the base station apparatus, wherein the request signal is received using a broadcast channel from the base station apparatus.

7. The mobile station apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the notification information includes at least one of an ID of mobile station apparatus, a detection result by the mobile station, and a communication state at the mobile station apparatus.

8. A communication method performed by a base station apparatus employing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and covering a first area, the first area including part or entirety of a second area which is covered by a host station employing a second RAT different from the first RAT, the communication method comprising:

receiving notification information from a mobile station apparatus which belongs to the first area while the mobile station apparatus is using the first RAT, the notification information being transmitted when the mobile station apparatus detects that the mobile station apparatus is located in the second area while using the first RAT, and

controlling traffic in the first area and the second area using the notification information.

9. A communication method performed by a mobile station apparatus that belongs to a first area, which is covered by a base station apparatus employing a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), the first area including part or entirety of a second area which is covered by a host station employing a second RAT different from the first RAT, the communication method comprising:

transmitting, to the base station apparatus, notification information while the mobile station apparatus is using the first RAT when the mobile station apparatus detects that the mobile station apparatus is located in the second area while using the first RAT and

performing handover based on traffic control by the base station apparatus using the notification information.