Determining a communication device to be used from one or more communication devices having a power save mode

• US 8,983,556 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takano, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US13/319,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20120052796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15557 Selecting relay station operation mode, e.g. between amplify and forward mode, decode and forward mode or FDD - and TDD mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system is configured that includes a mobile terminal, one or more relay devices, and a base station for communicating with the mobile terminal via any of the one or more relay devices, where the mobile terminal includes a reception unit for receiving a reference signal transmitted from the one or more relay devices, a determination unit for determining a relay device to be used for communication with the base station based on the reference signal received by the reception unit from the one or more relay devices, and a transmission unit for transmitting to the base station information indicating the relay device determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a mobile terminal;

one or more communication devices; and

a base station for communicating with the mobile terminal via any of the one or more communication devices,

wherein the mobile terminal includes

a receiver configured to receive a reference signal transmitted from the one or more communication devices;

circuitry configured to determine a communication device based on the reference signal received by the receiver from the one or more communication devices, wherein

each of the one or more communication devices does not transmit the reference signal when operating in a power save mode and transmits the reference signal when operating in an active mode, and

the base station includes circuitry configured to

select a communication device among the one or more communication devices; and

issue an instruction to shift to the active mode in a case the selected communication device is operating in the power save mode.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry of the base station is configured to:

acquire location information corresponding to the mobile terminal; and

select a communication device among the one or more relay devices based on the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry of the base station is configured to acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on an arrival direction and a reception intensity of a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the mobile terminal transmits to the base station reception intensity information of each signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations, and

the circuitry of the base station is configured to acquire the location information of the mobile terminal based on the reception intensity information of each of the plurality of base stations received from the mobile terminal.

5. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

a plurality of base stations transmit to the base station reception intensity information of a signal transmitted by the mobile terminal, and

the circuitry of the base station is configured to acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on reception intensities of the signal transmitted by the mobile terminal at the plurality of base stations.

6. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the mobile terminal transmits to the base station reception intensity information of each signal transmitted from the base station and the one or more communication devices, and

the circuitry of the base station is configured to acquire the location information of the mobile terminal based on the reception intensity information received from the mobile terminal.

7. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein

the mobile terminal transmits to the base station the location information of the mobile terminal estimated by GPS, and

the circuitry of the base station is configured to acquire the location information of the mobile terminal transmitted from the mobile terminal.

8. A communication control method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a mobile terminal, a reference signal transmitted from one or more communication devices;

determining a communication device based on the reference signal received from the one or more communication devices, wherein each of the one or more communication devices does not transmit the reference signal when operating in a power save mode and transmits the reference signal when operating in an active mode; and

issuing an instruction to the determined communication device to shift to the active mode in a case the determined communication device is operating in the power save mode.

9. A mobile terminal comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a reference signal transmitted from one or more communication devices; and

circuitry configured to determine a communication device based on the reference signal received by the receiver from the one or more communication devices, wherein

each of the one or more communication devices does not transmit the reference signal when operating in the power save mode and transmits the reference signal when operating in an active mode, and

the determined communication device receives in instruction to shift to the active mode in a case the determined communication device is operating in the power save mode.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, reception intensity information corresponding to each signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, reception intensity information corresponding to each signal transmitted from the base station and the one or more communication devices.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, location information corresponding to the mobile device estimated by GPS.

13. A communication device, comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a base station and a mobile terminal;

circuitry configured to

set an operation mode of the communication device to a power save mode in which the communication device does not transmit a reference signal or an active mode in which the communication device transmits a reference signal; and

shift operation to the active mode when the communication device is in power save mode and receives an indication that the communication device has been selected by the base station.

14. The communication device of claim 13, wherein the communication interface is configured to:

perform discontinuous reception in a case that the communication device is operating in the power save mode; and

receiving the indication from the base station while performing the discontinuous reception.

15. A base station configured to communicate with one or more communication devices, the base station comprising:

circuitry configured to

acquire location information corresponding to a mobile terminal;

select a communication device among the one or more communication devices base on the acquired location information;

issue an instruction to shift the selected communication device to active mode, in a case the selected communication device is operating in a power save mode, wherein

the selected communication device operates in one of the power save mode in which the communication device does not transmit the reference signal or the active mode in which the communication device transmits the reference signal.

16. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on an arrival direction of a signal and a reception intensity of the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal.

17. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive, from the mobile terminal, reception intensity information corresponding to each signal transmitted from a plurality of base stations; and

acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on the reception intensity information of each of the plurality of base stations.

18. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive, from a plurality of base stations, reception intensity information of a signal transmitted by the mobile terminal; and

acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on reception intensities of the signal.

19. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive, from the mobile station, reception intensity information of each signal transmitted from the one or more communication devices; and

acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on the reception intensity information.

20. The base station according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive, from the mobile station, the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal estimated by GPS; and

acquire the location information corresponding to the mobile terminal based on the received location information.