Terminal for entering coverage of small base station, small base station, network apparatus, and method

• US 8,682,319 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coranci, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Dong Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/904,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20110105116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/450, 455/509, 455/458, 455/574, 455/434, 455/456.1, 455/67.11, 455/552.1, 455/88, 455/524, 455/525, 455/13.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/464, 455/420, 455/436, 455/435.2, 455/435.1, 455/444, 455/452.1, 370/252, 370/254, 370/331, 370/401, 370/311, 370/338, 713/171
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A terminal for entering a coverage of a small base station, a network apparatus, and a method for operating the same are provided. The network apparatus controls small base stations, on which the terminal is camped, to operate in an active mode in which the small base station emits radio frequency (RF) signals, and controls small base stations, accessible by the terminal but not camped on by the terminal, to operate in an inactive mode in which the small base station does not emit RF signals.

Claims

1. A network apparatus, comprising:

a node list search unit to search for small base stations accessible to a terminal in response to a request for closed subscriber group (CSG) selection from the terminal;

a first controller to control the accessible small base stations to operate in an active mode; and

a second controller to control a first small base station, on which the terminal is camped, from among the accessible small base stations to maintain the active mode, and to control the remaining of the accessible small base stations, on which the terminal is not camped, to switch from the active mode to an inactive mode and to operate in the inactive mode.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second controller enables the first small base station to emit radio frequency (RF) signals, and enables the remaining of the small base stations operating in an inactive mode to not emit RF signals.

3. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the node list search unit receives location information of the terminal from the terminal, and searches for small base stations positioned within a specific distance from the terminal based on the location information.

4. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the node list search unit receives, from the terminal, identification information of small base stations selected based on a history of access to the small base stations, and searches for small base stations corresponding to the identification information.

5. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the node list search unit receives identification information of small base stations to which the terminal is subscribed from a subscribed node list server, and searches for the small base stations to which the terminal is subscribed based on the identification information.

6. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first controller requests at least one of the small base stations to switch into an active mode from an inactive mode, the at least one of the small base stations operating in an inactive mode due to sensing signals from a macro cell during booting.

7. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first small base station is selected by the terminal.

8. A terminal, comprising:

a communication unit to transmit a closed subscriber group (CSG) selection request to a network apparatus;

a node detection unit to detect small base stations after receiving a CSG selection response from the network apparatus in response to the CSG request; and

a node access unit to enter a coverage of a selected small base station by camping on the selected small base station from among the detected small base stations,

wherein the network apparatus controls a small base station accessible by the terminal to operate in an active mode and to maintain the active mode in which the small base station emits radio frequency (RF) signals, determines which small base station is selected by the terminal to be camped on, and controls remaining small base stations, on which the terminal is determined as not being camped on, to operate in an inactive mode in which the small base station does not emit RF signals.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the communication unit transmits, to the network apparatus, identification information of small base stations selected based on a history of access to the small base stations.

10. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the communication unit transmits, to the network apparatus, identification information of small base stations selected based on location information of the terminal.

11. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the communication unit transmits, to the network apparatus, identification information of small base stations selected based on a history of access to the small base stations and location information of the terminal.

12. A small base station, comprising:

a controller to determine a mode of the small base station based on whether the small base station senses signals from a macro cell, to control a radio frequency (RF) signal emission based on the determined mode, to maintain an active mode in response to a received signal, and to switch the mode of the small base station in response to a mode switch request received from a network apparatus,

wherein the mode of the small base station comprises an active mode and an inactive mode,

wherein the small base station is accessible by a terminal, and

wherein the network apparatus transmits the mode switch request to switch the small base station to the inactive mode if the network apparatus determines that the terminal is camped on another small base station accessible by the terminal.

13. The small base station of claim 12, wherein the mode switch request enables the small base station, on which the terminal is camped, to operate in the active mode, and enables the small base station, on which the terminal is not camped, to operate in the inactive mode in which the small base station does not emit RF signals.

14. A method for operating a network system, the method comprising:

searching for small base stations accessible to a terminal in response to a closed subscriber group (CSG) selection request from the terminal;

controlling the accessible small base stations to operate in an active mode;

determining whether the terminal is camped on a first small base station, the first small base station being one of the accessible small base stations; and

controlling the first small base station, on which the terminal is camped, to maintain the active mode, and controlling the remaining accessible small base stations, on which the terminal is not camped, to switch from the active mode to an inactive mode and to operate in the inactive mode.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

enabling the first small base station to maintain the active mode to emit radio frequency (RF) signals, and enabling the remaining accessible small base stations to operate in the inactive mode, which does not emit the RF signals.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the searching for small base stations accessible by the terminal comprises:

receiving location information of the terminal from the terminal; and

searching for small base stations positioned within a specific distance from the terminal based on the location information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the searching for small base stations accessible by the terminal comprises:

receiving, from the terminal, identification information of small base stations selected based on a history of access to the small base stations; and

searching for small base stations corresponding to the identification information.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the searching for small base stations accessible by the terminal comprises:

receiving identification information of small base stations to which the terminal is subscribed from a subscribed node list server; and

searching for the small base stations to which the terminal is subscribed based on the identification information.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the controlling the small base stations to operate in the active mode comprises:

requesting the small base stations to switch to the active mode from an inactive mode, the small base stations operating in the inactive mode due to sensing signals from a macro cell during booting.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the small base station is selected by the terminal.