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

• US 9,210,594 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• 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:
  US14/190,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 455/517, 455/438, 455/411, 455/435.2, 455/418, 455/434, 455/522, 455/436, 455/450, 455/509, 455/458, 455/574, 455/456.1, 455/67.1, 455/552.1, 455/88, 455/524, 455/525, 455/13.1, 370/401, 370/311, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 at least one terminal in response to a request for closed subscriber group (CSG) selection from the at least one terminal;

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

a second controller to control at least one small base station, on which the at least one 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 at least one terminal is not camped, to switch from the active mode to an inactive mode.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second controller enables the at least one small base station, on which the at least one terminal is camped, 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 2, wherein the node list search unit receives identification information of the accessible small base stations to which the at least one terminal is subscribed from a subscribed node list server, and searches for the accessible small base stations to which the at least one terminal is subscribed based on the identification information.

4. The network apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one small base station is selected by the at least one terminal.

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

6. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one small base station is selected by the at least one terminal.

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

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

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

determining whether the at least one terminal is camped on at least one small base station, the at least one small base station being among the accessible small base stations; and

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

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

enabling the at least one 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.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the searching for small base stations accessible by the terminal comprises:

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

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

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the at least one small base station is selected by the at least one terminal.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the searching for small base stations accessible by the terminal comprises:

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

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

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the at least one small base station is selected by the at least one terminal.