Mobile communication system

• US 9,820,254 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Mitsuru, Maeda, Miho, Uga, Shinsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannan, B.M. M
• Application Number:
  US14/237,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20140206352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 370315, 3702411, 370328, 370331, 4554351, 4554561, 4554221, 455439
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A mobile communication system capable of performing communication between a user equipment device connected to a relay device and a core network if the relay device moves. A relay device sets a tracking area of a base station device to be connected with the own device as a tracking area of the own device. For example, when the relay device moves along an arrow, the tracking area of the relay device is changed from a first tracking area to which a fourth base station device belongs to a third tracking area to which a tenth base station device belongs. Upon change of the tracking area of the relay device as described above, a user equipment device transmits a tracking area update request signal of the own device to a target second mobility management entity.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of base station devices to be connected to a core network, a user equipment device configured to perform radio communications with said base station devices, and a relay device movably configured to relay said radio communications between said base station devices and said user equipment device, wherein

said core network includes a mobility management entity that manages said base station devices, said user equipment device, and said relay device per predetermined tracking area,

said relay device sets, as a relay device tracking area of said relay device, a base station device tracking area of a base station device that is connected to said relay device belongs, and

upon judging that said relay device tracking area has changed when said relay device is connected to said user equipment device, said user equipment device transmits a user equipment device tracking area update request signal for updating a user equipment device tracking area of said user equipment device to said mobility management entity via said relay device whose relay device tracking area has changed.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said core network includes a plurality of said mobility management entity,

said user equipment device was connected to a first mobility management entity before said relay device tracking area was changed, and

said user equipment device transmits said user equipment device tracking area update request signal for updating said user equipment device tracking area to a second mobility management entity after said relay device tracking area has changed via said relay device whose relay device tracking area has changed.

3. A mobile communication system comprising a plurality of base station devices to be connected to a core network, a user equipment device configured to perform radio communication with said base station devices, and a relay device movably configured to relay said radio communications between said base station devices and said user equipment device, wherein

said core network includes a mobility management entity that manages said base station devices, said user equipment device, and said relay device per predetermined tracking area,

upon judging that a base station tracking area of a base station device connected to said relay device has changed, said relay device transmits a relay device tracking area update request signal for updating a relay device tracking area of said relay device to said mobility management entity,

upon receipt of said relay device tracking area update request signal from said relay device, said mobility management entity initiates and performs a process of updating said relay device tracking area, and

upon receipt of said relay device tracking area update request signal from said relay device, said mobility management entity initiates and performs a process of updating a user equipment device tracking area of said user equipment device.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 3, wherein

said core network includes a plurality of said mobility management entity, each of said plurality of mobility management entity being configured to manage a tracking area different from that of other mobility managing entities,

(A) upon judgment that said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device has changed and judgment that a mobility management entity that manages said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device has not changed, said relay device transmits said relay device tracking area update request signal to said mobility management entity that manages said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device, and

(B) upon judgment that said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device has changed and judgment that said mobility management entity that manages said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device has changed,

(B1) said relay device sets, as said relay device tracking area, said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device, and

(B2) upon judging that said relay device tracking area of said relay device connected to said user equipment device has changed, said user equipment device transmits a user equipment device tracking area update request signal for updating said user equipment device tracking area to a mobility management entity that manages said relay device tracking area of said relay device connected to said user equipment device.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 3, wherein

said core network includes a plurality of said mobility management entity,

upon judging that said base station tracking area of said base station device connected to said relay device has changed, said relay device transmits said relay device tracking area update request signal for updating said relay device tracking area of said relay device to a first mobility management entity, and

upon receipt of said relay device tracking area update request signal from said relay device, said first mobility management entity transmits a user equipment device tracking area update request signal for updating said user equipment device tracking area of said user equipment device to a second mobility management entity.