Apparatus and method for X2 interface setup and cell switching in mobile communication system

• US 8,725,151 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Xu, Lixiang, Wang, Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US13/089,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20110269464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 455/437, 455/450, 455/435.1, 455/422.1, 455/411, 455/434, 455/438, 370/331, 370/339, 370/333, 370/340, 370/336, 370/335, 370/334, 370/332, 370/337, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for setting up an X2 interface setup are provided. The method includes transmitting, by a first Base Station (BS), an X2 interface setup request to a second BS, wherein the X2 interface setup request comprises an access mode of a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) supported by a cell in the first BS, and transmitting, by the second BS, an X2 interface response message to the first BS, wherein the X2 interface response message comprises the access mode of the CSG supported by the cell in the second BS.

Claims

1. A method for setting up an X2 interface in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a first Base Station (BS), an X2 setup request message to a second BS, wherein the X2 setup request message includes a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) Identifier (ID) and neighbor information of the first BS; and

receiving, by the first BS, an X2 setup response message from the second BS, wherein the X2 setup response message includes a CSG ID and neighbor cell information of the second BS.

2. A method for a handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a source Base Station (BS), a handover request message to a target BS, wherein the handover request message includes a group membership state of a User Equipment (UE); and

receiving, by the source BS, a handover response message from the target BS.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the source BS, a measurement report transmitted by the UE, wherein the measurement report comprises an identifier of the target BS.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, an access request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request message; and

receiving, by the source BS, an access response message from the MME, wherein the access response message includes an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access, or, the access response message includes an indication that the UE is permitted to have access and the group membership state of whether the UE is associated with a Hybrid cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the handover request message includes the group membership state of the UE if the target cell is a Hybrid cell.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting, by the target BS, the access request message to an MME if the target cell is a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell before transmitting the handover response message, wherein the access request message includes a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the target cell and an identifier of the UE; and

receiving, by the target BS, the access response message from the MME.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the handover request message includes the CSG ID supported by the target cell which is reported from the UE, and

further comprising:

determining, by the target BS, whether the CSG ID included in the handover request is consistent with the CSG ID supported by the target cell before transmitting the access request message,

transmitting, by the target BS, the access request message to the MME if the CSG IDs are consistent; and

transmitting, by the target BS, a handover failure message to the source BS if the CSG IDs are not consistent.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access response message is transmitted, by the MME, if the target cell is the CSG cell and includes an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the access response message from the MME comprises one of:

a success response message if the UE is permitted to have access if the target cell is the CSG cell, and, a failure access response message if the UE is not permitted to have access if the target cell is the CSG cell.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, an access request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request message, if the target cell is a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell; and

receiving, by the source BS, an access response message from the MME, wherein the access response message comprises an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting, by the source BS, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration request message to the UE;

transmitting, by the UE, an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the target BS;

transmitting, by the target BS, a path switching request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME), wherein the path switching request message comprises an access mode and a CSG IDentifier (ID) supported by the target cell;

transmitting, by the MME, a path switching response message to the target BS, wherein the path switching response message comprises a group membership state of the UE; and

transmitting, by the target BS, a UE context release message to the source BS.

12. An apparatus for a first Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting an X2 setup request message to a second BS, wherein the X2 setup request message includes a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) Identifier (ID) and neighbor information of the first BS, and for receiving an X2 setup response message from the second BS, wherein the X2 setup response message comprises the CSG ID and neighbor information of the second BS.

13. An apparatus for a source Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for transmitting a handover request message which is transmitted from the source BS to a target BS, wherein the handover request message includes a group membership state of a User Equipment (UE), and for receiving a handover response message which is transmitted from the target BS to the source BS.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a modem for receiving a measurement report transmitted by the UE, wherein the measurement report comprises an identifier of the target BS.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication unit transmits an access request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) before transmitting the handover request message, and receives an access response message from the MME,

wherein the access response message includes an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access, or, the access response message includes an indication that the UE is permitted to have access and the group membership state of whether the UE is associated with a Hybrid cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the handover request message includes the group membership state of the UE if the target cell is a Hybrid cell.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the access response message includes an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access if the target cell is a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the access response message comprises, access if the target cell is a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell, a success response message if the UE is permitted to have access and a failure access response message if the UE is not permitted to have access.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication unit transmits, before transmitting the handover request message, an access request message to a Mobile Management Entity (MME) if the target cell is a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) cell, and receives an access response message from the MME, wherein the access response includes an indication of whether the UE is permitted to have access.

25. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the group membership state of the UE indicates whether the UE is a member of the target BS.

20. An apparatus for a target Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for receiving a handover request message which is transmitted from a source BS to the target BS, wherein the handover request message includes a group membership state of a User Equipment (UE), and for transmitting a handover response message which is transmitted from the target BS to the source BS.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a controller for determining whether a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) Identifier (ID) of a cell in the BS is consistent with the CSG ID of a cell in the source BS, and

wherein the communication unit transmits a handover failure message to the source BS if the CSG IDs are different.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the group membership state of the UE indicates whether the UE is a member of the target BS.

21. A method for setting up an X2 interface in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a first Base Station (BS), an X2 setup request message from a second BS, wherein the X2 setup request message comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) Identifier (ID) and neighbor information of the second BS; and

transmitting, by the first BS, an X2 setup response message to the second BS, wherein the X2 setup response message comprises the CSG ID and neighbor cell information of the first BS.

22. A method for a handover in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a target Base Station (BS), a handover request message from a source BS, wherein the handover request message includes a group membership state of a User Equipment (UE); and

transmitting, by the target BS, a handover response message to the source BS.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the group membership state of the UE indicates whether the UE is a member of the target BS.

23. An apparatus for a first Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit for receiving an X2 setup request message from a second BS, wherein the X2 setup request message comprises a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) Identifier (ID) and neighbor cell information of the second BS, and for transmitting an X2 setup response message to the second BS, wherein the X2 setup response message comprises the CSG ID and neighbor cell information of the first BS.