Mobile communication system including the radio access network not supporting circuit switching (CS) and the radio access network supporting CS

• US 8,670,414 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 03/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishida, Katsutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US13/813,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/331, 370/352, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00226 wherein the core network technologies comprise IP multimedia system [IMS], e.g. single radio voice call continuity [SRVCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The characteristic of a mobile communication system according to the present invention is that the mobile communication system includes the steps of: causing an MME in a visitor network of UE#1 to acquire SRVCC capability of the UE#1 and to notify an HSS of the SRVCC capability of the UE#1 in an attach process or location registration process of the UE#1; and causing an ATCF, which controls an ATGW, to acquire the SRVCC capability of the UE#1, in a registration process of the UE#1 with IMS.

Claims

1. A mobile communication method in a mobile communication system which includes a first radio access network not supporting circuit-switched communications, a second radio access network supporting circuit-switched communications, and a service control network, and which is capable of being set to switch a voice communication path between a first mobile station and a second mobile station from a path via the first radio access network to a path via the second radio access network in an anchor node in a visitor network of the first mobile station, the method comprising the steps of:

causing a mobility management node in the visitor network to acquire capability of the first mobile station and to notify a subscriber management server of the capability of the first mobile station in an attach process or a location registration process of the first mobile station, and

causing a control node which controls the anchor node to acquire the capability of the first mobile station in a registration process of the first mobile station with the service control network.

2. The mobile communication method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of causing the control node to determine whether or not to set the anchor node for switching the voice communication path based on the capability of the first mobile node, in an originating process from the first mobile station to the second mobile station or a terminating process from the second mobile station to the first mobile station.

3. The mobile communication method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of causing an application server in the service control network to acquire the capability of the first mobile station and to determine whether or not to transmit information indicating the control node to the subscriber management server based on the capability of the first mobile station, in the registration process of the first mobile station with the service control network.

4. A mobile communication system comprising a first radio access network not supporting circuit-switched communications, a second radio access network supporting circuit-switched communications, and a service control network, the mobile communication system being capable of being set to switch a voice communication path between a first mobile station and a second mobile station from a path via the first radio access network to a path via the second radio access network in an anchor node in a visitor network of the first mobile station, wherein

a mobility management node in the visitor network is configured to acquire capability of the first mobile station and notify a subscriber management server of the capability of the first mobile station, in an attach process or location registration process of the first mobile station, and

a control node which controls the anchor node is configured to acquire the capability of the first mobile station in a registration process of the first mobile station with the service control network.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein the control node is configured to determine whether or not to set the anchor node for switching the voice communication path, based on the capability of the first mobile station, in an originating process from the first mobile station to the second mobile station or terminating process from the second mobile station to the first mobile station.

6. The mobile communication system according to claim 4, wherein an application server in the service control network is configured to acquire the capability of the first mobile station and to determine whether or not to transmit information indicating the control node to the subscriber management server based on the capability of the first mobile station, in the registration process of the first mobile station with the service control network.

7. A control node in a mobile communication system which includes a first radio access network not supporting circuit-switched communications, a second radio access network supporting circuit-switched communications, and a service control network, and which is capable of being set to switch a voice communication path between a first mobile station and a second mobile station from an path via the first radio access network to a path via the second radio access network in an anchor node in a visitor network of the first mobile station, the control node controlling the anchor node, wherein

the control node is configured to determine whether or not to set the anchor node for switching the voice communication path, based on the capability of the first mobile station, in a terminating process from a second mobile station to the first mobile station.

8. An application server in a service control network in a mobile communication system which includes a first radio access network not supporting circuit-switched communications, a second radio access network supporting circuit-switched communications, and the service control network, and which is capable of being set to switch a voice communication path between a first mobile station and a second mobile station from a path via the first radio access network to a path via the second radio access network in an anchor node in a visitor network of the first mobile station, wherein

the application server is configured to acquire the capability of the first mobile station and to determine whether or not to transmit information indicating a control node to a subscriber management server based on the capability of the first mobile station in a registration process of the first mobile station with the service control network.

9. A mobility management node in a visitor network in a mobile communication system which includes a first radio access network not supporting circuit-switched communications, a second radio access network supporting circuit-switched communications, and a service control network, and which is capable of being set to switch a voice communication path between a first mobile station and a second mobile station from a path via the first radio access network to a path via the second radio access network in an anchor node, with SRVCC scheme, in a visitor network of the first mobile station, wherein

the mobility management node in the visitor network is configured to acquire SRVCC capability of the first mobile station and notify a subscriber management server of the SRVCC capability of the first mobile station in an attach process of the first mobile station,

the mobility management node is configured to notify the subscriber management server of the SRVCC capability of the first mobile station upon detecting that the SRVCC capability of the first mobile station is changed, and

the SRVCC capability of the first mobile station is information indicating that the first mobile station supports the SRVCC scheme or information that the first mobile station does not support the SRVCC scheme.

10. The mobility management node according to claim 9, wherein the mobility management node is configured to receive information indicating a control node which controls the anchor node from the subscriber management server.