Communication control method, user terminal, and processor

• US 9,668,202 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Fujishiro, Masato, Morita, Kugo, Yamazaki, Chiharu, Nagasaka, Yushi, Adachi, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/890,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 455434, 4554351, 4554321, 4554352
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A communication control method according to the present invention is a method for allowing a cellular communication system to cooperate with a wireless LAN system. The communication control method comprises: a detecting step of detecting, by a user terminal having a cellular communication unit and a wireless LAN communication unit, that the user terminal is present near a small-cell base station; a recognizing step of recognizing, by the user terminal, that the small-cell base station is of a collocated type where the small-cell base station is disposed at a same location as a wireless LAN access point; and a scanning starting step of starting, by the user terminal, scanning for discovery of the wireless LAN access point, when the user terminal has recognized that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type and has not discovered the wireless LAN access point.

Claims

1. A communication control method for allowing a cellular communication system to cooperate with a wireless LAN system, the communication control method comprising:

a detecting step of detecting, by a user terminal, that the user terminal is present near a small-cell base station;

a recognizing step of recognizing, by the user terminal, that the small-cell base station is of a collocated type where the small-cell base station is disposed at a same location as a wireless LAN access point; and

a scanning starting step of starting, by the user terminal, scanning for discovery of the wireless LAN access point, when the user terminal has recognized that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type and has not discovered the wireless LAN access point,

in the recognizing step, the user terminal recognizes that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, based on a collocation list about a small-cell base station of the collocated type,

in the detecting step, the user terminal detects that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, based on location information included in a whitelist about a specific cell to which the user terminal has an access right, and

in the recognizing step, the user terminal recognizes that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, when a cell identifier included in the whitelist matches a cell identifier included in the collocation list.

2. The communication control method according to claim 1, wherein

in the detecting step, the user terminal detects that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, by receiving a cell identifier from the small-cell base station, and

in the recognizing step, the user terminal recognizes that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, when the cell identifier matches a cell identifier included in the collocation list.

3. The communication control method according to claim 1, further comprising an obtaining step of obtaining, by the user terminal, the collocation list from a base station configured to manage a larger cell than a small cell managed by the small-cell base station.

4. The communication control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user informing step of informing, by the user terminal, a base station of a fact that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, when the user terminal has detected that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, the base station managing a larger cell than a small cell managed by the small-cell base station;

a determining step of determining, by the base station, whether the small-cell base station present near the user terminal is of the collocated type, based on the information provided in the user informing step; and

a base station informing step of informing, by the base station, the user terminal of a fact that the small-cell base station determined in the determining step is of the collocated type, wherein

in the recognizing step, the user terminal recognizes that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, based on the information provided in the base station informing step.

5. The communication control method according to claim 4, wherein

in the detecting step, the user terminal detects that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, by receiving a cell identifier from the small-cell base station, and

in the user informing step, the user terminal informs the base station of a fact that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, by a measurement report on received power from the small-cell base station.

6. The communication control method according to claim 4, wherein

in the user informing step, the user terminal informs the base station of a fact that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, by proximity indication indicating that the user terminal is present near the specific cell.

7. The communication control method according to claim 1, further comprising an informing step of informing, by the small-cell base station, the user terminal of a fact that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, wherein

in the recognizing step, the user terminal recognizes that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, when the user terminal is connected to the small-cell base station and has received the information provided in the informing step.

8. The communication control method according to claim 7, wherein in the informing step, when the small-cell base station is directly connected to the wireless LAN access point, the small-cell base station transmits information designating a channel to perform the scanning together with the information provided in the informing step.

9. A user terminal, comprising a controller configured to perform control to detect that the user terminal is present near a small-cell base station, wherein

the controller performs control to recognize that the small-cell base station is of a collocated type where the small-cell base station is disposed at a same location as a wireless LAN access point,

the controller performs control to start scanning for discovery of the wireless LAN access point, when the controller has recognized that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type and has not discovered the wireless LAN access point,

the controller performs control to recognize that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, based on a collocation list about a small-cell base station of the collocated type,

the controller performs control to detect that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, based on location information included in a whitelist about a specific cell to which the user terminal has an access right, and

the controller performs control to recognize that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, when a cell identifier included in the whitelist matches a cell identifier included in the collocation list.

10. A processor for controlling a user terminal, the processor performing:

a process of detecting that the user terminal is present near a small-cell base station;

a process of recognizing that the small-cell base station is of a collocated type where the small-cell base station is disposed at a same location as a wireless LAN access point; and

a process of starting scanning for discovery of the wireless LAN access point, when the processor has recognized that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type and has not discovered the wireless LAN access point, wherein

the process of recognizing that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, based on a collocation list about a small-cell base station of the collocated type,

the process of detecting that the user terminal is present near the small-cell base station, based on location information included in a whitelist about a specific cell to which the user terminal has an access right, and

the process of recognizing that the small-cell base station is of the collocated type, when a cell identifier included in the whitelist matches a cell identifier included in the collocation list.